We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ángela Capeles a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ángela, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?

This is a beautiful question. Thank you for genuinely caring about learning more about my journey as a business owner and what growth looks like for us at Capeles Agency. We must share our story so that more people can feel represented and excited about where they are in their journey. My goal is that by hearing/reading my story, no one feels alone on the path toward personal or professional growth.

When I think about how I started and where we are today, I can confidently say my resilience, upbringing, credentials, education, network, community (friends, family, colleagues, mentors, followers, clients), and support system have all been vital. Capeles Agency started in 2017 after graduating from the Pennsylvania State University with a master’s in communications. I had been living in the United States for two years (I moved from Puerto Rico in the Summer of 2015) and found it challenging to get a “seat at the table” or to even be respected as a woman of color in the Central Pennsylvania area. I used to ask myself, “How is it possible that I am unable to find work in the advertising/marketing industries while having a proven track record of working for well-known brands?” After numerous rejections, I decided I had everything I needed to create my own table and succeed, and so I did. As a result, Capeles Agency was born. I trusted myself, took control of the narrative, and transformed my reality.

Although life has been challenging in different ways (we can talk about that later), I’ve been blessed. I had (and still have) my community rooting for and supporting me. When I decided to take the leap, I connected with my network to share the news. Most of the relationships I had been cultivating or who had seen my work quickly recommended me for consulting projects. The recommendations, combined with my hard work and drive, made people excited about what I was doing and how the Capeles Agency brand looked; it was like a domino effect. When you “walk the talk,” prioritize the client experience, and the quality of the deliverables, clients will bring you more clients. Referrals are the best type of compliment. Today, the number one lead source for Capeles Agency is still word-of-mouth referrals and networking. I am beyond grateful to my community for that!

After a successful first year, I was offered (through my network) an opportunity to join a nonprofit with the goal of developing a communications department. This opportunity would allow me to grow as a leader, learn more about running a successful organization, and have a tangible impact on the community. I accepted the role and continued to grow Capeles Agency simultaneously in a part-time capacity. I had mental clarity that I would grow my agency (that was/is the dream) and that in order to be a successful business owner and leader, I had to learn how to be a specialist, strategist, manager, and director first, and so I did.

Later on, I also had the opportunity to work at two creative agencies in a leadership capacity, and I am forever grateful for those experiences. I learned what to do and what not to do. I thought hard about how I wanted to run my agency, serve and interact with my client partners, build a culture of inclusion, empathy, and respect within the team, have a work-life balance and create authentic brands.

How did we scale up? How did we transition? After the last agency I worked for closed and laid off my entire team, I knew it was time to transition my business to full-time. I had the network, I had the team, I had the time, I had the credentials, and I had the vision. It felt like life was telling me, “you are ready.” Needless to say, I went all in. We continue to face challenges every day as others do, but we work through them. We are now getting closer to celebrating our first year working at Capeles Agency in a full-time capacity. Since we started in 2017, we’ve grown our client base significantly, and we’ve redefined the way we work. We now have a small but resilient team and can’t wait to keep growing the Capeles Agency family in the coming years.

What is Capeles Agency? We are a woman-led boutique creative agency. Our vision is simple: to empower strong, resilient brands with intentional branding and marketing. At Capeles Agency, we do two things; we create brands and implement marketing campaigns that are inclusive and representative of diverse communities. What makes us unique is how we help tell their stories.

Due to the lack of diversity in marketing companies and creative agencies, brands owned by folks from underrepresented communities aren’t able to tell their stories in an authentic way, and mainstream brands can be exclusive and inauthentic. We respond to this problem by combining practices from human-centered design (HCD) and trauma-informed principles (TIP) to create authenticity, connection, and value for brands.

Research states that out of 1.1 million small businesses in PA, only 89,000 identify as minority-owned. As a woman of color living in central Pennsylvania, I understand the challenge of being taken seriously and the difference it can make when you see people, who look like you, succeed. Simply having my lived experience as a woman of color and professional experience in media, gender, race, and cultural studies, I bring a solution to closing the gap in access to agencies that can understand brands owned by and created for underrepresented communities.

While we’ve scaled up since our inception (we have clients in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Latin America), we are still growing and expanding. We aim to do better every day, every week, and every month. We continue to invest in professional education, mentors, conferences, marketing, and resources to ensure we are current with best practices and industry trends.

We are also very excited because this year, we are expanding our capabilities and are getting ready to launch our first-ever course on How to Create Resilient, Empathy-led Brands. We want to see our communities succeed, and as a result, we want to be the ones to help along the way.

Ángela, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Of course, let me just say I’ve had quite the journey. I feel blessed to have been born and raised in Puerto Rico (proud Boricua here!) in a family that fostered continuous personal and professional growth. Growing up, I was an exemplary student and was always involved in extracurricular activities and volunteer work for community-based initiatives. I always gravitated toward humanities, communications, and media studies, which is why I studied communications in college.

I started a bachelor’s degree in Journalism (with a minor in Brazilian Portuguese) at the Universidad de Puerto Rico (UPR) and quickly realized I had a passion for branding and storytelling. I was lucky to intern and then work for one of the top public relations firms in Puerto Rico: Nelly Cruz & Associates (NC&A). I had the privilege of being mentored by Nelly Cruz, founder of the firm, and of working for major luxury brands in Puerto Rico under her guidance. This experience changed my life. Seeing Nelly’s journey motivated me into working in the industry and the power we had in crafting one-of-a-kind experiences. It was then that I knew I wanted to build an agency at some point. Having a strong, professional, hard-working woman as a mentor was key to my development. Reflecting back on my professional journey, I feel privileged to have worked with many amazing female leaders and founders who made me feel represented, challenged, supported, and inspired.

