#132: Human-First Growth: How to Scale & Bootstrap to 80 Employees (Brooke Maclean, Marketwake)

Meet Brooke MacLean, CEO of Marketwake, the award-winning, 5x Inc. 5000 digital agency that scaled to 80 employees by doing something radically simple:She built the business around humans.Before Marketwake, Brooke became CEO of a tech company at just 26, navigating a massive pivot, rebuilding product, and leading through chaos. But it wasn’t until she launched Marketwake that she discovered her true leadership edge: a blend of feminine intuition and masculine execution that allowed her to scale without losing herself.In this episode, Brooke breaks down the exact human-first strategies that fueled Marketwake’s growth and how you can apply them in your business today.💡 Here’s what you’ll learn:How to Say Yes Before You’re Ready: Why momentum creates clarity and how Brooke’s early “yes” strategy opened new revenue streams.How to Build a Human-First Culture: The rituals, leadership habits, and emotional attunement practices that created an award-winning workplace with 80 employees.How to Make Learning a Growth Engine: The systems Marketwake uses to stay ahead of industry shifts (even before they had a budget).How to Lead With Feminine + Masculine Energy: Brooke’s daily energy audit and how it transformed her leadership effectiveness.How to Stop Carrying Emotional Weight That Isn’t Yours: The mindset that helped her avoid burnout and lead sustainably.If you want to grow your business without becoming a robot in the process, this episode is your permission slip.🚀 Ready to turn this into actionable traction? Get the weekly Growth Playbooks with frameworks, templates, and tools: https://substack.com/@shegetsshitdone🔥 Take the Free Traction Quiz: Find your next best move: https://form.typeform.com/to/j6LscUHF