Leading From the Same Table with Sarah Fulford-Williams

Sarah Fulford-Williams is the CEO and co-founder of Our Own Brand (OOB), a London-born, globally facing social media agency founded in 2018.

With 17 years in brand, marketing and social, Sarah specialises in making brands unmissable through brave ideas and culture-led strategy. Her work sits at the intersection of culture, commerce and community, spanning campaigns across major social platforms for brands ranging from global names to grassroots changemakers. She’s also passionate about supporting sustainable and female-founded businesses.

Sarah sat down with LBB to look back on her time running her own independent record label at 24, early lessons in leadership, and learning to let go and trust your team.

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?

Sarah> Running an independent record label when I was 24. I did everything from ideating and planning releases and artworking, to photography and booking international tours. I was with that company for five years and it taught me so much about wearing lots of hats and being a self starter. Forever grateful for that experience.

LBB> How did you figure out what kind of leader you wanted to be or didn’t want to be?

Sarah> By watching what didn’t work. I’d worked under leaders who were negative, distant or inconsistent and it never inspired great work or a great culture. I learned early on that I didn’t want to lead from a pedestal – I wanted to lead from the same table. It’s simple, but being collaborative, honest and kind are three things I try to bring into all that I do.

LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest lesson in leadership?

Sarah> I’m still learning – I don’t think you ever stop! For me, being a good leader means continually doing the work on what leadership looks like. The bigger we grow, the more the culture changes and the more I try to adapt and support. I think the key is being aware of and open to that. Leadership isn’t about you – it’s about your team.

LBB> Did you always know you wanted a leadership role?

Sarah> Yes. I’m a Virgo!

LBB> Leadership as a skill: how much is natural personality and how much can be learned?

Sarah> It’s a balance of both. You have to be emotionally aware, self aware and confident in your ideas, but a big part of it is learned, practised and refined.

LBB> What are the aspects of leadership you find most challenging? How do you work through them?

Sarah> Letting go. When you’ve built something from scratch, it’s easy to default to doing everything yourself, but you become the bottleneck. I work through it by giving my team opportunities to step up – it’s always paid off.

Another challenge is carrying the emotional weight of a team. I don’t believe in the ‘we’re a family’ trope that gets peddled in workplaces – we all have our own at home – but being a team is a special thing that needs constant and careful nurturing.

LBB> Have you ever felt like you've failed whilst in charge? What did you learn?

Sarah> Of course. Any leader who says otherwise isn’t telling the truth or paying attention. I’ve failed by overcommitting, by under communicating, by saying yes when I should’ve said no and vice versa. The lesson is the same each time – accountability builds trust quicker than perfection. Failure is the best teacher.

LBB> What’s your approach to openness and transparency as a leader?

Sarah> I’m a believer in thoughtful transparency. People don’t need every detail but they do need clarity, honesty and consistency. I don’t believe in performative openness. I believe in context that empowers people to do their best work. Being authentic doesn’t mean oversharing – it means saying the right things at the right time, grounded in truth.

LBB> Did you have a mentor and do you mentor others?

Sarah> Not a singular mentor but I’ve been given brilliant advice from founders, creatives and people I admire. I’ve been fortunate enough to have some incredible women in my orbit who I’m forever grateful to for their continued wisdom.

On the flip side, I do mentor others, in particular other female founders starting out. I try to give them the support I would’ve wanted: honest feedback, autonomy, space to fail safely and room to grow fast.

LBB> How do you cope with leading a team through difficult market conditions?

Sarah> I anchor everyone to what we can control: quality, pace, attitude, and strategic focus. Markets move, algorithms change, new platforms appear and costs rise. The thing that keeps us steady is clarity. When the environment gets noisy, I simplify: what matters most right now? What can we change? What protects the team? Once you set those priorities, people settle.

LBB> How do you prioritise diversity and inclusion in your workforce?

Sarah> By treating it as culture, not a checkbox. Our work is rooted in understanding culture, and you can’t understand culture without representing it. We hire intentionally, we listen actively and we make sure voices at different levels and backgrounds shape decisions. We’re building a team capable of speaking to the world because they’re a part of it.

LBB> How important is company culture to your success? How do you maintain it with remote and hybrid working?

Sarah> Culture is the glue. Without it, an agency is just a group of strangers on Slack. Our culture is based on ownership, creativity, pace and kindness. We work from home two days a week and hybrid working means you have to work harder to nurture it. We do that through rituals, honest communication, clear processes and moments of in person connection that matter – regular check-ins, 1:1s with the founders and proper support from line managers. Culture is created and you have to continually tend to it as you grow.

LBB> What are the most useful resources you’ve found in your leadership journey?

Sarah> A mix of practical and human tools. I read a lot – my go tos are Seth Godin, Mo Gawdat, Brene Brown and lots from the Do Book Co – great for snackable ideas and inspiration. Being in person is one of the best things too – events, networking and showing up where our industry does. I love listening to and learning from fellow founders and creatives who’ve been there, done it and aren’t afraid to open up about the messy bits.