The Agency Accelerator

Have you ever delegated some work to a member of your team (whether that's in-house or remote) and they failed to deliver on time or to the quality you expect so you end up lurching in to rescue the situation?  If that's happened to you or something you fear then you are not alone and that's what we're going to cover in today's episode of the podcast, so let's jump in with some practical tips on what you can do to start changing this. Time Stamp [01:00] How to delegate and let go (even if you don’t have a team today) [01:40] A definition of a RESCUING manager v a SUPPORTIVE manager [03:05] 5 Tips to stop being a RESCUING manager [3:32] 1. It all starts with developing the right Mindset [05:08] 2. Work on being a great delegator [06:45] 3. Slow down to speed up - invest time in delegating and communicating clearly [07:33] 4. Be a coach/mentor manager rather than a directive/telling manager [08:31] 5. Have clarity around who is responsible for what tasks and develop clear roles & responsibilities [09:45] If you keep RESCUING your team you will demotivate them and it will lead to staff retention issues [10:49] Be the captain of your ship Quotations “Ask yourself if you are a rescuing manager or a supportive manager?” - Rob Da Costa “Telepathy doesn't exist so make sure you delegate effectively.” - Rob Da Costa “Be the captain of your ship, standing on deck, spotting the iceberg up ahead” - Rob Da Costa Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people like you to move towards a Self-Running Agency. How to leave a review on Apple Podcasts Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then, let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: 9-steps to delegationThe Self-Running Agency Implementation Group

If you want to grow your agency you need to get out of the 'freelancer mindset' of doing everything yourself and figure out how to grow consistently.  But that can be easier said than done! So in today’s podcast, I am joined by Alex Schlinksy to discuss the 7 key systems you need to put in place to go from the freelancer trap to building a 7-figure agency. Time Stamp [01:40] What is the typical entrepreneurial journey - from starting out to freelancing to hiring, and what are some of the pitfalls you see along the way? [04:18] 4 steps to hiring [04:50] Mindset is such an essential part of the entrepreneurial journey [05:50] Longevity and focus is key to your success [07:30] Most things that happen in your agency on a day-to-day basis are business as usual, not a catastrophe! [09:31] 7 key systems that focus on prospecting, fulfilment and retention [10:37] System 1: Your operating system: The 80/20 principle [10:54] System 2: Your A team [11:02] System 3: Your KPIs (your monthly numbers) [11:06] System 4: Sales [11:10] System 5: Long-term retention [11:48] System 6: Automated/delegated fulfilment [11:54] System 7: Inbound ads [12:55] How does the 80/20 principle apply to running an agency? [14:39] Alex’s story of having open heart surgery at 29 years old! [17:20] Stop offering ‘more’ and instead, apply the 80/20 rule based on your longer-term goals [18:01] DEFINE, DESIGN & DO [20:43] Keep your vision and goals simple [21:25] Digging into System 6: Auto fulfilment [23:20] Focus on your strengths and delegate the rest [27:41] Document your processes [28:13] System 7: The fastest way to consistently grow using ads [31:42] Does this ad strategy work for B2B? [34:39] If you could go back in time and give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be? Quotations “If you want to grow your agency then be comfortable in the uncomfortable” - Alex Schlinksy “Ask yourself not ‘will they do it as well as me?’ but ‘will they do it well enough?’” - Rob Da Costa “If your goal is to make more money but you are not clear WHY, then you will sacrifice a lot, including your mental health in order to get there” - Alex Schlinksy Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people like you to move towards a Self-Running Agency. How to leave a review on Apple Podcasts Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: Alex’s websiteGroup Coaching Programme: The Self-Running Agency Implementation Group

