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.
FizzyPop
- Founder: Tom Young
- Year founded: 2022
Tell us the story behind founding your agency.
I was made redundant on my 40th birthday. It was a pretty miserable experience all round – I didn’t even get a leaving card!
The next day, I sat at the kitchen table and decided to build something better. Even the name came from that decision – I was looking at a Coke (maybe with a little something in it…), and thinking how when life gives you lemons, the best response is turn it into lemonade.
I thought about how we want our clients’ brands to be on the tip of someone’s tongue, like the bubbles in a carbonated drink, how you want to rise to the top in terms of awareness as well as things like search results – just like the bubble rising to the top in a fizzy drink.
That’s where FizzyPop came from – life literally giving me lemons. And I didn’t just make lemonade, I made FizzyPop.
What’s your favourite thing about running your own agency?
The best part is the ability to take responsibility and actually do something about it.
In a previous role, there was plenty of accountability, but no real power to fix issues. It is a frustrating place to sit. Running my own agency removes that. If something is not working, we change it.
I also value the culture we have built. We operate as a flat team where ideas can come from anywhere. There is no monopoly on thinking, and no assumption that experience automatically equals better ideas. That has shaped how we hire.
Half the team are people who have been made redundant elsewhere. The other half are early in their careers, many straight out of EIT or Wellington. Too often, young people – especially women – are overlooked in areas like agri-marketing. We take a different approach and back people to step up.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned?
We are still learning, but the biggest lesson has been judgement.
Not every client needs the most sophisticated solution. Sometimes the best work is the one that will actually get done, deliver results and fit the reality of the business.
We have also learned where to draw the line. Early on, we leaned in hard on projects tied to good causes. The intent was right, but it does not always lead to sustainable work. A few of those decisions came back to bite us. You cannot do everything, and you cannot be everything to everyone.
We also know where we sit. We are not chasing awards or spending on recognition. The volume of interest from people at larger agencies looking to move regionally tells us we are doing something right. The focus is simple: do good work, for the right clients, in a way that lasts.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received or given out?
“Dig your well before you’re thirsty.” It is the advice I come back to most.
Do the work before you need it. Build relationships before you rely on them. Put systems in place before things get busy. In agencies, it is easy to stay reactive. This is the reminder to stay ahead of it. The other one I like, even if it is a bit less polished, is that your day tends to follow the corners of your mouth. If you show up positive, people respond to it.
Anything else we should know?
We have rehired people who were made redundant alongside me. That has shaped how we operate.
There is a level of trust and shared experience you do not get in most agencies and it keeps us grounded. The business was built off the back of a tough moment, and we have not lost sight of that. It has also given us the freedom to question how agencies typically run, and to evolve processes rather than just inherit them.
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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