Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Christina Iskandar. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Christina, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

People first. The marketing agency world can be brutal. With rapid shifts in technology, economic uncertainty, and ever-changing client demands, agencies often find themselves running at full speed just to stay afloat. Razor-thin margins push teams to their limits, and what should be creative wells instead become people mills—cycling through employees as if burnout were an inevitable cost of doing business.

At Nurture Productivity, we challenge this mindset. Work should nurture, not exhaust. Yet too many agencies operate in survival mode, unable to escape the destructive cycle of overwork, high turnover, and constant onboarding. What they don’t realize is that this churn isn’t just draining morale—it’s draining profits. The cost of replacing an employee extends far beyond a job posting and training period; it disrupts client relationships, weakens team cohesion, and slows overall growth.

It’s ironic, really. The relentless push for more output often leads to inefficiency. If agency owners had the space to pause, they’d see that the solution isn’t working harder—it’s working smarter. That’s where we come in.

Your chair, keyboard, and mouse are ergonomic—why isn’t the way you work?

We help agencies implement systems that don’t just keep up with the pace of business but actually make work easier. By leveraging automation, AI, and proven frameworks, we give teams the clarity and structure they need to operate at their best. No more wasted energy on redundant tasks. No more reactive scrambling. Just smart, sustainable workflows that let people do what they actually signed up for—great work.

And this extends beyond internal operations. The marketing landscape itself is shifting at lightning speed. My husband and I often say, “AI won’t take your job, but someone who knows how to use it might.” Agencies drowning in operational challenges often resist change, believing they don’t have the time or resources to adopt new tools. But the truth is, those very tools—AI, automation, and structured workflows—are their way out.

The industry norm is to chase productivity at the expense of well-being. We reject that. Productivity should fuel creativity, not drain it. When systems work for people—not against them—agencies don’t just survive; they thrive.

At Nurture Productivity, we’re here to help make that shift. Because success isn’t about grinding harder—it’s about building a business that runs smoothly, sustainably, and in a way that supports the people behind it.

Christina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Christina Iskandar, founder of Nurture Productivity, where I help boutique marketing agencies streamline operations, reduce stress, and scale sustainably. I run Nurture Productivity with my husband, Marc, and together, we’ve been in your shoes.

We know what it’s like to juggle client demands, team management, and business growth—all while trying to deliver exceptional work. Many agency owners start their businesses because they’re passionate about marketing, creativity, and storytelling—not because they love project management, hiring logistics, or workflow automation. But as their agency grows—often around the $500K–$1M mark—the weight of running everything solo becomes overwhelming. A key resignation, a major new client, or simply the sheer complexity of scaling can turn a thriving agency into a daily firefight.

That’s where we come in. At Nurture Productivity, we help agencies escape the stress of reactive decision-making by implementing smart systems, automations, and scalable processes. Our mission is simple: to give you the freedom to focus on what you do best—delivering great work—without burning out in the process.

My journey started at Stony Brook University, where I earned my undergraduate degree in business and marketing and my MBA in innovation. I spent my early career working in billion-dollar corporations before transitioning into the fast-paced world of digital agencies, leading full-service marketing campaigns and managing teams.

Then, life forced me to slow down. I was diagnosed with a rare venous condition—one that was directly impacted by stress. At my worst, I couldn’t even walk. As difficult as that experience was, it also gave me something invaluable: perspective. I realized I had spent my career trying to keep broken systems afloat instead of fixing them. There had to be a better way—not just for me, but for the industry as a whole.
That’s when Marc and I bet on ourselves. Marc had spent over a decade in marketing, managing large teams and multimillion-dollar campaigns, all while staying ahead of industry trends. His expertise in AI, automation, and scalable marketing operations made him the perfect partner to bring this vision to life. While I focused on building systems that empower teams, Marc brought the technical edge to future-proof agencies in an AI-driven world.

We launched Nurture Productivity with one goal: to help marketing agencies escape the burnout cycle and create businesses that run smoothly, sustainably, and profitably. Using the same methods we now teach, we scaled from $0 to $20K months in under a year. Since then, we’ve helped over 12 companies transform their workflows, reduce turnover, and regain control of their businesses.

