On Creative Assemblies, The Spark Podcast, our mission is to amplify Nashville’s diverse creative voices, foster growth through shared journeys, and inspire a city that thrives on collaboration.And now, here’s The Spark.Hello, everyone.Welcome back to The Spark.I’m your host, Mark Scrivener, and today I’m joined by Kristi Goad with Fuoco.That’s right.Um, it’s a healthcare marketing and communications firm based here in Nashville, Tennessee.Kristi, excited to have you on the show.Thank you, Mark.I’m excited to be here.Yeah.I appreciate the invite.Yeah, looking forward to hearing your story, too.So I know you’ve had- Thanksa, uh, long career in healthcare marketing, so over 25 years.What got you into it in the early days?Well, what got me specifically deep into healthcare was, um, I was client side for a company called Healthways, which people here in Nashville, some people might, you know, still remember.It’s not, it’s not even, you know, in existence anymore as that brand.Um, but that was a very sort of complex space of healthcare.It was the le- the nation’s largest and leading provider of disease management when I joined.And, um, my boss, who was a co-founder of the company, you know, the company created the industry organization, the Disease Management Association- Mm-hmmof America at the time, and my boss at Healthways was the president.Um, so they were, like, really, you know, integral in, like, establishing the industry in and of itself.You know?We- a lot of us in brand would call it category creation.Um, and so they were y- it was a very interesting time, you know, and they were, their clients were all pretty much B2B clients.It was large self-insured employers.It was health plans.Um, in some cases it was providers and hospitals.Um, those were sort of the origins of its diabetes management.Um, and so, you know, I had to really get deep into this space.Mm-hmm.And I felt really dumb, you know, for like the whole first year there.Um, but it was a great place to be, and it was great people and a great culture, and just fast growth, and there was a lot happening.And, you know, I just really got into it.And, uh, I learned so much and built so many relationships there that that’s where I stayed, in healthcare B2B, essentially.And it, you know, I keep, I say that Healthways is the gift that keeps on giving.Mm-hmm.Yeah.Because, um, in a lot of ways it sort of exemplifies Nashville’s healthcare- Mm-hmmfamily tree, um, for anybody that’s familiar with that, which is all these companies that spun out of HCA.Mm-hmm.And that was one of ’em.And then those companies then spin out other entrepreneurs and other companies, and that has certainly been the case at Healthways.Um, so many people came out of there and either started their own healthcare company or, you know, they’ve gone to work for other healthcare companies of whatever sizes.And, you know, so all those relationships just continue to, um, be relationships that drive my own business even to this day.Yeah.Relationships are so important in- Reallythe healthcare business- Yeahright?Mm-hmm.They are.Yeah.They are.Healthcare is a very large and small industry.Hmm.Yeah.Well, I saw, you know, after looking at your background and history and the trajectory that you’ve had, you know, you left there, and I know you spent some stops in different agencies like, um- Mm-hmmHall Strategies with- YeahJoe Hall in the early days and so- Yeah, Abby Trotteryeah.And so what, what took you from the corporate, great, great organization to, “I wanna go try the agency side”?You know, um, it really wasn’t, like, an intentional thing.It just was an opportunity.And, um, it’s funny when I look back, you know?When I went to work at Hall Strategies, like, I didn’t have any real concept for what it meant to work on agency side, and, you know, it was a whole new world.Mm-hmm.Um, logging hours, you know.You kind of eat what you kill a little bit, you know?Like bringing in- Yeahbusiness and servicing that business.And, um, so f- and then from there, I was recruited to, uh, it’s kind of a trend, another brand that doesn’t exist anymore, Revive Health- Mm-hmmwhich was a, at the time, it was a, um, healthcare agency based in Santa Barbara, California, and they opened up a Nashville office.Um- And that was just another you know, opportunity that presented itself.And so I was like, “Oh, this is great.You know, I’ll get to go”Because Hall, um, we had healthcare clients, um, but it wasn’t, you know, it wasn’t specifically focused on healthcare.So that was a cool opportunity, you know, to, to get to go and really open the Nashville office for Revive and really grow, um, with that agency as well.Yeah, and I think just, uh, looking at, you know, again, your background, it looked like you worked with them up until they sold to Weber Shandwick, right?Yeah.Yes.And, uh- And so you saw a big, uh, rise in that agency.You were a big part of it.I, yeah, yeah.I was there, um, I think when I joined, I was, like, employee number 9 or something like that, you know, at Revive.And yeah, so that was a lot of growth and, and that’s where I stepped into marketing and business development, um, really serving in that role for that agency.I started, there serving clients, but then moved into the marketing business development role.And, um, again, because I just had relationships, you