Operations, Key Hires, and Boutique Positioning

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Is hiring one of the biggest challenges you've faced when it comes to running your agency? How do you sift through hundreds of applications when most don't even read the job description? Today's featured guest opens up about the realities of building a team, the role that gave him his time back, and why finding the right people, not unicorns, but the right fits can make or break an agency's growth.

Dan Salganik is the managing partner and CEO of VisualFizz, a Chicago-based digital full-service marketing agency. He spent years working at agencies of every size and learning of the many flaws in their operations: bloated overhead, work designed more to win awards than to serve clients, and inefficiencies everywhere.

Instead of sticking it out, he decided to try something different. With the help of a co-founder he met online, he turned his freelance gig into an actual business. Within nine days of their first conversation, they had their first paying client. Once they were at three clients, they decided it was time to make it official and started VisualFizz.

In this episode, we'll discuss:

• The digital nomad myth.

• Hiring as the biggest challenge for agency success.

• The unicorn problem.

• Why the big guys should be worried.

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Inspired to Create Something Better After Working With The Big Guys

Dan's path into agency life started straight out of college, working at agencies as a project manager. He saw how the big guys worked and was frustrated by the waste. Expensive office space downtown, teams focused on portfolio-building instead of client results, and layers of inefficiency that didn't make sense to him.

After a layoff, he started contracting and freelancing. After a while, he figured if he was already selling his time, why not build a team and sell more than just his own hours? Partnering with a co-founder who brought SEO and paid search chops, he launched VisualFizz for just $50 and a "crappy logo."

The Digital Nomad Myth

At first, Dan thought the digital nomad lifestyle was going to be the dream. He traveled through Asia, working out of hostels, hopping on 2 a.m. client calls from rooftop hotels, and running projects with a global team scattered across South Africa, Kuwait, and the U.S.

It sounded cool on paper—but the reality was brutal. Trying to serve U.S. clients while living 12 hours ahead was a recipe for burnout. As he put it, "If you're traveling to Southeast Asia and trying to hit U.S. hours, you're in for a rude awakening." Over time, he realized international travel had to shift into more realistic time zones if he wanted to scale the agency.

From Scrappy Start to Scaling Smart

VisualFizz didn't take off by accident. From the beginning, Dan and his co-founder knew they wanted more than just a freelancing partnership. She had the technical expertise, he had the business and sales skills, and together they leaned into that divide. Their first clients came on at around $2,500/month retainers, which felt big at the time. But what really set them apart was their willingness to sell the agency model—not just themselves as individual contractors.

Dan admits the early days were DIY to the extreme. He designed the first website, created the brand, and hustled every step of the way. But over time, they shifted from being "just two freelancers" into a legit business with structure, processes, and a growing client roster.

Why Hiring is Always the Hardest Part

Dan didn't hesitate when asked about the hardest part of running an agency: hiring. In a business where you're selling knowledge and time, having the right people is everything. And finding those people can be tough, especially for smaller agencies.

Posting a single job ad often results in 700 to 1,500 applications—most of which are noise. Dan prefers entrepreneurial-minded hires over candidates with perfect credentials. He values people who can adapt, who want to learn, and who bring a cultural fit to the table. That's how he's built a team that can handle change in an industry that shifts constantly.

Like most founders, Dan has had terrible interview experiences with candidates who applied mindlessly as soon as they saw an opening and didn't bother to read anything about the profile required. People were showing up to interviews while in their card eating, not even knowing the company's name, and clearly not having the skills required.

If you've ever found yourself in this position, overwhelmed by resumes and constantly interviewing the wrong people, bury a hidden instruction in your job post, like requiring a candidate to send a video with a specific subject line to a private email. The people who follow directions prove they're serious. The rest self-select out, saving you hours of wasted interviews

Tired of the fancy resumes and disastrous interviews, Dan has turned to his contractors. He's hired people who had contracted with the agency for years, which of course had the advantage of already understanding their capabilities and knowing they were up to the task. Furthermore, Dan considers himself to be very fiscally conservative when it comes to hiring, so he prefers working with the person until he feels he can comfortably hire them to be a full-time team member.

The Hire That Changed Everything

For Dan, the biggest game-changer was bringing in a project manager who grew into a project lead. Having someone who could take ownership of processes, build out SOPs, and even tell him to log off at 6 p.m. gave him the space to focus on the bigger picture, strategy, branding, and biz dev.

The right project manager isn't just checking boxes. They protect your time. They let you walk into client conversations clear-headed instead of stressed about whether a deliverable is behind. When they can run the team and operations, you can finally do the job of a CEO: winning new business and setting the direction of the agency.

Stop Chasing Unicorn Hires

What's the next hire on Dan's list? A hybrid between a campaign strategist and a creative marketing manager. Someone who can think strategically, get hands-on with campaigns, and still spot when an SEO report doesn't make sense to a client. Sounds great but also sounds like a unicorn.

As most agency owners eventually learn: unicorn hires exist, but you can't build a hiring strategy around finding them. Instead, hire clearly defined roles—project managers who love execution, account managers who thrive on client leadership. When you stumble across someone who can flex across lanes, great. But don't make that the expectation.

How to Train Your Team to Sell Naturally

Dan's agency doesn't run with a traditional account manager structure. Their PMs double as client leads, which means Dan had to find a way to make sales training part of the culture without turning his team into pushy salespeople.

The secret to this training is storytelling. Instead of saying, "Hey, we can upsell you," his team learns to connect client comments with relevant success stories. If a client mentions running a content audit, a PM can naturally suggest looping in the SEO lead, not because they're chasing revenue but because they know it will help the client. Over time, this approach builds trust and positions the agency as a partner, not just a vendor.

Positioning in a Shifting Market

Dan has seen client expectations are moving "down a notch" lately. Big brands that once chased Ogilvy or Leo Burnett are now hunting for mid-sized partners. Those mid-sized companies are shifting to smaller shops. And boutique agencies like VisualFizz are landing $100–500 million clients who want to be a top priority instead of client number 142 on a massive roster.

It's the boutique hotel effect. Clients don't always want the 3,000-room resort. Sometimes they want the place where the staff knows their name, treats them like the biggest deal in the building, and still delivers world-class service. For smaller agencies, that's a huge opportunity to win the types of clients that used to feel out of reach.

Why Lean Agencies Have the Edge

The future isn't kind to bloated agencies. What used to take 100 people a few years ago could now be done with 40, or even 15. Large firms with huge overhead and outdated models will struggle unless they pivot, merge, or find a vertical niche.

Meanwhile, smaller and mid-sized agencies that can move fast, price smart, and deliver with a lean team are better positioned than ever. As Dan put it, even Fortune 500 companies are asking, "Why should I pay $50k a month for SEO when I can get the same expertise at $8k?"

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