At Nurture Productivity, we build systems that work for you—not against you. We design custom ClickUp workflows to streamline operations, eliminate bottlenecks, and give teams clarity. We create HubSpot solutions that help businesses attract, nurture, and retain clients—without the manual workload. And through high-level consulting, we optimize team structures, workflows, and growth strategies to drive sustainable success. When your agency has the right systems, automation, and structure, you stop firefighting and start focusing on what actually moves the needle.

In the next 90 days, we’re refining our onboarding to deliver faster, more impactful results for our clients. Over the next five years, we’ll be guiding agencies through the AI wave, helping them embrace automation and technology as accelerators for growth—without sacrificing people. Because the truth is, AI won’t take your job, but someone who knows how to use it might. Marc’s expertise in AI, automation, and future-proofing ensures our clients don’t just keep up—they stay ahead. My focus on operations, people, and productivity ensures that technology isn’t just a tool, but a force for sustainable growth. Together, we help agencies work smarter, scale sustainably, and build businesses that don’t just survive—but thrive.

We’ve met so many brilliant, empathetic, and driven agency owners who started their businesses because they love creative work. But growing an agency can be lonely and exhausting—especially when you feel like you have to do everything yourself. The good news? You don’t. We’re here to help you regain control, scale with confidence, and build a business that actually supports your life. Because at the end of the day, work should nurture—not drain.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

We were fortunate enough to self-fund Nurture Productivity from the very beginning, but that didn’t make the leap any less daunting. When I was at my sickest, Marc’s full-time salary and our modest savings gave us the breathing room to weather those turbulent months. It was a terrifying period: I was grappling with my health, unsure if I could ever return to a normal work life, let alone start a business.

Still, once I was well enough to consider launching Nurture Productivity, we decided to bet on ourselves. We didn’t have investors or massive reserves—we just had our vision, our experience, and a willingness to work with what we had. Because we’re a consulting agency, our overhead wasn’t enormous, but the real challenge was getting those first clients. With no track record, every contract felt like a monumental victory—and also a moment of truth.

Instead of pouring money into ads or chasing complicated marketing funnels, we put everything into delivering transformative results for anyone willing to give us a shot. The logic was simple: if we could make a tangible, positive impact on our clients’ operations, they’d spread the word for us. And that’s precisely what happened.

To this day, 100% of our growth has come through referrals. We’ve never needed to run an ad or pay for leads because our clients became our best advocates. It’s a testament to how focusing on real, measurable value can outshine even the most polished marketing campaigns. That doesn’t mean it was easy—there were plenty of sleepless nights and moments of doubt, especially in the early days. But looking back, I see that tackling it all on our own gave us complete freedom to build Nurture Productivity on our own terms. It also taught me that when you put genuine care into helping others succeed, the returns come in ways you never imagined.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn the idea that business is a zero-sum game. We’re often taught that success means someone else has to lose—that the pie is only so big, and if you want a bigger slice, it has to come at someone else’s expense. In reality, the economy isn’t about dividing up a limited pie—it’s about baking your own.

Early in my career, I worked in environments where competition went beyond what was healthy. Promotions, raises, and even basic recognition felt artificially scarce, creating a culture where people hoarded knowledge, undercut their peers, and viewed success as a finite resource. I heard the phrase “business is a dog-eat-dog world” more times than I can count, and for a while, I believed it.

But when I took the leap into owning and running my own business, I quickly realized that every success I’ve had has come from helping others—and from the help I’ve received in return. The most successful people in any field aren’t hoarding knowledge or guarding their expertise—they’re collaborating, sharing, and creating opportunities for those around them.
The mental shift was liberating. Rather than micromanaging or trying to protect specialized knowledge, I learned the power of trusting others and building real partnerships. It’s incredible what happens when you open up, share what you know, and focus on creating value rather than protecting turf.

That’s not to say there aren’t bad actors—there are. Some people will take advantage, whether intentionally or simply out of their own fear-based thinking. You still need to be vigilant about who you trust, protect your business, and set boundaries. But I’ve learned that cautious openness is far more powerful than isolation.

By learning who to trust, building a strong network, and focusing on lifting others up, I’ve experienced more success—and far less stress—than I ever did in hyper-competitive environments. Business isn’t about winning at someone else’s expense; it’s about building something better together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nurtureproductivity.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nurtureproductivity/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nurtureproductivity
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nurture-productivity