In a world where digital noise is louder than ever, businesses aren't simply competing for attention—they're competing for trust.
Every day, entrepreneurs invest time, money, and hope into marketing efforts that promise growth, visibility, and results. Yet many are left frustrated by agencies that prioritize sales over service and promises over performance. As skepticism continues to grow, a new generation of marketing leaders is redefining what business support should look like.
Among them is Leesa Blankert, founder of LAB Digital Agency, a results-driven marketing firm built on transparency, collaboration, and genuine client partnerships. Rather than operating as an outside vendor, Blankert has built LAB around a simple but powerful philosophy: treat every client's business as if it were your own.
Through strategic websites, search engine optimization, paid advertising, and a deeply personalized approach, LAB Digital Agency is helping businesses strengthen their online presence, attract ideal customers, and create sustainable growth.
In this conversation, Leesa shares her entrepreneurial journey, the lessons that shaped her leadership, and why trust remains the most valuable currency in modern marketing.
For those discovering you for the first time, can you tell us about LAB Digital Agency and the vision behind what you're building?
LAB Digital Agency is a marketing agency with a genuine focus on helping local business owners establish and grow their online presence through digital marketing strategies such as websites, SEO, and ads. We wake up every day at the agency with one vision in mind: to show up to support local business owners as if it were our own business. This means we treat every client with a hands-on and collaborative approach. Our agency values integrity and a non-transactional approach to supporting small businesses to grow by uplifting their presence and connecting them with their ideal clients.
What originally inspired you to start LAB Digital Agency, and what problem were you hoping to solve that you felt traditional agencies were missing?
I was inspired by an American startup that allowed me to contract and grow my business while being surrounded by others building other similar online businesses alongside me. People in this environment showed up differently than traditional work environments; they all worked remotely and valued hard work, shared values, taking care of their health and lifestyle freedom.
Many business owners have experienced marketing agencies that overpromise and underdeliver. Why was it important for you to build LAB around transparency, accountability, and measurable results?
I see this a lot with clients who come to me and feel discouraged by previous marketing agencies. I stress the fact that LAB Digital Agency is always transparent from day one. This means explaining to potential clients that not everyone is a fit, marketing campaigns take time and are a collaborative effort (we need their support and cooperation along the way), and it is important that we are in alignment with these expectations before we commit to working together.
Once we do commit to working together, the team is able to get the necessary onboarding information to set the project up for success. Whether that is for a website, SEO or ads. We work with the client to create a successful outcome and measurable results.
Trust is a recurring theme throughout your business philosophy. In your experience, what does it take to build genuine trust with clients in an industry where skepticism is often high?
Trust building is part of the rapport that we build with our clients, and it is part of the reason why we only take on clients that we see are a fit to work together. If a client is still feeling skeptical about working with marketing agencies in general, it is our duty to inform them and create an understanding of the way that we operate and the values of our agency. It is then up to them to decide if they wish to move forward or if they would like to do more research before they feel confident in trusting our process.
You position LAB as an extension of a client's team rather than simply a service provider. Why is that philosophy so important to you, and how has it shaped the way you work with clients?
We aren’t stepping into a business owner’s company to complete a transactional process. We are there to enhance their business. This means we go above and beyond to ensure that we are adding value to their company and they feel supported so that they can complete their day-to-day operations alongside us. This helps business owners feel like they are working both in their business and on their business.
Through helping businesses improve their visibility, attract customers, and grow revenue, what are some of the most important lessons you've learned about entrepreneurship and business growth?
Business growth is not a linear process. It should never be treated as such. It should also never be treated as a comparison from one entrepreneur to another.
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” In business, we must trust our individual process, and it is just as much a path of personal growth as it is business growth. The more you commit to growing as an individual and connect with people who share this level of dedication, the more it shapes the growth of your business.
Marketing is evolving rapidly with AI, automation, changing search behavior, and new technologies emerging every year. How do you believe businesses should approach growth in this new landscape?
To keep up with the changing technologies and new landscape, it is important to be a lifelong learner and to work with people who share this mentality. There is always something you can learn from other business owners at conferences, webinars and joining their communities.
Many business owners focus heavily on generating traffic but not enough on conversion. Why do you believe websites, user experience, and strategic positioning play such an important role in long-term success?
Our team is fortunate to work with a web developer who builds websites with user experience, functionality and conversion in mind. The website is not just created and forgotten about. It is an ever-evolving process so that the business owner can operate in a sustainable fashion, and their website can evolve alongside them as their business evolves.
This perspective shift from a one-and-done process to an ever-evolving process is what sets a business up for long-term success and positions it strategically.
Looking back on your entrepreneurial journey, what challenges, experiences, or lessons have shaped you most as a founder and business leader?
The experiences I have had with the people I choose to surround myself with have shaped me most in my entrepreneurial journey. This includes everyone from the service providers at the chiropractic clinic I attend due to multiple car accidents, to the mentors I have worked with, as well as people I have met in the networking community.
Many of the mentors I have had the opportunity to be connected to have faced and shared their personal hurdles and lived experiences with me.
Working with someone who is further along than you in the process builds forward momentum even when it is challenging. Seeing people who face hardships and still choose to show up and model the path forward is something that I deeply respect.
You are part of Internet Masterminds, a vetted community where founders and executives come together to share knowledge, connections, and opportunities. How has being surrounded by ambitious entrepreneurs influenced your thinking, growth, or approach to business?
It has allowed me to feel supported as an individual and in my business. I know that many of the other founders face the same challenges I am facing, and being in close proximity to people who share your struggles is a validating experience.
If LAB Digital Agency succeeds beyond your wildest expectations over the next decade, what impact do you hope it will have on the businesses, founders, and communities you serve?
The impact I hope it will have on businesses is that they can end their day feeling like they found success in their business. They can keep their “why” in business and embody that each and every day, while I played a role in making their business sustain itself. My hope is that founders and the broader community felt like I was someone they could genuinely lean on while they build a life they are proud of, and they took the chance to create for themselves.
Where can people connect with you, learn more about LAB Digital Agency, or explore working together?
Website: https://www.instagram.com/labagency.online/
LinkedIn: https://labonlineagency.com/LinkedIn:
Instagram: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leesa-blankert-7b1bb789/Instagram:
At its core, great marketing is not about algorithms, advertising budgets, or chasing the latest trend. It is about creating meaningful connections, building credibility, and helping businesses reach the people they are meant to serve.
Through LAB Digital Agency, Leesa Blankert is proving that sustainable growth begins with trust. Her commitment to transparency, measurable results, and genuine partnership offers a refreshing alternative in an industry often defined by shortcuts and overpromises.
As technology continues to evolve and the digital landscape grows increasingly complex, one principle remains unchanged: businesses thrive when they are supported by people who genuinely care about their success.
For Leesa, success is measured by more than clicks, traffic, or conversions. It is reflected in the confidence of the founders she supports, the businesses that continue to grow, and the communities strengthened through entrepreneurship.
And if her vision for the future becomes reality, LAB Digital Agency will be remembered not only for helping businesses market better but for helping business owners believe that lasting growth is possible when trust comes first.
