In this episode of Founder2Founder, Aaron Spivak sits down with Larysa Nakonecznyj, CEO of Nako Creative, an award-winning digital marketing agency known for driving measurable results through innovation and tailored strategy. With a background in communications and advertising, Larysa has helped global brands grow fast and grow smart. She’s been recognized with the 2024 Global Recognition Award and was nominated for the Women Empowerment Foundation’s “Rising Star” award.

Larysa unpacks the exact moment her path shifted after a single shift waiting tables, and how she walked away from law school to build something of her own. She shares the story behind her first pitch, scaling too fast, bouncing back from burnout, and the mindset work that’s kept her going. This conversation is a powerful look at what it takes to build a solo agency to seven figures while staying grounded in vision and values.

Chapters:
01:40 – Realizing She Wasn’t Meant to Work for Anyone
03:23 – First Corporate Job & Red Flags
04:59 – The Shift at The Keg That Changed Everything
06:12 – Pitching an Agency She Hadn’t Built Yet
07:33 – The Woman Who Believed in Her First
08:33 – Faking a Florida Trip to Buy Time
09:38 – Where Her Standard for Excellence Comes From
11:29 – Walking Away From Law School
12:57 – Breaking the News to a Traditional Family
14:10 – Seeing Opportunity Everywhere
15:59 – Manifesting Confidence Before the Pod
17:44 – Prepping for the Next Hour, Always
19:15 – Discovering “The Secret” and Shifting Mindset
22:54 – When Scaling Too Fast Breaks the System
24:46 – Burnout and Questioning It All
26:14 – Almost Going Back to School
28:14 – Saying No Becomes the New Strategy
30:01 – Doing It Alone Without a Co-Founder
32:08 – From Doubting to Betting on Herself
33:47 – Building Confidence Through Results
35:29 – Curating a Circle That Believes In You
37:54 – Two Types of Friends (Choose Wisely)
39:17 – Life After Exit and the Power of Community
41:54 – The Mental Weight of Being a Young CEO
44:54 – “Move With Confidence”, The One Conversation That Shifted Everything
46:54 – Building Systems Through Mistakes
48:08 – Why Most Agencies Don’t Work Hard Enough
50:18 – The Ferrari x Art Basel Win
52:59 – The Internal Team Mentality Clients Love
55:20 – Advice to Her 20-Year-Old Self
56:13 – Designing a Business Around the Life She Wants
59:35 – Naivety Can Be a Superpower
1:01:09 – The Truth About Building a Business
1:04:31 – Retention as the Ultimate KPI
1:05:32 – Final Word: Show Up, Work Hard, Win!

Guest Links:
Website: https://nakocreative.com/
Instagram: @nako.creative
LinkedIn

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S8E14 - Gazzaniga