Let us introduce ourselves.
First the founder, then the company.
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From Medical School to Entrepreneurship
Born in Chicago to immigrant parents, Ismail grew up moving from one small town to the next. Few people along the way could pronounce his name, and somewhere in those years it became Ish.
He was accepted to medical school and left in 2018 to pursue his first startup. In 2019 he co-founded Rastah, the streetwear label that has bootstrapped its growth to this day, and a year later he founded ISH & CO.
ISH & CO opened as a consulting agency for small and mid-sized businesses, in the same year so many of them were fighting to stay open.
By 2021, Entrepreneur Magazine had named Ish one of the six top consultants for small and mid-sized businesses that year.
Today the firm runs as three parts under one roof. The agency delivers the services. Venture takes on a select few client accounts as partners. The Studio builds products of our own, six so far, one of which was acquired in 2025.
People
Strategists, publicists, creatives, engineers and account leads, working as one team out of New York.
Software
Tools we built for ourselves, led by the ISH & CO App, so the repetitive work runs on its own.
Network
Editors, creators, talent and operators we have known and worked with since 2019.
Playbook
The methods we use to grow our own companies, applied to yours.
Everything starts with one question. What result do you want to see?
From there, ISH & CO works three ways. Most agencies only offer the first. Having all three under one roof means the playbook we sell is the playbook we run on our own companies, and our incentives stay tied to your outcome.
01 · Services
Tell us the result you want to see. We build the path back to it and do the work.
One team runs the whole plan across press, social, creators, paid media, brand, web, automation and business development, so nothing gets lost between vendors. There is very little we cannot do, and when something falls outside it, we say so on the first call.
02 · Our own products
Six products built under our own roof. One of them, Clouter, was acquired in 2025.
Each one began as a problem we lived through first. The Studio is also where we test every approach before it reaches a client, so when you work with us, you get methods we already rely on for our own revenue.
03 · A piece of the pie
A small number of client accounts we take on as partners, backing the brand with our team, network and playbook in exchange for equity.
Our upside is tied directly to yours, so we build for the long run. Venture partners get the full agency behind them from day one, along with the introductions and experience of a team that has built and sold companies of its own.
2018 to today
Scroll to move through the years, or select one to go straight to it.
2018
Before the company
Accepted, 2018
Ish was accepted to medical school and left to build a company of his own. Everything after began with that decision.
2019
Co-founder
A streetwear label built on the craft of Lahore's artisans. Self-funded from day one, it has dressed Justin Bieber and Timothée Chalamet and shown at London Fashion Week.
2020
Founder
New York, 2020
A consulting agency for small and mid-sized businesses, opened in the year many were fighting to stay open. Entrepreneur Magazine named Ish one of six top consultants in 2021.
2021
ISH & CO Studio · Live
Live
Social media management for teams that need to be everywhere. Scheduling, analytics and reputation management in one place, with monthly press opportunities added in 2026.
2022
Founder · Membership
Membership
A mentorship membership built on the belief that the most useful mentor is one or two steps ahead of you. Every member begins with a consultation, and the introductions follow from there.
2022
Founder · Acquired 2025
Acquired 2025
Talent management for artists, athletes and creators that grew into a platform for following brand partnerships through to their return. Acquired in 2025.
2025
Founder · Live
Live
A private concierge service. Each client is paired with a hand-matched, tech-fluent concierge and a set of tools built around the way they live and work.
2026
Founder · Waitlist
Waitlist
Habits, journal and health data, brought together into a single daily score. Currently open by waitlist.
2026
ISH & CO Studio · Live
Live
Property management for single-family homes in Pennsylvania. Owners, tenants and contractors each have their own portal, and a real team stands behind all three.
05 · Principles
01 / 03
Every service we provide works toward a goal you can measure.
We also run our own companies, and we hold them to the same principles and playbooks we use for you. We quite literally practice what we preach.
Same playbook, our own companies
02 / 03
We tell you what we can do and what we cannot, before we start.
A clear scope from the first call means no false expectations and no disappointments later. If something sits outside what we do well, you will hear it from us first.
Scope, agreed on day one
Signed offWe can
We cannot
03 / 03
We never disappear.
You always have a direct line to everyone on your account. Every client, big or small, gets a dedicated Slack channel with the team doing the work.
# yourbrand-ishandco
Dedicated Slack channel
Account lead 9:02
Morning. Press list is final, pitches go out at 10.
You 9:05
Great. Can we add the podcast angle?
PR lead 9:07
Done. Added to the brief and the list.
Stay in the loop.
News and ideas from the team. No spam.
