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 w...

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 en...

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] Pr...

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 P...

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 c...

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...

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...

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 0...

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....

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 doin...

There is lots of talk of a looming recession so what should you do and what should you be focusing on right now to ensure that your agency is recession-proof? What is the difference between an agency that thrives in a recession and one that just scraps by? These questions and more are answered in this broad-ranging discussion in today's video. And I'm really excited to have with me, Ollie Duffy-Le...

One of the biggest mistakes we make when we start our agency is not surrounding ourselves with a group of other agency owners, experts and mentors who can guide us and help us avoid some of the common pitfalls so that we make the journey, especially in the first few years, so much smoother than it will otherwise be. In today’s podcast, we dig into the phrase “it's lonely at the top” and explore wh...

Running an agency doesn't have to be complicated or difficult. In this week’s episode I am joined by Simon Severino to discuss how to step into the role of CEO in your agency and the 3 habits every successful owner needs to develop and some that you need to let go of. Simon also discusses why 90-day ‘sprints’ are the right length to plan, focus and deliver. Time Stamp [02:00] The typical journey o...

In this bonus episode, I am very excited to let you know that the doors for the 2022 cohort of The Self-Running Agency Implementation Group members is now open. Let's cast our minds back to the reason why we started our own agency - we wanted  CONTROL ,  FLEXIBILITY  and  FREEDOM . All things we didn't have in our 9 to 5 job. Yet as we grow, the need for control ends up being at the expense of fle...

We can easily get seduced by so many ideas from supposed 'experts' telling us how to scale our agency, and that can be really confusing. We end up being run ragged, pulled in 100 different directions implementing the latest idea or trendy strategy.  But at the end of the day, there are only four foundational areas you need to focus on to build a robust agency that you can then start scaling using...

In today’s video, we explore what a self-running agency means. It doesn't have to be a pipe dream to build an agency that is less dependent on YOU. So I am going to dig into the foundational components of building an agency that runs efficiently even when you are not there. Time Stamp [01:05] We all aspire to build an agency that is less dependent on us yet most never achieve it. Why is that? [01:...

Did you swap your 9-5 job to work in your agency 24/7? This is the place many of us find ourselves in and if we are not careful, we not only end up working longer hours but also for a tougher boss!! So let's dig into this in today's podcast and outline 8 strategies you MUST focus on to ensure this doesn't happen to you. Time Stamp [01:13] Info about my brand new free live masterclass: How to be th...

I know it can be really ‘lonely at the top’ when you run your marketing agency. And I also know how exhausting it can be!  So that's what I am focusing on in this week's episode of the Agency Accelerator podcast. And to do that I am going to share my own story of when I ran my agency and suggest a few changes you can make so that you don't feel everything sits on your shoulders and you're not perm...

In today’s episode, we are discussing client management. We explore the journey you go when you are in a personal relationship and how comparable that is to the journey you go on in a client relationship - from the first meeting to keeping the relationship fresh. I am joined by Mark Young, author of the book ‘Date Your Clients” to dig into this further. Time Stamp [01:45] How did the title ‘Date Y...

If you are stuck on the client service hamster wheel of doom and have no time to think let alone plan for the future then this episode is for you.  If you are thinking "I don’t have enough time to focus on the future of my agency because I am too busy servicing clients” then I want to help you out so listen on! Time Stamp [01:30] The consequences of being in ‘client service mode’ all the time [01:...

I am joined by Tim Fitzpatrick from Rialto Marketing to discuss the key marketing strategies that every marketing agency needs to be implementing. We talk about why agencies are not great at doing their own marketing, why your marketing plan should not be a 12-month plan and why you must find a clear niche. Time Stamp [01:40] Why are so many marketing agencies so bad at their own marketing? It’s t...

The 2 most common questions that marketing agency owners ask me never really change. They are about finding a consistent flow of new business and hiring & retaining great talent.  Now, admittedly, those two priorities have switched because as I record this episode there is a huge global skills shortage which the agency sector is not immune from.  But new business is never far from people's min...

Today we are talking about the most important asset in your business: your people. I am excited to be joined by Lynda Goncalves from Sussex HR as she shares her advice on recruitment and retention. Time Stamp [01:12] What are the biggest challenges you see in HR right now? [03:15] How do we replicate an office environment/team/culture for remote workers? [06:10] Are there any tools or software to...

We had a really great group coaching call this week - as part of the Self-Running Agency Membership. One of the topics we discussed was how to get more efficient with your time and make sure you're focusing on the things that matter rather than constantly getting sucked into client work and stuck on the dreaded client service hamster wheel of doom! So that's the topic of today's episode of the pod...

In this week's episode, we are discussing what is probably the hottest topic right now, and that is recruitment and retention. If you're anything like most other agencies, then you are finding it particularly difficult to attract and retain great talent. So we're going to unpack that, exploring the 7 needs of an employee and the 7 needs, therefore, of a candidate. And to do that I am joined once a...