The Agency Accelerator

There is a new player in the agency education space and today I am chatting with Dr. Baris Onay from Agency Growth Events.   We discuss some of the agency trends we can expect to see in 2023 and learn more about the Agency Growth Book and future planned events.   Time Stamp [00:00] Introduction [01:37] How did Agency Events come about? [03:31] Why create a new event and write a book focused on the agency world? [06:40] Key themes covered in the 115-page book: Excelling at new businessCreating new products and servicesObtaining operational excellenceTechnologyLeadership & teamsBusiness planning until your exit [09:21] Why being an entrepreneur and managing a team don’t always mix well [12:00] What does succession planning mean? Not just selling your business [14:55] Trends Baris spotted during the event and in his network [19:48] Plans for additional agency books and agency events in 2023 [22:20] If you could back in time and give your younger self a piece of advice, what would it be? Quotations “Selling your business is not always the fairy tale you hoped for.” - Dr. Baris Onay “The answers are not in the room you are in right now so get out and talk to people” Dr. Baris Onay “Let’s not talk ourselves into a recession - it will cause your agency to make bad decisions” - 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: Download your FREE copy of The Agency Growth BookBaris’ LinkedIn profileThe Self-Running Agency book

How good are you at giving challenging feedback so that the other person hears you and takes action?  In this episode, I share 6 tips on how to give difficult feedback. Time Stamp [01:20] We all have to give difficult feedback at some point or another [02:05] Types of feedback you might have to give [02:35] Never sugar coat your feedback if you want to be heard [03:30] When should you give feedback? [05:40] 6 tips/things to consider when giving challenging feedback [09:14] Why you must consider where the other person is at and how receptive are they to receiving the feedback? Quotations “If you want to be heard, then never sugar coat feedback or use the sh*t sandwich approach!” - Rob Da Costa “You always need to have 2 pieces of evidence when giving challenging feedback” - 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: The Self-Running Agency Implementation GroupTake my brand new quiz to identify your top challenges and receive curated appropriate content

Today we are discussing growing and scaling your agency and succession planning with Trenton Moss. This is a very honest ‘warts & all’ conversation where Trenton shares the ups and downs of growing his agency. After 15 years he sold his £3m agency before starting his current business Team Sterka. Time Stamp [01:30] Trenton’s 15-year journey of starting and selling his agency [03:45] The catalyst ‘moment’ to starting our own business [04:05] The milestones and hurdles of growth [06:24] The choice between being a freelancer and growing an agency [06:46] How Trenton’s role changed during the growth of his agency [10:30] How Trenton managed to delegate and ‘let go’ [13:04] The one clear lesson Rob learnt when running his agency [14:00] The importance of having clear roles & responsibilities [16:31] Why did Trenton decide to sell his agency? [18:34] Don’t sell your agency when you are feeling worn out, tired and stressed [19:25] The process for selling the agency over a 9-month period [22:00] How Trenton negotiated a no ‘tie-in’ period [23:40] 3 reasons why we don’t make a sale happen [25:33] The importance of thinking about what’s next before you sell your agency [26:00] The challenges of working for someone else! {26:55] Why did you start an upskilling business? [29:30] If you could go back in time and give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be? Quotations “There is no manual or set of rules to growing an agency - you have to keep trying and flexing to find what works” - Trenton Moss “Hanging out with other agency owners to learn and get advice is so invaluable” - Trenton Moss “Alot of agency owners are control freaks so they find it hard to let go and delegate” - 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: Trenton’s LinkedIn ProfileGrow your agency with The Self-Running Agency

If you have ever considered hiring a coach or an external advisor then today I want to share 10 things you won’t be told and things to look out for and consider when hiring some external support. Time Stamp [00:00] Intro [01:00] Take my brand new quiz to provide you with specific curated content [01:49] Why every agency should have a coach to ensure you are performing at your best [02:21] The coaching market is completely unregulared - look for experience over qualifications [03:10] Look for someone who has strong emotional intelligence and empathy [03:20] Look for a coach that works within a specific niche (rather than a generalist) [05:40] 10 questions to ask a coach when looking to hire some external help [09:23] What can a coach help you achieve? Quotations “Sportsmen hire a coach to help them perform at their best - you should do the same for your business” - Rob Da Costa “There is nothing more frustrating than being given academic advice that you have no idea how to apply to your agency” - 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: Take the quiz to provide you with curated contentFree Strategy Call

