Episode Summary
In this episode, Russel chats with Alex Schupp, the founder of Crowd Digital Marketing, a Denver-based agency that helps nonprofits, startups, and underserved industries build results-driven digital strategies. Alex’s journey is anything but linear—from managing social media for national brands to leaving the corporate world in search of more purpose and autonomy.
Takeaways:
- Strategic free work can open lasting doors. When done intentionally, discounted services create case studies, referrals, and credibility.
- Niche positioning leads to unexpected growth. Crowd Digital’s focus on nonprofits and underserved industries carved out a powerful reputation.
- Culture matters, even for small remote teams. Alex emphasizes ownership, trust, and mistake-friendly collaboration across his distributed staff.
Agency Info
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Company: Crowd Digital Marketing
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Guest: Alex Schupp
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Year Started: 2017
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Employees: 1-10
If you’re not proud of the work that you’re doing and you’re not truly serving the people who you’re charging money, I think that often you can create a place that does not value the people in the work.
Alex Schupp
Key Takeaways
Strategic Free Work Isn’t Selling Yourself Short
Alex defies the common advice to avoid free or discounted work by doing it with purpose. He built his early client base by delivering real value to nonprofits and small businesses that needed help but couldn’t afford it. In turn, those relationships generated referrals, credibility, and case studies that fueled his agency’s legitimacy.
“Those first five to ten clients? A lot of it was cost-only or trade. But we treated it like premium work—and that paid off in spades.”
Culture Starts With Ownership and Grace
As a remote-first team, Crowd Digital has built a culture around proactive communication, shared responsibility, and a “solutions-over-blame” mindset.
“In this work, there’s always something breaking or changing. Our culture isn’t about pointing fingers—it’s about figuring it out together.”
This attitude has created a space where people can acknowledge mistakes and focus on how to move forward—a core reason why the team remains cohesive and productive.
Growth Through Alignment, Not Opportunity Chasing
Alex didn’t go out looking for acquisitions—but when two came his way, he only pursued them because they fit. The clients matched Crowd’s existing industries (nonprofits, restaurants, snow sports), and the platform (Duda) was already in use.
The result? Scalable, manageable growth that added 60+ clients to his book of business—with systems in place to onboard them efficiently.
“It was all about fit. We already had the infrastructure, the tools, and the expertise. The opportunity just extended what we were already doing well.”
Niche Doesn’t Mean Narrow
Alex is now expanding into the psychedelic wellness space—another underserved, misunderstood niche where clear storytelling and digital compliance are critical. By specializing in complex, values-aligned industries, Crowd Digital Marketing isn’t just standing out—it’s helping transform how those industries connect with their audiences.
Show Notes
- Platform mentioned: Duda Website Builder
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