155. The Brutal Truth About Building a Creative Agency in NYC ft. Shortstache & Chelstache

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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.

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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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