Build a Better Agency Podcast

Are you making yourself irrelevant in your agency? We've been talking a lot lately about how important it is to have systems and processes in place so you can work less and get back to doing the parts of agency ownership that you love. But if you or anyone in your agency becomes irreplaceable, you will be stuck in your 60-80 hour work weeks. This week, our guest Jesse Gilmore gives us a thorough b...

If you're in a creative role at your agency, you're probably familiar with receiving creative briefs that just don't measure up. Instead of getting inspired to do great work, you're left wondering where to start or what the point of the project is. If you've ever created or pitched a brief, on the other hand, you've probably worked from a template or simply checked off the boxes of the bare minimu...

When you're running an agency, you know you will not have it forever. While your goal could be to sell it eventually, you must consider retirement, career pivots, or plain old ownership fatigue as part of your succession planning strategy. Most of us aren't thinking about what's happening 3, 5, or even 10 years down the road in day-to-day agency operations. But, it's very important to understand h...

Now that we've discussed what systems and processes are, the tools we can use to implement them, and how to integrate them into team culture, let's talk about what happens when we start to use these processes as we scale our agencies. This week, Juliana Marulanda of ScaleTime shares her 20+ years of knowledge with creating systems and processes in agencies and how it frees up more time to do what...

When running an agency, efficiency is key. While we would probably prefer to focus on any other task, establishing effective systems and processes is imperative to our agency operations. The systems we create and teach our team members will ultimately define our day-to-day, client satisfaction, and employee retention. This week, Marquis Murray of Ditto will share his knowledge on implementing agen...

The talent we hire is often one of our greatest assets as agencies. Building our talent pool and promoting connectedness is integral to agency culture, and we spend a lot of time finding the perfect fit for our team. On one hand, you want a team that can come together, easily collaborate on tasks, and understands one another closely. On the other hand, casting a wider net can find you more people...

For many of us, agency ownership means that most of our time and energy goes into our work. Even when trying to sleep, we're replaying a frustrating conversation we had earlier that day, doomscrolling, or even dreaming about everything on our to-do lists. When we can't turn off our minds at the end of a long day, we set ourselves up for occupational burnout. As some of you know, I learned the hard...

Some of the most significant innovations have been born out of the most challenging hardships, and agency innovations are no different. For the past two years, agency owners have been through the wringer. Some of you have even wondered if it's time to shut your doors and move on to something different. You're all. Just. Exhausted. I often use the analogy that your agency is a ship, and you are the...

As agency owners, we're often dedicated to the niche we've carved out for ourselves and can get very comfortable serving our clients within those parameters. It's easy to become highly committed, and stubbornly so, to that one niche. When it stops working for us the way we want it to, deciding to pivot can be difficult. Today, the CEO of PredictiveROI, Stephen Woessner, came on the podcast to shar...

We all know the phrase, "what we don't know, can't hurt us." But, it also can't make us any more money. That's why this week, we're kicking things off with another solocast episode where I'll be discussing the two agency growth secrets that are guaranteed to put more money in your pocket and bring clients to you effortlessly. To demonstrate this, I'm using Flying Camel as an example of how a few s...

This holiday week, the idea of freedom is at the forefront of many people's minds. It's a topic that touches so many facets of our lives every day. In today's episode, I want to turn my focus to  agency owners , and what freedoms we should be taking full advantage of that will ultimately benefit your agency culture. Many of us chose to start our own agencies because it granted us privileges that b...

We all wish we had more time in our schedules, right? We long for a day without interruptions so we can just focus and do our best work. Or, even worse, we've finished all of our work, and now we don't know what to do with ourselves. These are two different problems, but, according to today's guest, both have the same solution that starts in our agency operations. This is where Joe Martin has a th...

This week on Building a Better Agency, we're jumping right back into our breakdown of 2022 Marketing Trends. Last time, we talked about noticeable trends in agency spending, shifting client expectations, and not missing out on opportunities for business development. This time, we're taking things a bit closer to home by talking about trends we're seeing in our own marketing tactics, in our employe...

The market right now for attracting and retaining the best employees is insane. It feels like only three people on the planet are looking for work, and they all want $3 million, plus a signing bonus. Owners are in panic mode when they think about attracting and retaining the best employees. They're struggling to find good candidates. Or, by the time they get a candidate through their 12-step proce...

As agencies, we tend to overlook certain platforms and channels when it comes to their perceived relevance to our audiences or bottom-line ad potential. That bias is one that Lindsay Shearer overcame to help her clients win new business and earn 2-3 times their initial ad spend on what most of us would consider an unlikely platform — Pinterest. During our conversation on this week's episode of  Bu...

What happens to our agencies when something happens to us? No one likes to think about the day that they're no longer around, and it's no secret as to why. The conversation can feel more than a little uncomfortable. But as agency owners, it's one that's far too important for us to avoid or ignore. If we want to ensure that our businesses —and more importantly —our  people  will be taken care of sh...

Women own less than 1% of the ad agencies in North America. This gender gap is disappointing and staggering, but in this episode of Build a Better Agency, our guest expert Christy Hiler reminds us that bridging that gap is far from impossible. During our conversation, Christy helps us unravel this alarming statistic by exploring the barriers that may be keeping the women we lead and work with from...

Summertime is just around the corner, which means now is the perfect time of year for agency owners like us to take stock of where we're at now and where we want to be sitting by the end of the year. How can we get a clear picture of how 2022 is stacking up against 2021? By taking a close look at the trends that have, and will continue, to affect our industry as a whole.   On this week's solocast...

As agency owners, the work environments we create are a direct reflection of our leadership styles. In a trust-led environment, our people should feel safe to speak up, take risks, and take ownership of the work they produce. Trust is the cornerstone for strong communication, creativity, and the innovation that fuels our business. So, what happens when trust isn't part of the equation? Our guest f...

Whether we realize it or not, artificial intelligence (AI) has already impacted countless aspects of our everyday lives. And as the technology we rely on continues to adapt and change, those changes will inevitably shape the future of our businesses, our industry, and our society. As agency owners, it's our job to stay ahead of those changes — even if the thought of an AI-driven agency is, underst...

As agency partners, we have access to an insane amount of backend data and insights into our clients' business. Now what? How can we use all of that data to build momentum in our clients' revenue pipelines and translate those insights for them so that they can make the case when they're at the table with the decision-makers on their team? On this episode of Build a Better Agency, we're joined by C...

How does your agency show up in the world? As agency owners, we have a responsibility to know what's going on — with our business, our employees, and our clients. There's a lot going on in the world, and understanding how these things affect the worldviews of others in our space is the first step in deepening our agency relationships, elevating our business, and making sure we go beyond the "one-w...

One of the unfortunate truths of our business is that as agency owners, we are almost never in the driver's seat when it comes to sales engagements. At the end of the day, we have no way to inspire, incent, cajole, bribe, or trick someone into buying agency services until they have a genuine need for them. But, with so much of our focus centered around not making an ask at the wrong time, it's no...

Running an agency in a post-COVID world means growing more and more comfortable operating in a virtual environment. This collective shift in our industry has been happening for a while, but after navigating a global pandemic, agency owners have had to pivot more rapidly than in the past. As a result, agency owners are left wondering how they can genuinely connect with their prospects and invest in...

Time sheets. Taxes. Annual reviews. There are some things we don't love as agency owners and leaders. Cybersecurity and compliance are absolutely on that list. But much like taxes, it's a necessary evil today. The risks are too great, and the reality is – our clients are going to demand it. We're far better off to get out ahead of it before we're asked. Even my guest, Nathan Maxwell, refers to cyb...