Emily Jeffrey-Barrett, Co-founder of Among Equals

We recently got to delve into the entrepreneurial journey of Emily Jeffrey-Barrett, the co-founder of creative agency Among Equals.

With a decade of experience in creative agencies, Emily saw a disconnect between brands and their audiences—one that often led to advertising efforts falling flat. Fueled by a desire to create work that truly resonates, she launched Among Equals, an agency built on the principle that no one inherently cares about a brand—until it makes them care. From her inspirations to the lessons learned along the way, Emily shares the insights that have shaped her approach to business and life.

What was the inspiration behind Among Equals?

I had been working in creative agencies for a decade when I started Among Equals. I’d worked with incredibly talented creatives, ambitious clients, visionary founders and NGOs on powerful missions and I’d spotted a pattern: they assumed people cared as much as they did. The CMOs and founders assumed people cared about their brand or product as much as they did. The charities assumed people were as invested in issues as they were. And the creatives assumed the general public was as passionate about design and advertising as them. The reality is very different. People simply do not care as much as our industry assumes they do, and that assumption leads to work that doesn’t work.

This isn’t just something I felt as a consumer and citizen, it’s something that’s been proven by research time and time again. The vast majority of advertising isn’t loved or hated; it’s just ignored. I wanted to build an agency that would work with this reality – creating genuinely impactful work that would make people care about issues, change behaviour and drive results. So our philosophy is grounded in this reality: ’Start with no one cares. Build brands that change that.’

Who do you admire?

I firmly believe the phrase ’never meet your heroes’ exists for a reason, so I’ve never put anyone on a pedestal. Instead, I admire anyone who DOES things. It’s easy to have ideas. It’s easy to talk about things you’re going to do. The hard part is actually doing it – taking the leap, writing the book, starting the business, making the move.