A 5x NBA Champion Picked Her to Run His Agency. Here's What Happened | Jean Freeman | Volume XII
The Learning LoungeShow Notes
How do you build a business before you feel ready? Jean Freeman, CEO of Zambezi, said yes at 27 when an NBA legend asked her husband to start an ad agency, then grew it into one of the largest women-owned creative agencies in America.
In 2006, a five-time NBA champion decided he wanted to build an advertising agency and asked Jean's husband to run it. They were 27, and he thought the idea was nuts. Jean's answer was simple: what's the worst that can happen? They sold their house in Portland, moved to Venice Beach, and started Zambezi. Working for one of the most driven athletes of all time meant 5:30 a.m. texts, instant responses, and a standard of excellence that never let up. When Zambezi won Ad Age Small Agency of the Year, his reply a week later was that he'd already heard, and it was time for the next one. In 2015, Jean and her husband bought out his stake, only to learn that no bank would lend to first-time business owners. So he financed the deal himself. Along the way, Jean scaled her father's stationery company, Blue Sky, from $20 million to $100 million, and co-founded Own It, helping women-owned agencies grow from 1% to 4% of the advertising industry.
This is a conversation about saying yes before you're ready, learning what ownership really costs, running a business with your spouse, and the one thing she believes stands between a woman and her business: not talent, but confidence.
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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction 02:40 Welcome & Third Small Agency of the Year Win 04:05 The Origin Story with the Legend 08:42 Building Resilience and Agency Culture 14:48 Stepping Into Ownership in 2015 17:50 Scaling Blue Sky and Finding Product-Market Fit 22:26 Spill the Chai 24:06 Founding Own It and Empowering Women 34:00 Agency Vision and Scalability Assessment 37:41 The State of the Advertising Industry 43:11 Audience Q&A on Business and Boundaries 48:48 Book Discussion and Closing Thoughts
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A DANG World Studios Production
OUR PEOPLE:
Karan Dang — Co-Host & Chief Creative Officer Shruti Dang — Co-Host & Chief Operating Officer Utsav Dang — VP of Strategic Operations Angel Matute — Podcast Producer Sydney Dutton — Community and Operations Manager Leny Balute — Chief of Staff Francis Manding - Social Media Manager Pankaj Kumar — Long Form Editor Keith Tan — Shortform Creative Producer John Mark Galamay — Social Copywriter Noah Kugell — AV Technician Eba Lida — Hair and Makeup Trina Duarte — Hair and Makeup Will Mazzola — Original Lighting & Camera Design German Belkin — Original Soundtrack Jassi Aunty — H
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