“I have long seen myself as: I’m a very good marketer. I'm a very good communicator. I'm a good content creator. That's my lane. I know how to drive in that lane very, very well. And this has been a challenge for me to say: how do I become the best president, owner of a services business? Versus the best marketer anybody knows.”

Ali Schwanke is founder and CEO of Simple Strat—a Diamond HubSpot Solutions Partner and premium B2B content marketing agency.

You may know them from the HubSpot Hacks YouTube channel, the #1 unofficial source of HubSpot tutorials with over 20k subscribers to the channel.

This episode will be a perfect listen for agency operators looking to find their perfect niche; discover content topics and formats that work on YouTube; and become a better leader by leveraging their unique leadership style.

It’s also full of inspiration for owners considering making an exit from their agency.

Episode Insights:

💡 Simple Strat’s journey towards becoming experts in the HubSpot ecosystem through content creation and strategic focus

💡 How Ali and her team approach content production and finding ideas for their HubSpot Hacks channel on YouTube (leveraging TubeBuddy, AirTable, and HubSpot rep feedback)

💡 Moving from solving problems on her own to empowering team members to learn and grow

💡 Ali’s advice on leadership styles, the shift in mindset from a marketer to an agency owner, and the importance of systems and processes in scaling an agency

💡 Ali’s thoughts on how to prepare for a future exit from an agency, including the importance of mindset but also legal compliance, data preparation, and more

Resourced Mentioned:

📚 Simple Strat 

📚 Ali Schwanke’s LinkedIn

📚 HubSpot Hacks YouTube channel 

📚 TubeBuddy (for YouTube keyword research)

📚 "Work Less, Earn More" by Karl Sakas (book)

📚 "Built to Sell" by John Warrillow (book)

📚 "How to Win Client Business When You Don't Know What You're Doing" by Doug Fletcher (book)

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