The Founders of Spring The Agency on Starting Up, Smashing It, and Staying Grounded
Beth and Izzy share their incredible journey so far
When Beth and Izzy launched Spring The Agency, they didn’t want to create another run-of-the-mill social media agency. They set out to build something dynamic, personal, and unapologetically creative. Fast-forward a few years, and they’ve gone from uni friends to running campaigns for major brands like Tinder, all while navigating the highs and lows of entrepreneurship together.
In this interview, the duo opens up about their career journeys before starting the agency, the unique strengths they bring as co-founders, and why networking has been the secret sauce to their success. From imposter syndrome to champagne-worthy wins, Beth and Izzy offer a refreshingly honest take on what it takes to turn a bold idea into a thriving business.
Grab a coffee and read on to hear their inspiring story!
You are the epic founders behind; Spring The Agency, masters of all things social media and working with brands like Tinder. Talk to me first off about your career before setting up the business?
Beth: So Izzy and I both went to uni together studying Fashion branding in Glasgow so we’ve always sort of been in the creative marketing space. After uni, I got offered a 6-week job at ASOS and moved down to London on a whim hoping I could convince them to keep me on. I kept getting my contract extended and ended up staying there for over two years working on the social media team. My main focus was copywriting, I used to write all the IG, Twitter and FB captions and got really into tone of voice. But everything I did was always focused on organic content and driving engagement so I’ve really taken that knowledge and amplified that to our current clients at spring.
Izzy: My experience has been quite different from Beth’s since I didn’t come from an organic social background. After uni I was a Design and Marketing Executive for a company in Glasgow. My job was focused on email marketing, website copy as well as creative elements such as visual merchandising. During my time, I built and worked on partnerships between the company and different brands, as well as creating different programmes with the fashion students at GCU and Glasgow Children’s Hospital, which really grew my passion for community building and partnerships which is a huge part of my job now.
Do you think it’s important to have experience in another business before setting up your own?
Beth: In my experience yes, it’s really useful to learn from others but also helps you decide what to do and what not to do. Having worked at ASOS it also gave me a wealth of contacts that actually still to this day brings us clients which is super important. Also having that name behind you gives you a bit of advocacy for your skills which in the beginning made us look more knowledgeable.
Izzy: Beth working at ASOS has been a huge advantage for us —it’s given us so many valuable contacts, and that’s probably one of the biggest perks of working for another company in the same industry. However, the benefits aren’t just about industry knowledge - it also gives you insights into how you’d want to run your own business and the kind of culture you’d want to create. That said, most of the tasks involved in running a business aren’t things you can fully prepare for by working elsewhere. You have to be willing to learn and adapt because while your role at another company might be focused on one thing, running your own business means wearing at least ten different hats.
What are the strengths of being co-founders running a business vs doing it solo?
Beth: I think the best thing is sharing the highs and lows. It’s so hard running a business and I can’t imagine doing it all by myself. Izzy and I also have such different skill sets and together we make a great team. I think if I had done it by myself it would have looked different to how it is now. You also need to be able to work with someone really closely so being open and honest is key and having boundaries in place.
Izzy: I completely agree with everything Beth has said. I think also sharing the big decisions, and supporting each other. It can feel quite lonely being a founder, as it’s hard for friends or family to fully understand the emotional strain it can have, so I’m so grateful that we have each other!
Do you each of your own strength and skill that you bring to the table to operate the business? If so, what are they?
Izzy: Yes. I think the best way to describe this is we are the perfect Hunter and Gardner duo. Beth is the Hunter, thinking of the bigger picture, new ideas and ways of working we should introduce to our team and clients. Whereas I am the gardener, project managing the projects and maintaining account management.
Day-to-day, Beth is the Content Lead so manages everything from the content and creative side including everything from creative direction, copywriting, channel management and design. I am the Talent Lead so look after all talent partnerships, as well as bigger partnerships between our clients and other brands.
How did you manage to land brands like Tinder?
Beth: Honestly through our reputation. As I said we had a massive leg up as I already had a great network and since then we’ve just continued to build it. I think brands also like the fact that we’re female-led, we’re a small, scrappy team but also extremely organised and efficient so we always get the job done. We’re really focused on account management and ensuring our clients are completely happy and have everything they need. We’ve managed to build some really amazing relationships with them.
Have there been days when you’ve thought ‘I don’t know if I can do this’?
Beth: Maybe once a week I don’t know how many times I’ve said if this doesn’t work I’m giving up but I know deep down I’ll never give up. It just gets really overwhelming and hard sometimes but you do have to make sure you celebrate the big wins.
Izzy: I don’t think there could be a founder who doesn’t have these days! Some days I dream of having a ‘normal job’ but at the end of the day, there is nothing better and more empowering than running your own business and wouldn’t have it any other day.
Do you think it’s important to have and maintain a network when you’re running a service-led business?
Beth: Yes it’s literally how we’ve grown our business. All our clients have come through our network and we’re always trying to grow it and build lasting relationships with people.
Izzy: 100%, not only is it great for potential new business, but having a great network is amazing for advice and support. We’ve built an amazing network of other founders, and it’s amazing when we hit another speed bump in our journey to chat to them about it, hear their advice and have the reassurance that they have probably been through it too. We’ve loved discovering how supportive the founder network is!
Which brand (other than Tinder!) Do you think it is absolutely smashing their social right now? What makes them good?
Beth: I think e.l.f is absolutely smashing it. They really understand their audience, react to trends but also just run in their own lane. They have great products and a great voice and it really works.
Izzy: LOVE Jacquemus and their out-there content. They’re so clever with how they use social, I was obsessed with them using the creator Bemi Orojuogun who does the content with the buses going past to promote their store opening in London.
What advice would you have for people looking to start their own business?
Beth: Be confident in the idea. Running a business is so hard so you do have to be really passionate. Also, you need to be driven and never give up. You’re going to have more fails and hard times than you think but you have to remember the long-term goal and keep pushing forward.
Also if you can find a co-founder I would recommend it but be really thoughtful about who it is and make sure you sign contracts with them in case shit hits the fan.
Izzy: You can’t do everything, where possible get great people that can support you and have the knowledge. We invested in a great accountant early on, and this is one of the best things we’ve done as this isn’t our skillset. Although it’s hard, try not to take things personally when there are bumps in the road. Build a strong network of people to advise and support you, including fellow founders and mentors. The most important one that we still need to remind ourselves to do is celebrate the wins, it’s so easy to obsess over what you can do better next time or quickly move on to the next thing but when you do something great take the time to sit back and think ‘wow, we did that’ and enjoy a glass of champagne!
If you were to do your time again, what is the one thing you would do differently?
Beth: I think just try and feel more confident in myself and what I’m doing. I really struggled with imposter syndrome at the start but you just have to learn as you go and embrace every moment.
Izzy: Give ourselves job roles from the outset, at the start we didn’t have a strong way of working between ourselves as we were still figuring things out but once we sat down and gave ourselves roles within the business (in our case Content and Influencer Lead) this changed everything, making our work more streamlined and giving us more focus.
If there’s one thing we’re taking away from their story, it’s this: trust your vision, surround yourself with the right people, and don’t forget to celebrate the wins - no matter how big or small. Here’s to Beth, Izzy, and the continued success of The Spring Social!