We can all be ‘busy fools’ by not planning effectively and instead reacting to whatever is presented to us or ‘he who shouts loudest’! So today I am going to help you juggle fewer balls and become laser-focused. Time Stamp [01:38] How to break your year plan into daily calendar entries [02:45] When planning your day put times by each task rather than just work through your list from A-Z [03:37] Prioritise your day by doing the hardest things first (not last!) [04:30] Plan your day in 30-minute chunks and don't underestimate how long tasks will take! [05:19] Overestimate how long tasks will take (to cope with the unknowns that will invariably happen) [06:20] Block out time in your diary that is uninterruptible [08:30] Physically cross out tasks as you complete them [08:55] Your daily goal should be to cross off all tasks [09:40] Aim to start and end your day in the same way every day - your morning and evening rituals [10:50] Set your big goals for the week (by looking at your monthly plan) Quotations “When planning your day, always strive to do the hardest things first” - name “Your daily goal should be to cross off all tasks rather than carry any over.” - name “We overestimate what we can do in the short term and underestimate what we can do in the long term” - Bill Gates Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people like you to move towards a Self-Running Agency. How to leave a review on Apple Podcasts Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then, let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: Amazing Marvin List ManagerEp 101 - my favourite productivity hacksThe Self-Running Agency Implementation Group

In this REWIND episode, I am joined by my guest David Miles of The PPC Machine and we cover the world of PPC marketing and how it is changing. David also discusses how and why he niched his agency. So make sure you tune in because Rob and David have some incredibly valuable tips to share with you in this episode. [1:07] David discusses his background and how he ended up creating and building The PPC Machine. SEO and PPC (pay-per-click) have changed significantly over the years and The PPC Machine has to ensure they keep up to date so they are able to help their clients the best they can. [4:58] How can you as an agency use pay-per-click to generate more leads? David shares some very handy tips and different approaches you can take to save money but keep results coming in. He also reminds us of the importance of sharing value-added content with your audience to help ensure that they come back to you, when they are ready to buy. [8:11] Is it a good idea to stop running PPC when your site's SEO kicks in? [11:46] Why should we outsource PPC when surely we can just do it ourselves? David discusses some interesting points about Google and how setting up a campaign can look easier than it actually is (more money for Google, less money for you!) [14:42] Rob and David discuss the value of focusing on your own speciality and delegating areas you are not an expert in.  They discuss the different approaches you can take including delegating internally and using a mentor to provide support to upskill. [17:15] How can we compete with our PPC competitors without paying out ridiculous amounts of money each month? [19:30] Businesses need to remember that PPC leads can be very different to more traditional leads, as they tend to come in at the very top of the sales funnel (i.e they don't know anything about you). David tells us how he helped a Dental practice change its approach with PPC leads to turn more of them into new clients. [21:30] The PPC industry is always changing. David predicts what he thinks is going to happen in the next few years. [24:24] How and why did David and PPC Machine choose their niche?  [34:01] How can we find out more about the PPC Machine? Subscribe & Review Are you subscribed to my podcast yet? If you're not, please do so to avoid missing out on any episodes! You can subscribe/ follow on iTunes, Spotify or directly from my website. I would be very grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too as they will help other people to find my podcasts and it's also great to read your comments! Thanks so much, Rob  Use links mentioned in this podcast PPC Machine websiteDavid Miles LinkedIn Case Study

In the first year of running an agency, we do anything to survive, in effect we are just trying to prove we can make the new business work but after that, if we don’t have a clear vision and plan, we are in danger of going around in circles - working longer hours for a much tougher boss! There are so many reasons you need to have a clear vision, strategy and plan for your agency. But the process can get overly complex, end up not being helpful and can feel like a ‘tick box’ exercise. Yet hands down, the biggest thing that held me back from growing my agency as fast as I wanted whilst feeling in control, was not being clear enough about where the business was headed. It wasn’t that I had no idea what I wanted – it’s just that no one ever told me how crucial it was to have an exact destination in mind when setting out to grow your agency. And without that vision, it can be easy to feel lost, directionless and demotivated. Time Stamp [01:21] Why you need to have a clear vision, strategy and plan for your agency [02:44] The importance of having a proactive plan to drive your business forwards [03:15] Focus on putting the infrastructure in place to create a platform for growth [03:45] Likening your vision to a journey - what could possibly go wrong?!! [05:20] Create a plan for your agency in the same way you would map out a journey [05:40] Start with your longer-term vision and work backwards [06:15] Never cast a plan in stone but instead update it on what you know today that you didn’t know yesterday [06:58] The way to break your bigger vision down into tangible action steps  [09:00] Don’t let external factors drive the direction of your agency [09:28] Bring your team along with you - a situation to avoid [11:45] Ideas to keep your plan alive Quotations “Without having a clear vision, you can feel lost, directionless and demotivated” - Rob Da Costa “Never cast a plan in stone but instead update it on what you know today that you didn’t know yesterday” - Rob Da Costa “Your business vision and plan is so much more than just a finance plan” - Rob Da Costa Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people like you to move towards a Self-Running Agency. How to leave a review on Apple Podcasts Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then, let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: Delegation GuideThe Self-Running Agency Implementation Group

