Pop Stars, Portaloos and Slime: The Unofficial Guide to Building an Agency

From freelancer to leading a ten-person agency with global clients, Lauren Lemmer's entrepreneurial journey is anything but ordinary! At November's Boost Your Business Network event, we're delighted to welcome Lauren Lemmer, Founder of Lemon Tree Digital Marketing, for what promises to be an entertaining, honest and inspiring insight into entrepreneurship, leadership and the realities of growing a business. Behind every successful business are the decisions, challenges, opportunities and experiences that shape its journey. Lauren's story promises a fascinating look at what it really takes to move from working independently to building and leading a growing business. Lauren's Story Founder of Lemon Tree Digital Marketing, Lauren shares her story of how she went from a freelance solo operation to a ten-person marketing agency, working with global clients. Expect honesty (probably a bit too honest at times!), the odd lemon pun and a few lessons learned the hard way. Keeping it local, Lauren studied Graphic Design at Exeter College and Marketing at Plymouth University before moving into in-house marketing roles at Flybe, Swallowfield and Avon Cosmetics. She started freelancing, picking up clients through her network, and founded Lemon Tree Digital Marketing in 2019. She is also a trustee of Operation Rudolph, a CIC supporting families at Christmas. Seven years on, Lemon Tree is a team of ten with offices in Honiton and Exeter, working with everyone from small independent businesses to international brands and festivals. Along the way there have been plenty of ‘how did I get here?’ moments. Dancing with B*Witched. Interviewing World Cup winners. Jumping out of portaloos. Being donuted by a stunt quadbike. Auditing the ad account of one of the largest airports in the world. And even working with James to help build Boost itself. But it hasn’t all been smooth. Lauren will talk about the perils of imposter syndrome, the trap of growing revenue without growing profit, assuming her team could read her mind (they’re brilliant, but apparently not psychic), and figuring out what to charge. She’ll also cover what it’s like to go from doing everything yourself to handing over the reins and building a leadership team, all while running a business as a mum. And yes, that includes answering emails while in labour. This won’t be a polished highlight reel. Instead there will be videos of portaloos and slime… (worth attending for on its own!). Whether you’re thinking about going it alone, growing a team, or just wondering if everyone else has it figured out (spoiler: they don’t), there’ll be plenty to take away. Come along, grab a coffee (or a lemonade), have a chat and listen to the stories. What To Expect • Vibrant networking with one of the South West's most ambitious business communities. • An honest and entertaining insight into the journey from freelancer to agency founder. • Real experiences of entrepreneurship, leadership and growing a business. • Valuable lessons on overcoming challenges, building confidence and navigating business growth. • Insights into building a team, delegating responsibility and developing leadership. • Inspiration, laughter and practical ideas to take back into your own business. Whether you're an entrepreneur, business owner, CEO, leader or simply someone with ambitions to grow, this promises to be another engaging, thought-provoking and inspiring Boost Your Business Network event. Giving Back As always, £3 from every ticket purchased will support a local South West charity A huge thank you to our fantastic #BYBNetwork partners, WPA, Commissioning HR, Smart Cookie Virtual Assistant, Hamilton Pullen Financial Planning, Griffin Chartered Accountants, Securious, AIM Financial Solutions, Lemon Tree Digital Marketing, Cosmic, TLB Consulting, Exe Insurance & Pushed. Like us, they are passionate about supporting businesses across the South West! Disclaimer The views expressed at this event are not intended to be and should not be viewed as individual advice or as a recommendation by The Boost Your Business Network. Photographs will be taken at the event and may be used across our social media platforms, if you do not wish to be included in these, please inform us.