The long way around made all the difference.
Entrepreneur, business builder, communicator and lifelong connector. Kent's career has been shaped by the work of starting, growing and reinventing.
NOT A STOCK PHOTO. A REAL PERSON.I'VE TAKEN THE
LONG WAY
AROUND.
Entrepreneurship has a way of teaching you things a classroom never will.
In 2000, I founded Anvil Media. What followed was 22 years of building an agency, leading teams, working with clients and adapting as the industry kept changing. Anvil merged with Deksia in 2022. A business exit is a milestone; it isn't the end of the story.
Along the way I founded pdxMindShare, taught at Portland State University, became involved in Entrepreneurs' Organization and spoke to audiences around the country. Connecting people has been a constant.
I'm interested in what entrepreneurs do with their next chapter—not just whether they hit another revenue number.
MORE STORIES FROM THE JOURNEY ↗LEWIS INFORMS
AND ENTERTAINS.
Kent Lewis is a six-time entrepreneur, agency veteran, digital marketer and fractional CMO. He serves as executive director of NextNW and founded pdxMindShare in 1999.
For 22 years Kent founded and led Anvil Media, before selling his agency in 2022. He taught as an adjunct professor at Portland State University for two decades, writes for industry publications and speaks regularly on marketing, entrepreneurship and leadership.
His past recognition includes Top 40 Under 40 and AMA Oregon's Marketer of the Year.
pdxMindShare
Bringing Portland professionals together around connections, careers and new opportunities.
Anvil Media
Started a business that would become a two-decade education in people and business-building.
A business exit
Anvil merged with Deksia. A moment for reflection on everything learned and what comes after.
Sharing the long view
Teaching, speaking, writing and helping fellow entrepreneurs think through what's next.
CONNECT.
EDUCATE.
ENTERTAIN.
It's more than a tagline. It's the theme running through the businesses, communities, talks and essays.
Background is based on Kent's published biography, Anvil's company history ↗, and his 2026 reflections ↗.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR OTHER FOUNDERS.
Building and leading Anvil was an education in people, priorities and change. You can explore selected lessons from that journey, or see how those experiences inform founder advisory and more focused agency owner advice. These conversations are grounded in lived business decisions, not a promise of a universal growth formula.