Building Brands, Breaking Molds: A Conversation with Paige of Hoyden Branding

There's a certain kind of entrepreneur who makes everything look effortless — the kind who's quietly running a full creative agency, managing a growing team, navigating the complex math of scaling a small business, and somehow still finding time to launch a podcast on the side. Paige, Owner and CEO of Hoyden Branding, is exactly that kind of person.

In Episode 6 of the Lean Rocket Lab podcast, hosts Brandon and Alex sit down with Paige for a candid, energetic, and refreshingly honest conversation about what it actually takes to lead a creative business — the wins, the hard lessons, and the things nobody tells you when you decide to buy an agency and make it your own.

From Employee to Owner: The Shift Nobody Prepares You For

Paige didn't start Hoyden from scratch — she acquired it from the women who built it. And while that came with a strong foundation, it also came with something harder to navigate: figuring out which parts of the business to preserve, and which parts to reshape.

Her biggest change? Moving away from a production-house mentality and leaning fully into brand strategy and relationship-driven work.

“She was already leaning away from that with strategy,” Paige explained, “but my goal was really leaning in and just developing more of the brand side of things.”

That shift wasn't just strategic — it was personal. Being in the same life stage as her team (the 26–35 range, as she puts it, “prime baby-making years”) has shaped the way she leads. More personal. More modern. More built on real relationships — both internally with her team and externally with clients.

The Case for Difficult Clients (Really)

One of the most memorable moments of the episode comes when Paige talks about her favorite clients — and reveals, with zero hesitation, that they're often the most challenging ones.

“Most of the best clients I work with are all men. They're all difficult, but in a good way. Like, I love them.”

She tells the story of a client in New York who wasn't clicking with the previous account lead. Paige stepped in, took a shot, and the relationship transformed. Now, he's like family — someone who genuinely invests in the people he works with, even if he makes you work for it.

It's a reminder that friction, done right, often signals depth. The clients who push back, who have opinions, who hold you to a higher standard — those are often the ones worth keeping.

Remote, Productive, and Honest About Both

Hoyden went fully remote during COVID, a move that started with Molly (the previous owner) and stuck. Paige will tell you she's more productive at home — 10+ hours a day of actual, focused work time — but she's also honest that she misses having a physical space.

“I would love to have a space again. I really enjoyed it. It's just… that several thousand dollars could be going back into my girls' pockets.”

So how does she keep team culture alive without a shared office? Daily morning huddles, constant Slack communication, an annual holiday party at her house, and intentional in-person hangs when schedules allow. It's not perfect, but it's real — and it's working.

Growing on Her Own Terms

When Brandon asks about the two-to-five year plan, Paige gets candid about something a lot of entrepreneurs quietly struggle with: the tension between wanting to grow and wanting to do it entirely on your own terms.

Her target is 10 employees — two pods, strategists and creatives, each focused on their own client set. She's close, but navigating the “cusp” where you can't hire too soon and can't afford to stay too lean. Add in a team full of people in active life stages (maternity leaves, relocations, big life transitions), and the math gets complicated.

She's also been nudged — by a funder she respects — to consider outside investment. The conversation is real and worth hearing. She hasn't said no. But she hasn't said yes, either.

“You have to be all in on what you want, because if you do it out of obligation, it's not gonna be a good fit.”

For now, she's growing deliberately, frugally, and on her own timeline. “We don't have to grow. I want to. We're comfortable. Everyone's making good salaries. We're consistent.”

The Unexpected Niche: Making Finance Sexy

One of the most surprising pivots in the conversation? Paige's growing focus on financial services clients — wealth management, insurance, financial planning.

“I joke with all my clients, I'm like, this is the least sexy industry, but we're gonna make it sexy.”

It turns out there's a massive opportunity here. A wave of retirement is coming, and the next generation of leadership at these firms — the kids and successors of the founders — want rebrands. They want modern identities. They want to look and feel like the companies they're building, not the ones they inherited. Hoyden is positioning itself right at that intersection, and Paige is clearly energized by it.

The Podcast, the Plug, and the Cool Boss Energy

No episode would be complete without Paige giving herself a proper platform to share what's coming next. She's launching Hoyden & Hang — an unfiltered podcast with her coworker Kelly, described as “just hanging out” with a healthy dose of honest conversation and (fair warning) some colorful language.

She's also looking for guests. So if you've got a story worth telling, she's all ears.

And if you're not following Hoyden Branding yet, you'll find them on TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn — all under @hoydenbranding.

A Note from the LRL Team

What Brandon said at the end of this episode stuck with us: there's something genuinely impressive about a person who is deeply creative and knows how to run a business. It's a rare combination, and Paige makes it look natural — even when she'll tell you it's anything but.

This is exactly the kind of founder story we love telling. The honest ones. The ones without a tidy bow on top. The ones where the person is still figuring it out in real time and isn't afraid to say so.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a founder in your life who needs to hear it.

https://youtu.be/OZcXGzZYW0g

Listen to Episode 6 wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to the Lean Rocket Lab podcast so you never miss an episode.