Agency Bytes Ep 135 – Drew McLellan, AMI – The Owner’s Actual Job: Vision, Profit, and a Pipeline That Isn’t You
In episode 135, I sit down with Drew McLellan, CEO of Agency Management Institute and host of the Build a Better Agency podcast. Drew’s been in the business for over 30 years and has coached thousands of agencies on how to grow profitably, attract better clients, and actually enjoy the perks of ownership.
In this conversation, we unpack what the real job of an agency owner is — and how easy it is to get lost in the weeds doing everyone else’s. Drew shares how founders can move from day-to-day chaos to the higher-level work of vision, leadership, and building a pipeline that doesn’t depend on them. We also talk about the mental shift from “founder hustle” to “CEO clarity,” and what it really means to build an agency that serves your life, not the other way around.
Key Bytes
• The three things only the owner can and should do
• Why your agency’s profit tells the truth about your leadership
• Building a self-sustaining pipeline that runs without you
• How to structure your week around the owner’s actual job
• The difference between running an agency and owning a business
• What makes an agency truly “sellable”
• Common traps that keep founders stuck in the weeds
• How to get your time back without losing control
Chapters
00:00 Welcome and Drew’s background
04:12 The evolution from founder to true agency owner
09:45 What the “owner’s actual job” really is
14:58 Why agency profit is a mirror of leadership
20:17 Building systems and pipelines that aren’t you
26:04 The importance of clarity and delegation
31:42 Common mistakes that limit scalability
38:27 How to build an agency that can thrive without you
44:10 Preparing for eventual sale or succession
49:22 Drew’s advice for new and seasoned agency owners
Drew McLellan has worked in advertising for 30+ years and started his own agency, McLellan Marketing Group, in 1995 after a five-year stint at Y&R and still actively runs the agency. He spends the lion’s share of his time running Agency Management Institute (AMI), which he also co-owns/runs with his wife Danyel.
AMI serves thousands of small to mid-sized agencies (advertising, digital, marketing, media, and PR) every year, so they can increase their AGI, attract better clients and employees, mitigate the risks of being self-employed in such a volatile business, and best of all — let the agency owner actually enjoy the perks of agency ownership.
AMI is the only agency network that is run by an active agency owner. It offers:
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Public workshops for agency owners, leaders and account service staff
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Owner peer networks (like a Vistage group or 4A’s forums)
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Private coaching/consulting for agency owners
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Annual primary research with CMOs and client decision makers about their work with agencies
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The highly praised podcast Build A Better Agency
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The only conference built for small to mid-sized agencies – the Build A Better Agency Summit
Drew often appears in publications like Entrepreneur Magazine, New York Times, Washington Post, Forbes, AdAge, CNN, BusinessWeek, and many others. The Wall Street Journal calls him “one of 10 bloggers every entrepreneur should read.”
He’s also written several books, the most recent being Sell with Authority (January 2020). The latest book has garnered rave reviews and has been the guidebook for agency growth and business development in today’s world.
Drew also speaks at leading agency and marketing conferences like Inbound, Content Marketing World, and MAICON and is often cited in agency-centric content for his expertise in the industry.
When he’s not hanging out with clients or agency owners and their staff, Drew spends time with his wife, their blended family, and following his beloved Dodgers.
Learn more about Drew and AMI on their website.