How Hands-On Experience Built a Global Marketing Agency – Daily Business

From Freelancer to Founder: Dmitriy Makarov’s Journey to a 100-Person Agency

In a marketing industry increasingly driven by automation, delegation and dashboards, Dmitriy Makarov has taken a different way to success by mastering every task himself. Now the founder and CEO of an international marketing agency with over 100 employees, he credits his hands-on start with shaping the company’s results-led culture.

“In the very beginning of my career, I did everything myself: from acquiring clients to launching campaigns and reporting,” the entrepreneur explains. “It was the time of full immersion in every single process.”

Between 2015 and 2017, Dmitriy Makarov worked independently as a digital marketing consultant, helping early-stage companies and emerging brands across multiple regions. Far from simply offering advice, he rolled up his sleeves and designed strategies, managed ad budgets, liaised with influencers, and continuously tested new approaches. The lessons he gained back then would eventually form the backbone of his agency’s operating model.

That model, rooted in experimentation and optimisation, remains central today. It begins with understanding client objectives, followed by market analysis, controlled testing, campaign refinement, and scalable execution. It is this structure that has helped the agency win the trust of global brands.

To date, Dmitriy Makarov’s agency has run more than 500 campaigns, achieving a cumulative reach exceeding 2.6 billion people. The agency’s client list includes BMW, Durex, Intel, NIVEA and Domino’s Pizza. At the heart of many of those campaigns is working with the right influencers.

“I consider influencer marketing to be the most effective tool today,” he says. “Especially when it is implemented correctly.”

That belief is proved by the results. In a campaign for BMW i3, the agency partnered with content creators who showcased the car’s real-world use, from daily commutes to rapid charging. The campaign achieved over 500,000 views and fostered a positive brand image. A live-streamer campaign for Durex generated 3.3 million views and more than 38,000 clicks, while Intel’s NUC product was brought to life by tech bloggers sharing their real-life usage, earning 3.5 million views and 400,000 likes.

“We do not pick celebrities for the sake of star power,” Dmitriy Makarov notes. “We find the right voice that truly resonates with the target audience.”

Though now a company director, Makarov still takes an active role in the agency’s work. His focus includes four strategic areas:

• Influencer marketing – including creator selection, brand alignment and impact tracking

• Performance marketing – spanning paid media, funnel testing and retargeting

• Creative production – covering video content, static banners, motion graphics and audio ads

• Strategic planning and research – from market intelligence to ROI modelling and media planning

This depth of involvement is part of what makes Makarov’s leadership distinctive. Rather than operating from a purely managerial distance, Dmitriy Makarov brings deep technical experience to each discussion, whether creative, analytical or commercial.

“We have worked with over 1,000 influencers,” he adds. “We know how to pick the ones who drive results. In fact, we often guarantee success, or otherwise we make it right at our own cost.”

That confidence has helped the agency scale without compromising quality. And it stems from a founding principle: understand the work before leading others in it.