Company: Twelve Legs Marketing
Guests: Ralitsa Carter
Year Started: 2018
Employees: 11-25
Why Financial Discipline and Creative Grit Are a Solid Growth Strategy
What if the key to building a successful creative agency wasn’t aggressive scaling, high-risk investments, or endless stress, but instead, a scoop of ice cream and a spreadsheet?
In this episode of An Agency Story, Russel Dubree sits down with Ralitsa Carter, Co-Founder of Twelve Legs Marketing, to explore how financial clarity, intentional growth, and storytelling excellence led her team not only to business sustainability, but to winning an Emmy.
Whether you’re running your first agency or recalibrating for long-term success, this conversation offers a refreshing take on how strategy, culture, and discipline fuel real creative impact.
You can listen to this episode of An Agency Story on your favorite podcast app:
Episode Summary
Ralitsa Carter brings a global perspective to business ownership, having lived and worked on three continents and started her career in animation. Now at the helm of Twelve Legs Marketing, she and her partner Jason have built a boutique agency that balances creative excellence with operational discipline.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How a simple monthly habit became a foundation for financial resilience
- The behind-the-scenes story of their Emmy-winning mini-documentary, I Paint Music
- A great perspective on how to build and manage a high-performing, multicultural team
Key Takeaways and Lessons
A Simple Habit for Financial Health
Ralitsa and Jason built their agency without outside funding, loans, or risky spending. One of their cornerstone practices?
Monthly financial reviews, always followed by ice cream. This habit turned tedious but critical work into a rewarding ritual.
“We go out for ice cream. We really do, yes sir.”
—Ralitsa Carter
They maintain a three-month financial reserve at all times and allocate revenue across savings, operations, and reinvestment with discipline. It’s not flashy, but it’s foundational.
When Passion Meets Precision: Winning an Emmy
Their Emmy-winning project, I Paint Music, began as a collaboration with a local artist who experiences synesthesia. The short film combined authenticity, emotional storytelling, and expert cinematography, produced without chasing awards or client pressure.
This project embodies their belief: that great work emerges when creativity is given room to breathe and isn’t rushed by financial panic or production shortcuts.
Building a Global Team with Culture at the Core
Twelve Legs isn’t just lean, it’s global. With team members in Colorado Springs, Barcelona, Eastern Europe, the Philippines, and Canada, Ralitsa has learned how to maintain strong communication, accountability, and connection across time zones.
Their approach?
- At least three hours of daily overlap for collaboration
- Well-defined processes to support asynchronous work
- Intentional hiring focused on flexibility and ownership
Show Notes & Resources
- Watch the Emmy-winning short film: I Paint Music on YouTube
- Twelve Legs Marketing Youtube Channel
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