The Gutsy Creative Agency: Jen Landels on Brand, Imperfect Action and the Horse Tethered to a Plastic Chair

In this episode of Scale HER Up, I'm joined by Jen Landels, Managing Director of Studio LR — a 22-year-old independent creative agency based in Leith, Edinburgh, that helps ambitious organisations build brands and campaigns with both substance and standout.

Jen calls Studio LR "the gutsy creative agency" — and this conversation is every bit as gutsy as the work they do. She talks about brand strategy for businesses of all sizes, what it really means to step into leadership for the first time, and why the most powerful thing holding most of us back is our own self-belief.

We cover:

- What Studio LR does and who they work with — from Volvo to Suntory Global Spirits to Historic Environment Scotland

- The biggest brand mistake businesses make (it's not what you think)

- How to build a brand on a small budget — practical advice from a workshop with Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce

- Why you need to meet your audience where they are, not where you want them to be

- Jen's extraordinary career journey: Red Bull, the Leith Agency, Scottish Government, Scottish Rugby and now Studio LR

- The moment she got into advertising — through babysitting

- "Shy bairns get nowt" — and what it taught her

- Taking over as MD with no prior experience of running a business — and what she did first

- The fika approach to joining a new team (taking every single person for coffee)