Working Without Pants - For Agency Owners & Consultants

In this “best selling” episode, Kevin Anderson joins us from Kevin Anderson & Associates. With offices in New York City, Nashville, and Los Angeles, Kevin’s firm is made up of a team of New York Times bestselling writers, editors, and publishing consultants- offering all three of these top-notch services and producing high-quality content for their clients.    Kevin Anderson & Associates buckle down with dedication to each client to help formulate the content to ghostwrite their books-- whether it is starting from scratch from a few ideas or helping someone edit and rewrite a book they’ve already written. Kevin’s firm is also well connected to some of the industry’s best literary agents, marketers, publicists, and more to help make a book successful once it’s written. Many clients come to Kevin’s team specifically because of connections Kevin has to a variety of people in the industry and the marketing strategies they use.    If you are thinking about writing your own book but not sure where to start,

If you are charging hourly and have a hit ceiling, this episode is definitely for you! This week, Jonathan Stark joins me once again as we dive into his “mission to rid the world of hourly billing.” He’s a former software developer and is now the author of Hourly Billing Is Nuts, the host of a podcast called Ditching Hourly, cohost of Business of Authority, and writes a daily newsletter about pricing for independent professionals.    Join us here to learn some awesome techniques and avenues to become an authority figure, broaden your network, connect more intimately with your audience, and command higher rates. This includes something as simple, yet huge, with daily emailing. Jonathan is determined to help consultants become authorities in their field so they can break out of that rut of trading time for money.    This interview was truly relevant to me and has sparked some ideas for my own business. I know you’ll want to take notes on this one. Dive in here and then go check out Jonathan’s website at ValuePr

Philip Morgan is a good friend of mine and joins us this week for the second time on here because he’s got some great insights to share! For good reason, his LinkedIn description says, “I'm a pusherman. I get paid to push people beyond their comfort zone so they can become the self-made experts they aspire to be.”  Philip helps small business owners build a point of view and to take a stance for what they believe in, which helps set them apart from others and propels their business forward just by creating this. He challenges people to do things that take their current level of expertise and amplify it in order to monetize their expertise.  Find out here what Philip means when he says that you need to pick a group of people you “feel love” for. Philip goes into detail on how you can specialize and narrow your focus to be in better control with your marketing and how you can build your credibility after declaring your specialty on your website. Don’t miss out on Philip’s great advice and opinions that will hav

In this week’s episode, learn how to release the vicious cycle of selling that only leaves you feeling frustrated and fake. Join us as Reuben Swartz, head of the Sales for Nerds podcast and Founder of Mimiran- a CRM for people who hate “selling,” talks through all of the failed approaches he’s attempted at sales and what has finally brought him to his success with customers. Reuben is not a “natural-born” salesperson, but he thought he was prepared for what would make him successful at sales. He quickly learned this was not the case and, for a long time, felt like he was insecure and pretending with his clients. In fact, it took him years to figure out that proposals to his clients were not about him… it was about the client. Fast forward to today, he has created Mimiran and now on a mission to help others avoid what he went through when approaching sales. Join us here to get some value you will appreciate and take the pressure off yourself by being authentic and honest with your customers. Reuben created a m

Peter Levitan joins us in this week’s episode to discuss how he went about selling his agency and some words of advice for those who are thinking about selling theirs. Currently living in Mexico, Peter is a Business Development Consultant for advertising agencies around the world. Before that, he bought, and then eventually sold, his advertising agency in Oregon by managing the process himself.    Ask yourself the critical question, “Would you buy your agency?” If it’s not a solid “yes,” you may want to rethink selling. Also, very few agencies have a solid business plan, and this is key.   If you don’t have a business plan in place, you need one. How else will you stand out? We use the term “un-ignorable” many times in this episode while focusing on what that means for your business.    Listen in to Peter’s story and what you should be thinking about if selling your agency is crossing your mind. Find out why some businesses are not ready to be sold, what others look for when seeking to buy an agency, and dive

In this week’s episode, Steve Gordan joins us who also happens to host podcasts of his own. In fact, we dive specifically into how podcasts can be a great tool to use to help grow your business. Steve is the Founder of Unstoppable CEO and specializes in helping agencies get great clients who are ready to hire you.   With all the noise out there between marketing strategies, business funnels, and complex sales training programs, you need a unique way to develop trust with people. You need to strategically build relationships with other people and approach them in a different way. In fact, one of the things we touch on in this episode is how you can simplify your business just simply by aligning with human behavior.    This episode should have you asking yourself how you think of using podcasts for your business. An audience is great, but the relationships that you build from the podcast interviews are the ones that you can nurture and expand on to grow your business.    Listen in and get some great tips on why

If you’ve been thinking about speaking as an avenue to grow your business, join me In this week’s episode with Carol Cox, Founder and CEO of Speaking Your Brand. Carol is an expert at coaching entrepreneurs and executives on how to launch and build their speaking career for short-term, and long-term, results.   Carol reminds us just how valuable speaking engagements and being around people truly are these days. With all of the social media, content creation, and all the “followers” people obtain, we all forget just how impactful it can be when you meet and learn from someone in person. We discuss in detail how narrowing down your focus of topic to a very specific niche can really make you stand out from everyone else. Carol dives into some great tips on how to market yourself as a speaker and how people can inquire about you so that you can get premium and paid engagements.    Listen in to find out how you can get a free guide if you’d like more information on how speaking can help grow your business. You can

