155. The Brutal Truth About Building a Creative Agency in NYC ft. Shortstache & Chelstache
THE 505 PODCAST
Navigating the Challenges of Creative Agency Life
This chapter explores the benefits of running a small creative agency versus larger firms, emphasizing agility and focus. The speakers also address common inefficiencies in big agencies and share a resource to help creatives improve their sales calls.
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What’s up, Rock Nation! Today we’re joined by Garrett and Chelsea - The married creative duo behind Stache.Haus, a New York-based creative agency. A year ago, they left everything behind in LA, and moved across the country to launch a premium boutique agency in one of the most competitive cities in the world. In this episode, we break down what Instagram doesn’t show you - the sleepless nights, financial pressure, and learning how to fight for your business and your relationship. If you’re dreaming of launching your own agency one day, or just a creative wanting to learn how to work with bigger brands, this is the real behind-the-scenes of what it actually takes.
Check out Garrett and Chelsea here:
https://www.instagram.com/shortstache/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/chelstache/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/stache.haus/?hl=en
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Timestamps:
0:00 - Trailer
0:25 - Intro
0:52 - One Handed Crack
1:30 - Going all in on building an agency together
2:23 - The chaos of quitting, moving, and planning a wedding
3:51 - Dealing with NYC winter and emotional shock
5:19 - What Garrett gave up to start Stache.Haus
6:27 - Chelsea’s struggle to gain respect in a male-dominated space
7:59 - Why brand confusion is still a challenge
8:55 - How inbound leads split between Shortstache and Stache.Haus
10:58 - The moment they decided to launch the agency
12:09 - What makes their agency different from traditional production houses
14:25 - Agency frustrations: when bad ideas come from big budgets
17:28 - Brutal truths about launching a business in NYC
18:52 - Pressure, burnout, and financial fear
21:55 - No separation between work and life
23:20 - The cost of grinding 24/7 as a couple
25:32 - “I didn’t sign up for this”
26:43 - Building structure through calendars and time blocking
28:21 - Tools they use to run the business
30:14 - Their biggest financial mistake: no runway
31:50 - Emotional breaking point before the wedding
33:36 - Learning to love each other under extreme stress
35:25 - Becoming bulletproof through adversity
36:43 - How they decide if a client is a good fit
38:12 - Standing up to disrespectful clients
41:18 - Dream team structure for the agency
43:40 - The vision for a physical Stache.Haus location
45:45 - How Chelsea wants to evolve her role
47:08 - Garrett’s goal to stop touching the camera
50:00 - Why NYC accelerates brand relationships
52:16 - Boots-on-the-ground strategy for brand deals
54:51 - Creating campaigns that stand out from recap videos
56:23 - Their exact brand deal workflow and process
58:28 - Why every project starts with a phone call
1:01:32 - How they quote and budget campaigns
1:03:34 - Lessons learned from bad brand deals
1:07:04 - Why trust and boundaries with clients matter
1:10:25 - Advice for anyone starting a creative agency
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