Episode Summary
In this episode of An Agency Story, Russel Dubree sits down with Omi Diaz-Cooper, CEO and co-founder of Diaz Cooper, a platinum HubSpot agency focused on sales and marketing consulting for B2B industries like aviation, biotech, and transportation.
Omi reflects on her agency’s evolution, from its creative boutique origins to its full embrace of inbound marketing, and the life-changing decision to build a company while raising a newborn. She shares what it’s like to weather not one but two economic crises, how anthropology plays into marketing strategy, and why drinking your own Kool-Aid can be the best agency policy.
Episode Highlights
- Launching a business while pregnant: How Omi and her husband both left corporate jobs and started Diaz Cooper during a major life transition.
- Navigating crises: The agency’s survival strategies through the 2008 recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The HubSpot pivot: Why becoming a HubSpot partner changed the trajectory of their business.
- Anthropology meets marketing: How studying human behavior has become an unexpected advantage.
- Wacky award moment: The bizarre client reaction after winning gold for a website they built.
Agency Info
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Company: Diaz & Cooper
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Guest: Omi Diaz-Cooper
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Year Started: 2001
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Employees: 11-25
It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking to somebody on social media or in an email, you’re still talking to a human being with a need. Anthropology taught me to never forget that.
Omi Diaz-Cooper
Key Takeaways
Always Have a Contingency Plan
Omi shares hard-earned wisdom from the 2008 crash and COVID: don’t wait for a crisis to prepare. She emphasizes the importance of pro forma scenario planning, asking: What if you lose 20% of your business? What about 40%? 60%? Without pre-planned responses, you risk making panicked decisions, like laying off the wrong team members or delaying necessary pivots.
Drink Your Own Kool-Aid, Then Sell It
Before offering new tools or services to clients, Omi insists the agency tries them internally. From HubSpot CRM integrations to data analytics platforms, Diaz Cooper’s “use it first” policy ensures deeper expertise and real-world understanding, leading to better client results.
Anthropology Is the Secret Weapon
With a degree in anthropology and a love for Indiana Jones, Omi brings a unique perspective to marketing such as understand cultural behaviors and social context, don’t assume your audience thinks like you (especially in global campaigns like the infamous “mashed baby” misinterpretation in Africa), and stats and human behavior patterns are as important as creative flair.
Real-Life Planning = Agency Planning
Launching Diaz Cooper while becoming a new mom taught Omi the power of 90-day roadmaps, not just for client campaigns but for life. She now encourages her team (and even her kids) to work with structured planning and flexibility.
Show Notes
- HubSpot – CRM platform central to Diaz Cooper’s growth.
- Magellan Awards – Prestigious awards in the travel industry.
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