Intro

This chapter delves into the guest's experiences as an entrepreneur, highlighting the critical importance of marketing in achieving business success. The discussion balances personal anecdotes and insights on understanding customer needs to effectively start and scale a marketing business.

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Episode notes

#388 What if your origin story isn’t what wins clients — but your ability to solve their problems is? In this episode hosted by Brien Gearin, Jay Owen, founder of Business Builders and host of Building a Business That Lasts, shares how he turned a teenage side hustle into a thriving multimillion-dollar agency that now runs mostly without him. Jay opens up about his early struggles, how a pivotal conversation with his wife helped him commit to entrepreneurship full-time, and the mindset shifts that helped him scale sustainably over two decades. He dives into the importance of recurring revenue, why strong messaging is more powerful than flashy design, and how agencies can stay relevant in an AI-driven world by becoming operators instead of executors. Whether you’re growing your own agency or just getting started, this episode is packed with timeless advice and fresh perspective!

What we discuss with Jay:

+ Why your story isn’t what sells

+ From teenage side hustle to agency

+ Importance of recurring revenue

+ Messaging over design every time

+ Scaling without burning out

+ Using AI to increase efficiency

+ Building a business, not a job

+ Contractors vs. employees

+ Speaking as a lead generator

+ Diversifying services and industries

Thank you, Jay!