Asked how City+Search came to one of Canada’s fastest-growing digital marketing agencies, founder Chad Blenkin said his team practices what they preach, put skin in the game, don’t hide behind vanity metrics and focus on bringing cash in the door — “We’ve had no choice, being bootstrapped, but there’s no smarter way to grow”.
I started the agency a short while ago from my basement without any funding, venture capital or safety net. All I had was a computer, a cell phone, and a few hundred dollars. Not only was I entering a highly-competitive industry but there were already thousands of digital marketing agencies in the market. To grow City+Search, my team and I have used the same direct-response marketing principles that we offer clients — and our record growth is proof that these principles work.
So I would say being recognized as one of Canada’s fastest growing agencies is a testament to our ability to grow a business. Equally, our success is attributable to our company culture. Being a service-based business, our people and our expertise ARE our product. To deliver our clients the best results possible, we’ve invested a lot into not only cultivating the right culture within our team but nurturing team members and helping them grow. It’s funny, there are numerous business coaches and agencies coaching people on how to grow their companies but they aren’t practicing what they preach in their own.
I’ve known for a long time that there’s no other full-service digital marketing agency growing at the pace that City_Search is, so it’s wonderful to have that. Despite all the milestones we’re beginning to hit and the successes we’re starting to see, I believe we’re still at the very beginning of our journey.