I was doing DBM before it was cool. 

Ok, that may or may not be accurate, but before I had ever heard the term Digital Business Management (DBM), I was already doing it. It came out of necessity — and, in hindsight, it was a natural progression in my career.

I worked in boutique digital creative agencies, on small teams that required change management, new systems, new ways of working, and an updated tech stack — but still needed project management. Some of that work lived under operations, but it was a different kind of operations — the kind that happens in the middle of creative delivery.

Coming from a web design background and transitioning into project management within the same team, I understood both the creative and technical sides deeply. That experience shaped how I worked — translating between designers, developers, and executives to make sure ideas didn’t just sound good in theory, but actually shipped.

I built documentation that bridged those worlds — technical specs, delivery guidelines, and QA workflows that kept projects moving smoothly. The work became a hybridization of strategy, project management, and digital architecture — turning creative vision into systems teams could rely on to deliver consistently and confidently.

The benefit of small teams (and the messy middle)

Working in small agencies gives you the opportunity to wear many hats and forces you to be nimble. This isn’t for everyone, but I thrive in that space.

In even smaller teams, you naturally become a co-pilot or fractional Chief of Staff to the CEO — a trusted partner helping set up the business, build structure, and guide the team through growth. It’s not a perfect line; the best lessons are often messy, learned through failing fast, pivoting, and improving as you go.

That’s the essence of DBM: creating systems that fit how your team actually works — not forcing them into frameworks that don’t.