I’m a growth-focused CMO and systems-builder who helps founders turn early traction into predictable revenue.

I specialize in building go-to-market systems that connect ad spend to retention — not just clicks to leads.

I’ve built, scaled, and exited multiple ventures across SaaS, eCommerce, and services — from founding Caffeine Marketing (acquired in 2025) to co-founding Homegrown, an online farmers-market SaaS, and leading growth for portfolio companies through Tactos.

My edge is combining hands-on execution with system design — copy, funnels, and attribution that make marketing measurable and scalable.

What I Do Best

- GTM & Positioning: Turn messy offers into clear, high-converting messaging and funnels.
- Acquisition & Lifecycle: Paid social, onboarding, and retention systems that shorten CAC payback.
- Attribution & Forecasting: HubSpot + GA4 + Stripe integration to track spend → activation → ARR.
- Team & System Design: Hire, mentor, and build processes that scale beyond the founder.

Proof Points
- Co-founded Homegrown — acquired 600+ vendors in six weeks at $6.70 CAC.
- Fractional CMO for early-stage SaaS — drove +$2M ARR and 3–5× CAC efficiency.
- Grew eCommerce ROAS from 1.9× → 4.8× and reduced churn 27% through lifecycle automation.
- Sold Caffeine Marketing after helping 100+ clients and building a repeatable, client-growth operating system.

How I Work
- I move fast, measure everything, and focus on leverage — the few systems that drive compounding results.
- If it can’t be repeated or measured, it’s not a strategy.
- Leadership to me means teaching teams to see problems as systems — not fires.

Now
I partner with early and growth-stage SaaS or marketplace teams as a CMO, VP Growth, or Co-Founder to design the GTM engine that scales them from traction to predictable growth.

⚡️ Evan Knox

I lead a creative marketing agency in Dallas-Fort Worth whose sole focus is helping mid-sized businesses build a strategic brand. We’ve partnered with hundreds of clients across more than two dozen industries, providing branding, strategy, video production, and content creation that leads to tangible business growth. My personal purpose is to create turnaround moments for others including our team, our clients, and our community.

Sean Sidders

Stop gatekeeping.

I see a lot of business owners holding their cards close.
Their secrets. Their time. Their space. Their people.

I think you might be missing out.

Not on revenue. On fulfillment.

A little over a month ago, I met a guy from Nigeria at church who’s been trying to land an engineering job. It hasn’t been easy. I told him to come work from our office anytime he wanted. Today was his 8th day with us. He’s not on payroll. He’s just part of the room. And honestly, we love having him here.

Earlier today, our Ops Manager stopped the FedEx driver and asked him to sign our visitor pole. You could see the confusion on his face. Then the smile. He left different than he walked in.

A T-Mobile sales rep came by to pitch us. We paused our meeting, listened, told him we weren’t switching, and asked if he wanted some swag anyway. He thought we were kidding. We weren’t.

A recent grad walked in with a resume while we were mid creative review. We stopped, invited him in, and interviewed him on the spot. He didn’t get the job. But he emailed later and said that interaction changed how he felt about his entire job search.

Over the past week, we’ve hosted three CEOs who compete with us directly or indirectly. We bought coffee. Catered lunch. Had real conversations. Why? Because we genuinely care about them. And because our brand is built on living for the benefit of others, even when they’re chasing the same revenue we are.

I’m a huge believer that the world is reprioritizing in person relationships.

We see it every day. 

And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

What would happen if you opened your doors a little wider? How could it accelerate your vision?

If you’ve ever wondered what that might look like for your business, I’m happy to share what we’re learning along the way.

Branding and marketing leader, serving purpose-driven founders | CEO @ Mallard Agency | StoryBrand Certified

New faces. Same vision.

In the past week, we've welcomed three new team members to Mallard Agency. Please allow me to introduce each of them to you!

Reagan Clayborne is our new Brand Manager. She's incredibly smart, very hard working, and apparently obsessed with tortoise print. No I'm serious, like everything shows owns has that pattern on it. In all seriousness, I can't wait for our clients to have the opportunity to experience what I have so far with Reagan. She's a branding expert, and a marketing powerhouse. You're welcome in advance.

Carrie Ballein is our new Operations Manager. Carrie and I go to the same church here in Southlake, and she submitted her resume through a mutual connection. I'm so glad she did! Not only does she bring over a decade of ops experience to Mallard, but what stands out is her heart for service. In fact, she even told me she wouldn't take the job unless she properly vetted us and made sure we were being legit when we talked about working for a kingdom purpose. I guess we passed. Let's go, Carrie!

