There’s something about being in service to small business owners that genuinely gets me fired up.
I drafted this while driving on the highway, leaving Manhattan after living there for two and a half years. While in NYC, I had the time of my life. I worked at my dream company, met thousands of the most interesting people, and spent weeks outside my comfort zone—navigating a layoff and a rehire, sneaking into pickup basketball games, showing up at parties knowing only a person or two, and spending a lot of time not knowing what I was doing. But I relished the opportunity to meet an unbelievable number of individuals driven by unique and unrelenting ambition. Thinking about the craziness of the city inspires me—especially the people. They can be walled off at times, but breaking through that exterior to understand what drives them—what they’re willing to fight for—was the highlight of my time there.
Scarfing down my first road trip snack—a banana from my local bodega—I realized something fundamental: those corner spots are a masterclass in pure operational survival.
Bodegas, small cleaners doing wash & fold, fruit cart vendors on the corner, train candy sellers, halal food trucks… they make living there worth it. They are monuments to the hustle. They have an unapologetic nature of doing what it takes to make money and keep their dream alive. They don’t worry about looking prestigious or polished—they simply execute. When you feel discouraged or embarrassed about your hustle, they’re who should pop into your mind.
THE FOUNDERS PHILOSOPHY
“That unyielding grit is what sparked the inception of The Founders Agency. I didn’t want to build just another padded corporate marketing agency. I wanted to build an agency that fights for scrappers—founders who do whatever the hell it takes to win.”
Skeptics might ask: ‘Why or how does a niche AI startup stand a chance against multi-billion-dollar incumbents?’ Because a lean team isn’t weighed down by institutional bloat. They operate like a Swiss Army knife—or a local bodega. A bodega doesn’t care about corporate playbooks; it cares about utility and immediate demand. It’s where you can buy a bottle of wine alongside a carton of detergent at 2:00 AM because it serves the reality of the customer right in front of it. High-velocity startups have that exact same hyper-adaptable edge. They pivot faster, test bolder, and out-hustle the giants before the big guys even finish scheduling a board meeting.
While my clients aren’t limited to the food and beverage space, every founder I represent shares that exact same operational ethos. I built this agency to embody the raw, unapologetic nature of the real-world grind.
Growing up, my parents used to tell me: ‘If you can’t land a job, go work in a restaurant until you figure out how to make it work.’ They meant it as a safety net, but to me, it became a philosophy. In a restaurant, there’s no room for ego, no hiding behind vanity metrics. When the rush arrives, you do the work, you deliver under pressure, and you feed the room.
That’s how we approach growth. Make it work with us at The Founders Advertising.