From Solo Freelancer to Women-Led Agency: A Conversation with Cara Chatellier

What does it take to grow from a one-woman show in Madrid to leading a fully remote, women-run marketing agency in New York? Cara Chatellier, Founder and Creative Director of Bubbly Creative, joined Anastasia Mann on the Marketing Your Way podcast to share her journey of bold decisions, building a team, and keeping marketing fun and human, even with the help of AI.

Q&A Highlights

Anastasia: Where did your marketing journey begin?

Cara: I actually started in sales in 2009—cold calling, selling ads, all that. It was brutal, but I became resilient. Then I landed a marketing role at Brandeis and realized, ‘Oh, this is what I want to do.’ Later, I moved to Madrid, started freelancing, and built a client base from there.

Anastasia: When did you know it was time to build an agency?

Cara: I started collaborating with designers and developers I met abroad, and thought, “This is starting to feel like an agency.” When I moved back to the U.S., I realized I had to walk the walk. I tell clients to invest in their branding and messaging, but I wasn’t doing that myself. That’s when Bubbly Creative was born.

Anastasia: How do you keep a remote team engaged?

Cara: We meet twice a week on Zoom—with cameras on—and spend the first 20 minutes just catching up. That relationship-building time matters. I also do weekly 1:1s and give assignments over the phone when I can. The human connection is everything.

Anastasia: What tiny marketing tips do you swear by?

Cara: Don’t sleep on Google Business. Post like it’s a social platform. Also, invest in a personal brand shoot. Photos of you build trust. And tell your founder story! People want to know who they’re working with.

Anastasia: You mentioned AI—how are you using it authentically?

Cara: We use transcripts from client meetings or podcasts to feed ChatGPT in project threads. That helps us stay aligned with brand voice. But nothing goes out without human review. It's a tool, not a replacement.

Anastasia: What does success mean to you?

Cara: Freedom. Financial freedom, yes—but also time freedom. That’s what drives me. Success is loving what I do and who I do it with, while building a business that fits into my life, not the other way around.

Ready to hear the full conversation? Tune in to the full episode here!