Sydney Dozier of Renaissance Marketing Group on Building a Strategy-First Social Media Agency

Sydney Dozier, founder and CEO of Renaissance Marketing Group, has built her business on one core belief: visibility, community, and strategy are the foundation of meaningful growth. Starting her career in social media in 2012, she turned a passion for storytelling into a strategy-led agency that helps founder-led brands show up with clarity and intention. Her path into entrepreneurship wasn’t linear, but it was rooted in trusting her instincts and creating opportunities through connection and consistency.

Please share a brief introduction and your business:

I’m Sydney Dozier, founder and CEO of Renaissance Marketing Group, a strategy-first social media agency dedicated to helping founder-led brands build visibility, relevance, and real growth online.

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I started my career in social media in 2012, and over the past decade, I’ve had the opportunity to work with brands across industries including tech, hospitality, wellness, and construction. What began as a passion for content and storytelling has evolved into a full ecosystem of services centered around helping businesses create what I call a “Renaissance” in their brand.

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In addition to the agency, I am the host of The Renaissance Podcast and the creator of the Renaissance Women’s Summit, a national conference for women entrepreneurs focused on connection, education, and empowering women to build both meaningful businesses and fulfilling lives.

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At the core of everything I do is the belief that visibility, community, and strategy can transform not just a business, but the woman building it.

Are you a mamaprenista?

YES! Just focus on presence wherever you are. Whether when you're at work, or when you are with your kids/family. I have learned that that presence means everything to my kids.

Take us back to when you launched? What was your marketing strategy?

When I first launched my business, my “marketing strategy” was simple… I got myself in the room.

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I went to events, met other business owners, introduced myself, and had conversations, even when it felt uncomfortable. Looking back, I can see just how outside of my comfort zone that was at the time, but it was everything.

The biggest and earliest opportunities in my business didn’t come from perfectly curated content or a formal strategy. They came from proximity. From being in the right rooms, building real relationships, and letting people get to know me and what I was building.

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It didn’t look polished, and it definitely didn’t feel easy, but it worked. And to this day, I still believe that getting in the right rooms and surrounding yourself with the right people is one of the most powerful growth strategies there is.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

No, not at all. As a college dropout, becoming an entrepreneur wasn’t the obvious or expected path for me.

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But even though the traditional route didn’t feel aligned, I always had this deep sense that I was made for something bigger, and that my path was going to look different from most.

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I’ve never been someone who felt called to follow the road most traveled. I’ve always been drawn to creating my own path, even before I had the language or confidence to call that entrepreneurship.

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Looking back, it makes perfect sense. But at the time, it just felt like a willingness to trust myself and take a different route.

What accomplishments are you the most proud of to date in your business?

The accomplishment I’m most proud of is building a business from the ground up that is both successful and sustainable.

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I’ve been able to create something that doesn’t rely on me being in every detail, every single day. A business with a strong team, systems, and structure that allows it to run and grow, while also giving me the flexibility to be present in my life as a mom.

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As a mother of two, that means everything to me. Being able to show up fully for my children, when and where they need me, while also continuing to build something meaningful, is what I define as success.

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That balance didn’t happen overnight. It came from years of building, refining, and learning how to lead in a way that supports both my business and my life.

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Creating that kind of freedom and sustainability is what I’m most proud of.

What is one thing you wish you had known when you started your Entreprenista journey?

That you won't build the business. The business will build you.

When hiring, what is your go-to interview question?

What lights you up? In life in general? I always like to know what brings joy to people, even outside of the work place. My interview style for first interviews is very laid back, relaxed, and conversational. Interviews can be so nerve racking--and nerves can be a good thing because they show that people care--but I always like to have people let their guard down and just be themselves. We have such a relaxed office and team environment so it's important for me to see someone's true essence for our culture!

What did you do before starting your own business?

Before starting my business, I moved to Nashville at 19 to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter. While that path didn’t unfold the way I originally envisioned, it led me into the world of marketing and social media, where I discovered a new creative outlet.

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I began my career in 2012 working for a major music museum in Nashville, where I helped grow their brand through social media during a time when the platforms were just beginning to evolve. That experience gave me a strong foundation in content, storytelling, and understanding how to build connections with an audience online.

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From there, I continued to deepen my experience in social media and marketing, which ultimately led me to start Renaissance Marketing Group in 2014. What began as a creative skillset has grown into a full-scale agency, but at its core, it has always been about helping brands tell their stories in a way that truly resonates.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, but what really pushed me to take the leap was realizing that I wanted to create something of my own where I could fully own the vision, the creativity, and the impact.

