Melissa Ann Lohrer
Business Development Strategist / Consultant
New York, NY
Q What do you do?
“I’m a business development strategist and consultant for indie creative agencies planning their path to $1m.”
I partner with agency founders to build sustainable and profitable growth strategies that lead to their best work with their best clients.
After 13 years working in-house at agencies, I was frustrated by a broken model I couldn’t fix. As a consultant and strategist, I work with independent agency founders to grow their business sustainably, without the burnout.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
It all started at my first job as a Receptionist at a big name ad agency at 22 years old. I fell in love with the creative industry then - but quickly knew I did not belong in "big agency". The mad man era politics did not appeal to me in the least. After getting turned down for a raise that I had earned when I got promoted from Receptionist to Executive Assistant, I quit.
My next agency role was at an indie branding agency in the East Village of New York. A BIG difference from the shiny Madison Avenue office I was used to.
I started on the account management side and started helping on the business development side as we grew. What I thought would be a 2 year stepping stone turned into a decade long career making opportunity.
I’m anything but your typical agency new business person…board rooms and blazers are not my thing. And I initially resisted the role because I didn't feel like a sales person. Well, that became my biggest strength. I focused on the strategy and relationships - and took that agency from around $1.5M in revenue to $8M in revenue over the course of 10 years.
But the pandemic did a number on me...so did that growth. I spent 10 years setting new mile markers for myself, and burning out in the process. I became the youngest person on the leadership team and one of the longest standing employees. Despite all that, I was so burnt out I had to give myself a pep talk every day to show up for work. I could barely drag myself out of bed to the computer while working from home.
So I quit my job, for the second time in my career.
After taking a month off, I started consulting and coaching with smaller, under the radar agencies I had never heard of...but whose work I really admired. I started working in particular with a lot of female founders.
At that point I learned that less than 1% of creative agencies are owned by women. And working with women because a much more intentional focus for me. Less than 2% of woman-owned businesses make it to seven figures, and this became the statistic, to this day, that inspired everything Waverly Ave Consulting has become.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
So many of the agency founders I work with tell me that it's refreshing to work with a consultant who has actually lived through their side of things. I feel my experience at agencies is what connects me to my clients. I understand the model and how exhausting it is. The expectations from clients, the frustration of getting ghosted.
With the clients I work with, we typically have a shared history of burnout and toxic work experiences that bond us as well.
I advocate for my clients as people and founders, and help them see possibilities far beyond what they can see. I act as a partner and collaborator throughout our time together, giving them the confidence to navigate the ups and downs of agency life.
And I don't know any other business development consultants who focus on my niche of female founders of indie creative agencies on their path to 7 figures.
Q What are you working on right now?
So many ideas, so little time!
I'm really excited about building Waverly Ave into a community for indie agencies. I'm not sure what shape that will take but I've started with Quarterly Biz Dev Challenges to create momentum - and was so energized by the response, that I'd love to create something around that.
Beyond that, I'm working with a handful of incredible agency founders right now and celebrating all their new milestones and wins.
Q What’s your style?
My style is real and casual. I'm not here for fake anything and I don't pretend to be some business guru either.
I tend to look for a realness in my clients too. The agency founders who take responsibility and ownership of their business. Who want to do incredible things and aren't afraid to go outside their comfort zone.
I really enjoy working with creatives that are extremely thoughtful in their approach. They don't view their business or work as a machine.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I'm pretty focused on business development for independent creative agencies.
When I have the space, I would love to dedicate time to building out more of a community of inspiration, support and opportunities for agency founders so I can impact more agencies - and especially the ones that can't financially invest in working with me (yet).
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Sometimes my dreams are bigger than my bank account can handle! Of course imposter syndrome also pops up any time I'm stepping into something new as well.
But nothing about moving forward is hard for me. I found a business that lights me up in every way and even my hardest days as a business owner are FAR better than my best days in my last agency role.
Bottom of my to-do list tends to be all things finance. I like sales and making money, but not so much into the management of it. Something I'm getting better at every year.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
I have an incredible virtual assistant for my business so I would probably hire an assistant for the home! Someone to keep things tidy, cook meals, walk the dog, grocery shop...
Also on my ""when I'm rich"" list is a weekly massage and / or facial.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
If I could go back, I would tell myself it's all going to work out. That every experience is a lesson that I can support my clients with later on. Especially in some of those pivotal moments where I was really questioning why things happened.
I'd also tell myself to stop doubting myself and trust my gut. I really let myself be manipulated in the past. I would give people the benefit of the doubt even when my gut told me the situation was not right. Whether I was being underpaid, overworked, lied to...I'm much better at spotting that kind of toxicity now and stay far away.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I'm always interested in psychology and the way the mind works.
Particularly for women and the way we think and how that shapes our world. I work with so many women who are total badasses but struggle with imposter syndrome and confidence. Something we don't really see as often with men.
I also love history and hearing stories of women (and people in general) who have survived horrific things and against all odds circumstances, while going on to build successful businesses. I'd love to understand more about what traits or behaviors make those people the way they are.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I'd love to be able to support creative agency founders on their path to $1m.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
I love passionate agency founders who want a partner and collaborator in their growth. They are typically $200k+ in revenue and committed to working with a consultant over the course of a few months.
Q What is your rate?
The Growth Collective, a hybrid community and growth-focused container for creative agency founders is $2,000 per month for six months.
My 1:1 Consulting is $4,000 per month for four months.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Melissa@waverlyave.com
Just say hi! I'll take care of the rest :)
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Kira Matila
Mikka Cruz
Angela Markham
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Creating space on my calendar, long walks outside with no agenda, and reading and writing.
This member profile was originally published in December 2023