The Agency Profit Podcast

Points of Interest 00:00 – 01:43 – Introduction: Marcel introduces Sarah Still, Partner and COO at RAYNE IX , and frames the conversation around agency operations, profitability, scaling, and building valuable businesses. 01:44 – 02:28 – Helping Women Build Valuable Agencies: Sarah explains how RAYNE IX works with women agency owners to improve performance, build enterprise value, and prepare for...

Points of Interest 00:01 – 00:53 – Why Revisit Positioning: Carson and Kristen introduce Parakeeto's repositioning effort and explain why they wanted to publicly discuss the evolution of the company's messaging. 00:53 – 02:18 – The Profitability Problem: The discussion explores how Parakeeto's heavy emphasis on profitability created confusion about what the company actually does for clients. 02:18...

Points of Interest 00:00 – 02:12 – Jason Swenk's Agency Journey: Jason shares how he accidentally started an agency in 1999, grew it to more than 100 employees, sold it after 11 years, and eventually transitioned into coaching agency owners worldwide. 02:12 – 06:22 – Designing a Lifestyle Business: Jason explains how agency owners often aspire to more freedom and flexibility, sharing how he struct...

Points of Interest 00:00 – 01:00 – Introduction : Marcel welcomes Colin Hewitt, CEO and founder of Float, and frames cash flow as the lifeblood every agency depends on. 01:01 – 02:09 – The Origin of Float : Colin shares how running his own agency exposed the limits of spreadsheet-based forecasting and led him to build a cash flow product for service businesses. 02:10 – 05:24 – Direct vs Indirect C...

Points of Interest 00:01 – 00:38 – Introduction : Marcel introduces Sei-Wook Kim, co-founder of Barrel and Barrel Holdings, highlighting his experience building and scaling multiple agencies. 00:38 – 01:31 – What Barrel Holdings Does : Sei-Wook explains their holdco structure, managing a portfolio of independent, specialized marketing agencies with a long-term acquisition strategy. 01:31 – 03:31 –...

Points of Interest 00:01 – 02:30 – The Cost of Poor Sequencing: Marcel and Kristen introduce the core issue—agencies often apply the right tactics in the wrong order, leading to wasted effort and stalled profitability. 02:30 – 05:00 – The Insight Formula: They explain that data alone is meaningless without context, introducing the key concept that insight comes from comparing expectations to reali...

Points of Interest 00:01 – 00:38 – Introduction : Marcel opens the episode by introducing Peter Lang as an entrepreneur, investor, and operator deeply focused on mergers and acquisitions. 01:00 – 02:13 – From Holding Company to Teaching M&A : Peter explains that he now runs a holding company, invests in assets including agencies, and is focused on teaching other founders how to acquire and grow bu...

Points of Interest 00:01 – 00:37 – Introduction : Marcel and Kristen open the episode by introducing a more philosophical discussion about why Parakeeto’s work matters beyond the surface-level goal of improving profitability. 00:37 – 02:01 – The provocative reframe : Kristen references Marcel’s recent message, “you don’t actually care about profitability,” and frames the conversation around why th...

Points of Interest 00:00 – 03:21 – From UGURUS to E2M: Brent Weaver shares how he went from coaching thousands of agencies at UGURUS to becoming CEO of E2M Solutions after the DigitalOcean chapter ended. 03:35 – 04:51 – What makes E2M different: Marcel frames E2M as a standout white-label partner, and Brent explains why serving only agencies creates sharper focus on partner success. 04:51 – 08:16...

Points of Interest 00:01 – 01:36 – Introduction: Marcel introduces the episode as a public reflection on Parakeeto’s positioning, prompted by feedback from LinkedIn and client conversations. 01:36 – 02:43 – The Identity Problem: Carson shares the internal confusion many consultants feel when their role spans finance, operations, delivery, and strategy. 02:43 – 04:52 – Clear Problem, Fuzzy Solution...

Points of Interest 00:00 – 02:00 – Why Agencies Avoid Talking About Money: Drew reflects on why financial transparency was rare in agencies historically and why that silence created widespread confusion about profitability. 02:00 – 05:00 – The Myth of “Impossible” Profitability: Drew explains why claims that an agency “can’t be profitable” usually stem from avoided decisions, misunderstood agency...

Points of Interest 00:01 – 01:04 – Framing the PM/AM Pricing Question: Marcel welcomes listeners, introduces Carson Pierce, and frames the central question agencies face around whether and how to charge for account and project management time. 01:04 – 02:14 – Why This Issue Persists: Carson explains why underpricing project and account management work continues to surface across agencies despite i...