know, specifically here in Nashville, that I was able, able to, um, leverage that into- Mm-hmmyou know, business for Revive.And so that’s where I really learned on-the-job marketing.You know, and what it meant to be, like, chief marketing officer and really learn what it meant to be in a sales role and business development and where those 2 worlds, you know- Mm-hmmcollide, marketing and sales.Um, and so we were acquired by Weber Shandwick, and then I was there for the first year of that integration.And then was part of a, um, an exit.Um, I tell people honestly, like, the only reason I started my own agency is I was fired.And you know, that’s just the truth of the matter.Yeah.You know, I was part of a, a group, uh, that really, you know, exited at the same time, as often happens, you know- Yeahwhen there’s acquisition like that.Um, so I was kinda faced with aAnd I had a non-compete at the time, so you know, wasn’t supposed to go to work for a direct competitor.So that kind of, you know, it was like, okay, well, do I go work in-house?You know, do I go work for an agency that’s a generalist agency?And neither one of those really felt like the path that I wanted to pursue.And so then I just took a bet on myself, and I was, um, you know, the, the story of Fuoco is I just went out on my own as an independent consultant, um, for the first couple years before- Yeahofficially, you know, starting the agency and hiring employees.Mm.Um, and that was 2019.Yeah.The amount of agency owners that I hear that same story with about- Oh, yeah”Hey, I was, you know, I got let go,” or, “I was downsized,” and- Yeahyou just went out on your own, and you sorta turned into an accidental agency owner where- Yeah.you were, you know, doing contract work- Yeahprobably for, you know, the couple years and then- Yeah, it wasit’s, “I need to hire some employees,” and it turns into- Yeahwhat you have today.So I mean, I’m- Yeahyou know, you could have very easily just with your experience stayed in-house at a big brand like an HCA or- Yeahyou know, another Healthways-type company.Yeah.But you went out and took the chance on yourself.What- I did.Yeah.Where’d the name come from?Well, I was trying to think of a name and, um, you know, I, I had this dream.And I was telling a friend about it c- as, you know, in part of like, oh, I was like, “Oh, I had this weird dream about, like, um, there, I, like, had this RV and it, you know, had, you know, like, some sort of, like, fire or whatever on the, um”Oh, it was Firebird.That’s what it was.Okay.Um, Firebird on the side of this RV that I’m driving around.And they’re like, “Oh, maybe you should, you know, pursue that for the name.”I’m like, “Firebird?I don’t think so.”They’re like, “Well, what about, you know, if you looked at other languages, what is that?”And so that, I was like, “Oh, that’s a good idea.”So I saw that it wasn’t quite Firebird, but fuoco in Italian is fire and, um, I love all things Italian.I’m Italian on my mom’s side of the family.And I was like, “Oh, that could be kind of fun and kind of cool, and it would have a little bit of meaning behind it.”And, you know, I could c- I could already envision I could be like Chief Firestarter, you know?And I could envision sort of different brand avenues that could be kind of fun.Um, so that’s what it- Yeahthat’s what it ended up being.I love how you’ve weaved it through all your titles and that Chief Firestarter.Yeah.Yeah.Love that.Thanks.Yeah.That get- A lot of people really like that title, so I’ve held onto it.That’s great.Well, you know, see, I wanna go back real quick to the, uh, Revive Health because a lot of agencies, they don’t really have business development or marketing.You always hear, you know, cobbler’s kids have no shoes.There’s no marketing that we do for ourselves ’cause we’re too busy with our clients.But- Yeahyou had a unique opportunity to be able to do both.Very.What did you, uh, learn from, like, the business development side of it that maybe has helped you be successful with Fuoco?Um, well, I learned that you take a lot more swings Mm-hmmthan, uh, you get hits on, and I learned how to handle rejection, and I learned how toI, I really did learn sort of the business between, likeor, I mean, the, the difference, you know- Mm-hmmbetween, like, a sales and business development and marketing, um, which is important, you know.Um, I don’t think I fully appreciated at the time the investment that, um, Brandon Edwards was the CEO of Revive at the time, and I, I probably didn’t truly appreciate, you know, the investment that he was making, um, in a sales and marketing role.And now I fully appreciate it because as an agency owner, you know, like- Mm-hmmI can’t necessarily, umI’m like, “Okay, well, I gotta make decisions.Am I gonna fund, like, a sales position?You know, am I going to be the salesperson, um, as the founder and, you know, and owner and, or am I gonna spend that money on client delivery?”You know?So it’s, those are the kinds of things when you actually become the owner that become glaringly clear.Mm-hmm.You know?Um, but I just learned that you gotta be out there.You gotta work relationships.Um, relationships also can’t be your only.You know, you gotta- Mm-hmmyou gotta get comfortable with, like, cold outreach, networking, all of those things because, um, relationships take you a long way, and I