Seven years of engineering repeatable growth in markets most agencies can’t navigate.
When Lauren Barrett launched A/C Partners seven years ago, she made a decision that would define the firm’s trajectory: she wouldn’t compete on creativity alone. In an industry saturated with agencies promising beautiful campaigns, Barrett built something different. A growth infrastructure firm designed for founder-led businesses that needed systems that could scale.
Today, A/C Partners holds a 2025 Global Recognition Award, evaluated using the Rasch model, a framework that measures strategic vision, leadership effectiveness, and quantifiable business impact. The client portfolio spans Volvo, Miss Universe, The Makeup Academy NYC, MODA brushes, Wildmoon underwear, The Daily Essential Co., and many more. But the award and the names tell only part of the story. The real narrative is in the numbers: average returns of 2.4 to 4.4 on ad spend, $500,000 generated in 30 days for a single beauty brand, conversion lifts averaging 28 percent, and sustained growth across industries that include fashion, wellness, medical aesthetics, and e-commerce.
Barrett’s approach challenges a fundamental assumption in the marketing industry: that creativity and operational rigor exist in separate categories. She’s proven they don’t. And in doing so, she’s built a business model that works in markets where traditional agencies struggle to deliver.
The Problem Most Agencies Won’t Solve
Founder-led businesses face a specific challenge. They’re agile enough to move quickly, but they lack the infrastructure to sustain that speed. They understand their product and customer, but don’t have systems to convert that understanding into predictable revenue.
Barrett saw this repeatedly during her years at Morgan Stanley and State Farm. Brands with strong ideas and weak infrastructure. Creative campaigns that looked good but didn’t move the business forward. The result was always the same: wasted budgets, frustrated founders, and growth that plateaued when complexity increased.
Photo Courtesy of Brandon Devereaux (@shotbyrente)
When she founded A/C Partners, she designed the firm around a principle most agencies overlook: marketing doesn’t work if the infrastructure can’t handle what comes next. That means building CRM systems that align with sales cycles, automating lead generation without degrading quality, and integrating creative, paid media, consumer psychology, and systems design so campaigns perform repeatably.
Engineering Growth, Not Guessing At It
Growth isn’t accidental. It’s engineered. That’s the operating thesis behind every engagement A/C Partners takes on.
The firm operates at the intersection of creative development and operational design. For a commercial printer, Barrett rebuilt the foundation of the business. For a wedding photographer, she doubled her inquiries in six months. For a plastic surgery center, she delivered growth, transparent communication, and predictable revenue.
What clients describe consistently isn’t just better numbers. It’s a structural change. Systems that didn’t exist before. Manual processes are being automated. Reactive marketing is becoming proactive.
Barrett’s background in finance shaped how she thinks about this work. She understands risk, pacing, and capital allocation at different stages of business maturity. When she launched during the pandemic in March 2020, her first client posted the company’s most profitable quarter that spring. It wasn’t luck. It was the systems that performed under pressure.
Measurement As A Competitive Advantage
In an industry where results are often subjective, Barrett has made measurement a competitive advantage. A/C Partners doesn’t just report on vanity metrics. The firm tracks marketing performance in relation to broader business fundamentals: revenue per acquisition, customer lifetime value, churn, operational efficiency, and long-term profitability.
The 2025 Global Recognition Award was evaluated using the Rasch model, a psychometric framework that enables direct comparisons across performance categories. Barrett’s firm was assessed on strategic vision, team leadership, ethical practices, and real-world impact. The methodology is rigorous, and the recognition validates what her clients already know: this isn’t an agency that optimizes for awards. It’s a firm that optimizes for outcomes.
The case studies demonstrate how systematic testing produces sustained improvements. A beauty brand saw $500,000 in revenue in 30 days through an omnichannel system that connected creative work directly to the sales funnel. Another client experienced a return on ad spend jump from 2.02 to 2.92 while cutting ad costs by $2,600, resulting in a $20,000 revenue increase and a 28 percent conversion lift. These aren’t isolated wins. They’re the result of repeatable frameworks applied across varying market conditions.
What Founders Actually Need
Founders don’t need another vendor. They need a partner who understands revenue, operations, and sustainability.
Revenue means building systems that convert leads efficiently and predictably. Operations means designing processes that scale without chaos and automating workflows so teams can focus on strategy. Sustainability means thinking beyond the next quarter and building brand equity that compounds over time.
Barrett’s clients span industries and geographies because the fundamentals don’t change. The principles remain consistent: clarity in strategy, precision in execution, and systems that support long-term growth.
Global Reach, Founder Focus
A/C Partners operates nationwide with global applications. Barrett has worked with international brands, navigating complex regulatory environments and cultural nuances.
She bootstrapped the practice without outside funding, using strategic planning and low-cost digital tactics to build awareness, then reinvesting profits to scale.
The New Standard For Marketing Leadership
The marketing industry is at an inflection point. Founders are no longer willing to invest in campaigns that can’t be measured.
Barrett has built A/C Partners to meet this moment. The firm addresses the disconnect between attractive branding and functional business infrastructure.
For founders who’ve watched marketing budgets disappear into campaigns that looked good but didn’t move the business forward, Barrett offers a different model. Systems that work. Results you can track. A clear path forward.
Growth isn’t accidental. It’s engineered.