Josh Rivera (https://lnkd.in/gZebkUdq) is our new Video Content Creator. I mean, what a guy! He's been here for 5 hours and I can already tell he is going to make a real difference. The way he puts it, you can be scrappy and still create high quality, authentic video content. It doesn't have to be one or the other. Him and I will be working closely together to develop the future of our video offering specifically for our marketing retainer clients. Ask us more. We have thoughts!

As you can tell, I love my growing team, and I've committed myself to hyping them up as much as possible. Not because I need to, but because I want to. I believe in them. Without them, I can't possibly scale my vision.

Speaking of vision...

In this season of growth, I've had the chance to run through my documented vision for Mallard with each new hire these past few days. Each time, I'm reenergized by what we're doing here.

For us, it's not just about great creative. It's about making a lasting impact.

Today, I'm not just grateful for this business, I'm excited to be in the midst of a journey that is breathing life into me, my team, my clients, and the world at large.

Let them lead.

Yesterday, we had 7 people roll through Mallard's studio to film testimonies of God's faithfulness in their lives for a local church.

One of those people was my wife, Kim.

To be honest, Kim was nervous. She was volun-told she would be a part of the shoot, and she's not the most go-with-the-flow type of person.

She's more of a... perfectionist.

Like the type of person who makes flash cards, then memorizes those flash cards, then practices in the mirror, then makes new flash cards...

You get the picture.

Fast forward to the end of the shoot yesterday, and my team sent me this behind the scenes video. I couldn't have been more proud.

Not just of Kim... but of the team.

If you look/listen carefully, you'll see why.

• They created a comfortable environment.
• They asked intentional questions.
• They celebrated Kim for her wisdom.
• They led well.

When I think about what I'm most proud of over the past 5 years of running this agency, curating and championing a team of true leaders has to be towards the top of the list.

For many people in my season, it's hard to truly trust their team. (no doubt I've felt the same way countless times)

But right now, with the team of all stars we have running our client engagements every day, I'm genuinely serious that I don't worry.

In fact, in most cases, I think they lead better than I ever could.

Proud of you, team.
Proud of you, Kim.

Proud to be at Mallard.

Yesterday during our new employee onboarding, I didn't talk much about revenue targets, org charts, or creative strategy.

I talked about heart.

Because while the work we produce is excellent, what I really want Mallard to be known for is impact. I want people to leave an interaction with us thinking, “That was different.”

I used to hesitate saying things like that.
What if they don't share the vision?

But alignment isn't accidental. It's intentional.

The way I see it, my job in a meeting like this is simple:

Communicate clearly.
Explain the why.
Make alignment non negotiable.

If you are leading a team, don't dilute your vision to make it easier to swallow.

Clarity and conviction attracts the right people.

I wept as the sun set.

These are the moments you don't see.

It was late 2023. 
I had just signed a lease on our 5k square foot building. 
I had just lost a $170k contract that was already committed. 
I had 5 of my 8 employees quit in a 6 week period. 
I had an 18 month old at home who cried every time I picked her up.
I had been up since 2am working on social calendars and pitch decks.

I was exhausted.
I was scared.
And honestly, I just needed to escape.

So I drove to our new building in Southlake and sat in my Toyota Tacoma around the corner waiting for the contractor to leave for the day. 

When they were gone, I walked in, sat in the middle of the dusty concrete floor and wept as the sun set.

That day, I almost quit.

But I’m so glad I didn’t.

Because what I couldn’t see in that moment was that God was still building something through the overwhelm.

If you’re in a season where the pressure feels unbearable and the future feels uncertain, you’re not alone.

Keep going.
Keep building.
Keep dreaming.
Keep serving.
Keep being faithful.

Your story isn’t over yet.

Who knows, maybe the chapter you’re in right now is the part that makes your journey something remarkable.

Yesterday, our team met with Mallard Agency's newest client, Bean Co Homes, a luxury home builder here in Dallas.

It was the kind of kickoff meeting that reminds you what a real partnership feels like. Here are things I loved most about our time together:

1️⃣ They showed their trust.
They didn’t walk in trying to protect their ideas or control the process. They walked in willing to collaborate. That kind of confidence in your partner creates momentum from the start.

2️⃣ We challenged each other.
Neither team settled for easy answers. We asked better questions, pressed into assumptions, and worked through the messy parts together. The insight we uncovered wouldn’t have come from a surface level conversation.

3️⃣ We talked about proof, not just positioning.
Anyone can claim differentiators. We spent significant time asking how to tangibly demonstrate them. That extra step is what separates ordinary branding from exceptional branding.