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At the time, social media was still emerging, and I saw a massive opportunity for businesses to connect with people in a more meaningful, real way. I knew I had a unique perspective on how brands could show up online through storytelling and content, and I felt a strong pull to build something around that.

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There was also a deeper layer to it. I wanted to create a business that allowed me to build a life on my terms. One where I could grow, evolve, and eventually support other women in doing the same.

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So in 2014, I decided to go all in. I didn’t have everything figured out, but I trusted that I could learn, adapt, and build something meaningful over time.

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Looking back, that decision completely changed the trajectory of my life, and it’s what ultimately led to everything I’ve built today, from the agency to the podcast to the Renaissance Women’s Summit.

Do you have any recent wins?

One of my biggest wins from the past year has been officially trademarking the word Renaissance as it relates to entrepreneurship, events, and marketing.

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That was a really powerful full-circle moment for me. What started as a word that deeply resonated with my personal journey and the way I approach business has now become a protected and defining part of my brand.

“Renaissance” represents transformation, evolution, and building something multidimensional, and to now have that legally tied to the work I’m doing felt incredibly meaningful.

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It was both a brand milestone and a personal one, and a reminder of how far this vision has come.

What's one app on your phone that you cannot live without?

ChatGPT LOL

Who are your customers?

We primarily work with founder-led brands and entrepreneurs who are ready to grow their visibility and build a stronger presence online.

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Our clients are often women founders and business owners who have already built something meaningful and are looking to scale, refine their messaging, and show up more intentionally through social media. They value strategy, creativity, and consistency, and are ready to invest in building a brand that truly reflects who they are and the impact they want to make.

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We also work with growing companies across industries who want a strategic, done-for-you approach to social media that goes beyond posting and focuses on building a full content ecosystem that drives awareness, connection, and conversion.

What's your top productivity tip?

As a business owner, not everything on your to-do list carries equal weight. The goal is to prioritize the things only you can do.

 For most of us, that’s business development and relationship building.

I try to anchor every single day with at least one needle-moving action:

– a coffee or lunch meeting

– a follow-up with a prospect

– or booking my next opportunity to get in the room

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Everything else can support that, but that one action is what drives real growth.

If you focus on that consistently, your business will move forward.

What's your favorite business tool?

I really love Slack for our client communications and team communications. It organizes all of our comms, and also creates a great boundary for my team members and myself. I work in social media management where boundaries can be non-existent. So having a platform like this - where clients or team members never need to have your personal cell number is a game changer.

What's your approach to work-life balance?

There are seasons where my business needs more of me, and there are moments where my family does. The goal isn’t to split everything evenly, it’s to be fully present in whatever I’m doing at that moment.

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I’ve built my business in a way that supports my life, not competes with it. That means having a strong team, clear priorities, and the ability to step in or step back when I need to.

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I’m also very intentional about designing my days around what matters most. Focusing on needle-moving work, building in things that bring me joy, and creating space to be with my children.

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For me, success isn’t choosing between being a present mom or a driven founder. It’s building a life where I get to be both.

How do you avoid burn-out?

One of our core values at RMG is Find the Joy… and I’ve realized how essential that actually is to sustaining a business.

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When I intentionally build my days and weeks around things that energize me, I burn out so much less.

For me, that looks like:

– recording my podcast

– being around my team (they truly fuel me)

– talking to clients and celebrating wins

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Yes, there will always be hard days and less exciting tasks. But when your calendar is filled with things that bring you to life, it changes everything.

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As founders, we don’t just owe our businesses productivity.

We owe them our joy.

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas?

Own where you are. Own your past experience that has gotten you here. Squash imposter syndrome on your journey by surrounding yourself with the evidence of your success. Keep an iPhone folder for your "receipts" of your success. Positive texts or emails from clients, mentors, friends, colleagues. Log your wins. Go back to that folder on a rainy day when you feel like everything is going wrong. Be your best cheerleader.

Sydney’s journey is a strong reminder that building a business is less about doing everything and more about doing the right things well. By focusing on relationships, showing up consistently, and staying grounded in strategy, she’s created a brand that supports both her clients and her life.

If you’re looking to grow your visibility, connect with like-minded founders, and build a business with intention, explore the Entreprenista League community and see how you can get involved.