Founder Julia Beardwood Is Now Chief Growth Officer
For any design studio or agency, keeping the lights on for 20 years ain’t nothing. It is 7,305 days of momentous highs and unrelenting downs. And as easy as one might think it is to start your own practice, sustaining that success over time is even harder. The NYC-based branding agency Beardwood&Co. recently celebrated two decades in business and new co-CEOS Sarah Williams and Ryan Lynch sat down to discuss just how they did it with Chief Growth Officer (and founder) Julia Beardwood, from their early days and wanting to break out of big-agency bureaucracy and egos to building a long-term sustainable agency model with an enviable list of (return) clients. Shown here (left to right) Julia Beardwood, Sarah Williams, Ryan Lynch; a handful of projects also appears below.
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SARAH WILLIAMS: Looking back, 20 years ago, a small wave of independent agencies broke out from larger conglomerates and holding companies. Julia, what made you take that first big leap?
JULIA BEARDWOOD: After being in big agencies for several years, I had a strong sense there was a better way to work, both for our clients and for our people, that would ultimately lead to better work and a stronger culture. While we were part of a new generation of independent agencies establishing ourselves at that time, we’re really proud of having the ability to build for the long term.
SARAH: Speaking of long-term, we’ve navigated through at least two major recessions, a pandemic, and a few other rollercoaster rides— to get to do what we do. What do you both think enabled us to persist for two decades? What were the hard lessons learned?
RYAN LYNCH: We’ve often joked that we have the best 3-way marriage possible. Like any solid relationship, we often come together to have honest conversations about our priorities and goals. To quickly decide what’s working and where we need to shift course. Being independent means we adapt faster when we see change or opportunity. The demands on marketers and brands are more complex than ever. The volume of platforms and channels that must all coalesce to create a cohesive brand world is exponentially different from 20 or even two years ago. We were early adopters of AI in our strategic and creative processes. We’ve been able to quickly build teams that bring together the right expertise for the challenge. Why? We know what doesn’t work — and that’s applying the same cookie-cutter approach to every challenge — because diagnosing the right problem to solve for a brand is the most important first step.
SARAH: Despite pressing the issue, we’ve never siloed ourselves to just one category. We’ve worked with clients ranging from Pottery Barn in the home space to Danone and Hello in CPG and Enterprise Community Partners in Non-Profit affordable housing. Why do you think resisting specialization has paid off for us and our clients?
RYAN: We revisit this question yearly and sometimes daily, but the short answer is that we love thinking “cross-category” because it leads to rich learnings that inspire better solutions and ideas for every brand we work with. One lane means your pool of inspiration gets pretty small quickly. It’s what we mean by “Illuminating brand possibilities.” You must cast a wide net of data and inspiration to distill it into a simple, human truth. Once you have that — you can begin to build the story and the world. Skipping this step and the ability to connect is why 70% of rebrands fail. We are proud industry generalists and branding specialists. It’s fantastic to have data to prove that it works harder for our clients.
SARAH: From the beginning, we’ve looked for ways to give our team space to grow within the company, whether that’s leveling up from a junior role or even growing two co-CEOs from within the business. What do you think has worked well, and what hasn’t?
JULIA: It’s always been a delicate balance between staying close to and loving the work. That’s why we’re passionate about being here and doing what we do. But, when you can step back and see people stepping up to take the reins or surprising you by pushing themselves to take on new challenges, you must tune into those moments. You also have to realize that giving people space to grow is also what leads to the growth of an agency and our clients’ success. Big creative ideas happen when possibilities feel ripe, and there is momentum and energy.
But now you and Ryan are leading the charge for the next chapter. What do you think the next 20 years will look like?
SARAH: The world isn’t slowing down — the complexity will accelerate, and we can’t completely predict where AI will take us. But our role will be ever more critical as creators and curators of unique, big, and brilliant ideas. We have to do that while bringing our humanity to the table and creating space for true collaboration and partnership. The traditional agency model is fading fast, and we are iterating on how we move it forward every day.
RYAN: You can’t choose what the world throws at you — you can only choose how you will react to it. So, I think one thing all three of us have in common is cultivating resilience, staying open-minded, and being willing to rethink what will carry us and our clients forward in the best way possible.
