#474 Chris LaFay - Founder, Classic City Consulting

In this conversation, Chris LaFay (Founder, Classic City Consulting) shares a decade of hard-won lessons on staying profitable, avoiding bloat, and building an agency that lasts. We dig into “one-glass focus,” why not niching can still be strategic, when to pass on work, partnerships without finders fees, pricing and retainers, and the KPI that quietly compounds new business: intentional outreach.

In this episode, you’ll learn

• Why “one glass” focus beats scattered growth

• Project variety vs. “niching down” (and how to niche by systems, not industry)

• The comparison trap: learning from peers without copy-pasting their playbook

• When referral partnerships work without commissions—and when they don’t

• The 4 R’s growth engine: Retain → Reactivate → Referral → Recruit (new)

• Don’t hire on a hope: catching operational bloat before it sinks marginsPricing, retainers, and the “help agencies look great” strategy

• The single KPI Chris tracks in good seasons: weekly intentional check-ins

00:00 Intro

09:04 One-Glass Focus: creator energy, momentum, and why projects stay interesting

11:29 Project Variety > Burnout: why new client problems keep the work fresh

14:15 Do You Need a Niche? Niching by WordPress/Shopify & repeatable frameworks

15:32 Peer Comparison Without Copy-Paste: learning from others, keeping identity

18:44 Outreach > Everything: how early agencies stall without consistent relationship-building

25:24 Partnerships Sans Finder Fees: when passing leads is the value (and exceptions)

31:10 Adding Value to Your Agency Network: beyond referrals; community & support

32:17 Risk You’re Glad You Took: the hiring lesson that reshaped the business

37:51 Silencing the Inner Critic: external processing & mentor mirrors

41:22 Most Valuable KPI: weekly intentional reach-outs (and why they compound)

46:55 Action Taker You Admire: David Feldman & decisive leadership

51:49 Sunk Costs & When to Quit: “fans-first” filter + staying lean on OPEX

Connect with Chris:

Founder – Classic City Consulting

Website: https://classiccity.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-lafay/

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/7aHdpQXccPOE9YTcDJe4gZ

Connect with Brian:

 Web:⁠ https://brianondrako.com⁠

LinkedIn:⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianondrako/

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