Alex Goulart had been talking about starting an agency for 10 years. His wife kept track. Every few months, he’d mention it—this vague idea of building something on his own.
When she finally told him it had been a decade, he was shocked. He thought it had been maybe two or three years.
Those 10 years weren’t wasted. Goulart spent them at agencies like BBDO New York and 180 Amsterdam, creating award-winning work for Google, Nissan, NBC and Qatar Airways. He was learning what works, what doesn’t, and what kind of agency he wanted to build when the time came.
But here’s what nobody tells you about starting: even with 20 years of experience, the operational reality feels overwhelming. Finding clients, building a team, managing finances—it’s easier to focus on the work in front of you.
Then David McElveen from McAlvey Financial Group reached out, needing creative work. Goulart had filed the paperwork for Fire Kite months earlier and done nothing with it. Now he had a client. So he brought in Tim Anderson for what was supposed to be a seven-day strategy project.
That turned into a campaign. Then an AOR relationship. Fire Kite was born not from a business plan, but from saying yes when opportunity knocked.
“I wasn’t ready at that time,” Goulart admits. “But over the years, I picked up the skills necessary to make the leap. Only in the last few years did I feel like, okay, it’s time to jump.”
Why 10 years of preparation actually mattered
For anyone sitting on the sidelines right now thinking “I should have done this years ago”—Goulart’s story proves that timing matters.
Those 10 years of W2 employment weren’t holding him back. They were building the skill set he’d need. Learning how world-class agencies operate. Understanding what clients actually need. Developing a network of collaborators he could call when projects demanded specific expertise.
“When you’re an employee moving from brief to brief, the operational side feels too overwhelming,” Goulart explains. “But if you’ve developed your skill set in an agency for years, you can add real value to clients. You just need the right context to apply it.”
The mistake isn’t waiting too long. The mistake is waiting without building skills, relationships, and understanding of what makes good work good.
What year one looked like: building the team as you go
Unlike most founders who assemble a team before launching, Goulart went solo. He filed the paperwork, had the company ready, and waited for the right moment.
When McElveen reached out, Goulart realized he’d need help. That first project required strategy. So he brought in Anderson for what was supposed to be a seven-day engagement. The work was good. The client was happy. That turned into Fire Kite’s biggest client relationship.
“It pulled Tim into the fold,” Goulart explains. “Then we pulled in more people as needed. We have a team of four or five now, with specialists we bring in depending on the project.”
That lean, flexible approach works because Fire Kite doesn’t try to be everything. They focus on smart, strategic creativity—helping brands become legendary through audacious creative work.
For anyone considering solo founding: it’s harder than starting with co-founders, but it’s not impossible. You just need to be comfortable with uncertainty and willing to build relationships as opportunities present themselves.
The fear that never goes away (and that’s okay)
Starting Fire Kite wasn’t a fearless leap. The fear was there—it just got outweighed by other factors.
Staying at agencies meant dealing with the same frustrations. Good ideas getting diluted by rounds of revisions. Creative thinking undervalued when financial metrics trumped everything. Being assigned accounts you had zero interest in.
Going independent meant betting on himself. The fear didn’t disappear—it just became less scary than staying.
“Fear was definitely there,” Goulart admits. “You just have to know it’s part of the package. I can’t remember staring at the ceiling at night thinking what am I going to do—but the fear is real.”
What helped was having a plan before launching. He’d developed his skills over 20 years, built a network, and understood what clients needed. When McElvey Financial Group reached out, he was ready to execute.
What he wishes he’d known before starting
If you’re about to face a corporate layoff, here’s what Goulart learned:
Don’t downplay the skills you’ve developed. If you’re good at what you do and you’ve spent years in agencies, there’s a market for that. You need to find the right context to apply it.
Preparation isn’t procrastination. Those 10 years weren’t wasted. They were essential. Starting before you’re ready is brave—but starting when you’re ready is smarter.
Solo founding is viable. You don’t need co-founders if you’re comfortable being the only decision-maker and willing to bring in collaborators as needed. The trade-off is more pressure but also more control.
The first client shapes everything. McElvey Financial Group became Fire Kite’s biggest relationship because Goulart said yes and delivered. Your first client teaches you what kind of agency you’re building.
Fear doesn’t disqualify you. Everyone feels it. The question isn’t whether you’re afraid—it’s whether you’re more afraid of starting or staying where you are.
For Goulart, the answer was clear. Twenty years at agencies taught him he could do this. One client gave him the opportunity. And 10 years of “talking about it” turned out to be exactly the preparation he needed.
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