This is a REWIND episode, updating one of the most popular podcasts. So in this episode of the podcast, I am excited to be joined by Marcel Petitpas and we are discussing everything to do with your agency’s profits, pricing and margins. Another action-packed episode so grab a pen and paper and be sure to take notes! Time Stamp [1:17] Let’s start by welcoming Marcel Petitpas, our guest for today’s episode. He is the founder of Parakeeto, which aims to help agencies become more profitable. Parakeeto is a software platform that helps users to create data-driven estimates. [1:51] The importance of focusing on agency pricing and profitability. [4:18] At what stage of an agency’s growth should they start implementing time-tracking systems?  [6:55] The importance of understanding your business processes. [8:05] Pitfalls and tips to early prospect discussions [13:55] How to maximise the profitability of a project [16:18] How to calculate Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) [18:47] What are key metrics for agencies to look at? Differentiate between Gross Margin and Average Available Rate. [25:04] How to make team members more commercial [28:27] How to implement the Agency Profitability Flywheel in your agency [33:05] A business paradox: Slow down to speed up [33:43] What are the best strategies to raise your prices [35:25] The ideal approach for value-based pricing. [36:00] Word of advice: “Say YES to things that scare you!”  Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people — just like you — move towards a Self-Running Agency. Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: Connect with Marcel Petitpas www.parakeet.comAgency Profitability FlywheelAgency Profitability ToolkitThe Agency Profit PodcastThe Self-Running Agency BookThe Agency Selling SystemGet in touch with Rob at robert@dacostacoaching.co.uk

If you work long hours in your agency and don’t take regular vacations then you face the very real chance of burnout.  We are not superman/woman and do not have limitless amounts of energy, so taking time out to recharge your batteries is crucial. But often we pay the price both before we go on holiday (with a mountain of work to get through) and when we get back (with a ton of work to catch up on) and if we are not careful, all the goodness from the break disappears. Time Stamp [01:23] The importance of self-care and taking time away from the office to re-energise [02:10] Why do we often get sick when we go on holiday? [02:55] Prep for taking a holiday: Batch creating content to minimise stress both before you go and when you get back from holiday [04:51] Work with a VA to keep things running whilst you are away (e.g. client enquiries, social media, inbox management) [05:24] Communicating with clients and putting good boundaries in place [06:00] Whilst you are on holiday try and be present and have a ‘digital detox’ - extract your phone from your hand! [06:48] Plan your holidays around your quieter times (esp if your business is seasonal) which will mean you worry less whilst you are away [08:12] Put your Out Of Office on and redirect your emails and prep your team  Quotations “Batch producing content means you keep your head in the zone and are much more efficient” - Rob Da Costa “Be present on vacation by having a digital detox” - Rob Da Costa “Take your mind as well as your body on vacation!” - Rob Da Costa Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people — just like you — move towards a Self-Running Agency. Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: Batching content/productivity podcastLet me know if this is the type of content you enjoy - drop me an email: robert@dacostacoaching.co.uk

One of the best ways to scale your agency is to disconnect your time from the money you earn. There are several ways to do this (I’ve spoken about value pricing many times before, for example) and today we are going to be talking about productising your business: what this means, how to do it and the various steps along the journey. Timestamp  02:00 Introduction to today’s guest, Julia Chanteray 02:17 How Julia’s business is changing and starting Adventures IN Products 02:54 Let’s start with the typical journey a business owner goes on and the roadblocks they hit along the way, and how it can easily get out of control! 06:40 What are the 2nd set of stumbling blocks as the agency starts to grow? 08:40 The importance of the business owner ‘getting out of the way’ 10:18 Why have you decided to specialise to help businesses productise? 10:40 What does productising your business mean? 12:34 Can you give us some examples of a productised business? 15:50 You are either a PRODUCT business or a RELATIONSHIP business 16:54 Tell us about your programme and some of the members who have joined. 19:25 How do you work out what your product should be? 21:04 How to avoid shiny new object distractions 21:44 What are the biggest challenges people have on their productisation journey? 23:08 You can take a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink! 24:29 There is no such thing as passive income 25:30 A typical member who is part of Julia’s programme 26:45 If you could go back in time and give your younger self, just starting out in business, a piece of advice what would it be? Quotations “If you are clever, you start building some kind of product that breaks the relationship between how they spend their time and how they make their money” - Julia Chanteray “As a coach, you can take a horse to water but you can’t make it drink!” - Rob Da Costa Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people — just like you — move towards a Self-Running Agency. Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: Adventuresinproducts.com

