When Audrey Bakhach founded Custom Digital Solutions (CDS) in 2018, she had already spent more than a decade in digital marketing and had a clear idea of the agency she wanted to build. Today, CDS is an established independent agency that manages large-scale advertising campaigns for national and multi-location brands nationwide.
The growth is significant, but for Bakhach, scale was never the only measure of success. She set out to prove that an agency could deliver the capabilities and expertise brands expect from a larger firm without sacrificing the relationships, accessibility, and senior-level involvement that often disappear as agencies grow.
An Independent Approach Built on Relationships
Independence is not just a structural detail for CDS. It is the reason the agency exists. Bakhach built the company on the belief that clients deserve direct access to experienced marketers who understand their business, not a rotating cast of account managers reading from a script.
That philosophy shows up in how the team works. Clients talk to the people actually running their campaigns. Decisions happen quickly. Strategy stays connected to the day-to-day realities of each brand rather than getting lost in process.
“We’re not trying to be the biggest agency,” Bakhach said. “We’re building an agency that does big things without losing the relationships that got us here.”
What Has Driven the Company’s Growth
CDS has grown steadily since its founding, expanding the range of brands it supports and the scope of the work it takes on. Much of that growth has come through referrals and long-term client relationships, reflecting the agency’s emphasis on trust and results over aggressive sales tactics.
The agency now oversees substantial advertising budgets for national and multi-location clients. Managing campaigns at that scale takes both technical skill and a deep understanding of each brand’s goals. CDS has invested in the people and systems needed to handle complex, high-volume work while keeping the experience personal.
Much of the company’s growth has been fueled by long-term client relationships and referrals, reinforcing the relationship-driven model CDS was built around. That approach has allowed CDS to grow without chasing size for its own sake.
Experienced Leadership at the Center
Experienced leadership is central to how CDS operates. As CDS has grown, Bakhach has focused on building a team of experienced specialists and leaders who bring both strategic thinking and hands-on expertise to client work.
That expertise matters most when campaigns get complicated. National and multi-location brands face challenges that require careful coordination across markets, channels, and budgets. Experienced leadership gives CDS the judgment to make those calls well.
The agency’s structure keeps senior people involved throughout each engagement. Rather than handing accounts off to junior staff after the pitch, CDS keeps its most experienced marketers close to the work. Recent projects shared through the agency’s website reflect that hands-on approach.
Where Custom Digital Solutions Is Headed
Bakhach is now focused on building CDS for a significantly larger stage. That means strengthening the agency’s leadership, expanding its national footprint, and pursuing increasingly sophisticated brand partnerships, all without abandoning the independent model that fueled its growth.
For Bakhach, the opportunity isn’t simply to make CDS bigger. It’s to demonstrate that an independent agency can operate at scale, compete for major national business, and still give clients something increasingly difficult to find: experienced people who are genuinely invested in their success.