4️⃣ Their story has depth.
I’ll keep the details quiet for now, but there’s substance here. The kind that allows us to build something distinct instead of just visually refreshing what already exists.

5️⃣ We met in person.
There’s something powerful about sitting across the table from each other. You read nuance better. You build trust faster. You leave with better alignment.

Let's go!

Be present.

Each month, I try to take a minute to reflect and recognize the ways God has provided for me, my family, and our team at Mallard Agency.

That's what I did this morning.

And the predominant feeling I'm left with is an incredible amount of gratefulness for this place.

I'm not talking about our building.

I'm talking about the purpose I (and others) feel.
I'm talking about the fact that my kids love our business.
I'm talking about the joy of building something with my spouse.
I'm talking about the people I get to meet every day.
I'm talking about the businesses I become intimately involved in.
I'm talking about the fact that I get to introduce people to Jesus in the workplace.

Sometimes, I think us as business owners are tempted to work for our future, when we should really comfortable grounding ourselves in the present.

Sure, "freedom" sounds nice.

But then what?

God has you right where you are for a very specific reason, and he wants you to do something with what he's given you.

Lean in. Love it. Embrace it. Enjoy it!

Is your mid funnel totally mid?

Let me introduce you to Lance, one of our newest clients at Mallard Agency.

Lance leads Haywood Lane, a private equity holding company focused on acquiring and operating businesses for the long haul.

When they started searching for a branding firm in Dallas, they had a short list of criteria that would dictate their decision.

Shared values.
A clear website.
A defined process.
A strong portfolio.

On our first call, Lance articulated every one of those with clarity. He had done his homework.

Here is a direct quote from that conversation:

“I was sitting at my desk yesterday Googling firms in Dallas. Frankly, I didn’t know where we were going to land. When I saw the Compassion International thing on your website, I realized we’re like minded people and have shared values and faith and so I figured this is as good a place to start as any. And unless you tell me it’s going to cost $1 million and take six months, your work sort of speaks for itself.”

Read that again.

He did not say, “I saw your ad campaign.”
He did not say, “You had a great cold email sequence.”

He said, “I did my research. I understand who you are. I think you’re our people.”

That is mid funnel at work.

Most companies obsess over awareness. Impressions. Clicks. Reach.

But your prospects live in the messy middle.

They Google you.
They stalk your website.
They read between the lines.
They look for signals of competence.
They look for proof of values.
They look for clarity.

They are not just trying to know you exist. They are trying to KNOW you.

Without a clear articulation of what makes Mallard distinct, without a visible process, without proof of shared values, Lance never calls.

And that would have been a shame.

So here is the question.

If someone lands on your website today after hearing your name in passing, are you confident they would walk away saying:

“I get it. I know who these people are.”

Or are you still mid in the middle?

P.S. I could not be more excited to share the work we are building with Haywood Lane. It is next level. Thank you for trusting us Lance, Randy, Trevor, and Megan.

This is the expectation I set for our team.

As you can probably tell, I believe deeply in the power of brand.

At Mallard Agency, I’m doing everything I can to build a team of true experts. Not fluffy creatives, but real brand advisors.

That’s not easy.

It takes constant encouragement, challenge, education, and honest feedback. But it’s worth it, because that’s the kind of work that actually makes a difference for our clients.

It’s also one of the most important ways I serve our team. By pushing them to do the hard work, they don’t just deliver more value to the businesses we serve. They become more capable, more confident professionals themselves.

Building a brand isn’t supposed to be easy.

If it were, every company would have one, and we all know that's not the case.

The work is hard because the standard is high.

And that’s exactly how we like it at Mallard.

"Another photoshoot?" 🙄

We have a running joke at Mallard about how many times we retake our headshots. Like, I think me and Taggert have each had at least a dozen headshots since I started the company back in 2021.

It's a lot, but I still think it makes sense. Here's why:

1️⃣ My prospects care about how I treat my brand, because it's a reflection of the quality they will experience if they choose to purchase my product.

2️⃣ I regularly have people say to me, "I feel like I know you guys already" before they've even met us. That's intentional.

3️⃣ Building a brand isn't a flip of a content light switch... it's more repetitious than that. Kind of like training for the Olympics. It takes thousands of hidden reps to become known for winning the 100 meter hurdles.

These things apply to almost every business, but especially professional services firms who live or die based on the quality of their people.

How would you rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 when it comes to making your brand known, understood, and better yet, trusted?

Happy Tuesday!

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The Battle

⚡️ Evan Knox

Sean Sidders

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