What happens when the company you built runs fine without you?
Elise Mitchell started a PR firm at her kitchen table in Fayetteville, Arkansas, grew it 500% in five years with clients like Walmart and Tyson Foods, and sold it to Dentsu. She tells Mark Scrivner the founder story most people skip: the workaholism that came with growth, the intervention that changed how she led, and the hard question of who she was once she stepped away. For creatives, founders, and agency leaders, it’s an honest look at building something big without losing yourself. Topics include mindset during change, scaling with limited talent, founder burnout, selling an agency, identity after the exit, and looking through the turn.

Episode Highlights
00:00 – The founder story that starts after the sale
06:04 – Moving to Fayetteville and choosing “bitter or better”
14:36 – What 500% growth cost: workaholism and perfectionism
20:43 – The intervention that changed how Elise led
31:12 – “I think I’m bored”: the road to selling to Dentsu
36:10 – Who are you when you’re no longer the CEO?
40:27 – Two questions that revealed her next chapter
44:46 – Big Mike and the lesson of looking through the turn

Learn More & Connect:
Show Notes + Resources: https://snapshot.agency/the-spark

Connect with Elise Mitchell: LinkedIn | Website
Get Elise's Book, Leading Through the Turn

Connect with Mark Scrivner: LinkedIn | Website
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What does it take to build something that lasts nearly a century?
Manuel Delgado is the owner and master luthier of Delgado Guitars, the family business his grandfather and great-uncle founded in Mexico in 1928. He still builds every instrument by hand in East Nashville.

In this episode of The Spark, Manuel joins host Mark Scrivner to share how he went from East LA to East Nashville and why his grandfather’s advice to “take your time, because we’re in a hurry” still guides every decision. He also explains how a serve-first mindset led to restoring history at The Hermitage and building custom guitars for Nashville SC and Arrow McLaren.
For creatives, founders, and business owners, it’s a lesson in building with patience and purpose.
Topics include family business legacy, craftsmanship and quality, standing out in a crowded market, customer-centered product design, purpose-driven entrepreneurship, and community leadership in Nashville’s creative scene.

Learn More & Connect
Show Notes + Resources: https://snapshot.agency/the-spark

Connect With Manuel Delgado: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuel-a-delgado-7765b48/ | https://delgadoguitars.com/

Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner | https://snapshot.agency/

Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency

#TheSparkPodcast #CreativeAssembly #Luthier #HandmadeGuitars #FamilyBusiness #NashvilleCreatives #CreativeEntrepreneur

What happens to creative work when anyone can generate something “good enough” in seconds? Mark Scrivner sits down with Wes Webb, art director at Nashville's Locomotion Creative. By day, Wes builds brands for some of the region’s biggest names. By night he makes salvaged wood sculpture, ambient music, DJ sets, and homemade software. Wes explains why DJing is really just design, and how a quote from Louis Kahn shaped his whole creative practice. He also covers why Locomotion lets clients work directly with the people doing the work, and how he uses AI to augment ideas instead of replacing them. This conversation is for creatives, marketers, agency leaders, and young designers navigating a fast-changing industry. Topics include creative process, agency culture, client collaboration, AI in design, mentorship and Nashville’s creative community.

Learn More & Connect
Follow The Spark: https://snapshot.agency/the-spark
Connect with Wes Webb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wes-webb-7731598a/ | https://loco.design | https://iamweswebb.com
Email Wes: wes@loco.design
Listen to Wes on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5CaHtlHWsf55Kq8VHXImc9
Connect with Mark Scrivner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markscrivner
Our Sponsor - Snapshot: https://snapshot.agency

#TheSparkPodcast #CreativeAssembly #NashvilleCreatives #ArtDirection #AIinDesign #CreativeProcess #AgencyLife