In this week’s episode, join me in hearing tons of advice from Alan Weiss, author of a phenomenal book called “Million Dollar Consulting,” or as I like to call it, The “Bible” of Consulting, which is one of numerous books and articles he’s written. Alan is also the owner of Summit Consulting Group that provides management consulting services to clients across the globe.    During Alan’s professional journey, he quickly learned he could charge for the value of his consulting services, to which he’s pioneered value-based fees. Alan is also all about simplifying everything to place more speed on doing business and getting results. Overcomplicating processes won’t grow your business. Alan hones in on his core values of focusing on what’s important and why you should “carve away everything that doesn’t look like a career.”   The “Million Dollar Consulting” book is at the heart of everything I learned to start my businesses- my mindset, the tactics, the concepts behind charging for value, and more. Listen here to g

What is the future of LinkedIn? This question comes up a lot in conversations with friends, podcast hosts, prospects, and peers.   LinkedIn, as a platform, is becoming the epicenter of business communication. B2B marketers and sales teams are flocking to the platform, and in a post-GDPR world, it has become one of the most reliable and powerful sales channels.   But what is to come? As the founder of one of the top LinkedIn lead generation companies, I am very close to the platform. Our team has seen the platform evolve and grow. I have spoken to individuals on LinkedIn's advisory board and I have heard many rumors of discussions from others in the industry.   What I am predicting here is not fact or am I 100% certain of this. But I have a decent level of confidence in these predictions and so I am sharing them in hopes they bring you value. Join me in today's solo episode as I dive into my 8 predictions for the future of LinkedIn!

Catch this week’s episode with John Jantsch, President at Duct Tape Marketing and author of his newest book I’m already loving called “The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur.” John has appeared on here before, and with his years and expertise in small business marketing, it’s a no-brainer to bring him back on the podcast now that he has published his sixth book. This book is a bit different than his first five that are all about how-to-do marketing. But “The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur” is structured more as a daily-read with a new meditational message for each day you turn a new page. Each entry shares a message or excerpt that comes from entrepreneurial writings from the 19th Century time period when “thinking for yourself” became more prominent during a time of political and cultural differences in the U.S. John gets his reader to take a bit of a more philosophical look at themselves, adds his own thoughts, and then follows that up with a question to challenge someone for that day. The “Self-Reliant Entrepreneur” was

If you’re thinking about hiring a salesperson for your business, you NEED to give this episode a listen. Damian Thompson and I discuss the reasons behind why we cringe when someone says, “I’ve got a sales problem- so I’m going to hire a salesperson.” This is the wrong mindset!    Damian is the Founder & Chief Training Officer of Salesability. He’s been involved in software services and consultative selling since the mid-to-late 90s, so he knows a thing or two when it comes to when, or why, you should be hiring a salesperson. He’s always been “that” guy who was sent off to start selling and building a team in different locations around the world. He’s helped countless amounts of people who were small business owners who didn’t see themselves as a salesperson but needed to utilize sales to grow their business.   Trust me when I say this episode is extremely important to listen to and will change your perspective when thinking about sales for your business. There’s a robust amount of information here- everyt

In this episode, I listen to the Founder and CEO of Campfire Labs, Michael Thomas, describe his entrepreneurial journey and I am blown away at his generosity and his frame of mind when it comes to giving back.    Michael had a successful company that he decided to sell back in 2017, and because it was during a political turning point, he felt the need to help others so he pledged 25% of the proceeds to charitable causes. He then spent half a year volunteering with refugees in Greece, where he came to learn the lifestyle of people with difficult circumstances.   About a year after returning from his volunteer work, Michael started his new company, Campfire Labs, a journalistic-style content agency. But he wanted to continue helping others, so Michael and his partner give 50% of Campfire’s equity and profits to charitable causes.    Tune into this episode to get some inspiring details about Michael’s passion for giving to charity and how he did so. This interview won’t let you down...

In this week’s eye-opening episode, I dive into a great interview with Michael Zipursky, coach and CEO of Consulting Success.  With a background in building and consulting businesses in North America and with multibillion-dollar businesses in Japan, he’s developed a coaching program that began as a blog and then morphed into what is now helping hundreds of consultants build successful businesses by adding six to seven figures to their annual revenues.    You may notice a familiar face here because I’ve interviewed Michael before. I’ve brought him back because recently his company conducted a Marketing for Consultants Study that I find fascinating and is full of valuable information and which marketing techniques can help build a successful business.   In this detailed study, 34,000 consultants were surveyed to find out what is actually working in their marketing techniques- what tactics they’re using and getting results from. The survey identifies and compares what high-performing consultants are doing vs lo

