Nashville Dad Bootstraps $80M Influencer Agency From Laptop

A Nashville father watching his wife get pushed into brand deals that didn't fit her values saw an opportunity to change an entire industry.

Ted Raad was working in IT at Hewlett-Packard when his wife Dede, a growing content creator, signed with an influencer agency. The relationship quickly soured when she declined campaigns that clashed with her brand, and the agency made things uncomfortable.

Raad spotted a gap. On January 7, 2019, he launched Trend, an influencer marketing company built on alignment, transparency, and putting creators first.

His startup costs? A laptop and internet.

Raad brought skills from his day job negotiating contracts and reviewing deals at HP. He started small, working with his wife and a few of her friends to understand creator rates and how brand partnerships actually worked. He hired a lawyer, drew up contracts, and started building relationships one creator at a time.

The early days meant no boundaries between work and life. Mornings, nights, and weekends all blurred together as Raad served both creators and brands. He made mistakes too, taking on too many clients without enough staff to support them properly. When communication suffered, he owned it, had honest conversations, and rebuilt his systems.

That lesson shaped how Trend operates today. The company now maintains one of the lowest talent-to-manager ratios in the industry.

It took six months to see consistent revenue, partly because of the 60 to 90 day payment terms common in the industry. But growth came fast after that, hitting 200% year over year in the beginning.

Why This Inspires

What started as one dad protecting his wife's creative integrity has grown into something bigger. Trend now represents over 130 creators and secures roughly $80 million in brand deals annually. The company has expanded to include multiple divisions, with offices in Nashville and Houston and nearly 100 employees.

Raad didn't chase growth for its own sake. He focused on hiring people who believed in the mission and building systems that could scale without losing the creator-first culture. He invested in an executive coach early on, which gave him clarity on hiring, time management, and financial decisions.

Today, Raad finds his greatest satisfaction in opening new doors for creators beyond traditional sponsorships. He helps them launch podcasts, invest in brands, and explore media opportunities that extend their influence beyond social platforms.

Through it all, Raad has kept his family at the center. He and Dede are raising three kids, with a fourth on the way. His advice for aspiring entrepreneurs? Be realistic about revenue timelines, then commit fully. "Not part-time effort, full commitment," he says.

Sometimes the best businesses start when someone simply refuses to accept how things have always been done.