Jean Freeman is the principal and chief executive of Zambezi, one of the largest, female-owned, full service creative agencies in the country. She is also the co-founder of Own It, an initiative to increase the number of women-owned advertising agencies.

Outside of its Culver City headquarters, Zambezi also has offices in Minneapolis and works with brands including TaylorMade, UKG, Under Armour, ESPN, Bose, Atlantis, Google and more. The agency has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., most recently in 2023.

Freeman spoke with the Business Journal about advice for women who want to start their own companies and what’s next for Zambezi.

What is the number one piece of advice you’d give to women who want to start or operate their own businesses?

Owning and starting a business, especially as a woman because there are few of us, is a long and sometimes lonely endeavor. With pressure coming from many avenues, it’s important to find and build your community, whether that is with other like-minded business owners or resources to support your growth as a leader and help your business thrive. This is critical in the early days when you’re constantly learning and the business is constantly shifting as you learn your place in the market. In order to pivot really quickly, you need to have the proper support around you.

What have you done this past year to ensure that your business is a leader inits industry?

As an independent, integrated advertising agency, we have to remain nimble amid an ever-evolving media landscape. Most recently, as content has become more bite sized for social, our production studio, FIN Studios, is able to make content that fits within the large variety of channels now available, while maintaining a high production quality. And we’ve had to practice this in real-time with long term clients like Tennis Channel, TaylorMade and DirectTV, and this expertise has also helped FIN bring on new clients like Bose, NFL, ESPN and Under Armour.

What steps do you take to build community and a positive work culture within your business?

Within Zambezi, we strive to create a working environment that allows team members to really flex their strengths and freely express their individuality on a personal level. For myself and our executive team, it’s important to walk the walk as a strong community advocate through involvement in local organizations throughout Los Angeles and beyond, like Manifest Works, Project Angel Food, The Sister Accord Foundation and Own It, an organization I co-founded to support the growth of more women-owned agencies.

What aspects of operating your business do you find the most challenging? Conversely, which aspects have been the most rewarding?

You learn early on as an entrepreneur that your mindset is everything, and it’s so important to view each experience as a learning opportunity. AI is quickly becoming a reality in creative industries, and those companies that can embrace the change that is coming will be the most successful moving forward.

Has being a woman in your industry provided you with a different or unique perspective over the years?

The advertising industry is notorious for its male-centered culture, and as a woman agency owner, the small number of women-owned agencies became a glaring statistic. So in 2022, I co-founded an organization called Own It, which began with the mission to create a place where women-owned agencies could stand up and be counted at untilyouownit.com. We identified that even though 40% of businesses overall are owned by women, less than 1% of advertising agencies in North America are women-owned. Since then, we have grown our purpose to include events and mentorship that supports women starting and scaling their businesses through the support of the Own It community.

What’s next for you and your company?

Women-owned businesses are growing at a historic rate, and I believe in the scaling power of women-owned businesses to bolster a healthy economy and also create more equity across the board. Zambezi is emblematic of the possibility of women business ownership and my hope is that my company’s success and learnings can continue to propel the next generation of women business owners.