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“I often say I would not do a lot differently because, had it not been for those mistakes, I would not have been able to grow and to do the things I did as my career continued.”
Andrea Johnston didn’t set out to become an entrepreneur. Her early career was rooted in corporate environments, where she developed deep expertise in communications and client strategy. But over time, distance from the actual work, and from clients, became harder to ignore.
That tension led to a decision: build something closer to the work, closer to the impact, and more aligned with how she believed clients should be served.
What followed was not a linear growth story. It was a series of inflection points: starting from scratch, leaning on relationships, narrowing her focus, and making high-stakes decisions around scaling, investment, and leadership. Each phase required a different skill set, and each came with its own challenges.
In this episode of The Entreprenista Podcast, Stephanie sits down with Andrea Johnston, founder of Fuel for Female Founders, and a seasoned agency owner. Andrea pulls back the curtain on her journey from launching a niche marketing agency to scaling it to success.
She shares why niching down, even when tempting opportunities arose, became her game-changing strategy, and how a single client referral led to explosive growth. You’ll hear about the realities of private equity partnerships, the exhilarating highs and the tough learning lessons, and why delegation and outsourcing are non-negotiables for sustainable growth.
You can listen to the podcast here on Spotify and Apple Podcast.
Here are a few moments from the podcast:
Her path into entrepreneurship didn’t come from early exposure—it developed through experience:
“I can honestly say no, I wasn't that kid. Both of my parents worked for the state. My mom was a social worker. My father was in public education. So I didn't have any role models for business building or in the private sector. It was something that I think really became an area of interest to me once I got into the workforce and I saw how companies were run and I saw sort of the opportunity set. And that's what really whet my appetite… I think the younger me would have said she's going to be in politics or do something that was more community and civic minded.”
After years in corporate roles, she reached a point where the work no longer felt aligned:
“After about a dozen years working in the pharmaceutical industry and then in various larger communications firms, I ultimately realized I wanted to build something different. The higher you get in traditional agencies, the less you actually are close to the craft of communications… my passion was always really being close to clients and doing the work. I love the work… I just felt like I could do something different where we could bring clients senior level talent… really focused on their business and bringing that expertise… to help them advance their business and also to connect more deeply with patients.”
When she made the leap, she relied on relationships to get the business off the ground:
“I had just given birth to my second child. I had decided I wasn't going to go back from maternity leave… I just started literally reaching out to contacts… I was a solo person. I had no idea where this might go. And I was really fortunate… it goes back to relationships and connections… supporters from throughout my career stepped up and said, we'd love to help you… It really sort of started there and then just kind of gained momentum.”
A key shift—focusing on her area of expertise—became a turning point for growth:
“When I decided… I'm going to 100% focus on life sciences, that's my expertise… that then allowed me to start to go in a whole different direction… we got them on the Barbara Walters show… all of these major talk shows and news media… and that was really when everyone started going to that CEO saying, who is doing your PR?… That really was kind of the game changer… you can never take enough meetings… and that networking and those referrals lead to the next thing.”
Scaling the business introduced new levels of complexity—and new decisions around growth:
“We were at about 12 million in revenues and we knew that we had so much growth opportunity… but it's also a dangerous place to be because that's all built on a reputation where you do great work… in order to build something proprietary… it was going to cost a lot of money… so that's really when we decided… let's talk to some people and see what options are available… we had a lot of amazing interest… but ultimately I wanted to grow and scale.”
Some of the most important lessons came from moments where she ignored her instincts:
“There were times when… I took on a client that I knew in my gut was probably not going to be a good fit… I always regretted when I didn't listen to my intuition… that becomes such a distraction and a time sink… I think the second big thing is… I'm a fixer and a doer… I'm not always the best about delegating… it's critical early on to identify areas where your talents are better served… and then hire the right people… don't be afraid to outsource… it just frees you up when you delegate.”
Looking back, the biggest shift she would make is how she approached pressure and support:
“I really wish I knew that I didn't have to put so much pressure on myself all the time and try to be all things to all people… I would not have been so burnt out… I went through a lot of personal health stuff… and I feel like I could have saved myself so much… if I had just been more comfortable letting other people play a role.”
You may also like:
- Meet the Investors Funding the Next Generation of Women Founders
- Laura Bull: Redefining Success and Leadership at The Brand Management Co.
- Helping the World See the Leader You Already Are
Connect with Andrea:
- Agency Owner Power Group
- Get Fyxer.ai
- Andrea’s LinkedIn
- Fuel for Female Founders on LinkedIn
Listen to Andrea's latest podcast: Women I Want You to Know by Andrea L. Johnston
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Entreprenista Podcast - the most fun business meeting for women founders and leaders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
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Updated on: April 30, 2026
Guests
Andrea Johnston
Hosts
Stephanie Cartin
Stephanie Cartin is a serial entrepreneur, investor, podcast host, community builder, and a champion for women founders. She created the Entreprenista League, a community for women founders, to provide resources and support necessary at all business stages. She’s also the Co-founder of Socialfly, one of the first social media marketing agencies, as well as Entreprenista Media and Pearl Influential Capital which was recently acquired by Cherub. Stephanie has shared her journey managing her health challenges with Multiple Sclerosis, Infertility, and a complicated pregnancy and is an advocate for women going through similar challenges. Her story and businesses have been featured on the Today Show, Bloomberg and Forbes. Consider Stephanie your biggest business cheerleader.
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