still, that’s still, relationships and referrals are still a huge part of my business.Mm-hmm.Um, but as you grow, you know, you have to, that well kinda runs dry.Mm-hmm.You know?Um, you can’t solely rely on that.Yeah.Too many agency owners get really comfortable with referrals.Mm-hmm.And, uh, and if you’re not staying ahead of it, you could really find yourself in a big time pickle, I’m sure.Like we’ve- Yeah, fastwe’ve seen it over the years.So yeah.Thanks for sharing that.Sure.Uh, so, you know, Christy, you launched Fuoco at a, the perfect time.It was 2020 in a global pandemic.Um, you know, when you started it, I guess what did that teach you?Like, you know, building an agency from scratch during that time could not have been easy.Um, it wasn’t easy for us being an established agency.Yeah.But maybe what did that teach you about your own, like, resilience?Ooh, that’s a good question.Um, so we, you know, we, we had started before that luckily.Mm-hmm.You know?Um, and I think the biggest lesson, like when the pandemic first hit and things really first shut down, you know, everybody was like, “What’s going on?”And everybody pumped the brakes, but the interesting part about being in healthcare during that time was, um, you know, the resiliency part was, “Okay, well, how am I gonna lead my team through this?”And, you know, like everybody else, we were just figuring it out as we go.Mm-hmm.And we were doing daily huddles and, you know, we were looking.So we, I’m trying to remember.I don’t think we actually, like, um, lost any business, you know, right there when that- Mm-hmmwhen COVID kinda first hit, but we did have clients pause a few things, you know, ’cause they didn’t know what the impact was gonna be.And so, um, what we did initially is we took the time to say, “Okay, well- Some of these projects that are on hold, let’s focus on ourselves.You know, what can we do now?Let’s, let’s, like, put some product packaging together, you know, because we’re in the services-business, so we don’t always have, like, like a quote unquote product, you know, uh, to put out there.So we kinda focused on how can we productize some of our offerings and, you know, spend our time that way.Um, and but then very quickly, maybe there was, like, a four to 6month kind of gap before then everything just sort of, healthcare decided, oh, wait.Mm-hmm.This is a huge opportunity, and, you know, people were filling the gaps, and then business just picked right back up, and everybody had budget, and, you know, they were seeing the light.So specifically in healthcare, um, there were new businesses even forming, you know, around COVID- Mm-hmmand healthcare, and then healthcare companies were pivoting.And so we then became someone they needed for those pivots- Mm-hmmor the launch of new companies.And, um, so luckily it was, I would say, fairly brief- Mm-hmmyou know, in terms of the impact on the business.Um, so I don’t know.And it sounds like you probably had a great end of the year.A short-lived, like, pause, but, uh- We did, yeahbut a great end of the year.We actually, yeah.We had a really good, a strong pipeline going into 2021, and we’re like, “Okay.Okay, this is, you know, things are gonna be okay.”Yeah.Yeah.Well, I believe I read that, uh, y- part of your mission is doing good work that’s meaningful.Yes.Like, and I know- Yesthat’s important to the organization.Very intentional.Mm-hmm.Like, um, how do you ensure that’s in place and in practice, like, every day?Well, um, it is a part of, uh, you know, I, I’ve got, like, a Fuoco manifesto, which is sorta like, okay, these are the things that matter to me as- Mm-hmmthe founder.Um, which I really only developed that in the last few years.Um, but then I always had, like, core values, and so the core values and the manifesto, um, really helped give me a platform to be able to, you know, talk about that with my team and to make it tangible for the team.And then anytime we have a client win or, you know, it, just any, like, we s- we’re doing good work, you know, and it’s meaningful to us, and it’s meaningful to clients, we take the time to be like, “Hey, this is a great example of doing good work that’s meaningful.”Mm-hmm.You know?Um, so I think by constantly having it being a part of the business and how we talk about what’s, what we value, um, and hold up examples of work that’s meaningful to clients, because a lot of times we’re doing things with clients that may not actually be that direct, this marketing tactic had this business impact.Mm-hmm.But we did something that was truly meaningful for the client that helped their team or helped them as an individual, you know?And that’s just as important.That’s, that’s meaningful- Yeahyou know, to us.So, um, that has really been something that’s been in place from the get-go, you know, for Fuoco.Um, I do at, at Revive, we actually did EOS, uh, and so- Mm-hmmI learned some of the core EOS tenets there, which was really valuable, and continue to use them, you know, in my business today.And so one of the first things that I did when I started Fuoco was go through that, the Traction- Mm-hmmuh, book and define some of those things, you know, that are on a VTO, vision tracker organizer, that really make you ask those questions and define some of those things.And, um, so, so that doing good work that’s meaningful has been there