Craig Rodney, founder of The Agency Coach, shares his journey from agency owner to coach, emphasizing the importance of systems for growth. He reveals his struggles with delegation and escaping survival mode, highlighting the crucial shift from valuing money to valuing time. Craig discusses strategic hiring to foster agency efficiency and personal development. Listeners will discover tailored coaching programs aimed at helping both new and seasoned agency owners optimize their path toward success and even prepare for potential exits.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Craig's Agency Growth Journey
Craig started his first agency in 2002 and successfully grew it over 15 years.
He experienced a merger and eventual sellout to a major company before becoming a coach for agency owners.
insights INSIGHT
Founder Bottleneck Limits Growth
Craig was the go-to person for his clients, which limited scaling.
Despite landing blue chip clients, the business couldn't grow because it relied too heavily on him personally.
insights INSIGHT
Escape Survival Mode by Buying Back Your Time to Scale Your Agency
Craig Rodney reveals the secret to scaling an agency lies in the owner's ability to delegate effectively and shift from trading time for money to valuing time above money.
Small agencies often get trapped in survival mode, where time is abundant but undervalued, leading owners to overwork and undercharge clients. Craig advises that true growth requires "buying back your time" by investing money in hiring capable people who can take full ownership and accountability of tasks, thus freeing the owner to focus on high-value activities.
He stresses that survival mode decisions, like discounting work or hiring cheap help, are necessary initially but ultimately trap agencies in a cycle. The key breakthrough is when the owner runs out of time and realizes that paying to "buy back" time is essential to double revenue and build an asset with real value.
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Craig Rodney (Founder at The Agency Coach) helps agencies systemize their processes and scale. He started his first agency way back in 2002, grew the business, went through a merger and in 2013 sold his first business. After 2016, he started coaching other agency owners so they can follow his path.
The first big mistake that Craig had to pinpoint and solve in his agency was the fact that he was the go-to person for all of their clients. Even though this approach got them blue chip clients, he realized the same thing that most agency owners run into - you can’t scale yourself.
Delegation is hard when you’re a small agency owner. Being overly attached to your work and thinking you’re the only person who can deliver real quality normal, but it’s also a one-way ticket to staying in survival mode forever. Craig advises that you get out of survival mode as soon as possible by learning how to hire the right people - ones that allow you to devalue money and increase the value of time.
Tune into the full episode to learn how to properly scale an agency!
HIGHLIGHTS: 0:00 Intro 2:43 How Craig learned how to let go 6:04 You need to be ready to delegate 9:02 Survival mode decisions don’t scale 13:00 Leverage your time correctly 16:49 Mindspace matters most
Connect with Mikael - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikaeldia/ Connect with Craig - https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigrodney/
Funnel Vision - For Performance-Driven Agencies & Marketers 