In the June-August 2026 issue of NZ Marketing magazine, we asked agency founders to tell us the story behind why they started their agency, their favourite thing, what they’ve learned and their best advice.
Think Folk
- Founder: Courtney Henderson
- Year founded: 2023
Tell us the story behind founding your agency.
I founded Think Folk three years ago, based in Hawke’s Bay and working with clients nationally. I took the leap after years working in-house, across the world, because I could see more organisations wanting senior marketing leadership and end-to-end campaign thinking without the layers or costs of a traditional agency model.
I launched not long after my youngest was born (I had three babies under four at the time), backing myself at a stage of life where it would have been easy to play it safe.
What’s your favourite thing about running your own agency?
Building something from scratch while raising a young family has been equal parts stretch and privilege. It’s pretty special to build something my children are growing up watching in real time.
I also value the ability to shape the work properly. I work closely with my clients – the relationship feels more like a partnership than a handover. That leads to better thinking, stronger work and ultimately better outcomes.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned?
Bigger isn’t always better – clear thinking and strong direction are what actually move things forward.
What’s worked has been building a lean, senior-led agency focused on strategic campaign management rather than volume. There’s a real appetite for that model.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received or given out?
Don’t build for scale too early – build for impact first. It’s easy to think growth means more people, more services, more noise. But in my experience, what clients really value is exceptional ~human~ thinking, making confident decisions and the ability to deliver.
If you get that right, the rest tends to follow.
This story comes from NZ Marketing magazine issue 87, June-August 2026. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
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