In this episode, I talk with Mary Ellen Slayter , CEO and team leader at Rep Cap, which is a content marketing agency that specializes in creating thought leadership, strategies, and plans for B2B industries. She is also the Publisher and Founder of ManagingEditor.com.   Mary Ellen pursues most of her work in Insurance and HR Tech, but worked her way through her journalism career by writing for things like B2B newsletters, career advice columns, and as a finance editor. She has an understanding of large technical and financial terms and has a multitude of knowledge pulled from her professional experience and from her studies in college to get her degree.     Mary Ellen has an edge that makes her stand out from others- she is comfortable writing content for her clients that most other writers want to stay away from. And after taking her own ideas and organizing them into processes through a project management tool, she’s created a team of writers that have similar values on the quality of their writing. Each m

In this week’s episode, I sit down and have a very honest conversation with Franco Cabral , who is the CEO of inMark Media Group and owner of his personal brand at FrancoCabral.com. InMark Media Group helps small to medium sized businesses with their brand and advertising inside almost 700 supermarkets across the nation.     In just three and a half years, Franco rapidly grew his sales team for inMark Media Group, but it took a lot more time and energy with his personal growth for him to get to where he is today.  Franco had it all- or at least it would seem that way on paper, or looking from the outside in. However, it was only when he reached a pivotal moment that he realized how unhappy and unfulfilling life really was. In this episode, Franco shares his amazing story of how he went from studying to become a doctor, to working in sales and becoming a National Sales Director, and then building his own business by using his credibility and reputation within the field.    Franco is someone I look up to and am

In this noteworthy episode, I sit down with Devin Bramhall , Director of Marketing with Animalz, a content marketing agency that works with huge name customers. It was founded as a co-located company in NYC by a man named Walter Chen. Because the best talent isn’t all in one location, the team has expanded to more than 35 people spread across the world who wanted both structure and freedom in their lives. Walter brought Devin and her team on to run this company, and by providing the space these leaders need along with a solid infrastructure in place, the business took off and major growth happened just within the last year.   Quality work is so important in this business, so Animalz takes several approaches to be sure this can happen. They invest heavily in their people, within the company, and with their clients. For Animalz, it was important to create a repeatable structure to follow.  And with training, a lot of investment into the clients, and digging into each subject matter, quality is then built into t

On this episode, I speak with Jessica Mehring, CEO and Senior Copywriter at Horizon Peak Consulting, a content marketing agency that produces very technical and difficult work for companies focused on enterprise sales.   Jessica started her copywriting career in the corporate world, and though she was good at what she did, she eventually hit a plateau, so she took the necessary steps to discovering exactly what her niche was. She is now an expert at what she does and has very high standards for her team and for the work her business provides to huge-brand clients.   Horizon Peak Consulting offers each client a high level of trust and very high-quality work. Right off the bat, companies can see measurable results on her website, and with Jessica focusing on the end-customer, putting in the research needed and above-and-beyond efforts needed to be able to write superior quality content, she can help her clients hit their targeted goals and KPIs.   Listen to this week’s episode to hear how far Jessica has come i

In this week's episode, I talk with Nat Eliason, CEO & Founder of Growth Machine. Using a “systems-first” approach and by producing great content, he quickly grew this business from zero to 2 million ARR in less than 2 years and now has a 10-person team working around the U.S.   Growth Machine is an SEO-focused content marketing agency that mostly works with eCommerce and tech companies by managing their blog content production.    With ad costs increasing, more businesses are looking for someone who can create, optimize, and promote content, while also giving them the best chance of ranking high in Google searches. With high-quality writers that consistently meet deadlines and by following a very structured system, Growth Machine delivers great results for their clients.    Listen in to hear a robust episode full of valuable information. Nat also wraps up with two important suggestions for anyone in the early stages of starting their own content business. Break out your notepad and pen for this one, folk

On this week’s episode, I speak with Jason Van Orden who calls himself a “thought leader business strategist”- essentially taking someone who is an expert in their field and turning them into a thought leader within that industry.   Whether someone is already a thought leader and wants to grow what they have or someone who is just learning how to become a thought leader, Jason helps guide them by providing valuable marketing strategies to turn their stuff into digital assets.   It’s not about the latest, greatest tactic to get the attention of your target audience. It’s about using a strategy to get you onto the correct platforms and using your unique voice within all of it, especially when there is so much noise on the internet. What will make you stand out and how do you make it clear who you are online? Jason shares here what the 3 R’s are when trying to reach your goal audience and why they’re so important.   Tune in to listen to some great tips from Jason and what his thoughts and recommendations on how

In this episode, I speak with Lacy Boggs , director of The Content Direction Agency -writing high quality content and creating bespoke content marketing strategies for online entrepreneurs. Determined to stay home with her baby about 8 years ago, Lacy quit her regular job as a journalist, started writing a food blog and eventually started ghostwriting for some big authors. She has an amazing talent of being able to write content from each client’s own tone of voice, so this led her to starting her own agency. She started as a solo freelance writer to growing into a team of 10 while only working 20 hours per week. Listen here to learn all about how Lacy grew The Content Direction Agency, how her incredible team is able to produce content that is used to its full potential, and why the agency model was the better decision for her to scale her business.