We recently connected with Rachel Davis and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, thanks for joining us today. Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?

Oh, I could write a novel on that middle phase.

People love to romanticize the beginning and celebrate the “success,” but the in-between? That’s the part that really tests you. For Matchstick Social, scaling didn’t come from one big break. It came from dozens of little pivots, a relentless focus on doing great work, and learning how to be scrappy and strategic at the same time.

In the early years, we were a lean team saying yes to nearly everything. We took on clients of all sizes and industries, which helped us hone our systems, figure out what we were best at, and frankly, what wasn’t worth our time. That messy middle was filled with late nights, hard conversations, hiring mistakes, reworking proposals, losing sleep over cash flow, and chasing invoices. But it was also filled with powerful lessons about boundaries, value, and what kind of business we were building.

One of the smartest things we did was start building processes early. It felt like overkill at the time, but it gave us the structure we needed to scale. Another big moment was deciding to lean into industries where we could make the most impact rather than trying to be everything to everyone.

But more than anything, the real turning point was finding the right people. Building a team that not only gets the end goal but is also genuinely good at their jobs and down for the roller coaster of agency life is the foundation of our success. We have that now, and it makes all the difference. The loyalty, the hard work, the collaboration, and the shared vision have turned Matchstick into something far bigger than just me.

Our growth came from a mix of intentional strategy and very human trial and error. We started tracking the data that mattered, saying no to bad-fit clients, and hiring people who not only brought talent but believed in what we were building. And we weren’t afraid to change course if something wasn’t working, whether that meant shifting a service, reworking pricing, or walking away from revenue if it didn’t align with our long-term goals.

Scaling Matchstick has been a deeply humbling and rewarding experience. It’s not glamorous, and it definitely wasn’t overnight. But it’s real, and it’s been built on a foundation of trust, grit, clarity, and a team that shows up ready to ride.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I got my start in Public Relations and Marketing at a major music venue, promoting live events for artists like Taylor Swift and Incubus. It was fast-paced, creative, and a little chaotic, which made it the perfect training ground for agency life. From there, I moved into running social strategy for national campaigns, including Super Bowl ads and enterprise-level marketing efforts. That experience taught me how to think big while still obsessing over the details. And eventually, I realized I didn’t just want to be a part of someone else’s strategy. I wanted to build something more meaningful.

That’s when my now-business partner, Amber, pulled me in on the opportunity to start what would become Matchstick Social. We saw a gap in the market for businesses that needed smart, creative, and performance-driven digital marketing, and we knew we could fill it. From the beginning, our focus was on building an agency that treated clients’ businesses like our own, where strategy wasn’t just a buzzword and creativity had a clear purpose.

Today, Matchstick Social is a full-service digital marketing agency based in Charleston, SC, working with clients across a wide range of industries. We handle everything from social media strategy and execution to Meta and Google Ads, email marketing, content creation, branding, and website development.

Our superpower is helping businesses get clear on their brand, connect with the right audience, and create marketing that actually drives results. We ask the hard questions, build smart systems, and constantly optimize to make sure our work is doing what it’s supposed to do: move the needle. We are also proudly not a “set it and forget it” agency. Everything we do is thoughtful, intentional, and backed by strategy.

What sets us apart is that we never sacrifice quality for speed, and we never stop learning. We are creative, but we are also obsessed with performance. We love a good brainstorm, but we love a good data pull even more. And we have built a team that not only brings real expertise to the table but also truly cares about our clients’ goals.

What I am most proud of? The team we have built and the trust our clients put in us. There is nothing better than watching a client grow and knowing that we had a real hand in that. I am also proud of the culture we have created at Matchstick, one that supports creativity, celebrates wins, and understands that marketing does not have to be boring to be effective.

At the end of the day, Matchstick Social exists to help businesses grow through smart, strategic marketing. We are here to educate, empower, and excite.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Owning an agency is a little like riding a roller coaster. There are moments of thrill and momentum, and then there are moments where you’re bracing yourself for the next drop. Fortunately, my business partner and my team are incredibly resilient, but over the past 12 years, there have absolutely been times that have tested our adaptability.

The pandemic, without question, was one of those moments. I remember one specific day when my phone just wouldn’t stop ringing. Client after client was letting me know they needed to pause indefinitely. Marketing budgets were frozen, plans were scrapped, and the future felt wildly uncertain. It was terrifying.

But we were a smart, lean team at the time. And in that chaos, something important happened. We started to make stronger connections with other businesses that were excelling in services beyond social media. We had the time and space to evaluate what we really wanted Matchstick to become. So we used that downtime to restructure, rebuild, and broaden our offerings.

By the time the economy started to bounce back, we had expanded into brand development, SEO, and SEM. We tightened up our internal processes, refined our goals, and came out of that chapter stronger and more aligned than ever. That pivot didn’t just help us survive. It laid the foundation for the growth we’re seeing now.

Adaptability has always been part of our story. The challenges aren’t fun, but they often lead to the most meaningful growth.

How’d you meet your business partner?

My business partner, Amber Ludeman and I met at a previous agency, where we sat across from each other and became fast friends both in and out of the office. During our lunch breaks, we’d talk shop, trade ideas, vent a little, and dream a lot. We quickly realized we had a shared vision for what a marketing agency could look like if we ever had the chance to build one ourselves.

A few years later, that chance came. Amber approached me about starting a business together, and true to form, she did it from the bathroom of a steakhouse with her signature enthusiasm. If you know Amber, you know that when she’s fired up about something, it is nearly impossible to say no. And honestly, it was an easy yes. I quit my job, and we got to work from my kitchen table, where we spent those early months building the foundation for what would become Matchstick Social. Eventually, we opened our first office in downtown Charleston and never looked back.

Our partnership is one of the things I value most about this journey. Amber and I complement each other in all the right ways. We are both creative and driven, but we bring different perspectives and strengths to the table. We disagree respectfully, challenge each other to grow, and always share the same end goal. That balance has helped us lead with both strategy and heart. We have built a business based on trust, collaboration, and a whole lot of laughter, and I truly cannot imagine doing it with anyone else.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://matchsticksocial.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matchsticksocial/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rmackles/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@matchsticksocial

Image Credits

Abby Murphy Photography (https://abbymurphyphoto.com/)
Drew Somerville Photography (www.drewsomervillephotography.com)