from the start.Yeah.You know, I guess there’s probably a lot of agency owners that just, they wing it every day.Like, they come in- Yeahevery day, and they just do the work, and they leave.But, you know, you’ve been very intentional.I know, you know, it sounds like Brandon and the team at Revive, very intentional with the EOS.Mm-hmm.How important do you think that has been to the continuation of your success?I think it’s been hugely important, you know, um, because, you know, with EOS, each year you’re, you’re kinda, or really each quarter if you’re- Yeahif you’re on that, if you’re working it like you’re supposed to, you’re really revisiting those things that define you- Mm-hmmyou know, as a brand, as a company, and pressure testing it.You know, is this still who we are?Is this still what’s important to us?Is this still our goal?Mm-hmm.So being able to come back to that in times of success, in times of, you know, maybe a downturn or, like, big changes on our team, or, you know, and, and having been in business this long, you know, I’ve experienced all those things.Um, and so it’s really important.You know, we, the, the core values, we have changed those at 1 point.Um, I guess we cha- we revisited those and, you know, kinda edited our core values in about 2022, which was also the year that we were, you know, really reached, uh, that was the biggest year, and we had the most headcount, you know – Mm-hmmin, in that year, um, which really causes you to really revisit a lot of things, right?Mm-hmm.Um, but most, a lot of other, I, I would say the, the core of everything that I put in that vision tracker organo- organizer in, that was 2018, really, when that was developed, um, remains today- Yeahwhich is kinda wild, you know?Well, talking about healthcare brands, ’cause you- Yeahwork with a lot of them, what’s a, like a common mistake that healthcare B2B brands make when they’re trying to tell their story?What do you see?Um, I see that they’re doing a lot of what you just described, you know, maybe as any business owner does, which you’re just in there doing the work.Mm-hmm.You know?And you’re not taking the time to get really clear on who you are, um, whatever process that looks like, whether it’s the EOS process.We have a process that we take clients through to help gain clarity, um, before you ever start talking about marketing- Mm-hmmum, if you, if you’re not totally clear on that, and a lot of brands aren’t.A lot of healthcare B2B, B2B brands, um, or maybe they’re in different stages.You know, in each sta- stage they kinda have to redefine- Mm-hmmwho are we today, you know?They’ve, maybe they’ve had acquisitions and a lot of mergers and things like that.Um, and then second, it’s, it continues to be shocking how many companies, and I think companies in general, not just healthcare- Mm-hmmnot just healthcare B2B, don’t actually have a strategy, a marketing strategy, a brand strategy.Um, but it just is, you know?And I understand how it’s that way because we’re just, everybody’s just, you know, working frantically- Mm-hmmto drive the business to do the work on a day-to-day basis.And, you know, sometimes you feel like you have that brand story or that, or that, maybe you have a brand story, but you don’t have a brand strategy, or maybe you have a brand strategy, but you don’t have a brand story, and then maybe you have all those things, but you don’t really have a marketing strategy that’s tied together- Mm-hmmwith that.Um, and that’s, that’s the biggest mistake I see.I, in addition to seeing, um, running their marketing in silos.You know?It, it’s a lot of times everybody has good intentions, but, um, there’s no connective tissue.You know, there’s no, um, there’s noI heard this just this week.Um, I was ta- I was interviewing a candidate.Mm-hmm.And this person had not worked in an agency.They, you know, had really only been in-house.And I said, “Well, tell, tell me a little bit about your experience working with agencies.”And it’s something that I’ve, that I hear a lot, especially in the sales – Mm-hmmuh, uh, side of the, side of the house.Um, “Well, you know, uh, we just haven’t had a lot of success working with agencies, you know.I just haven’t really been impressed.”And when you, when you really start to unpack that and go, “Oh, why is that?”There’s all kinds of reasons for that- Um, I think a lot of times it’s not the right agency for the need of that company.Mm-hmm.You know?Or you hire a, an agency that’s very specific for one thing, and they’re doing that one thing, but they might not understand your business the way they need to, or you might not have someone internally that’s asking the right questions or giving the right guidance to that agency, you know?Um, and then if you’ve got multiple agencies but they’re all working in these silos, none of them may have the line of sight that they need on the business, on the strategy, and what, what the other agencies are doing to individually be successful.So that’s a common, common mistake that I see- Yeahhappening.And then, you know, it puts me in a, in a difficult position when I’m trying to sell what I do and how I do it differently, um, because there’s all that baggage, you know?And I get it.I understand that.Um, but I, that’s, I, I s- I, I’ve seen it consistently- Mm-hmmthroughout the years.You know, it’s not something that’s