Bonus: How the Hybrid Agency Model Is Changing the Way Brands Hire Creative Teams

Most brands have worked with an agency that felt like an external vendor. Rachel Leslie is building something different. As the founder and editor-in-chief of Lāer Studio, Rachel has spent years developing a hybrid creative partner model that embeds her copywriting team directly into the brands they support - from their internal Slack channels to their campaign briefs. With clients like Away, Zola, Avocado Green Mattress, and FILA, she's seen firsthand what changes when a creative relationship goes long-term and the brand finally has a creative partner they can actually lean on. In this episode, Rachel breaks down how she structures her team, how embedded support makes a difference to her clients during high-pressure moments, and how she keeps healthy boundaries without sacrificing the partnership model. She also shares what’s evolving with agencies and in-house creative teams in 2026 and beyond.  Connect with Rachel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://laerstudio.com/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/laerstudio/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Workshop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelaleslie Loving our bonus content and want more Cubicle to CEO in your ears? Join us every Monday on our subscriber-only premium feed for case study–style interviews with successful entrepreneurs debriefing their real-time growth experiments and results. Subscribe to get insider access to what's actually been working for businesses in the last 3-18 months: ⁠⁠cubicletoceo.co/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoceo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ so we can repost you. ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠our premium feed⁠⁠⁠⁠ for case-study style interviews every Monday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices