Tipping Point Communications, Inc. (Tipping Point)

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Tipping Point is a full-service advertising agency helping clients be seen, heard, connected, and protected through innovative creative solutions and modern media strategies. WBE, WOSB & WBENC.

Number of Years in Business: 20

Female Company Head: Michelle Ashby, Founder & CEO

What does it mean to you to be a women-owned business?

Being a woman-owned business means leading with empathy, authenticity and purpose. It’s about fostering inclusion, creativity, work-life integration, and opportunity while proving that diverse leadership drives innovation and results. It means rolling up my sleeves and getting into the trenches with my team, leading by example, and amplifying our collective voices and vision to lift others up — helping clients, partners and our community be seen, heard and connected in meaningful ways.

What challenges have you faced as a women-owned business?

There’s a constant balancing act of leading with empathy while driving performance. As an owner, I desire a culture where flexibility, trust and accountability coexist. Sometimes women are perceived as “softer leaders,” and our good nature can be taken advantage of. In those instances, I’ve embraced that I need to speak louder, show more data, and sometimes dig my (high) heels in to make my point. This can be intimidating to some, inspiring to others.

How do you support women in your business and community?

As an 18-year member of Vistage, the world’s largest CEO peer group, I’ve personally grown through mentorship and believe deeply in paying it forward. I serve as the virtual peer group facilitator for our industry association, Agency Management Institute, helping agency owners across the country apply best practices and gain peer support through small group discussions. I enjoy mentoring women leaders and entrepreneurs building businesses with purpose and heart.

What goals do you have for your business for the coming year?

Our goal is to amplify our clients’ businesses in new and unique ways that maximize return on their investment. We must foster creativity and connection, encouraging teams to work together in ways we never have before, and to uncover the “X Factor” in every business we serve. We’ll continue to embrace advanced media analytics and AI to deliver smarter, faster, more efficient outcomes, and build more integrated campaigns that start with data, connect insights, and result in ideas that move people.

What recent accomplishments are you most proud of?

I’m most proud of how we’ve transformed Tipping Point into a stronger, more connected agency. We created a workplace that inspires collaboration and big-sky thinking, elevating our people and retooling operations to drive greater client success. We grew topline revenue by 6% through deeper partnerships, community engagement, a refreshed brand and website, and automation. And our culture of innovation produced two new products that are already bringing clients tangible, measurable results. Yay!

This profile is part of our Best Women-Owned Businesses for 2025. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. View the full list at rbj.net.