• Where: Aliso Viejo
• 12-month sales: $47.1 million
• Two-year growth: 1,140%
• OC workers: 15
• Business: Advertising agency
Aliso Viejo-based Most Brand Development + Advertising can thank its top client for its growth.
The recent addition of a website for the Chicago-based National Association of Realtors has grown the business as many marketing agencies have seen clients cut back or up and leave in the past two years.
“The easiest and best way in the industry to grow is to develop new work from your existing clients,” said John Most, cofounder and president of the advertising agency.
The agency landed the Realtors association’s HouseLogic.com business. It created and maintains the website, which aims to help homeowners enhance, maintain and protect the value of their homes.
Most was awarded the traditional and digital media buys, as well as the brand- building creative work for the website.
“The work we have done for them over time has certainly gained us enough favor to earn new work,” Most said.
Most Brand ranked No. 3 on the Business Journal’s 2010 list of fast-growing private companies with sales growth of 1,140% for the two years through June 30.
For the 12 months through June, Most Brand had sales of $47.1 million, up from $3.8 million for the same period in 2008.
The company employs 15 people and also ranked on the Business Journal’s Best Places to Work list last month
Most said he’d never had any intention of opening his own advertising agency. But in 2004, the former executive vice president at Newport Beach-based O’Leary and Partners decided to move on after eight years at the ad shop.
He had been looking at heading up agencies in New York and Dallas when he got a call from the marketing director at the Realtors association.
“They called saying we heard you left and still wanted to work together,” Most said. “They suggested I open my own agency.”
With a $20 million account at the ready, Most started his agency.
“I was very fortunate,” Most said. “I’ve seen a lot of guys venture out on their own and start with no business or very small accounts.”
He still had to stretch. The agency opened in 2004 with four workers including Most and wife Jodi. Most said he took out a second mortgage on his house and maxed out every credit card within the first year to pay employees and bills.
“We operated without any income for something like eight months before that first check arrived,” he said.
Most expanded his work with the Realtors last year, taking on media buying duties.
Previously, Most Brand handled the creative side of the Realtors account. A Bal-timore ad shop was in charge of placing ads.
The Realtors group spends on average about $40 million for advertising a year on national, state and local marketing initiatives.
The consolidation of the account was a major boost for the agency, coming at a time when most shops have seen clients slash budgets.
“There are risks that come when you put too many eggs in one basket, but with a big client it comes with the turf,” Most said.
Most started his agency to be different than the ones he’d previously worked for, he said.
“When I was an account executive in New York, I’d tell people my job was to create an environment for my people to do their best work,” Most said. “I said that when I was 25 years old, and I’m still saying that as an agency owner.”
Most has spent the past five years recruiting people, including Elias Dawly, the agency’s director of media services.
Dawly had worked for Hyundai Motor America in Fountain Valley and Kia Motors America Inc. in Irvine, handling the automakers’ combined $500 million media budgets.
Elias was instrumental in landing media buying for the Realtors account, Most said.
“Once we hired Elias to come in, the National Association moved the rest of the business with us,” Most said.
Dawly has been instrumental in helping to develop new work for the account, including helping to create a syndicated radio program for Realtors to help educate homeowners and potential buyers.
“He helped create the program and is helping to buy space on it,” Most said. “It’s something no other media director would do.”
The shop has cooled its hiring despite the additional work.
“We’re keeping our eyes open for great talent, but I don’t see the need to overstaff with junior people,” Most said.
The National Association of Realtors remains Most Brand’s primary client.
Most’s challenge now is to avoid being pigeonholed as a real estate agency, he said.
“We’ve actually gone after a few accounts and been told we’re a real estate agency,” Most said. “It’s funny, we have more food and automotive experience than anything else.”
The agency still is pursuing new accounts, according to Most.
“We have probably six or seven new business leads that we’re working on right now,” Most said. “We’re hoping to diversify the client mix.”