going away.Yeah, you’re so right.You and I, we’ve talked about it before, about just the, uh, you know, the future of agencies- Mm-hmmand how, you know, a lot of these big, um, big businesses, big healthcare companies, other big, uh, companies, they’re not looking for the holding company agencies any longer.Right.They’re looking for the specialist- Mmin all the different areas.But they- Mmultimately like want one of the agencies to manage all the relationships, and they wanna ensure that all those agencies are working seamlessly together, and that’s what I’ve heard is the way of the future.I’m sure you’re probably seeing it, hearing, you know, some of that.It’s sort of like yes and no.You know, we have some clients that they, we do have a lot of trust, and they’re like, “Oh, yeah, we tr- you got someone for that?Great.”You know, like, “Hey, we’re happy to bring on trusted, vetted partners- Yeahto do specialist things that we don’t do, but we know what we’re looking for, and we know what you need.”Mm-hmm.And when you have that kind of trusting relationship, it makes it easier to be able to do that and to be the, the agency that manages- Mm-hmmthe other agencies like you’re talking about.And I think, you know, at the same time, um, I could advocate for that.You know, I could see that the client- Mm-hmmneeds that, and I could see we could be that for them.But they’re just sort of like, “Ah, that’s cool.We got it,” you know?I, and IYou know, I think a lot of times maybe they think, “Oh, they’re just trying to get more of the budget.They’re just trying to get more of the business.”And like, sure, that’s true, but- Mm-hmmum, that’s never the driving force for me, you know?I, I, I truly, you know, am trying to do what’s best for the client, and a lot of times I may not even be making much money at all on those- Mm-hmmyou know, those partners that I’m bringing in.Um, and so it’s really, you know, it’s, it’s not always about the money and the margin- Yeahin those instances.Um, but that’s also a little bit of aYou know, I get that that’s, that’s just not the direction, you know, that sometimes teams wanna go.They might n- or maybe they wanna go, and they don’t have the support, you know, up the chain to do that.So, you know, I think there’s all kinds of, uh, forces at play- Mm-hmmwhen that’s going on.Yeah.You know, I’veYou know, I know you’ve won a ton of awards over the last, um, you know, short, really relatively short amount of time- Yeahum, with the agency.But, you know, in 2023 you, uh, won the Inc. 5000, you were on the Inc. 5000 Awards.Yeah.And I guess, like, you know, that kinda growth also comes with some challenges.Yeah.Maybe, uh, talk about, like, how you navigated that kinda growth and helped to mitigate some of those challenges that you were probably seeing in the agency.I can only imagine.Well, because we had grown so fast, you know, I think we fell into the trap that a lot of companies fell into.I, you know, I could say at Healthways, you know, I saw that, too.We were growing so fast, and, you know, you just kinda start throwing bodies at it.You know, just like, “Oh, we need people in here to help do this work.”Mm-hmm.Um, and I think, uh, you know, a, a learning from that is we probably over-hired.You know, we probably had more full-time people on the, on the roster- Yeahthan we needed.Um, and then at, because at the same time, you know, we were bringing in, um, folks that were younger in their career.And, you know, the learning there is when you do that, it’s great, you- but you really have to have the structure in place to, to teach them- Mm-hmmyou know, their jobs in a lot of, in, in large part.Mm-hmm.And, you know, we just weren’t big enough, and we didn’t have, like, the structure and the processes in place to really be successful, you know, and help those team members, those younger in their career team members be successful.And so I think that’s probably the biggest piece, you know, when you, when you have that kind of growth is taking the time that you need to take to say, “Well, oh, gosh, okay.It’s gonna pay off if we pause here for a minute and really think about what is it, what’s driving this growth?Is it sustainable?What do we truly need?What’s most important?”You know?It could’ve been a lot more important to do that- Yeahin that moment.Um, and I, and, and probably put processes in place versus just throwing people because when you’re throwing people at- Mmat a problem and you don’t have processes, not just to teach them, but just to do the work, you know, across the board, um, it gets really hairy really fast.Such a great lesson, though.Yeah.Because there are so many agencies that make the same mistake, and we’ve made it over the years, too.Mm.Probably multiple times.But- Rightit is, uh, you know- Yeahyou think the pipeline is gonna continue on, and you over-hire.Yeah.And then you are stuck at a point where it’s like, “Oh, man, what do we, what do we do?”Right.And you’re right about the systems and processes.Mm-hmm.Uh, you know, so that’s a- And you know, like, turnover is so expensive.Mm-hmm.So expensive.Mm-hmm.You know?And it’s, um, not just financially, you know?It’s- Oh, yeahit takes, uhBut just, like, the, the time and the energy and the effort and the, the onboarding, um, all of it, you know?It’s just r- it take- it’s, it’s very- Mmit’s very