My passion for asking questions led me to pursue a graduate education at the Pennsylvania State University, where I also teach in the School of Humanities and am in the process of completing my Ph.D. Most of my research and specialty areas focus on social equity through media, gender, race, and ethnicity studies, which I think gives me an advantage when working with brands.

I’m a founder, educator, marketing strategist, leader, professor, and soon-to-be doctor in philosophy. I possess over nine years of international experience in strategy, marketing, and public relations. I take great pride in having led marketing initiatives for major brands such as Carolina Herrera, The Mall of San Juan, International Hospitality Enterprises, Taubman Centers, Marriott International, Hilton Hotels, Combate Global, Sheetz, UGI, Saxton & Stump, Functional Movement Systems, Cape Privacy, WITF, and PGA Tour.

Throughout my journey, I’ve worked with business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) brands. I’ve developed digital strategy and cross-channel content marketing initiatives, created online/offline marketing campaigns and voter registration programs, and coordinated events in multiple industries ranging from entertainment, hospitality, and luxury brands, to nonprofits and government agencies. I have also created departments and startup agencies from the ground up and gone on to lead communications, marketing, and strategy teams.

As I shared earlier, I currently lead Capeles Agency, a boutique creative agency that builds iconic and resilient brands through marketing, branding, and PR. Through our work, we have helped various brands, big and small, global and local, find their true authentic expressions translated to the world through digital experiences. We are committed to changing the world, one brand at a time.

Our approach towards creative work combines inclusive practices from Human-Centered Design (HCD) and Trauma Informed Principles (TIP). Capeles Agency’s business model focuses on providing access to affordable, quality marketing and branding support; access to a company led by a diverse team; and access to an agency that understands how to develop brands that feel connected to underrepresented community experiences and identities.

Communities that have been historically discriminated against benefit from this combined approach of HCD and TIP as a solution to closing the gap of access. Seeing themselves represented in brand owners and brand stories helps them feel empowered and part of a strong community (which often leads to breaking stereotypes and effecting change).

Human-centered design requires building empathy with the people you design for. It is about identifying their pain points and cultivating experiences that serve their unique needs. Being human-centered means precisely that, centering humans and focusing on listening, acknowledging, and creating impact-driven initiatives.

Trauma-Informed principles focus on challenging our assumptions and shift from asking, “What is wrong with this person?” to “What has happened to this person?” In branding, this comes up as “How has this brand evolved since its conception?” or “Where do we see opportunities for transforming their brand experience across all touchpoints to ensure connection and business growth?” Being trauma-informed recognizes that we need to meet people where they are, not only where we want them to be; it respects the journey there.

Combining HCD and TIP results in crafting brands, products, and services that alleviate needs and represent the communities they intend to engage. Capeles Agency focuses on the customers and the communities who keep brands alive. When working with clients, we consider how can we authentically tell their story and build brands that provide real value and connection to their customers. Especially those from underrepresented communities. How can we engage with them in safe and respectful ways?

Our ultimate goal is to inspire others to do their marketing and branding more intentionally; to adopt a more inclusive and healthy approach that benefits marketing teams, clients, and communities.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I have countless stories.

One of my mentors, Hannah Nieves, said: “Being an entrepreneur is an act of resilience – it’s constantly picking yourself up when you’re down and realizing you’re the only person who can do that.” I couldn’t agree more. For me, being an entrepreneur is just one of the many acts or sources of resilience. My journey itself is an act of resilience. It’s ingrained in my DNA, my identity, and how I see life.

As a Puerto Rican, Latina, and woman of color, having lived in Puerto Rico and the United States, I’ve seen and experienced firsthand how being resilient is the only way you’ll be able to survive or go through life. I know what it is like to be oppressed and discriminated against, what it’s like to lose everything, what it’s like to go through natural disasters, and what it’s like to be reminded that life is ephemeral and that today we are here and tomorrow is not promised. I’ve experienced what it’s like to keep pushing and reinventing yourself even when you feel or believe you can’t because if you don’t do things, no one will do them for you, and life keeps going. I’ve lived a life where I’ve had to be resilient, and I don’t know how to live any other way. My upbringing helped me channel and overcome my obstacles creatively, but my strength comes from my community and within.

A recent story that comes to mind when thinking about resilience is one that I’m still healing from. In the Spring of 2021, I had an accident where I almost lost my life. It was scary and overwhelming but also a wake-up call. Since then, my life and the way I experience things have changed significantly. I’ve been more vulnerable with my community about challenges and my reality, I’ve prioritized my health and healing, and I’ve taken my experience and recovery journey to redefine how I see life and how we do things at Capeles Agency both internally and externally. This is where HCD and TIP come into play. The more authentic and empathetic we are with brand and marketing work, and the more we own our flaws or challenges, the better experiences we craft for our communities, and the more return on investment (ROI) you’ll see. Our communities don’t want perfect, our communities want what’s real. I consider this to be a story about resilience because, once again, I chose to transform my reality, pivot, and follow my North Star.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing our clientele has been to focus on our current clients. We take great pride in our client experience and in making sure we are attentive so that we can anticipate their needs, and actively listen to their concerns. One thing I’ve seen in the industry over and over is how agencies prioritize profit over clients, and how they focus on signing clients and projects instead of retaining their clients and growing with them. I knew I was going to do things differently.

Our secret weapon is rooted in community and empathy. The more we focus on our clients and the happier they are, the more likely they are to trust us and refer us to their networks. Again, it’s the domino effect. Our clients are so happy with the experience of working with us that they tell the whole world. We are forever grateful!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://capelesagency.com/
• Instagram: @angelacapeless @capelesagency
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capelesagency
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/angela-capeles + https://www.linkedin.com/company/capeles-agency/

Image Credits
Photographer: Kylee B Photography Instagram: @kylee_b_photography