When Values Lead: Creating a Strategic Foundation for the future of agency
The Backstory:
When the future of agency, the only full-service marketing agency in publishing, began to scale, founder Andrea DeWerd knew who she was personally, but the company’s values had not yet been formally articulated. The ethos was there, but it lived more as a feeling than a framework.
There was also a deeper tension: how much of Andrea’s personal convictions should inform the company? And what would happen when a complex ethical decision inevitably surfaced?
As Andrea reflected, “I’ve always known who I am as a leader, and what I stand for. But I was nervous, taking that firm stand and putting it out there, saying, 'This is who we are.' I wasn't sure what that would mean for us and what the right way to do that was.”
The work was less about external polish and more about building a brand position durable enough to guide the company over time.
The Approach:
Backstory partnered with the future of agency to formalize its core values and translate them into operational language. Together, we clarified where Andrea’s founder identity and the company ethos aligned, and where they needed more differentiation.
This was bigger than adding values to a website. It was about doing the strategic work that enabled Andrea and her team to create a decision-making framework they could return to under pressure—one that could be embedded in onboarding, proposals, and external partnerships.
Over time, the framework became less of a document and more of an operating system woven into how the company leads, hires, and evaluates author fit.
“[The foundational work] is woven into a lot of what we do. It is invaluable because it's become so central to everything.”
The Impact:
Nearly two years later, that foundation was tested.
Upon learning that a key software vendor held a contract with ICE, Andrea and her team initiated a two-week internal review. They assessed financial risk, consulted the team, and returned repeatedly to their values. The ultimate decision to cancel the contract despite potential financial repercussions was not reactive; it was grounded.
Andrea shared, “Every couple of days, we would take a next step and come back to the language that you helped us develop. What do we say about our values publicly on our website? What do we say to our clients? I could confidently say: we don't work with partners who don't uphold our values.”
What began as a foundational strategy became a clear infrastructure that empowered Andrea to make a tough, but aligned decision for her business.
Andrea’s advice to other founders thinking about doing this foundational work?
“Do it upfront, before you need it. It is invaluable to have done the groundwork and have this guiding principle. We did this in year one, and it’s guided us for two years afterwards and beyond.”