#451: Cold Start to Marketing Success with Rita Barry

In this episode of That Entrepreneur Show, host Vincent A. Lanci sits down with Rita Barry, founder of Rita Barry & Co., a digital marketing agency helping female-founded businesses scale through strategy-first marketing and a data-driven approach to customer acquisition.

Joining us from chilly Canada (we're talking -30°C!), Rita opens up about her unexpected leap into entrepreneurship—from a stay-at-home mom teaching herself to code out of boredom, to building a powerhouse agency responsible for over $86 million in client ad spend.

You’ll hear Rita’s take on:

• The importance of separating big-picture strategy from daily tactics
• How trusting her gut and listening to client feedback became her business compass
• The mindset shift she had to make from “right answers” in school to the constant failures in entrepreneurship
• The most common marketing mistakes she sees—and what should be in every strategy
• Why relational marketing always wins over chasing traffic

Plus, enjoy a fun cross-border chat about hockey, Canadian stereotypes, and surviving cold winters with grace.

Rita’s story is a powerful reminder that some of the most impactful businesses are born not from a master plan—but from curiosity, resilience, and simply figuring it out along the way.

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