Mindset and training our brains to think in a certain way play such a big part in our productivity. In today's episode, I'm joined by Blaine Oelkers and we're exploring the 30-minute hour and the 21-second way of forming a habit.  A fascinating discussion where I learned a lot. So grab a pen and paper, clear your schedule for the next 30 minutes and join me as we learn how to be super productive and create new habits in 21 seconds and also work ‘30-minute’ hours. Time Stamp [00:00] Intro [02:10] How did Blaine get into the world of productivity? What were his ‘lightbulb moments’? [04:30] Why did Blaine decide to become a work-from-home dad? [06:50] How do you influence yourself? “Selfluence” [07:35] How to get an hour of stuff done in just 30 minutes [11:10] What do most people, at the end of their life, wish for? (hint: it's never more money!) [12:10] How to we actually achieve the 30-minute hour? [14:00] PDF - Plan - Delegate - Focus [20:00] How to avoid the 90-minute hour! [23:30] The importance of batching (single-tasking) [27:16] How do we make sure we don’t fall back into bad time management habits? [32:35] How to form new habits in 21 seconds rather than 21 days [36:47] What advice would you give your younger self, just starting out in business? Quotations “What you think about you bring about” - Blaine Oelkers “Which day of the year are you 3-10 times more productive? The day before vacation!” - Blaine Oelkers “Never let a day end without planning the next day.” - Blaine Oelkers 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: BlaineTEDX.com2023 Productivity eBook

What can you do to give yourself the best chance of winning a pitch or proposal you write.  This was a question that was recently asked in one of my monthly group coaching calls.  We had some great answers so I thought I would dig into this in today’s podcast. Time Stamp [00:00] Intro [01:20] We are all time poor so we need to use our business development time carefully and be selective about what proposals you should agree to write [02:04] Start by qualifying your leads carefully (which means having a clear niche and knowing who your ideal target customer is) [02:56] The Sales Funnel - and where you should invest your time [03:35] The 3-5 non-negotiable questions that must be answered before you agree to invest more time [04:25] Use education based marketing content (rather than your time) to educate your audience  [05:22] The importance of building a relationship with the prospect before responding to the brief [06:05] Find out who the decision-makers are [06:50] Get a date in the diary for a follow-up call BEFORE you send the proposal [07:30] Get the audience involved in a pitch and bring the team who will work on the account [08:17] Start your proposal by making it all about the client (not your agency!) [09:17] SLOW DOWN TO SPEED UP! Quotations “Slow down to speed up - get your 3-5 non-negotiable questions answered BEFORE agreeing to pitch or write a proposal” - Rob Da Costa “Use content on your website (rather than your time) to educate your audience.” - Rob Da Costa  “In order to not be ghosted, get a date in the diary for a follow-up call BEFORE you send the proposal” - name 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: Step-by-step Guide To Defining Your Niche (free ebook)How to Define Your Ideal Target Customer (free ebook)Writing the Winning Pitch or Proposal - Learn The 24 Tips For Writing Engaging Proposals And Pitches - (free ebook)

There is no doubt that we are heading towards more challenging times, so what are the practical areas you should focus on and how do you retain a ‘growth mindset’?  I'm excited to be joined by Nicky Billou today to talk about how to not only survive in a recession but also thrive and grow your agency Nicky Billou is an author of several best-selling business books, a podcaster, a speaker and the co-founder of eCircle Academy. Time Stamp [00:00] Intro [01:45] How can a small business grow and thrive when times are more challenging? [04:45] Don’t run your business today like you did last year! [05:15] Think about how you can be a guest on other people’s podcasts to reach a much bigger audience than you normally reach [07:20] What practical examples can you share as to what businesses should be doing when times are tough? [10:35] How to grow to £1m whilst working 10-20 hours less per week [16:20] Be a specialist, not a generalist [17:18] Charge appropriately based on value, not time and materials [17:53] Invest in your most important asset - YOU! [21:06] Have a way to stand out in the marketplace - become a thought-leader [24:57] A story of servicing human beings not businesses [30:35] Nicky’s advice to his younger self Quotations “The greatest successes in history have come from chaotic times” - Brian Scudamore “Mindset is what separates successful businesses from failing ones - esp in a recession.” - Rob Da Costa “Your clients are not buying into your services they are buying their way out of a problem” - Nicky Billou 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: https://ecircleacademy.com/The Self-Running Agency Implementation Group