I wanted to record a quick episode to discuss one of the errors I see people making repeatedly when they are trying to win new business and sell. This fundamental error makes them frustrated because they just don't seem to be able to close the deal! We are surrounded by lots of supposed 'experts' telling us how easy it is to win new business, yet most agency owners don't find that to be the case. Hopefully, you know that you can't solely rely on word of mouth and referrals, which is not a strategy. This is especially true in a recession. Time Stamp [01:09] How not to use LinkedIn and be annoying! [01:55] The importance of building KNOW, LIKE & TRUST (build EMPATHY, CREDIBILITY and TRUST) [03:35] It starts by having a clear niche and understanding exactly who your ideal target customer is  [03:59] Start by building empathy - showing your audience you understand them [04:30] Next build credibility by showing them you have solved their challenge before [05:23] Build trust by showing your audience how you can help them  [06:00] At this stage you can start having the sales conversation and map out the journey of building EMPATHY, CREDIBILITY & TRUST in your marketing [07:10] Why cold outreach doesn’t work [07:40] KNOW, LIKE & TRUST  [08:43] Focus your marketing on SERVING (80%) more than SELLING (20%) [09:11] Be client-centric: Map your customer’s journey onto your website Quotations “When someone is buying your product or service they are actually buying an outcome and a transformation from being in pain to not being in pain” - Rob Da Costa “Map out the journey of EMPATHY, CREDIBILITY & TRUST to your marketing” - Rob Da Costa “Focus 80% of your marketing on SERVING and just 20% of your outbound comms on SELLING” - Rob Da Costa Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people like you to move towards a Self-Running Agency. How to leave a review on Apple Podcasts Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: Niching GuideDefining your ideal target customer

If you wish you were more profitable, then make sure you listen to this episode!   My most read blog is called ‘Being a Busy Fool'. It clearly resonates with a lot of people, and it's also obviously a search term that a lot of business owners are typing into Google! After all, we can all be really busy run ragged servicing clients, trying to catch our breath whilst recognising that we are not doing many of those ‘running the agency’ type tasks such as planning for the future, focusing on business development and so on because we are so stuck on the client service hamster wheel, just trying to keep up with client demands. Sadly this results in us being busy fools and, quite frankly, staying poor. In today’s podcast, I dig into the cause of this and give you some ideas to start solving it.  Time Stamp [01:27] There should be a direct correlation between how busy you are and how profitable you are. If not, here are some reasons why [02:17] Over-servicing: an agency pandemic! [03:06] The importance of measuring time internally (which is different to selling time to clients!) [04:10] Putting the right systems in place to measure capacity and efficiency [05:06] Translating a brief into internal allocated time [05:50] Getting your team members to self-manage using RAG [07:22] Taking a strategic view on over servicing [07:45] Say YES or NO to a client when they ask for more [08:28] When time recording falls [09:56] Explaining WHY to your team [10:33] Don’t use an ‘admin other’ task in your time recording system [11:29] The cultural implementation of not overservicing by implementing time recording [12:26] Identifying skills gaps and training needs [13:45] The sooner you implement this the easier your journey of growth will be Quotations “You have to track time internally to measure efficiency, capacity and profitability.” - Rob Da Costa “You will never know if you are profitable with a client unless you track your time.” - Rob Da Costa “The sooner you implement time recording, the easier your journey of growth will be” - Rob Da Costa Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts (How to leave a review on Apple Podcasts) “I enjoy listening to The Agency Accelerator Podcast. I always learn something from every episode.” If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people — just like you — to move towards a Self-Running Agency. Scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to the podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now! Useful links mentioned in this episode: Productivity Cheat SheetTime Recording Systems to look into:HarvestStreamtimeToggl