What I Would Do Differently If I Started My Business Over | EP 222
From Off By 2 : Branding, Business, Money, and Freedom by Kady Sandel
July 14, 2026 · 18 min · Episode 222
About this episode
Kady Sandel reflects on the lessons learned from running a creative agency and shares what she would do differently if starting over.
Most creative businesses do not stay small because the owner is not talented enough. They stay stuck because the business was built too broad, too reactive, and too focused on proving something instead of building something with a clear shape underneath it. Scattered services, unclear positioning, systems that live entirely in your head, and visibility treated like an afterthought. These are not beginner mistakes you grow out of automatically. They are patterns that compound quietly for years. This episode is a honest look back at what I would do differently if I started Aventive Studio over today, after two decades in branding, over 350 brands, and a lot of hard-won clarity about what actually creates momentum in a creative agency. From narrowing services earlier to building around the life I actually wanted, this is less about tactics and more about the thinking that changes everything underneath the surface. If your business feels harder than it should right now, or like it has never quite found its shape, this one is worth a listen. Links to Connect: Media & speaking: https://kadysandel.com My skincare branding studio: https://aventivestudio.com For designers…
People in this episode
Host: Kady Sandel
Topics covered
- agency building
- branding
- business strategy
- creative entrepreneurship
- service positioning
- business clarity
Keywords
- creative agency
- business mistakes
- branding strategy
- service clarity
- entrepreneurship
- business growth
- agency momentum
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Aventive Studio, Aventive Academy, Instagram
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