"What we say no to shapes us." Bianca Guimaraes on the power of no.

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Bianca Guimaraes got into advertising by process of elimination. Growing up in São Paulo, she knew what she didn't want to do, and TV commercials sounded fun. She interned at a small agency, moved to a bigger one, and in 2009 came to New York to join JWT. Her first brief there was Pepcid. She thought they said Pepsi, and it took her about ten minutes of talk about heartburn to figure out the difference.

From there it was six years at BBDO New York, then a call in the middle of the pandemic from Greg Hahn asking if she and Kevin Mulroy wanted to start an agency. The worst case, they figured, was that it wouldn't work and they'd learn a lot. Today Mischief is about 150 people, she's been named creative director of the year by both Ad Age and Campaign US, and she says she's still trying to remember what EBITDA stands for.

The thing that stuck with me, as someone who sells for a living, is how often Mischief says no.

The big idea: what you say no to shapes you

"What we say yes to defines us, but what we say no to shapes us." (Bianca Guimaraes)

Bianca told me they could have been twice the size. They chose not to be. They don't want to grow for the sake of it and stop taking care of the clients they already have. So before they take on new business, they check a few things: Does the budget fit the scope? Does the timeline set them up to win? Will the decision-makers actually be in the room? Do they know why this client picked them?

At my first agency, we never fired a client, even when it meant losing money and burning out the team. At my last one, my CEO turned down a good-paying campaign because the fit was wrong. That second agency was a lot healthier.

Here's my sales take: qualifying out is a skill, not a failure. Every deal you shouldn't have taken steals time from the clients and prospects you should be growing.

3 things to do about it

1. Write down your red flags before the next RFP lands

Mischief's list is simple: scope out of line with budget, a timeline that sets you up to fail, no access to decision-makers, and no clear reason they want you. Bianca stressed it goes both ways. They want the client to feel sure they're the right fit too.

This week: write your four red flags on one page. Next time a deal hits two of them, walk away or reset the terms before you spend another hour on it.

2. Aim for "aha," not "ta-da"

Mischief doesn't do the big reveal. They stay close to the client through the strategy, so by the time they show the work it feels like the obvious answer to what they've figured out together. That's how they get clients comfortable with bold ideas, and it's how they earn the reaction they're known for: "How the F did you sell that?"

The best sellers work the same way. A buyer who helped shape the answer doesn't need to be convinced by it.

Next deal: before you build the proposal, run a working session with the buyer on the problem. Show them the thinking, not just the finished deck.

3. Pitch the team they'll actually get

Bianca called out the classic move: bring in a bunch of star freelancers to wow the client, then hand the account to a different team. It ends in disappointment, the client leaves, and you're pitching again. Mischief's rule is that the team in the pitch is the team on the business. And a lot of their growth comes from expanding with clients they already have, not from chasing new ones.

This quarter: make sure everyone in your next pitch will actually work on the account, and set aside the same energy for growing one existing client as you would for a new pitch.

Bonus: comfortable is a choice

Mischief's work looks provocative, but Bianca says it's more responsible than it looks. Every bold idea starts from a real insight and real data about how people behave, plus the cultural moment. In a feed full of sameness, and soon a lot more AI slop, playing it safe is the risky move. That goes for your outreach too.

Best line of the episode

"Someone gave me a job when my book sucked... We just have to continue believing in people." (Bianca Guimaraes)

Watch the full conversation

We also get into why Brazil produces so many great creatives, launching an agency over Zoom with partners she hadn't met in person, what she looks for in junior talent now that AI does the busy work, and why brands should build culture instead of reacting to it.

Watch the full episode on Spotify. Also on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

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Talk soon,Dylan