Build a Better Agency Podcast

Many agency owners want to see 20% growth (or more) year over year while staying profitable. This goal isn't entirely unrealistic, but the bigger you get, the harder it is to maintain such impressive numbers if you're not investing resources in the right things to support that growth. For this week's solocast, I have some homework for you to do to help you see if you're prepared to meet your growth goals in 2024. Don't worry; we will do it together while I walk you through how to crunch the numbers step-by-step. If you want to follow along, grab your P&L statement and our growth goal worksheet linked below, and get ready to do some math. By the end of this episode, you'll have a much clearer picture of where your agency is at financially and what level of growth you can support next year based on the numbers we calculate today. For 30+ years, Drew McLellan has been in the advertising industry. He started his career at Y&R, worked in boutique-sized agencies, and then started his own (which he still owns and runs) agency in 1995. Additionally, Drew owns and leads the Agency Management Institute, which advises hundreds of small to mid-sized agencies on how to grow their agency and its profitability through agency owner peer groups, consulting, coaching, workshops and more. A big thank you to our podcast's presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They're an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here. In This Episode: The basics of staying at 20% profit while doubling in size The mistakes we often make when setting end-of-year growth goals How to set a healthy growth goal based on your agency stats Why attrition affects your growth goal, and how much Emphasizing the role AEs play in growing clients What your agency needs if you plan to grow more than 15% year over year Which tough decisions agency owners need to make to hit growth goals The importance of niching down to boost growth

One of the most common questions we still receive is about how to decouple yourself from the day-to-day grind of agency life and finally get to focus on being an agency owner. Many of us became accidental entrepreneurs and owners, and now that we have teams to lead, it can be hard to stop doing the old work that got us started on this journey. This week, Lien De Pau is giving us a roadmap for successfully decoupling ourselves from the daily grind so we can start focusing on biz dev, sales, admin, and other tasks that often get put on the back burner in favor of things that we could easily delegate or outsource. The key to growing (and eventually selling) an agency is to get out of your own way and become irrelevant to the business. Join us to learn how to start advocating for your own success as an agency owner and get out of the daily grind holding your agency back from reaching its peak potential. A big thank you to our podcast's presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They're an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here. What You Will Learn in This Episode: The mindset work that begins the process of removing yourself from the day-to-day Hiring out your weaknesses to others Letting go of your ego getting in the way The 5-step roadmap to decouple yourself from the agency How creative agency owners can productize their services to facilitate SOPs The roadblocks agency owners face when stepping away from the day-to-day Acting like an entrepreneur vs. an employee Leveling up as an entrepreneur How agency growth is linked to your success in the decoupling process

Shifting agency culture has been a huge point of contention for many agency owners since the beginning of the pandemic. For some, it's brought a lot of challenges in understanding how we can work as a team while being scattered around, while others have embraced the changes and have tried to adapt the best they can. However, it can still be challenging to fully adapt to how quickly agency life has changed in just a few years. Our guest today, Gustavo Razzetti, has one simple message for us — it's time to accept that agency life as we know it has changed forever, and we need to figure out what that means for us and our teams. Agency culture may never be the same, but we shouldn't be less successful because of it. Join us in listening to our discussion about creating an effective agency culture for you and your team, whether hybrid, remote, or trying to figure out something entirely new. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, but we can at least help get the wheels spinning so you can figure out where to begin. A big thank you to our podcast's presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They're an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here. What You Will Learn in This Episode: Why agency culture is so important today compared to in past decades Creating a workplace culture that makes people want to work there AND stay Welcoming communication and collaboration in remote or hybrid teams Getting a facilitator involved in agency culture shifts Trialing new ideas and work strategies before fully committing Workplace trends that are coming, and what's here to stay Why the 9-5 is dead, but the 4-day work week isn't the solution Flexibility goes both ways Helping clients overcome common remote workplace challenges Involving employees in problem-solving earlier in the process How owners and leaders can create a strong agency culture in a new modern work environment

No matter how experienced you are, everyone gets nervous before getting up in front of a room full of people to speak. The adrenaline starts pumping, and you start doubting yourself and your ideas a little bit. It's a universal experience we've all felt at least once in our lives. Michael Weiss is here to teach us that giving presentations doesn't have to be the stressful, nerve-wracking experience we often make it out to be. When you boil it down, it's just an exchange of ideas you're gifting to your audience. And with enough rehearsal and understanding of your speaking style, it can be engaging and fun, too. If you have a sales pitch, an important client presentation, or even a big presentation on stage at a conference coming up, be sure to refer back to this episode to learn professional strategies for how to deliver an informative presentation while keeping your audience engaged and interested. A big thank you to our podcast's presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They're an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here. What You Will Learn in This Episode: Helping people recognize they've earned the right to be on stage Understanding that the audience wants you to succeed Why you must always rehearse before presentations, and for how long Getting more comfortable with rehearsing presentations How agency leaders can set great examples for the team with presentations Finding a groove when presenting with multiple speakers Honoring your speaking style and giving engaging presentations How to have brilliant and clear slide decks Reading the audience and keeping them engaged

