SmartBug Media® Named No. 141 on the Inc. 5000 Regionals List for California, Marking Its Second Consecutive and Highest Ranking

Leading Inbound Marketing Agency Credits Ranking to Its Innovative Remote Work Culture, Award-Winning Client Work and Position as HubSpot’s Highest-Rated Partner

IRVINE, Calif., March 16, 2020—Inc. magazine today revealed that SmartBug Media^® is ranked No. 141 on its second annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: California list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing California-based private companies. This is the second consecutive year that SmartBug^® — a leading Intelligent Inbound^® marketing agency that assists businesses in generating leads, increasing awareness, and building brand loyalty through inbound marketing, digital strategy, design, marketing automation, revenue operations and public relations — has made the list in the nation’s largest and most competitive economy.

Companies on the list for California grew, on average, 535 percent between 2017 and 2019 — even while the broader United States economy grew just 10 percent. In addition to showing stunning rates of growth across all industries in California, these companies employed more than 40,000 people and added nearly $7 billion to the California economy. As an Inc. 5000 Regional honoree, SmartBug joins a very exclusive club that includes Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Jamba, Timberland, Clif Bar & Company, Pandora, Patagonia and Oracle Corporation, among other notable alumni.

“This is a team effort, and we are thrilled to be recognized with the honor of a high ranking in the world’s most competitive business market,” said SmartBug Media Founder and CEO Ryan Malone. “Our growth is a testament to the company’s business model, innovative processes, values, positive workplace culture, award-winning client work and market lead in customer endorsements that have resulted in strength and resilience — all of which have contributed to our ability to maintain sustained growth through the unique challenges of 2020.”

SmartBug’s ongoing commitment to providing its employees with challenging careers along with the flexibility to spend more quality time with their families and make lifelong memories forms the cornerstone of its game-changing business model. Founded in 2008 as one of the country’s few fully remote marketing agencies, SmartBug already had strong remote processes and best practices in place by 2020, making it a resilient and trusted authority and advisor to other companies navigating the challenges brought on by the global pandemic.

In addition, SmartBug’s commitment to professional development and its high standards for creating best-in-class client work have contributed to its rapid growth, earning it an impressive list of accolades over the years. SmartBug is HubSpot’s highest-rated partner in the world, one of only 18 HubSpot Elite partners worldwide, and HubSpot’s 2018 Global Partner of the Year. It was also named to both HubSpot’s Partner Advisory Council (PAC) and the Adweek 100: Fastest Growing Agencies list for the second consecutive year in 2020. 

“This list proves the power of companies in California no matter the industry,” said Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. “The impressive revenues and growth rates prove the insight and diligence of CEOs and that these businesses are here to stay.”

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals can be found at https://www.inc.com/inc5000/regionals/california. 

Methodology

The 2021 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2017 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit and independent — not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies — as of Dec. 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. 

About Inc. Media

The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

ABOUT SMARTBUG MEDIA^®

SmartBug Media^® is a globally recognized Intelligent Inbound^® marketing agency assisting businesses in growing revenue by generating leads, increasing brand awareness, and building customer loyalty through content marketing, sales enablement, web development, marketing automation and public relations.

As HubSpot’s 2018 Global Partner of the Year, SmartBug^® is the highest-rated HubSpot partner in the world today. The company has not only been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies four years in a row, but it has also been named to the Adweek 100: Fastest Growing list twice and won a number of Great Place to Work^® and Comparably awards. With hundreds of awards for client work — and a team holding a combined 650 marketing certifications — SmartBug is fully dedicated to delivering client success and an unparalleled agency experience. For more information about SmartBug Media, visit smartbugmedia.com.

For SmartBug Media Inquiries, Contact: 

Jennifer Tolkachev
SmartBug Media 
949-236-6448 x865
jtolkachev@smartbugmedia.com