Top causes of recurring fires

Welcome to another engaging episode of Build a Better Agency! This week, host Drew McLellan turns the spotlight inward to tackle a challenge many agency owners face but rarely confront: the chaos we unintentionally create within our own shops. Joined by productivity expert and business coach Amber De La Garza, this episode dives deep into the subtle ways agency leaders can become the source of their business's dysfunction—and, most importantly, how they can flip the script to become the calming force their teams need.

Amber De La Garza brings years of hands-on coaching across diverse service industries, helping business owners recognize how their habits, decisions, and leadership styles ripple throughout their organizations. Together, she and Drew McLellan explore common pitfalls like inconsistent follow-through, the lure of firefighting, and the temptation to solve every problem yourself. They shed light on how these behaviors not only breed chaos but also undermine team empowerment and erode trust.

Throughout their conversation, you'll hear actionable strategies for spotting and addressing the habits and leadership gaps that fuel ongoing fires. Amber De La Garza shares practical tools—from tracking your time (spoiler: you're spending it differently than you think!) to identifying recurring symptoms in your business and asking the all-important question: "How am I responsible for this?" The episode also encourages agency leaders to carve out sacred time for big-picture thinking and to support their teams in becoming more self-sufficient problem solvers.

Don't miss this episode if you're ready to break the cycle of crisis mode, build a steadier agency environment, and reclaim the freedom and satisfaction that inspired you to start your business in the first place. By the end, you'll walk away with a renewed sense of ownership—not just over your agency's success, but over the culture and calm you create every day.

A big thank you to our podcast's presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They're an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

• • Recognizing your role in creating agency chaos
  • Why consistency from leaders sets the tone for the team
  • Strategies to empower employees to solve their own problems
  • The critical importance of owners following their own systems
  • Turning firefighting into long-term solutions
  • How tracking time reveals hidden patterns and priorities
  • Building agency culture through intentional, focused change