women-owned marketing agency
Our Story
Doing awesome work that makes a difference for your business is our ultimate reward.
Who We Are
We understand you because we are you
We understand B2B because as a women-owned marketing agency, that’s our business, too. We live and breathe it every day. And as consumers ourselves, if you’re B2C, one of us is likely in your target audience. We keep a constant pulse on the market, ever-evolving algorithms and trends, and new technology advancements we can leverage to propel your success.
We do our homework
We research the markets, audiences and analytics that are relevant to your business, and we let the data inform our strategy.
We're relentlessly curious
We’ve found that there’s always a story to tell, and we aren’t afraid to ask questions until we find the gold we’re mining for. They say emotion sells and we're really good at finding a compelling narrative.
We are ethically strategic
We will only ever advise you to do something that is in your best interest, even if it’s not the project you originally hired us for. If we recommended actions that didn’t align with your goals, that’d simply be a waste of your time and money. And that’s just not how we roll.
We are real people, doing real work
When you partner with us, you get the whole Hive and all of our combined experiences, perspectives and ideas. Every single bee is invested in your success, even if they aren’t part of your account team. (It's also worth mentioning, we utilize AI to streamline some processes, but we never rely on it to replace our creativity.)
We are focused on results
During our discovery sessions with you, we uncover the goals that are a priority for your business and develop a plan for how to accomplish them efficiently, effectively, and beautifully. Whether it’s a brand that builds loyalty, a website that generates revenue, or a campaign that drives traffic, we’re laser-focused on the behind-the-scenes conversions that actually matter.
Meet the Bees
Our team, based in Charlottesville and Richmond, has a wealth of marketing and design experience and knowledge across varied backgrounds. From marketing strategy and brand messaging to content creation and web design, our women-owned marketing agency may be small but we sure are mighty.
We believe in empow(her)ment
We collaborate as a team, celebrate achievements, trust each other, and understand that learning from experience is a part of developing strong and confident leaders.
We believe in being effing awesome
We strive to be the agency known for its wow factor.
We believe in doing the right thing
We are honest in our approach, align our decisions and actions with our values, and work with clients trying to bring positive change to our world.
We believe in balance
We believe that a fulfilling personal life fosters professional growth and creativity.
We are fiercely female
We are a women-owned business, we believe the world needs more women leaders, and we embrace our girl-powered brand.
Hive HERstory
Sarah and Mary Beth, operating their own businesses independently, had grown weary of the solopreneur grind. The flexibility was great, but it was lonely without someone to share in the highs and lows (and admin work, bleh). In 2016, they decided to go into business together and Hive was born.
Sitting on a couch with their dogs, they shared a vision that in five to 10 years’ time, they’d have a small team of eight to 10 people and a “real” office. Turns out, with a little grit, and a lot of hard work, daydreams weren’t just dreams. Over a decade later, Hive has grown into a team of talented women with diverse skillsets and backgrounds… and our office is very real.
Mary Beth and Sarah brought to Hive only the best of their experiences from the agency, freelance, and startup worlds. Together, they’ve built and nourished a company that encourages self-expression, big ideas, collaboration, trust, brave leaps, honest feedback, and perhaps most importantly, time away from our desks to rest and recharge.
We believe that our best work comes from happy, healthy, fresh-minded people — and we resonate with clients who feel the same. No arbitrary deadlines or all-nighters, just reasonable expectations, clear communications, and honest hard work.