Episode 525 Agency Success in 2026 with Drew McLellan

20 snips

Oct 26, 2025

Drew McLellan dives deep into planning for 2026, emphasizing the unique responsibilities of agency owners. He outlines five core areas to focus on: driving new business, articulating vision, managing finances, nurturing people and clients, and building an empowered leadership team. Hear tips on defining mission and values, choosing and committing to a niche, and fostering growth among existing clients. Drew offers actionable insights for cultivating strong client relationships and encourages owners to lead with clear strategies, all while staying connected with their teams.

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ADVICE

Prioritize Owner-Only Work

Spend your time on the five owner-only priorities: new business, vision/values, finances, people/clients, and limited firefighting.
Limit firefighting to 5% of your time and delegate the rest so your owner-role work actually gets done.

ADVICE

Own Your Mission, Vision, Values

Define and articulate mission, vision, and values that explain why your agency exists beyond making money.
Teach and weave those elements into hiring, onboarding, decisions, and recognition so they guide behavior.

INSIGHT

Clarity Prevents Owner Bottlenecks

The owner must lead strategic positioning: who you are, how you're different, and where you're headed.
This clarity lets the team make aligned decisions without defaulting to the owner every time.

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Welcome to a new solo cast episode of Build a Better Agency! Host Drew McLellan is flying solo for episode 525, bringing decades of agency expertise to help owners prepare their businesses for a fast-changing marketplace. If the calendar is winding down and you're looking ahead to 2026, this episode is packed with actionable insights designed specifically for agency leadership.

Drew kicks off with an overview of critical housekeeping—announcing the monthly workshop giveaway winner and expressing gratitude to long-time sponsor White Label IQ. The heart of this episode, though, is a deep dive into the unique responsibilities agency owners must own in these last 60 days of 2025. Rather than swamping yourself with creative or client-service tasks, Drew urges you to refocus on the essential leadership duties that no one else in your company has the authority or experience to fulfill.

Listeners will hear Drew break down the owner's role into five core areas: driving new business, articulating agency vision and values, managing financial health, nurturing both people and clients, and building an empowered leadership team. He shares clear strategies for refining your agency's differentiation, creating a new business pipeline, career-pathing for staff, and cultivating "client love" from the top down. If you're struggling with being too hands-on or feeling disconnected from your agency's strategic path, Drew offers practical ideas and downloadable tools to get you back on track.

Don't miss this episode if you want to kick off 2026 in the strongest possible position. With guidance on setting vision, connecting with your team and clients, and creating a culture where everyone knows the agency's direction, Drew's solo cast is a masterclass in leadership focus—and a reminder that your job as agency owner is irreplaceable. Tune in and walk away ready to lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

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:

- Defining mission, vision, and values as a leadership priority
- How agency owners shape and communicate their agency's direction
- Why new business growth requires both existing and new clients
- The critical role of agency specialization and niche expertise
- Building a culture of employee growth, career pathing, and retention
- Strengthening client relationships beyond project work
- Creating a leadership team to handle agency fires and empower growth