Quitting While You’re Ahead: Why I Closed My Creative Agency

After five years, millions in revenue, and countless awards, I made the unexpected decision to walk away. Here’s what it taught me about success, self-worth, and starting again.

As of October 1, 2024, Utendahl Creative (UC) is no longer a full-service creative agency. After five incredible years, I’ve chosen to close our doors—or as I like to say, sunset them. This wasn’t an easy decision, but it was a clear one.

For months, I sat with how—or even if—I should announce this. In today’s culture, announcements like this feel like they need to be something more. A company closes, and we expect to hear about dramatic failures or life-changing acquisitions. What we rarely hear is someone saying: I’m choosing to quit. Not because I have to, but because I want to. This silence creates a trap, one where too many Founders stay far too long. We cling to what we’ve built, even when it no longer works, out of guilt, fear, or the pressure to perform success. And in doing so, we burn ourselves out. I’ve been there before, staying when the spark was gone, and I refused to let that happen again.

So, here I am, saying it plainly: I no longer wanted to be a Creative Agency Founder. The work didn’t inspire me in the way it once had. By January 2024, I felt restless—a pull toward something new, something unknown. And I realized I didn’t need a dramatic reason to step away. The truth was enough: I was ready for change.

This decision wasn’t born of burnout or necessity. UC didn’t fail. Over our lifetime, we launched more than 50 brands, generated millions in revenue, and won nearly every major design award in our field. By every measure, we were thriving. But success doesn’t always mean staying….Sometimes, the most courageous choice is to leave while you’re on top, trusting yourself to leap into what’s next.

On Gratitude

As I reflect on UC’s journey, I feel immense gratitude. Gratitude for the brilliant, all female, team who poured their hearts into every project, for the clients who trusted us with their brands, and for the creativity that shaped every step of this path. Together, we created something I will always be proud of.

But I’m also grateful for the courage to close this chapter. Letting go isn’t easy, especially when what you’re leaving behind has defined so much of who you are. Yet I’ve learned that endings are just as important as beginnings. They allow you to honor the journey while making space for what comes next.

Too often, we wait until we’re forced to stop—until burnout or frustration leaves us no choice. But this time, I chose to leave on my own terms, with clarity and intention. Because endings aren’t failures; they’re opportunities to redefine, realign, and rediscover what matters most.

What Comes Next

While UC has closed, the creative work continues—just in a new form. This next chapter is about creating on my own terms. I’m consulting on projects that excite me, collaborating with former UC team members as part of a design collective, and exploring new opportunities that feel expansive and deeply aligned.

I’m also diving headfirst into two things I’ve been longing to give my full attention: writing a book and committing to this Substack. The book will explore themes of identity, burnout, self-worth, and the courage it takes to let go and begin again—ideas that have shaped my life and work.

And then there’s BURNT—this space to write freely, share ideas, and connect with a community of people who value honest, raw conversations about creativity, work, and life. Writing has always been my first love, and this feels like the perfect platform to go deeper.

This isn’t the end of the story—it’s an evolution. UC was a beautiful chapter, and I’m proud of every moment. But now, I’m ready for what’s next.

The Leap Forward

To anyone wondering whether it’s time to let go of something in your own life, I’ll leave you with this:

Too often, we hold on out of fear, waiting for the moment when we have no choice but to stop. But what if you trusted yourself enough to leap before the ground crumbled beneath you?

There’s a profound power in leaving on your own terms, in deciding that what you want matters more than what you’re leaving behind. Endings aren’t just closures—they’re beginnings in disguise. They’re how we make space for what’s truer, freer, and better aligned with who we are.

Here’s to the leap, the climb, and the courage to begin again.

xx

(P.S. Stick around—there’s so much more to come. I’ll be sharing updates on the book, new projects, and reflections on creativity and life right here on BURNT.)