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Discover the journey of Ted Raad, a family man who used a laptop and the internet to build Trend, an agency that earns US$ 80 million managing influencers.
What started as an attempt to generate extra income for the family turned into a business that moves about US$ 80 million a year. Founded by Ted Raad with just a laptop and internet access, Trend has become one of the largest influencer agencies in the United States.
Currently, the company manages over 130 content creators and maintains a consistent annual growth rate between 20% and 25%. With offices in Houston and Nashville, the agency has nearly 100 employees and serves influencers who sign advertising contracts with major brands in various sectors.
Meet the story of family man Ted Raad
The journey of Trend began quite modestly. Ted Raad, father of three and expecting the fourth, decided to create the business to supplement the family income and support his wife’s digital career. The initial investment was financed exclusively by the couple, without the participation of external investors.
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To better understand the market, the entrepreneur started by managing his own wife’s advertising campaigns and later began working with her close friends.
The company’s first steps included:
- hiring a lawyer to structure professional contracts
- using a laptop as the main work tool
- operating entirely remotely from home
- achieving consistent revenue just six months after founding
The importance of the first hires
Despite the rapid growth, Ted admits that he took longer than he should have to expand the team. According to the entrepreneur, the decision to delay hiring led to operational overload at an important moment in the company’s expansion.
In an interview with Entrepreneur, he stated that the arrival of qualified professionals completely changed the pace of the business, allowing for accelerated growth and reduced operational strain.
Today, Trend’s strategy is strongly focused on developing leaders and building a culture geared towards both employees and the content creators represented by the agency.
The inspiration came from his wife
The idea of creating Trend arose from the experience of Ted’s wife, Dede, as a digital influencer. At the time, she had signed a contract with an agency that frequently offered campaigns misaligned with her image and the interests of her audience.
By refusing these proposals, the relationship with the company deteriorated, leading Ted to identify a market opportunity. The perception was simple: there was a lack of agencies that prioritized the interests of creators and built more transparent relationships with their clients.
Corporate experience helped in building the company
Before venturing into entrepreneurship, Ted Raad worked in the information technology sector, dealing with corporate mergers and acquisitions. The experience gained in negotiations, contracts, and structuring business deals proved to be fundamental for the development of the agency.
This knowledge allowed him to create more solid processes to mediate partnerships between influencers and major brands. Since its foundation, Trend has adopted a philosophy based on alignment, transparency, and autonomy for content creators.
The agency maintains a policy where the final decision on any commercial campaign belongs to the influencer, even when high financial value contracts are involved.
According to the company, this approach strengthens the trust relationship between creators and their audience, preserving the authenticity of the personal brands represented by Trend. Over the years, this strategy has helped consolidate the agency as one of the leading references in the influencer marketing sector in the United States.
