In this episode, Dan Englander talks with Brooke MacLean, CEO of Marketwake, one of the Southeast’s fastest-growing digital agencies and a five-time Inc. 5000 honoree. Brooke shares how she bootstrapped Marketwake from a solo consulting gig into an 80-person powerhouse serving clients like Yamaha, University of Georgia, and Machete Jewelry — all through relationships, trust, and disciplined growth.
They dig into the nuances of business development, leadership, and scaling without losing your creative spark.
🧭 What You’ll Learn
Bootstrapping an 80-person agency: how Brooke built Marketwake with no funding and no debt
The 15% rule: why no client should ever represent more than 15% of your revenue
Bringing your team into sales: how involving account leads early shortens cycles and builds trust
Time as a sales lever: why real urgency beats fake scarcity every time
Account-based marketing, redefined: how Marketwake blends data, relationships, and timing to reach dream clients
Referrals, chemistry, and “the spark”: how authentic connection drives growth more than any funnel hack
Resources Mentioned
Visit Marketwake.com
Connect with Brooke MacLean on LinkedIn
Learn more about Relationship Sales at Scale
