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.
Multiplied
- Founders: Tom Roydhouse, Troy Fuller & Aaron Taylor
- Year founded: 2021
Tell us the story behind founding your agency
Multiplied was born when the world was deep in the impact of Covid-19. We all know how disruptive that was, but it was also one that made us stop and think about the kind of company we wanted to build. In the middle of all that uncertainty, the three of us saw an opportunity and decided to go for it. After 15 years in large holding company environments, we were ready for something more independent, more flexible and more responsive to what clients needed next. We wanted to build a company with senior people close to the work, the freedom to move quickly and a mindset that was relentlessly commercial from day one. Since then, we have expanded our capability through joint venture partnerships into brand experience with ‘Twenty4’ and insights through ‘Matter’, opened an office in Australia and are about to launch another exciting venture in the coming months.
What’s your favourite thing about running your own agency?
Freedom. Easily. The ability to make decisions quickly, back ourselves and get on with it. That’s probably the most rewarding and most empowering part of running our own agency.
If we see an opportunity, we do not need to navigate layers of process or wait for someone else to sign it off. We can make the call and move. The harder and smarter we work, the more directly we shape the result and see the benefits and learnings.
A few years ago we were sitting in a planning session at Ponsonby Central, talking about the possibility of launching Multiplied in Australia. By the end of the conversation, we had decided to do it. The next day wheels were in motion and a couple of years later we have done it. That kind of freedom, pace and ownership is hard to beat.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned?
Cashflow… little joke, but not entirely untrue. More seriously, probably the most important thing we’ve learned is the value of positivity.
It is very easy to get bogged down in the tougher aspects of agency life. Economic pressure, competing priorities, external challenges. All things that can drain energy if you let them. You can focus on the constraints, or you can choose to focus on what is possible. A positive mindset can give you a real edge in achieving success. We chose positivity as the theme for our agency conference in Noosa this year. It’s internally and externally contagious for one, but it also has a habit of coming back to you. In the sense that a positive approach tends to create better momentum, better relationships and better outcomes.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received or given out?
The best advice we received when we started was simple: keep showing up. It’s about staying committed, keeping momentum and not quitting too early. Anything worth building takes time, rarely goes to plan and will test you along the way. There will always be setbacks and reasons to doubt. The difference is continuing anyway. Keep moving and show up again tomorrow.
That mindset has shaped how we’ve built our agency and underpins our belief in relentlessness.
Anything else we should know?
Only that we are still very much building. What started as one independent agency has grown into a broader group of businesses with deep capability, an Australian office, and another venture about to launch. That is exciting in itself, but the part we are proudest of is that the original mindset still holds. Stay close to the work, stay close to clients, move quickly and stay relentlessly commercial. There is so much ahead to get excited about – that’s probably the best part.
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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