With new client acquisition at an all-time low, it's more important than ever to focus on growing your existing client base. In fact, 60 to 70 percent of your net new revenue should now come from existing clients to continue being profitable. This means it's time to teach your AE's how crucial it is to know how to navigate agency math, foster agency growth, and sell new, innovative ideas to your existing clients. Many AEs don't realize it's their job to do these tasks, which means there's room for improvement from agency owners to teach them these skills so your agency can continue to grow in a difficult economic time. In this episode, we'll cover topics like the roles AEs play in agency growth and growing existing clients, how to adjust your work scope over time to remain profitable, the importance of bringing innovative ideas to your clients, and many more actionable items for your team to learn and grow from. A big thank you to our podcast's presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They're an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here. What You Will Learn in This Episode: How to get 60 to 70 percent of your net new revenue to come from existing clients The cost of acquiring new clients over growing existing ones How to adjust a growing work scope with a client over time The importance of teaching AEs agency math and how we make money Where AEs need to step up to help grow the existing client base Allowing clients to talk about the problems they need to be solved How we frustrate our clients by being too timid Being a catalyst for bringing experts together to solve your client's problems

There's more M&A activity amongst agencies than ever before. As agency owners get older and running the business becomes more stressful, many owners are running out of gas and looking for a reset. This means there has never been a more perfect time if you're looking to buy an agency. And if you're looking to sell, it might go faster than you anticipate. We know that M&As are stressful on both sides of the deal, no matter how much you plan ahead. So this week, we're taking a deep dive into the whole process — how far in advance to plan your sale, valuation, succession planning, dealing with the emotions behind it, and much more. Even if you're not planning to sell your agency right now, eventually, this will become a reality, and it's always better to be ahead of the curve. So don't miss this longer episode packed with tips for passing the torch and preparing for the future of your agency. A big thank you to our podcast's presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They're an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here. What You Will Learn in This Episode: Why M&A activity is so high right now The strongest factors that will determine agency valuation How to assess your agency valuation Preparing 3-5 years in advance for an M&A Passing the torch to a new owner and being the buyer's cheerleader Giving your employees the opportunity to be an internal buyer Preparing for an M&A for both a buyer and a seller Expenses to expect when preparing for a sale on both sides

Marketing research specialist Susan Quinn discusses the 9 traits agencies need for best-in-class service. It's not about price, but about core values, innovation, and quality. She shares insights on how to improve the client experience, niche down, and build long-term relationships. Continuous learning and improvement are key, and White Label IQ is the presenting sponsor.

Linda Perry, expert in agency communication and connectivity, discusses the 'why' mindset strategy for better agency communication. Topics include understanding motivation, addressing limiting beliefs, implementing the 'why, how, what' framework, enhancing agency communication for stronger relationships, and tools for building better teams.

Marketing expert Jay Baer discusses the importance of speed in client interactions and how it equates to client happiness. He shares insights on generational differences in patience levels and advises agencies to prioritize speed in order to attract customers. The chapter also highlights the need to find the right balance between being too fast and building trust, and the significance of prompt response times in client communication.

As your agency grows, your leadership team must grow alongside it. You'll notice as your team gets bigger, the day-to-day operations become more complicated, and you might want to start taking a step back from certain tasks altogether. That's where a COO comes in to save the day. A successful, growing agency must have someone to handle day-to-day operations and implement systems and processes properly. And if you have the right person to take some tasks off your plate, that opens you up to focus on the parts of the business you're most passionate about, like being a visionary. This week, I'm talking with Carolyn Lodge about the signs and symptoms of when it's time to grow your leadership team and hire a COO. We discuss how to identify the right person for the job, their roles and expectations, how to integrate them with the rest of your team to build trust, and what traits are most commonly needed in the COO position. A big thank you to our podcast's presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They're an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here. What You Will Learn in This Episode: The clues that show it might be time to hire a COO What size agency is too small to have a COO role The skills and traits of a good COO Implementing the founder's or owner's vision Building trust within your leadership team as you bring on new team members Ensuring your COO is a good culture fit for the job How a COO changes the day-to-day of a CEO Go-to questions to vet a potential COO