What Does Business Ownership Have to Do With Pageantry?
If you follow The Edge Agency our CEO, Alex Radford on social media, you may have seen something a little unexpected recently.
And we know, a pageant was probably not on your marketing bingo card for this season.
We have heard the question more than once since the announcement: What does business ownership have to do with pageantry?
Honestly? More than you might think.
First, the News
It is official. We are so proud to share that our founder and CEO, Alex Radford, was recently crowned Miss. Georgia for America Strong 2026.
This was not something Alex planned years in advance. It was a step of faith, one she almost talked herself out of. And the experience on the other side of that yes has already reminded us all why stepping past comfort is almost always worth it.
The crown is meaningful. But what it represents is what moves us most: a larger platform to encourage women, business owners, and leaders who are doing the hard, quiet work of building something that matters.
Leadership Is Influence, And Influence Shows Up Everywhere
Here is what Alex has learned after years of building The Edge Agency into a full-service marketing agency serving 600+ clients across 40+ industries.
Leadership is not about titles. It is not about being the loudest person in the room or the one with the most impressive resume.
Leadership is influence. And influence shows up in more places than most people realize.
Sometimes it is one-on-one with a client in a quiet office. Sometimes it is in the middle of a hard season with a team. Sometimes it is in a boardroom before a contract is signed. And sometimes it is from a stage in front of a crowd.
Both business ownership and pageantry demand the same core things: leadership, service, and the willingness to step into a room before you feel fully ready. Both create a platform. And the question is always the same, will you use that platform to elevate yourself, or to elevate the people around you?
For Alex, stepping onto that stage had very little to do with a crown and everything to do with a calling.
Business As A Platform for Purpose
There is something that has always been true of The Edge Agency, even when we have not said it out loud.
This agency was never just about growing businesses. It has always been about people.
We start our team meetings with devotion and prayer. We pray with clients when the moment is right. We tithe. We give. We support organizations doing work that creates lasting impact in communities.
Marketing, at its core, is influence. Social media management, website design, content strategy — all of it is influence at scale. And Alex has never been able to separate the responsibility of that influence from the call to be a light.
Jesus told his disciples that he would make them fishers of men. We think about that often. Because what we do every day — building brands, crafting messages, managing social media platforms, developing marketing strategy — is not just catching fish. It is an opportunity to reach people. To lead with integrity. To build something that matters beyond the bottom line.
Business can be a profession. It can also be a ministry. For us, it is both.
If you are a faith-driven leader looking to grow alongside others who operate from that same foundation, we would love to connect you with Iron Forums, a community built around faith-based leadership.
Obedience Opens Doors
Look back at the moments that changed the trajectory of your life or your business. We would be willing to bet that most of them started with one simple act: saying yes before you had all the answers.
Starting The Edge Agency. Growing a team. Taking risks before the outcome was guaranteed. Stepping onto a pageant stage before it made sense to everyone around her.
None of those moments came with a roadmap. None of them came with certainty. What they came with was a nudge — quiet, persistent, unmistakable.
Whatever your next right step looks like, no matter how unconventional it may seem, take it.
Not because it is easy. Not because it is safe. But because obedience has a way of opening doors that strategy never could.
A Word for This Season
"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." — John 15:5
Lasting impact does not come from strategy alone. It does not come from hustle, positioning, or even the strongest brand identity we can build for you.
All of that matters, and none of it is enough on its own.
Lasting impact comes from staying rooted. From leading from a place of connection rather than striving. From knowing that the fruit we are after is only possible because of the vine we are attached to.
Stay rooted. Lead well. Keep saying yes.