Bryce North is a serial entrepreneur with years of experience building, scaling, and running startups. He has built a reputable track record for his successes and has won many awards for his achievements in entrepreneurship.
As a master storyteller, Bryce takes a unique approach when it comes to attention and has built strong relationships with the media and capital world. With a background in venture and angel capital, he has been offered numerous advisory roles and speaking opportunities all around the world.
From being featured on Canada’s Dragons’ Den, owning the media with his personal and business brands, to building companies that have scaled to over 40 countries, he is sought after to help others create a name through online media and speaking opportunities.
Company: Don’t Be A Little Pitch (DBALP)
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Bryce North: Thank you! I’m excited to be here. I’m Bryce North, the Founder and CEO of Don’t Be A Little Pitch (DBALP), a PR agency that helps brands cut through the noise and get the media attention they deserve. My journey into PR wasn’t a straight line. I started as a tech entrepreneur, launching TrapTap, a global product that raised over $600K in 90 days through crowdfunding and secured major media coverage. That experience made me realize the power of storytelling and strategic media outreach, and I saw a massive gap in the market for startups that needed PR without the traditional agency fluff. That’s how DBALP was born. Today, we help businesses land features in top-tier publications, build their credibility, and drive real growth through strategic press coverage.
What inspired you to start your business, and what were the biggest challenges you faced in the early stages?
Bryce North: My inspiration came from firsthand experience. When I was running TrapTap, I saw how powerful PR was in driving credibility and sales. We landed features in TechCrunch, Popular Mechanics, and Discovery Channel, all without a PR agency. I realized that most startups and growing businesses didn’t know how to access these opportunities, and traditional PR firms were too expensive and outdated. So, I built DBALP to offer a more strategic, results-driven approach to PR.
The biggest challenge early on was proving that PR isn’t just a “nice-to-have” but a core driver of business growth. Many companies don’t realize the ROI of media coverage, so we had to educate our clients while delivering strong, measurable results. Once we built a track record, it became easier to scale.
At what point did you realize your startup was gaining traction, and what key strategies helped you scale successfully?
Bryce North: For me, traction became clear when inbound interest started to outweigh outbound efforts. At first, we were grinding with cold outreach, strategic partnerships, and proving our value with case studies. But once media outlets and high-growth startups started reaching out to us instead of the other way around, I knew we had something real.
Key strategies that helped us scale:
1. Storytelling as a growth engine. We do not just do PR. We use strategic storytelling to help brands break through. This approach became our core differentiator.
2. Results-driven PR. We focused on tangible ROI rather than vanity metrics, which made it easy to build trust and retain clients.
3. Leveraging our own media presence. We practiced what we preached, securing our own media features, podcast appearances, and thought leadership content to build credibility and attract the right clients.
How did you approach funding and financial management during the scaling phase? Did you bootstrap, raise capital, or take another approach?
Bryce North: Bootstrapped all the way. No outside capital needed!
I have been through the investor game before, and for DBALP, I wanted to maintain control and build a sustainable business model from the ground up. We focused on profitability early, reinvesting earnings into growth instead of relying on external funding. This approach allowed us to scale organically while staying nimble and making strategic decisions without outside pressure.
What role did company culture and team building play in your growth, and how did you ensure alignment as you expanded?
Bryce North: Company culture has been a game-changer for us. We built DBALP on a foundation of transparency, creativity, and results. PR is a fast-moving industry, so we needed a team that thrives in that environment. We focused on hiring people who are not just skilled but also share our passion for storytelling and impact.
To maintain alignment as we scaled, we prioritized:
1. Clear communication – Weekly team check-ins and transparent goal-setting kept everyone on the same page.
2. Empowering autonomy – We give our team the freedom to take ownership of their work, which drives innovation and accountability.
3. Culture of learning – PR is constantly evolving, so we invest in training and professional development.
At the end of the day, DBALP is a team-driven company. Our success comes from the people behind it, and that’s why culture is at the core of everything we do.
Looking back, what is one critical lesson you learned about scaling that you wish you knew earlier?
Bryce North: The biggest lesson? Not all growth is good growth. Early on, I chased every opportunity, every potential client, and said yes to everything. That led to burnout and working with brands that didn’t align with our core strengths.
I wish I had focused on quality over quantity sooner. Niching down on the right clients, doubling down on what we do best, and turning down anything that didn’t fit our long-term vision. When we made that shift, DBALP grew faster, and our work had a bigger impact.
