197: How We Grew 50% Without Hiring a Single Person - Pat Dillon - 8FE

What happens when you've built multiple companies, lost control, got burned by partners, and then finally get it right?

Patrick Dillon has done it all. He’s built several digital agencies, and even a janitorial company. He’s taken on investors, lost equity, made painful pivots, and come out the other side with a lean, wildly profitable agency. Today, his company, WISE Digital, is scaling steadily without the risk of it all collapsing from one bad client, partner, or decision.

In this episode, we break down how Pat used AI to scale without bloat, what really went wrong with his first three ventures, and why he’ll never niche down again. We also get into the recruiting system that saved him thousands of hours, the legal dispute ChatGPT helped him settle, and how to avoid toxic positivity while building something that actually lasts.

If you’re in agency life, you’ll feel this one.

Listen in and find out what it really takes to build a growth engine you actually want to run.

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This episode is part of the 8FE (8-figure entrepreneur) series, where we talk to entrepreneurs who have already passed the million-dollar mark.

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Key Takeaways:

• 00:00:00 Intro

• 00:01:53 Undervalued marketing tactics 

• 00:04:24 Unusual AI use cases 

• 00:08:03 Patrick’s entrepreneurial journey 

• 00:18:38 Interacting with investors 

• 00:21:29 When to pull the plug 

• 00:27:57 Transition to WISE Digital 

• 00:37:43 Focusing on SMB 

• 00:40:02 Growing the business through AI 

• 00:51:57 SEO strategies and the impact of AI 

• 00:58:58 Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs 

• 01:01:21 Outro

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Additional Resources:

🔹 Website: https://www.wisedigitalpartners.com/  

🔹 Meet with Pat: https://meetwithpat.com/ 

🔹 Patrick on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patrickjamesdillon/?hl=en

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Beyond A Million is a business podcast that reveals the scaling secrets of 8, 9, and 10-figure entrepreneurs. Every week, we share an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the best business growth strategies that work. 

If you're an entrepreneur or business professional who's looking to level up & continue to scale far beyond the million-dollar mark, this podcast is for YOU!

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