Eat In or Dine Out: Scaling, Selling and Dunkin’ With Carrie Kerpen

 

Building one of the world’s first social media agencies was just the appetizer.

 

Carrie Kerpen started Likeable in 2006, when social media agencies weren’t a thing yet. But it was her experience selling the agency years later that led Carrie to her true calling: Helping other female founders scale and sell their own businesses with The Whisper Group.

On this episode, Carrie pops into the kitchen with Jennifer Harrington to share munchkins of wisdom including:

• How small, independent agencies can keep their creativity and heart while offering the scale big brand clients need.
• Why CMO’s are fine with agencies using freelancers … IF they are part of a strong, trusted talent network.
• How she balances being a proud New Yorker and an everyday Dunkin’ loyalist.

Since filming this episode, Carrie and Jen were both named to Inc. Magazine’s 2026 Female Founders 500! Coincidence? We think not.

 

P.S. Don’t forget to follow HATCH on LinkedIn to catch upcoming episodes!

 

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TRANSCRIPT HIGHLIGHTS

 

Eat In or Dine Out: Scaling, Selling and Dunkin’ With Carrie Kerpen

Jen: Welcome to Eat In or Dine Out. I’m Jen Harrington. Normally this show takes place in my kitchen, but today we’re at Likeable Studios in New York City. I’m joined by Carrie Kerpen, founder of Likeable and one of the pioneers of social media agencies.

Carrie: Back in 2007 there really weren’t social media agencies. A few people were daring enough to call themselves that—and we were one of them. We built Likeable from the ground up and eventually sold the agency. Now I help women-owned businesses scale and sell their companies.

Jen: That’s why you’re here today. On this show we talk about whether brands should “eat in” — build internal teams — or “dine out” — work with external agencies.

Carrie: Since we’re in New York City, I think we should definitely dine out.

Jen: Even though the food today is Dunkin’.

Carrie: I’m actually a Dunkin’ fan. I lived in Boston for years, so Dunkin’ is my coffee of choice.

 

How CMOs Should Evaluate Agency Talent

Jen: You’ve been on both sides—running an agency and now advising agencies. From a client’s perspective, how should CMOs evaluate how agencies assemble and manage talent?

Carrie: Agencies face two common challenges. Large agencies can be bloated—meaning the senior person pitches the business and then the work gets handed to someone junior. On the other side, very small agencies may be founder-led and struggle to scale talent.

Jen: So what should CMOs be asking?

Carrie: The key question is: “What does your team structure actually look like?” A strong agency should clearly explain:

• Who will work on the account
  
• How the team is structured day-to-day
  
• Whether talent is freelance or full-time
  

Ultimately, CMOs are buying brainpower and execution, not just a company name. The most important thing is whether the agency can clearly explain how their talent model works and why it delivers results.

 

How Smaller Agencies Can Scale for Big Brands

Jen: Many big brands are now interested in working with independent agencies. But they often worry about whether smaller agencies can scale. What should brands ask about that?

Carrie: I ran into this exact situation when I was running Likeable. At the time we were about a 25-person agency, and a Fortune 500 brand wanted to work with us. Their biggest question was whether we could scale.

Jen: That’s a big leap for a smaller agency.

Carrie: Exactly. As a smaller agency, you have to clearly articulate your scaling strategy. For us, that meant combining:

• Full-time team members
  
• A strong freelance talent network
  
• A pipeline of trusted specialists
  

You can’t always hire 100 people overnight, but you can demonstrate a clear, structured plan for growth.

Jen: That talent model is really the premise of this show—figuring out how agencies assemble great teams.

Carrie: Right. Freelance talent often gets misunderstood. People think freelancers are random hires, but the best agencies build trusted networks of creators and specialists. When those relationships are strong, whether someone is freelance or full-time becomes far less important.

Jen: And that’s often where smaller agencies shine.

Carrie: Exactly. Smaller agencies often bring an incredible level of creativity, passion, and entrepreneurial thinking that larger organizations sometimes lose.

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