expensive to hire.It’s very expensive to fire and backfill, you know, all of those things.Mm-hmm.Yeah.Well, that’s a great lesson.Mm-hmm.And I guess as you look back, Kristi, over the last, like, you know, multiple years, um, what’s a piece of work, campaign, anything that you’re especially proud of, and, like, uh, why?Yeah.Um, it’s, that’s an easy answer.It’s the work, umOne of my very first clients when I started- Mmeven, you know, as an independent consultant, was a company called eMids.Mm-hmm.Um, they were, you know, founded combination Nashville and India, um, homegrown, you know, awesome, awesome team.They were doing cool things.No one really had heard of them, you know?Um, Mike Hollis was- He’s one of my dear friendsleading marketing.He’s so great.Yeah.Love Mike Hollis, and he’s, you know, he’s a visionary, and he’s got great ideas and energy.And, um, so they were one of my first clients, and you know, my, probably my best client, you know, even to this day.Um, and we just did a lot of great work together, and, um, you know, I, I came in doing one thing, and then it just kinda grew, and we got to do a lot of cool things with them.But the coolest thing that we got to do with them was they were going through this transformation, right?And they were like, “Oh, we’re really, you know, we’re really going digital.”And it sounds funny to say that right now- Mm-hmmyou know, in, like, 2026.But they were trying to figure out, what does that mean as, for us, as eMids?What does it mean going digital?How do we talk about digital in the space that they occupy within healthcare B2B?And so we did a lot of cool work with them- Helping get that clarity, helping get that narrative abrou- about what, what does that mean?What are they delivering to the market?And we really started positioning th- them as the leader in healthcare digital, digital transformation in healthcare.Mm-hmm.Because they’re really, like, you know, the design and the development team behind helping healthcare companies transform digitally.I think we all kinda understand what that means now.Now we’re going through this new phase of transformation in the, in AI.How are- Mm.So, you know, they would be, like, a go-to to help these other companies understand, how do we use these new tools and these new technologies?Um, so we built a whole, you know, narrative around that.We built campaigns around that.We built thought leadership around that.We built marketing, um, initiatives and tactics around that, um, and worked really closely with them, you know- Mmas a partner in doing that.It helped them understand how to, how to talk about who they were, who they were becoming internally, and get their internal teams aligned, and then it also helped them get clarity on how to talk about what they do to the market.And, you know, they just, they’re a huge success s- story.You know, they j- they grew.They had huge investment from New Mountain Capital and, um, you know, major exits there.So, um, that’s workNot only was that doing good work that’s meaningful and was really meaningful to them and in the market, and we were a part of that in helping them with that success, but, um, working with Emids and helping them figure out a lot of that complex story within healthcare B2B, um, upped my game and my agency’s game in understanding that world, you know- Mm-hmmthat health technology world and what that really looks like and means, um, which opened the door to, you know, being able to help a lot of digital health companies- Mmbecause we, you know, we spoke the language, you know.And we had done the work, and we had been in the trenches with a company that was really doing that in a lotYou know, they were very deep and broad in the work that they were doing, um, behind the scenes, empowering other healthcare companies to, um, embrace digital, embrace the cloud, you know, all these things- Mmthat just seem like, oh, of course, a no-brainer today, but they really weren’t at that time.Yeah.Well, knowing Michael Hollis, he’s a great friend.We- Yeahgo back, um, to my first marathon, and he ran it with me side by side.Oh, really?Uh, and I was very thankful.I’ve always, um, thought of him very highly, and- Yeahwatching, like, his rise in Emids- YeahI’ve seen- Yeahyour work, and it’s been very amazing and transformational for them.Yeah.And so, that, um, I appreciate you sharing that story.Yeah.As we like, I’d like to lean in maybe just a little bit to the AI, ’cause you mentioned it.Sure, yeah.And maybe just talk a little bit about even how you’re using it within the agency, because- YeahI’m sure, you know, it’s making your processes and jobs and lives a little easier with you and your- Yeahagency team.Yes, and Okay.Um, yeah, we’re absolutely using AI.We’re, you know, I’ve kinda given license to the team.Like, if you’re on the team and you’re not, um, becoming knowledgeable and trying out these different platforms and tools, you’re probably not gonna have a spot on this team much longer- Mm-hmmand, and on any team-going forward- Yeahno matter where people go.matter where people go.You know, they could leave Fuoco and go on any, to another agency or go in-house, and these are skills they’re gonna need to know, you know?Um, so we’re absolutely using AI, um, in how we do our work, you know, how we deliver the work, because we’re learning at the same