George B. Thomas
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You know those conversations that reframe how you see the work you do and the life you’re building? That’s what this episode gave me. Tracy Graziani of Ani Multimedia sat down with me to discuss the fundamental aspects behind a successful HubSpot agency journey.
Early limits, loud biases, quiet courage, and the systems that enable humans and businesses to flourish simultaneously. If you lead teams, run an agency, or manage HubSpot, this one matters now because the future favors leaders who design flexible, human-first operations that still deliver.
Origin to Ops: from “is it possible?” to signing the lease
Tracy didn’t grow up seeing this career. She watched the world shift from “someday video phones” to Zoom on a Tuesday.
Along the way, mentors appeared in various forms: a brave, great-grandmother who divorced during the Depression to protect her children, teachers who nudged her forward, and life moments that said, “Dream bigger.” She remembers aptitude tests pointing her toward engineering or mechanics while everyone laughed.
The culture said those paths weren’t “for her.” She learned to ask a better question: is it possible? Years later, she faced a crossroads: take another job or build a real business. She chose the second path, signed a lease, sat on the empty office floor with equal parts fear and excitement, and kept going. That decision became the foundation for Ani Multimedia.
A Cost Paid: bias, “good girl” conditioning, and the moments that sting
Tracy names what many women have felt. Being one of three women among 200 sales managers. A VP “joking” she’d clean up after the men. A boss who took her junior male assistant to lunch every visit and told Tracy he wouldn’t lunch with her “because you’re a woman.”
Later, she found out the assistant made more. Those moments chip away at confidence. They also sharpen conviction. She talks candidly about the weight of being a “good girl” who is expected to please authority figures and the terror of choosing a path that might upset them. She chose anyway.
“the things that you worry about almost never happen, and the bad things that do happen” — Tracy Graziani
The Ops Crucible: design roles around people, not people around roles
Here’s where this gets practical for every HubSpot leader. Tracy built roles around people’s real lives to unlock serious delivery capacity. Example: a single mom of three who homeschools, and is the best HubSpot admin Tracy can imagine.
Tracy keeps the architect in the architect's seat and surrounds her with part-time support to execute the project. The result is a system that protects deep expertise, speeds implementation, and respects the reality of parenting.
This is the craft: define outcomes, architect processes, then flex staffing to meet commitments. It’s loyalty to the mission and the human, together.
Empowerment in Practice: You can share power, and you can claim it
Tracy believes empowerment is both a gift and a choice. When friends said, “Maybe now’s the time you start something yourself,” that belief fueled action. She also refuses to wait for permission — and pushes others not to wait either. Her definition is:
“whatever power you have, you share it with somebody else” — Tracy Graziani
She lives it. She formed a women-led agency owners’ mastermind before the pandemic. No referrals. No selling. Just goals, accountability, and growth. It now spans multiple countries and has helped members build stronger businesses while forming real friendships.
Looking Ahead with HubSpot: little features, big compounding wins
Tracy lights up about the quality-of-life features that quietly save time. She uses AI overviews on contact and company records and the AI meeting-prep button to get briefed in minutes instead of 15-minute scroll sessions.
She’s also excited about the new “listings” object and the ability to rename it for custom-object-like use without an extra SKU. None of this is flashy, but it compounds. Less swivel-chair time means more human time — for discovery, for better solutions, for your team.
A Word to Women in Tech: build the room you need
Advice from Tracy comes with edges and love. Be careful who you take advice from.
If someone doesn’t have what you want, don’t let them set your path. If the room you need doesn’t exist, make it. That’s how she built her mastermind.
That’s how she built her company. And when she defines success, she keeps it simple: freedom. The freedom to choose how you work, where you live, and who you help.
Why It Matters
If you lead in HubSpot land, your biggest advantage isn’t a feature list. It’s how you design work to fit humans and how you multiply the right brains with the right systems.
Tracy’s story shows what happens when you align both. People stay. Expertise deepens. Delivery gets faster. Customers feel cared for. That’s how businesses flourish.
Reflect & Act
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Where can you design roles around people to protect deep expertise and speed execution?
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Which small HubSpot features could save your team 10 minutes a day, every day?
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What room do you need that doesn’t exist yet — and how will you build it?