155. The Brutal Truth About Building a Creative Agency in NYC ft. Shortstache & Chelstache
THE 505 PODCAST
Intro
This chapter delves into the struggles of starting a creative agency in New York City, highlighting personal experiences with performance pressure and client relationships. The speakers reflect on their first year in business, discussing both the obstacles encountered and the valuable lessons learned along the way.
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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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