time.Um, it’s making a lot of things easier, better, but it also brings its own set of problems and challenges.Um, and we’re, we’re also looking at it from an operational standpoint.So we’re building what I’m calling the Fuoco operating system, um, kinda as we speak, right?Mm-hmm.Because there’s all kinds of tools that we were already using.There’s all these new AI tools that we’re incorporating into the work.There’s, there’s workflow issues, and then there’s client deliverable.There’s work- there’s workflow work.Mm-hmm.You know?How we do the business, how we, how we, how we run the business, how we do the work, and then there’s the deliverables, you know, to the client.So, uh, we’ve got a new seat on our accountability chart for innovation, and that, you knowSo, you know, I’ve got someone that owns that for the agency, meaning, okay, well, what are our AI policies, you know, and what are our guardrails, and how do we think about this?And then we’re looking at who are the, who are the AI agents on our team.So we’re doing what a lot of people are doing, you know, now, is creating an AI org chart for, like, what roles can AI agents fill, and how do we need to be thinking about that in the future- Mmyou know, as we’re adding team members.Yeah.It’s like you’re add- you can add AI agents to do certain jobs, and so that comes with this whole set of you’ve gotta have standard operating proc- procedures.You’ve gotta have clarity on the role- Mm-hmmnot only that our individual people are playing, um, but what role are those AI agents playing.And then there’s, it ha- it has really empowered a lot of, umI think it’s really helped us up our game on what we’re able to deliver for clients.Um, and so we’re very honest with clients that we are using AI.I’ve even had, uh, calls where I have specifically said to the client, “Hey, what you’re looking at here, you know, we used NotebookL- LM, or we used Claude to do XYZ.”Mm-hmm.Because it’s a smart use of those tools.Mm-hmm.Um, it doesn’t devalue the work.It actually elevates the work.Um, at the same time, an interesting thing is happening.Just last week, this happened.2 different clients separately, um, we had presented a, a single delivery that we were on a cl- client call- Mm-hmmand we were walking through that, uh, deliverable and, you know, just getting feedback, um, on that.There was work in front of that, and there was work behind it.Um, and, and coming off the call, and this is, like, a smaller, uh, smaller, uh, client, and the founder’s still very much involved.And so he sends a couple follow-up emails.You know, he had run this one deliverable from us through ChatGPT to kinda, I think, poke holes in it, which is totally fine and cool.Mm-hmm.However, you know, then he just shares with us, “Here’s what it said.”And we’re like, “Okay, cool.Thanks for sharing.You know, we’ll take this into consideration.”Um, but it, what it tells us, what it tells me is, hey, we gotta start accounting for this.You know?Mm-hmm.We gotta start, uh, there’s an education with clients to understand, we know you’re gonna be using these tools, and absolutely, you should.Here’s the, here’s the context that it didn’t have- Yeahyou know?And here’s where we’re that, I hate to use this term, but, like, we’re the human in the loop here, right?Mm-hmm.And we’re, we’re putting our human brains and our experience against what these engines are coming back with becauseA- and I think we’re all learning in real time that you do have to question what it comes back out.And when you really know your business and you really put your stuff through it- Mm-hmmyou can immediately see, oh- Oh, yeahthis, there’s good stuff here, but, like, it’s not quite right.Mm-hmm.And here’s where it’s missing the, you know, where it’s missing- Yeahum, where it’s missing the mark, you know?And oh, it doesn’t know XYZ about my business.You know?Separately, we had another client that w- we have, we’ve, we were pitching, um, uh, like a, a new scope with them, and, um, their, they, the, the mark- our marketing point of contact Was like, “This is great.This is exactly what we need.Just gotta run it up the flagpole.”Well then, um, that person’s boss was like, “Why can’t we just use Claude?”And then they, like, gave us what Claude spit out, and it was, in this case, it was just a, um, basically like an SEO audit.Mm-hmm.It was really good, you know?As Cl- you know, these tools can spit back- Oh, yeah.some really good stuff.But in what we were, you know, the work that we’re proposing, it’s just one piece of it, right?And so, but again, we’re like, “Okay, this is an opportunity to educate the client,” and for us to also, you know, really go, “Oh, okay, well, this is, this is a real thing,” you know?Mm-hmm.Clients are gonna continue to do this- Yeahand they should, and they will.And so, so how do we answer that?You know, how do we make it clear value we’re bringing?Mm-hmm.So I think, like, it’s just gonna continue to evolve.I mean, new versions of- Mm-hmmthese platforms are being introduced every single day, and what may be true today might not be true tomorrow.Um, so it’s exciting.It’s cool.Um, there’s so much we can do with these tools that we couldn’t do before- Mmespecially as a smaller team, you know?Yeah.I can single-handedly deliver things that I could never have delivered before- Yeahor it would’ve taken me