Want to make bolder moves in your life? The CEO of the Icon Agency has some advice
Interview by Jennifer Cooper
Image by Fernando Naw
“We want to help as many women as possible build impactful businesses and yep–make a lot of money. ”
Somewhere, at some point in life, you find the following phrase on the tip of your tongue: Fuck it, let’s do it.
In fact, if you’re lucky, it can become a kind of anthem. You decide to move to a different country. You choose to launch that business you’ve always dreamed of. You make the decision to leave a toxic relationship you’re in.
For some of us it arrives early in our lives. Others of us, not until we’re in our 40s or 50s. It can be even later, but whatever age you find yourself saying it, be thankful. It means you’re no longer putting your dreams on hold.
Although I should clarify that having a dream is one thing, achieving it is another story.
Greg and Erica Reitman have a history of making bold moves. They turned their Brooklyn apartment into a stylist’s dream, landing them features in design magazines and books. Then they moved to Los Angeles where they transformed a bungalow into an incredible AirBnB. Now, they’re in Mexico City, living life on their terms and helping others do the same.
Earlier this year they launched the Icon Agency, the first all-in-one empire building agency for badass CEOs. I recently spoke with the Agency’s own CEO, Greg Reitman about starting an agency, why our brains can sometimes be our worst enemy, and the most important question of all: where should I go when I visit Mexico City?
Okay, so you two have made some bold moves. First moving from NY to Los Angeles. Then from Los Angeles to San Miguel de Allende. Now you’re in Mexico City. Have you always been bold?
We’d like to think we live pretty bold lives and have always been inspired by all the places we’ve lived. Erica and I have met some incredible people and had amazing experiences during all our travels, especially living abroad in a new country. Being together for over 20 years has really given us the confidence and security to just not settle and keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. And we just hate the suburbs.
What helped you realize that you could go after exactly what you wanted?
It’s cliche I know, but life is way too short. Erica and I both lost our moms early on in our relationship; both were really young when they passed. I think that helped us realize that we are really only on the Earth for a very short time. So, why not make some bold moves while we can.
The other thing we’ve learned is it’s not actually that hard to create an outrageously dreamy life for yourself. Most of us don’t even let ourselves dream that big. But once we started making bold moves, and seeing the impact it had on our lives, it gets kind of addictive.
You talk a lot about your brain being a dick. I appreciate the candor! ‘Cause it’s true. What are some ways you see people’s “dick-ish” brains holding them back?
Our brains are meant to keep us safe and survive, which doesn’t mesh so well with the life of an entrepreneur who’s always making big moves, big decisions and taking chances. Some of the most common things we see are: imposter syndrome—people thinking they need two PhDs before they can confidently talk about a subject or create an offer around a certain topic. Spoiler alert, you don’t. Another biggie is that terrified feeling we all got when we took that first leap of starting our own biz. Our society tries to convince us that working in corporate America is the “safe” thing, but we’ve never felt more in control of our future, income and everything in between as we do now as biz owners.
Now you’re helping others make bold moves. Tell me about that.
After being part of several biz coaching programs and masterminds over the years, we found a common thread. We would learn incredible biz strategy, how to integrate marketing campaigns, and how to shift our mindset. All great things, but at the end of the day everything was very theoretical and we left with all these ideas, but nowhere to turn when we wanted to implement things we learned. It was incredibly overwhelming to have to do all of these things on our own. So we were left to find these service providers ourselves.
We started the Icon Agency in January 2022 helping online biz owners (coaches, service providers, artists, interior designers, etc.) grow their biz through a hybrid of 1:1 strategy and accountability coaching alongside a group of expert collaborators that provide done-for-you services. Examples include, Copywriting, Social Media, Podcast Production, SEO.
“Once we started making bold moves, and seeing the impact it had on our lives, it gets kind of addictive.”
Why do you want to see more ICON CEOs out there in the world?
Erica’s favorite quote has always been “a rising tide lifts all boats” and we always go back to that when thinking about the entrepreneurs we work with. We want to help as many women as possible build impactful businesses and yep—make a lot of money. And so we built our entire agency model around this idea. We even want to help the expert collaborators we work with at the agency build their businesses too, which is why we encourage our clients to continue working with these women, even after our time together is over.
Finally, I want to hear about your favorite places in Mexico City! What should I check out when I’m there?
We’ve been here less than a year but here are a few things we absolutely love:
Anonimo - Amazing Italian Food
El Jamil - Middle Eastern Food
Parker and Lennox, Casa Franca, Jazzatlan Capital—all great places to see Jazz
Parque Mexico, Parque Espana, Parque Chapultepec are all amazing parks
Quentin’s is our fave coffee spot
Atlante for a delish NYC style slice of pizza
El Cardinal for a traditional Mexican, old school breakfast or lunch
Blend Station is a great spot in Condesa to work in, if you need a spot to set up shop for the day
Taverna is a gorge, moody restaurant in Juarez with an eclectic menu
Niddo is our fave breakfast spot in all of Mexico City.
Many thanks to Greg for all the recommendations. I have a trip to book now! You can follow Greg on instagram @greg_reitman, Erica on instagram @ericareitman, and keep up with these Icons @the.icon.agency. They’re currently booking clients for October, 2022.
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