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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