Points of Interest 00:01 – Introduction: Marcel introduces Skye Waterson and frames the conversation around SOPs, documentation, and building operational “rails” that teams can actually use. 01:07 – Skye’s background and motivation: Skye shares her journey from academic burnout to discovering adult ADHD and building a business focused on helping founders work with their brains, not against them. 0...

Points of Interest 00:00 – 01:31 – Introduction: Marcel and Kristen open with a relatable riff on Notion and AI features before framing the core issue of the episode: messy handoffs between sales, account management, and delivery in service businesses. 01:31 – 03:14 – Why Handoffs Are a Universal Agency Problem: Kristen explains why sales-to-delivery handoff issues show up in agencies of every siz...

Points of Interest 00:00 – 01:38 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes agency legal specialist Sharon Toerek, highlighting her long track record in the industry and setting the stage with a discussion about how quickly the agency world is changing. 01:38 – 02:45 – Framing the AI Legal Conversation for Agencies: They position the core topic of the episode as the legal implications of AI adoption inside a...

Points of Interest 00:02 – 01:49 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes Kristen back to the show and sets up another practical client case study focused on a real agency engagement. 01:50 – 04:00 – The flex-labor, video production agency profile: Kristen outlines the agency’s model: a small FTE core, 10–20 contractors, just under $2M in revenue, and constant cash flow stress tied to contractor payments....

Points of Interest 00:00 – 01:30 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes M&A advisor Todd Taskey, who specializes in investment banking transactions for digital marketing agencies doing $1–5M in EBITDA. 01:30 – 02:40 – What Investment Banking Actually Means for Agencies: Todd explains what “investment banking transactions” are in plain language, covering how his team guides owners from first conversations...

Points of Interest 00:01 – 01:28 – Introduction: Marcel and Carson set up the focus of the episode on why cash flow deserves as much attention as profitability in agency businesses. 01:28 – 03:31 – Two Extreme Cash Flow Scenarios: Carson shares real client examples of agencies with tight cash despite solid operations and others with healthy bank balances masking eroding profitability, highlighting...

Points of Interest 0:01 – 01:27 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes returning guest Vito Peleg, CEO of Atarim, and frames the conversation around how agencies can streamline creative collaboration and leverage AI to improve delivery efficiency and profitability. 01:28 – 03:27 – From Touring Musician to Collaboration Software Founder: Vito shares his backstory as a touring musician building websites fr...

Points of Interest 00:01 – 02:30 – Introduction : Marcel and Kristen introduce the episode’s focus on productized services versus custom work and set the expectation for a nuanced, non-dogmatic discussion for agencies. 02:31 – 07:25 – Defining Productized Services & Common Misconceptions : Marcel defines productization as selling a clear outcome for a fixed price, explains that backend processes d...

Points of Interest 00:00 – Introduction: Marcel introduces Dr. Matthew Jones and frames the co-founder relationship as a critical driver of business health and day-to-day well-being. 01:14 – Origin Story: Matt explains how mediating friends’ founder conflict revealed a gap between business coaching and psychological expertise for co-founders. 02:20 – Why It’s Hard: The relationship requires a dual...

Points of Interest 00:00 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes recurring guest Carson Pierce to the Agency Profit Podcast and introduces a new format—walking through a real, anonymized client assessment to show how Parakeeto diagnoses and solves profitability challenges. 02:00 – Every Agency’s Problems Are Unique but Familiar: Carson explains that while every agency’s situation feels unique, most share...

Points of Interest 00:00 – 00:39 – Introduction: Marcel introduces Simo Lemhandez, founder of Folk CRM, one of Europe’s fastest-growing SaaS startups recognized by Product Hunt. 00:42 – 02:18 – Defining Folk CRM: Simo explains Folk’s mission to redefine CRM as an AI-native platform that centralizes all client touchpoints and automates busywork. 02:21 – 04:20 – Origin Story: Simo shares how freelan...

Points of Interest 00:01 – 00:55 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes Kristen Kelly and frames Q4 as prime season for annual and quarterly planning, noting the high cost of leadership offsites demands clear outcomes. 01:18 – 03:10 – Why Planning Feels Hard: Kristen cites common hurdles—turning history into forward plans, aligning stakeholders, and building forecasts that can flex with scenarios. 01:55...

Points of Interest 00:00–01:02 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes Stephen, a veteran agency operator, author, and CEO of Predictive ROI focused on helping agencies sell more by adding value. 01:02–03:09 – Who Predictive ROI Serves : Stephen explains their exclusive focus on agencies and their expertise in business development through authority positioning and structured nurture. 03:09–05:18 – Systems...