SCRATCH for Growth
ABOUT SCRATCH FOR GROWTH
SCRATCH for Growth is a small business marketing agency based in Saint Paul, MN. We help small businesses, solopreneurs, and startups grow with smart, affordable marketing.
-
Based in Saint Paul, MN
-
LGBTQ+-owned and woman-owned
-
Services available nationwide
-
Discounts available for LGBTQ+-owned businesses, BIPOC-owned businesses, and businesses owned by womxn & people with disabilities
OUR MISSION
REALLY GOOD MARKETING, MADE ACCESSIBLE
Founded in 2023, our goal has always been simple: make really good marketing accessible to every business.
Our mission is to innovate how growth marketing can better serve small businesses. Because we believe every small business deserves expert support to help them grow.
We keep our services affordable, approachable, and effective so you can reach your goals with less AHHH 😱 and more ahhh 😌.
OUR VALUES
COMMUNITY FIRST
Small business is the backbone of community. Period. Our work supports local owners, startups, and values-driven ventures that keep neighborhood-level economies thriving.
CLARITY OVER COMPLEXITY
Marketing shouldn’t feel overwhelming. That’s not what accessibility looks like. We cut through jargon and focus on clear, practical steps that deliver results.
RESPECT AND INCLUSION
As a woman- and queer- owned business, we’re committed to creating inclusive, supportive partnerships and amplifying underrepresented voices.
OUR STORY
SCRATCH began with a simple observation: too many small businesses were stuck between two bad options.
Option 1 was seeking help from big agencies charging premium rates and treating small clients like afterthoughts.
Option 2? DIY tools that left owners spinning their wheels, spending more time trying to figure out marketing than actually running their business.
There had to be a better way. It was up to us.
In 2023, we launched SCRATCH Consulting for Growth with a clear goal: bring big-league marketing expertise to small businesses, without the big-agency price tag or ego.
We built a model that scales with your needs — whether that’s a one-time project, a clear plan to follow, or full-service support.
Today, SCRATCH for Growth is still true to its name. We meet you wherever you’re at — even if that’s Square One — and help you build sustainable momentum.
We’re proud to be part of the Twin Cities small business ecosystem, and just as proud to serve clients across the country who share our values.
Our team thrives on making marketing less overwhelming, more approachable, and ultimately, more effective for the people who put everything into their businesses.
Because at the end of the day, we’re not just helping small businesses grow — we’re helping communities grow stronger, too.
WHAT MAKES SCRATCH DIFFERENT?
Our services are designed for small businesses exclusively.
Small budgets are often dismissed by traditional agencies. If your business can afford to work with an agency at all, you’re usually their lowest priority because you’re their smallest and least important project.
But when you work with SCRATCH, we treat you and your business with the respect, care, and responsiveness you deserve.
Our service offerings are designed specifically for businesses like yours, and we bring deep and broad expertise to every project, no matter the size.
We make it affordable by smart-scoping our projects and using our time super efficiently. No fluff, no fancy bells and whistles, just the core tactics that are going to affect your bottom line.
We can augment your efforts, take things off your plate, or both.
We’re built with the busy small business owner in mind. If you’re handling marketing yourself and nailing it, keep it up! We’ll be here to cheer you on.
If you want to keep handling your current marketing efforts yourself, but need help putting some structure to it, great! Let us provide counsel, strategy, and expert insight to make your tactics work even harder for you.
But if you barely have time to work on (or even think about) your marketing tactics, but understand how important they are to your business, tap us in.
We’ll get to know your business and your goals, take the pressure off, and bring to life a killer marketing plan for you.
We’re local. We work remotely. We value your time.
We don’t need to tell you how important every minute is to a small business. We get it.
We’ll never ask for more of your time than is absolutely required.
And as your project gets off the ground, that amount of time will get smaller and smaller.
We’ll never ask you to come into our office (because we don’t have one). We’ve embraced remote work and are loving how connected, efficient, and flexible it allows us to be.
But since we’re local to the Twin Cities, we can come to you when you need us, or we just might pop in when we’re in the neighborhood.
OUR TEAM
MEGAN UPPERMAN
FOUNDER & CEO
Data- and automation-forward growth marketing leader with a decade of experience scaling brands at agencies and start-ups.
Feminist, fixer, and calm in the chaos. At home, she’s juggling a daughter, a cat, and a dog who would be very excited to see you. She bakes (gluten-free, but you wouldn’t believe it), cooks from scratch, loves baseball for the numbers, and disappears into state parks whenever she can (because spreadsheets don’t work under the stars).
CASSIE BURKE
CHIEF OF OPERATIONS
SEO and content marketing leader with agency roots and a proven track record of scaling teams, systems, and strategies.
Strategist and storyteller with a background in journalism. She once lived in Scotland and dearly misses Irn Bru and macaroni pies. Find her scouting the perfect hammock trees at Lake Nokomis. She can be lured into almost anything if a latte is involved, and is probably negotiating desk space with her cat right now.
%20(2).jpg)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHERE DID THE NAME 'SCRATCH' COME FROM?
Because that’s where most small businesses start—at scratch. We’ll meet you wherever you are and help you grow from there. And just like a nice birthday cake, our team all agrees that anything from scratch is a labor of love.
DO YOU WORK WITH CLIENTS REMOTELY?
Yes. We work primarily remotely for flexibility and efficiency, but since we’re local to the Twin Cities, we can meet in person when it’s helpful.
DO YOU OFFER DISCOUNTS?
We keep our services priced fairly and transparently for all small businesses so you can actually make money on your marketing. We’ve also built our pricing to keep the bar to high-quality, competitive marketing as low as possible—especially for entrepreneurs, organizers, and nonprofits who are often excluded or underrepresented in the marketplace. We offer: 5% off for BIPOC-owned businesses, and an additional 5% off for businesses owned by womxn, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ business owners.
IS SCRATCH HIRING?
We’re always open to connecting with talented freelancers and collaborators who share our values. If you’re interested, reach out—we’re growing quickly and we’d love to hear from you.