It’s that time of year when I collate all of my favourite tools and apps into a handy guide (which you can download for free so check out the links below). In today’s episode, I am going to talk you through my favourite tools and explain why they made my top 15 list. I spent loads of time researching and playing with tools and I'm sharing my top 15 so you don't have to waste any time looking for best-to-breed tools and apps to help you run your business. Time Stamp [00:55] Let’s remove distractions and save time chasing shiny new objects. To help you achieve this I have put together my favourite tools and apps that support me to run my business to help you get laser focused in 2023. [02:00] Kartra - the all-in-one platform that supports me in running my business [04:30] WebinarJam and Everwebinar - to help you run live and on-demand webinars [06:00] Loom - cloud-based video - to help you build more engagement with your audience [07:12] FinalCutPro for more professional video editing software (with a steep learning curve!) [08:00] Canva - for creating designs such as social media posts, YouTube Thumbnails, PDFs etc. [08:50] ConvertKit for email automation/marketing [10:00] Waalaxy for LinkedIn automation [11:02] ReMarkable2 - eInk paper tablet to become paper-free.  [12:20] Toby - Chrome app to organise my most frequently used websites/tabs [13:07] Amazing Marvin - for daily, weekly, and monthly planning [14:24] AddEvent - to make adding calendar bookings to your diary very simple [14:58] ASANA - project management tool [15:27] Thrive Architect for WordPress website management and design [16:20] SurferSEO - for SEO improvement advice for non-techies [16:57] Honourable mentions: Zoom, Google Drive, Xero [17:10] My top 5 tools from my 2023 list Quotations “Do you want to buy best-of-breed products or an all-in-one platform?” - Rob Da Costa “My reMarkable2 is a great example of a product doing just one thing but doing it really well.” - Rob Da Costa “The tools you use in your business should be seamless and help you run your business more effectively.” - 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: Download your free tools & apps guideKartraWebinarJamEverWebinarLoomFinalCutProCanvaConvertKitWaalaxyReMarkable2TobyAmazing MarvinAddEventASANAThrive ArchitectSurferSEO

We are all really busy but no one wants to be a busy fool - filling our days with tasks that don’t move the needle for our agency. So how do you make sure you are focussing on the right tasks, how do you get really organised and how do you avoid chasing shiny new objects?   These are just some of the questions we get answered in this week’s episode with my guest, Chelsey Newmyer. Time Stamp [01:41] What are some of the common mistakes busy agency owners make when it comes to organising their time and prioritisation? [03:40] Why you should start your day with just 3-5 tasks [04:13] Why are so many small business owners poor at time management and prioritisation? [06:31] 3 time management tips  [08:12] How do we know how detailed our tasks should be broken down into? [09:26] How do we estimate how long a task will take? [10:53] How do you prioritise daily tasks? [13:24] How to manage distractions [16:30] Removing the excuses against removing distractions! [18:13] Inbox management [21:00] Juggling multiple projects [26:38] Procrastination: what causes it and what can we do to overcome it? [31:46] If you could go back in time and give your younger self a piece of advice, what would it be? Quotations “If you want more success managing your time then start by cutting your to-do list in half!” - Chelsey Newmyer  “We underestimate how much we can do in the long-term and overestimate how much we can do in the short term” - Bill Gates  “However long you think a task will take add 50% on top of that estimate” - 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: Find Chelsey on Instagram @chelseyncoachingChelsey’s WebsiteFree eBook: Winning Back Time

How has your year been in 2022? I hope it has been a good one despite all the craziness going on in the world. In today's podcast, I'm going to share with you the “good, bad and ugly” of my own personal year. I'm going to talk about things that work well for me and activities that didn't so work well. I’ll share some of the changes I made and some of the trends I'm seeing in the agency world.  Time Stamp [01:45] A high-level overview of my year - how I achieve in 4 days what I used to do in 5 days [04:06] My offering - don’t diversify if the market gets tough. How I narrowed down my offering to just 3 ‘products’ [05:10] How I changed the revenue model for my signature programme, The Self-Running Agency Implementation [06:30] How we split our time across 3 pots [06:53] How I have got more efficient in creating content (via batching) [07:44] Doubling down on my email marketing (as you should be!) using the 80/20 rule [08:47] 2022 was a year of simplification and consolidation [10:38] Why I never rely on referrals (and you shouldn't either!) - especially in a recession [11:50] A few things that didn’t work well for me - overcomplicating processes doesn't result in stronger outcomes [12:58] Facebook and Google Ads haven't worked for me! [14:25] The importance of learning from your mistakes [14:45] Trends in the agency world in 2022 [15:30] Keep investing in your marketing in 2023 [17:22] Don’t rely on one source (e.g. referrals) for all your new business Quotations “The more niched and specialist you are the easier it is to attract ideal clients” - Rob Da Costa “Never rely solely on referrals for your new business” - Rob Da Costa “Consider how you can repurpose content rather than creating lots of new content” - 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: How I work a 4-day week (podcast)Value Pricing Free GuideMy Group Coaching Programme Watch the video version of this podcast episode: https://youtu.be/1hRpJaPF-a4