Chats with Chip

While the current crisis may be nothing like any of us has seen before, Carl Smith of the Bureau of Digital has been through a serious economic downturn and knows how it can impact running a business. He joins Chip on this episode to talk about the impact on the agency community. Carl discusses how he is having to reinvent his own business of helping digital agencies, as well as how the community...

Many agencies have multiple generations working in the business. Sometimes, it may be a passing thing -- a summer internship perhaps -- while in other cases, two generations work side-by-side for many years. At some point, the elder generation may decide it is time to retire, or at least slow down. That's exactly what Jonathan Bernstein of Bernstein Crisis Management did. He recently announced tha...

Many new PR and marketing agencies start out as "virtual" agencies where everyone works remotely and there is no physical office. But some agencies with their own office space have made the decision to swap leases for the virtual model. Todd Zeigler of The Brick Factory in Washington, DC joins Chip on this episode to talk about how his agency reached the decision to go virtual and what steps they...

Kelly Glover believes in the power of podcasting -- and she has built her agency business around the medium. The Talent Squad books guests on shows, with a particular focus on promoting entrepreneurs and authors. On this episode of Chats with Chip, Kelly shares her insights on podcasting with plenty of practical advice for agency leaders. Chip and Kelly talk about the evolution of podcasting over...

As higher education faces increasing pressure to not just educate students but better prepare them for gainful employment after graduation, the student-run PR agency model provides some useful lessons. Boston University's PRLab is the longest-running such program in the United States, and co-director Amy Shanler joined Chip on this episode to talk about what it is and how it works. She explains ho...

Most agency owners find value in talking with their peers and understanding the challenges that they share in running PR firms. The PRSA Counselors Academy is a special interest group within the Public Relations Society of America that brings together agency entrepreneurs through events and other programming. The Immediate Past Chair of Counselors Academy, Chuck Norman, joined Chip to talk about t...

Agencies have a constant need to "feed the beast" when it comes to content creation. Public relations and marketing firms have always had a strong reliance on the written word, but as clients become publishers and social media places increasing demands on scribes, the challenge of finding and managing writers only grows. On this episode, Gideon Stein of Write Label explains how his team has built...

It's one thing to believe you need to improve profitability at your agency, but where do you go for the metrics and benchmarks that help you grow your profits smartly? One resource is Marcel Petitpas and The Agency Profit Podcast. He's also the CEO and Co-Founder of Parakeeto, a software company that helps agencies improve their service -- and their margins. On this episode of Chats with Chip, Mar...

Agencies evolve over time -- and so do their team cultures. But they are always a reflection of the founder and key leaders. Keith Scandone of O3 World joins Chip to talk about his experience and evolution over 15 years of running his own agency based in Philadelphia. He explains why he has prioritized culture -- and hired help to focus on it. He talks about some of the challenges he has faced, in...

Is your agency doing a good job of marketing itself? If you're like most agencies, the chances are that you aren't taking enough of the advice you give your own clients. On this episode, Aaron Strout, CMO of W2O Group, shares his experience as an agency marketer. He talks about how you get more out of the whole team, and why marketing matters beyond new business -- including recruiting, M&A, and m...

For the past decade, Rohit Bhargava has written about non-obvious trends in an annual book series. He recently capped it off with a final volume: Non-Obvious Mega Trends. A self-described "reluctant futurist," Rohit went from working in agencies to examining the trends that impact business and society. In this episode, he and Chip discuss some of the observations, as well as an approach to looking...

Nobody likes to think about lawyers until they need one. Agency owners are no different, but planning ahead can make a world of difference in the outcome when it comes to legal matters. Sharon Toerek, founder of Toerek Law and host of The Innovative Agency podcast brings a wealth of knowledge and experience on agency legal issues to the latest episode of Chats with Chip. She shares her experience...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sell your agency to one of the big holding companies? How does the dream compare to reality? What should you know before you make that decision? Mitch Joel shares the perspective of someone who has done just that. He and his partners sold Twist Image to WPP. After remaining with the firm for several years after the acquisition, Mitch is now a prolifi...