many, many hours and weeks and months.Um- That’s a good lesson, though- Yeah, yeahabout the client.Uh, we, I haven’t necessarily seen that yet.I mean, I have seen where they’ve ran, um, you know, a blog that somebody had, uh, a human had written.And they took it, and they proofed it through chat.Mm-hmm.Like, “Hey, take a look at this.Proof it based on the client’s voice tone.”And then- Yeahthe client ran that through a, uh, AI checker, and it said that it was 100% that it was written by AI.Mm-hmm.And it wasn’t written, but any time, what I learned is any time you run something as a proof check-AI says that it wrote the, the document.So just another thing to kinda keep an eye out with- Yeahclients, so.Yeah.Um- Definitely.Definitely.Well, Christi, as we start to, like, wrap up- Mm-hmmis there anything maybe that I didn’t ask you, or maybe anything you wanna share with the audience?Hmm.That’s a really, uh, difficult question.Um, I guess just, um, maybe I’ll add, you know, you and I were at a, at a, a dinner recently- Mm-hmmthat was hosted for, you know, independent agency owners, um, here in the Nashville area.Mm-hmm.And I j- I just thought that was a really interesting conversation, um, and an interesting group, and I think there’s a lot of interesting times ahead and challenges ahead for independent agency owners.Um, but what I’m loving that I’m seeing is the w- is that more and more community that’s kind of- Mm-hmmcoming up, and an, and a more of a willingness to sort of be transparent and, um, maybe understand that we can actually help one another, rather than having to really feel like we’re always competing against one another.Um, and it’s just, I think it’s pr- like, there’s a, I think we’re in a really cool time of opportunity for independent agency owners.Um, and there’s, I don’t know what the future, you know, necessarily holds or looks like, but, um, it, like, that gives me a lot of- Hmmoptimism, and I, I can sometimes be a little bit, like, too optimistic.Mm-hmm.And I have to have people bring me down to Earth.Hmm.Um, but I don’t think I’m being too optimistic on- Hmmon, on that.You know, I think this big, it’s a big shift.It’s a big disruption for everybody, and agencies are no different in that regard.Um, but I think the more that we can have community, you know, among independent owners, um, and share and learn from each other, the better off we’re all gonna be.Yeah.You know?And I think even, like, sharing war stories about what it means to, to win new business, you know, in this environment is, um, is, is cool.So I don’t know.Hopefully I’ve said- Yeahsomething helpful here today- Ohyou know, that other- You’ve said many, many helpful thingsother a- other owners, you know, or even really clients, um- Mm-hmmmight be listening and, and could get something from it.Yeah.Well, you know, I appreciate you bringing up that dinner because I enjoyed that so much.And- YeahI reached out to Kevin and Jacie, who put it on, and, uh, told them that, man, I hope they continue to do that.Because, you know, being in a room with 12, 14 other agency owners that I highly respect, you know- Mm-hmmwas- Yeahand hearing stories that, hey, we’re not, I’m not the only one that’s going through this.Right.We’re all dealing with very similar things, was very meaningful.And, and got to, got to meet a lot of people maybe- Yeah, meet a lot of peoplethat I respected, that I didn’t know, that, uh, you know- Well, and you know, like, w- we all might, you know, we have business that we could do together, you know?Mm-hmm.And just-meeting new people and understanding, “Oh, I’d really love to work with that, with that group,” or, “Oh, gosh, I didn’t know that they did that.I didn’t know that it, that they existed.”Yeah.Um, so there’s always that opportunity as well.Well, Christy, thank you so much.Thanks for taking time out- Thank you, Markof your busy day to be a part of the Spark Podcast.The whole reason that we created this is to, 1, just break down the barrier of competition, you know?Yeah, cool.And really, like, create that community where- Mm-hmmeveryone can share their stories and meet each other and hear from each other, and- Yeahso I appreciate you calling that out, and I appreciate you being on the show, and- Thank youeverything you’re doing for the Nashville creative community.So thank you.Well, I don’t know that I’m doing that much, but-I appreciate you saying that.Well- And thanks, and thanks for inviting me.You are, yeah.And thank you for showing up again this week.Uh, really appreciate it.If you would, help us by subscribing, rating, and reviewing the Spark, just so that we can get this message out to more agency owners and creatives in Nashville.Until next week, we’ll see you on the Spark.That’s a wrap on this episode of the Spark from Creative Assembly.Thanks for spending time with us and exploring the minds shaping Nashville’s creative future.If you’re walking away more inspired, connected, or energized, that’s exactly the point.A big thank you to our sponsor, Snapshot, and the incredible team behind the scenes who make this show possible.Your support fuels every conversation and keeps collaboration alive.So if you haven’t already, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a review.Thanks again for tuning in.Until next time, stay creative, stay curious, and keep that spark.