By: Alexandra Perez
Behind every fast‑scaling company is a founder who feels compelled to grow at a similar pace. For Dave Carroll, who launched DOPE Marketing nearly five years ago, the journey from hands‑on entrepreneur to seasoned CEO has been marked not solely by revenue milestones, but by his growth into the leader his team needs at every phase of expansion.
When Carroll started DOPE Marketing, he was the ultimate do‑er, juggling client pitches, campaign launches, and billing alongside a small team of just a couple of dozen. “I used to wake up with an idea and push it out by lunch,” he laughs. Those early days of agile creativity fueled DOPE’s rise, but as the headcount grew beyond one hundred and twenty across the U.S. and the Philippines, Carroll began to realize that scaling requires more than just instinct—it calls for structure, intentionality, and leadership that evolves along with the business.
One of his first lessons was learning to manage managers rather than just employees. “It’s one thing to direct someone’s day‑to‑day tasks,” he explains. “It’s another thing entirely to cultivate leaders who can take ownership of entire functions.” In practice, this meant stepping back from every email and conference call—not to disappear, but to empower team members with clear frameworks and decision‑making authority. During a trip to Manila, he discovered firsthand that delegating without equipping was a recipe for bottlenecks. That week, he redesigned DOPE’s internal playbooks, integrating role‑specific checklists, regular leadership huddles, and peer‑to‑peer mentoring circles. The outcome: local teams moved more efficiently, clients received more consistent service, and Carroll regained bandwidth to focus on strategy rather than on immediate challenges.
Yet handing over the reins revealed deeper insights about accountability. Early on, Carroll equated promotion with readiness, until a high‑profile campaign missed its reporting deadlines. His immediate reaction was frustration, but he paused and reflected: had he set clear expectations and provided sufficient training? “That failure was on me,” he acknowledges. By modeling vulnerability and owning his mistakes, he showed his managers that growth involves both challenges and support. “People don’t approach leaders who don’t make them feel safe,” he observes, now prioritizing candid conversations over terse memos.
This shift in mindset also reshaped how Carroll presents himself. He realized that the version of him his team saw, often stressed, terse, and behind a screen, wasn’t the version he wanted to project. Instead, he chose to embody the confident, inspirational leader he displayed at client events and industry conferences. To bridge that gap, he introduced weekly virtual town halls, sharing both successes and setbacks, and invited questions on everything from campaign metrics to personal career paths. “Your team won’t always remember what you said, but they’ll remember how you made them feel when things went wrong,” he reflects.
Complementing his people‑centric approach is a rigorous commitment to self‑leadership. A few years ago, Carroll quit drinking, a decision he describes as “transformative.” With newfound clarity, he embraced a daily routine anchored by early‑morning workouts, hydration protocols, and mindset practices. Before the sun rises, he logs cardio sessions and strength training, then journals three gratitudes and meditates on the most pressing strategic priorities. “It’s easier to run ten miles than to write a gratitude,” he admits, “but that mental muscle is what helps me stay disciplined, focused, and resilient as CEO.”
Even as DOPE Marketing celebrates seven‑figure quarters and generous employee bonuses, Carroll remains cautious about growth for growth’s sake. He consistently asks himself and his leadership team: What is our purpose? For him, expansion isn’t just a numbers game; it’s about securing a future for his young family, investing in the team’s professional journeys, and building a legacy of integrity. Whenever a new initiative surfaces, he considers whether it aligns with that mission. “Growth without direction can easily become noise,” he remarks.
Through every phase, from scrappy startup scrambles to international operations, Carroll’s leadership mantra has remained constant: lead yourself first, then lead others. He views success not as the glamorous outcome of checking KPIs before dawn, holding difficult conversations with empathy, and continually recalibrating both vision and tactics. “Heavy is the crown,” he says. “If you want to lead, you’ll often have to do things you’d rather avoid. But that’s how you move toward the goals you’ve set.”
In an industry that often prioritizes flashy campaigns and quick wins, Dave Carroll’s transformation offers a reminder that the most enduring advantage lies not in tools or tactics, but in the character of the leader. By choosing discomfort, acknowledging his blind spots, and fostering the next generation of managers, Carroll helps ensure that DOPE Marketing’s upward trajectory rests on a foundation stronger than any spreadsheet—one built on disciplined self‑leadership, emotional intelligence, and a steadfast commitment to serving those he leads.