Most agencies are looking for any leg up that they can get in the business development process. That's why some agencies should consider getting certified. No this isn't a discussion about a seal of approval for the quality of your work, it is about certifying the ownership structure of your business in a category that some organizations prefer. Dr. Sandra Wills Hannon of The Hannon Group discusse...

Scope creep and over-servicing clients erodes profitability and many -- if not most -- agencies. Keeping work within the agreed parameters will not only make projects better, it will ensure that they contribute to the financial health of the business. As founder of The Digital Project Manager, Ben Aston knows all about successful agency project management. He joins Chip to discuss techniques to av...

Most agency owners don't bring prior business experience to the role -- let alone formal business education. Paul Benson is an exception to that rule of thumb. He earned his MBA before he took the leap into agency ownership. In this episode, Paul shares his experience running a digital marketing agency and how the business training he received at Babson College has impacted his success.

Agency owners need to keep tabs on the financial health of their businesses, but many lack the backgrounds to know the numbers that matter most. Darryl Salerno's long experience in advising agencies on financial matters makes him an excellent resource on this vital topic. In this episode, Darryl explains which numbers agencies should be focused on and what benchmarks can help them evaluate their o...

Ronn Torossian has built one of the largest independent PR agencies in the U.S., and in this episode he shares some of the lessons he has learned along the way. A prolific content creator, Ronn frequently writes and speaks about issues facing the industry, and he is passionate about finding ways to improve modern public relations. Ronn's agency, 5WPR, recently announced that they were looking for...

Agency businesses have some challenges unique to the individual owners and circumstances. But many of the growing pains are predictable and follow patterns established by other similar businesses. Leaders can take comfort in knowing that they are not likely the first to experience any particular challenge, nor are other agencies immune from the obstacles. Brad Farris has spent decades advising bus...

Katie Robbert never planned to be an expert in AI and analytics, but she says she likes "numbers to add up" even though she considers herself bad at math. As a self-professed planner, Katie found herself telling stories with data, first for a pharmaceutical company and later for a PR agency. Today, Katie is the co-founder and CEO of Trust Insights, a consultancy dedicated to working with clients t...

Just about every agency leader worries about where the next new client will come from and how to land that new business. Many aren't natural-born salespeople, so the process itself can be uncomfortable and even intimidating. Jody Sutter brings decades of experience in agency business development to help owners and executives put in place programs and processes that generate revenue. In this episod...

When Sean Cassidy walked out of Tufts University in 1990, he graduated with a major in Cold War foreign policy -- just as the Soviet Union was about to dissolve. He hadn't aspired to a career in public relations, but it turned out he was a good writer and he caught the eye of a small agency owner. Three decades later, Sean leads DKC, a prominent independent PR agency headquartered in New York. The...

When Blue Engine Message & Media and JDA Frontline merged in 2018, the firms decided they would rebrand under a new name to better capture the essence of the sum as greater than the parts. In this episode, Trevor Francis discusses the opportunities and challenges that the merger has presented. In particular, Trevor talks about how the team settled on Seven Letter as the new name for the business,...

In this episode, Rachel Jacobs explains why case studies are critical to the scale and growth of agencies. Rachel, founder of Ecommerce Partnerships , reminds agency owners that their number one client is their own agency. Step by step, you'll learn how to integrate a case study opportunity before a client even signs the contract, who the audience should be, and the six key elements that make up a...

In this episode, we go Down Under for a deep dive into the business of WebSavvy, a Melbourne-based digital marketing agency founded by Mike Rhodes. He explains why he chose agency life over being a helicopter pilot, advice for fellow agency owners, effective team training, and much more. Mike is also the founder of AgencySavvy, focused on education and training for agency owners. He is the co-auth...