Woman-Owned Charleston Digital Marketing Agency Named Stevie® Awards Finalist

Custom Digital Solutions grew revenue 49.5 percent in 2025 without outside investment and surpassed its entire 2025 revenue within the first 8 months of 2026

CHARLESTON, SC, UNITED STATES, October 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Custom Digital Solutions (CDS), a 100 percent woman-owned Charleston digital marketing agency founded in South Carolina, has been named a finalist in the Fastest Growing Women-Owned or -Led Company of the Year category in the 23rd annual Stevie^® Awards for Women in Business.

The recognition comes during the fastest growth period in the agency’s eight-year history. Founder and CEO Audrey Bakhach started Custom Digital Solutions in 2018 as a side business with no startup capital or outside investment, initially working with a handful of small businesses while maintaining a separate full-time career.

Since then, the fully bootstrapped agency has grown from a founder-led side business into a multidisciplinary team supporting organizations across the country, ranging from owner-operated businesses to national, multi-location and enterprise brands, both through direct client relationships and white-label agency partnerships.

Revenue and Team Growth:

Custom Digital Solutions increased revenue 49.5 percent year over year in 2025 and surpassed its entire 2025 revenue within the first eight months of 2026. Its core team has expanded 92 percent since 2024, while the agency has maintained approximately 90 percent year-over-year client retention.
The growth has been achieved without outside investors or external funding, with CDS reinvesting in its team, technology, and capabilities as client needs have expanded.

Charleston-Based Agency With National Reach:

As the company has grown, CDS has expanded both its capabilities and the complexity of the organizations it supports. The agency provides services across search engine optimization and local search, paid media, social media, email and SMS marketing, analytics, website strategy and development, programmatic advertising, and emerging digital channels.

Despite its expansion into larger national engagements, CDS continues to work with small and mid-sized businesses and has maintained the customized approach on which the company was founded.

“Growth was never about becoming the biggest agency,” Bakhach said. “It was about building a team capable of solving increasingly complex problems without losing the flexibility and personal attention that made clients want to work with us in the first place.”

Stevie Awards Recognition:

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor the achievements of women executives, entrepreneurs, employees, and the organizations they run worldwide.

More than 1,500 nominations from organizations and individuals across 56 nations and territories were submitted for consideration in more than 300 categories in 2026. Finalists were determined based on the average scores from more than 200 business professionals worldwide who served on seven judging juries.

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements will be announced at a ceremony in New York City on November 16, 2026. More than 400 women and their guests from around the world are expected to attend the presentations, which will also be broadcast live.

Maggie Miller, president of the Stevie Awards, said, “As the Stevie Awards for Women in Business marks its 23rd year, we continue to be impressed by the remarkable accomplishments represented among the nominations. It is especially rewarding to see the significance a Stevie Award holds for women and the recognition it brings to their achievements, careers, and organizations. We congratulate all of this year’s finalists and look forward to revealing the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements on November 16.”

As CDS heads into 2027, the agency plans to continue investing in its team, capabilities, and emerging digital channels while maintaining the customized, hands-on approach that has driven its growth.

About Custom Digital Solutions:

Custom Digital Solutions (CDS) is a 100 percent woman-owned, independent digital marketing agency founded in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2018. CDS develops customized digital strategies spanning SEO and local search, paid media, social media, email and SMS marketing, analytics, website strategy and development, programmatic advertising, and emerging digital channels.

The agency works directly with businesses and through white-label agency partnerships, supporting organizations ranging from owner-operated companies to national, multi-location, and enterprise brands.

To learn more, visit https://customdigitalsolutions.co/

About the Stevie^® Awards:

Stevie Awards are conferred in nine programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards^®, The International Business Awards^®, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence, and the Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations and territories. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.
Learn more about the Stevie Awards at StevieAwards.com.

Audrey Bakhach
Custom Digital Solutions
+1 843-212-6607
info@customdigitalsolutions.co
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