Agency Journey

"Don't lead with the solution. This is my number one tip for agency operators. And it's my number one tip for traditional sellers, SaaS sellers—anybody who is trying to get someone to work with them."Are your sales suffering? Are you finding it harder to get calls and close deals? Are you looking for ways to run cold outreach or follow-up after an event that actually gets responses?If so, this episode of Agency Journey is for you.Jen Allen-Knuth is the founder of DemandJen, where she helps B2B sales and marketing teams build more pipeline when it might seem harder than ever before. With over 18 years of experience in sales, Jen now works with mid-market and enterprise organizations to help train their sales teams.In this episode of Agency Journey, Jen shares her insights on effective sales strategies, particularly in challenging economic times. She emphasizes the importance of focusing on the problem rather than the solution, slowing down the sales process to build trust, and using data-driven analysis to imp

Are you struggling to differentiate yourself in a saturated market? Are you finding it hard to win enterprise clients and manage complex relationships with them?On the other hand, perhaps you’re looking for ways to create high-quality content at scale, or demonstrate the long-term value of SEO to your stakeholders and clients?If any of those resonate, the latest episode of Agency Journey will be useful for you.Alex Birkett is the co-founder of Omniscient Digital, an organic growth agency that partners with B2B brands to build SEO programs. With a background in scaling agencies and working with enterprise clients like SAP, Adobe, and Loom, Alex shares his expertise on agency differentiation, content operations, and winning big clients.In this episode of Agency Journey, Alex dives into the strategies behind building a successful SEO agency, from differentiating your services to managing enterprise client relationships. He emphasizes the importance of developing a clear point of view and consistently delivering

Tired of working harder for the same (or less) money? Frustrated by clients who don't value your expertise? Or perhaps you’re dealing with:– Razor-thin profit margins;– Clients who nickel and dime you;– Difficulty scaling without burning out;– Sales processes that feel like pulling teeth?If so, this episode of Agency Journey is for you.Raul Hernandez Ochoa is the founder of Do Good Work, a growth consultancy helping agencies scale and increase profitability. With experience building multiple agencies and leading teams to significant revenue growth, Raul brings a wealth of knowledge on pricing strategies, sales processes, and delivering high-value outcomes to clients.In this episode of Agency Journey, Raul shares his framework for increasing revenue per client without increasing workload. He tackles the mindset shifts you need to make, shows you how to ditch "selling services" for good, and reveals his value-based pricing approach that'll have clients eager to pay premium rates.Whether you're looking to boost

"The value of an hour of your time as an agency owner, if you're growing, is never going backwards."In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray “The Martian” MacKenzie joins Kuba to discuss the challenges and strategies for agency owners scaling their businesses beyond 10 full-time employees (FTEs). Gray shares valuable insights on both the psychological and operational aspects of this critical growth phase.If your agency is past the 10 FTE threshold—or close to it—this is a must-listen to prepare you for the obstacles that you’re about to navigate.Episode Insights:

“If a handful of 20 year olds can service millions of dollars a year in revenue—your agency can, with very little stress and very little complications. And your newsletter can, too.”Marketing Max is a serial entrepreneur and growth marketer with a seven-figure agency exit under his belt. He's the man behind the Growth Daily marketing newsletter, read by over 50,000 world-class CEOs, founders, and marketers every day.In this episode of Agency Journey, Max shares his journey from Wall Street to agency owner to media mogul. He discusses the pivotal moment when he niched down his agency services, leading to explosive growth and eventual exit. Max also dives deep into his current ventures, including his portfolio of marketing software, media, and service businesses built on the back of a massive audience.Whether you're looking to scale your agency, grow a newsletter, or build a media empire, this episode will help you get there.Episode Insights:

"Clarity is not the natural state of things. It is a discipline that we have to build into ourselves and into our organizations to create clarity for the team. The outcome is well worth it."In this episode of Agency Journey, Kuba talks with Gray about the importance of clarity in agency leadership and operations. Gray emphasizes that clarity is a form of kindness—it reduces anxiety, builds trust, and allows team members to make better decisions aligned with the company's vision.If you're struggling with unclear processes, misunderstandings in your team, or a lack of focus in your agency's direction, this episode will arm you with practical advice on how to bring more clarity to your organization.Episode Insights:

“We have to optimize the business just like a hotel optimizes their business—because you can only sell your time once, and we're in the business of selling time."Tycho Luijten is the CEO and co-founder of Dapper, a B2B marketing agency focused on helping scale-ups set up marketing engines that deliver inbound leads. With offices in Rotterdam and Lisbon, Dapper has grown to a team of 30 experts and has ambitious plans to become a key global player in the next 8 years.In this episode of Agency Journey, Tycho shares invaluable insights on niching down, creating effective video content for LinkedIn, and the importance of proper time tracking for agency growth. He emphasizes the power of focusing on a specific market segment and consistently delivering value through content marketing.Whether you're looking to refine your agency's focus, improve your content strategy, or optimize your operations, this episode is packed with actionable advice from a rapidly growing agency.Episode Insights:

"I can't grow if I'm doing the same stuff that I was doing last year. So for me to grow, I need to give my leaders space to grow in so that they're doing the stuff that I was doing last year—and then I'm doing something different. That's my yardstick for a good year."Damian Papworth is the founder and managing director of Globital, a white label digital marketing agency serving over 250 agencies across 6-8 countries. With a team of around 300 staff distributed globally, Damian has built a scalable agency model focused on consistent, high-quality fulfillment.In this episode of Agency Journey, Damian shares insights on building an agency for enterprise value, leading a distributed team, and navigating uncertain times in the industry. He emphasizes the importance of strategy over tactics and building strong relationships to weather economic challenges.Whether you're looking to scale your agency, improve your leadership skills, or prepare your business for a potential exit, this episode is packed with valuable ad

Ben Catley-Richardson is the "Accountability Viking" for agencies, helping owners of 3-5 year old agencies grow beyond their own capabilities. With a background in video game journalism and a passion for Norse mythology, Ben brings a unique perspective to agency growth and accountability.In this episode of Agency Journey, Ben shares insights on the importance of rest and reflection in the growth cycle, the power of creating personas, and how to prioritize effectively in an overstimulated world. He emphasizes the value of disconnecting and the science behind why rest is crucial for sustainable business growth.Whether you're looking to scale your agency, improve your work-life balance, or foster a culture of intentional growth, this episode is packed with actionable advice and fascinating perspectives on Viking culture and modern business practices.Episode Insights:

"Going from a company of know-it-alls to a company of test-it-alls—that's really powerful at the organizational level. And it makes people's work so much more meaningful."David Arnoux is the co-founder and CEO of Growth Tribe, one of Europe's leading EdTech providers focused on bridging digital skills gaps within organizations. With a background in growth marketing and consulting, David has built Growth Tribe into a powerhouse that has trained over 35,000 alumni from 1,000+ companies.In this episode of Agency Journey, David shares insights on the importance of experimentation, data-informed decision making, and continuous learning in today's fast-paced digital landscape. He emphasizes the value of upskilling teams to drive long-term impact and ROI for organizations.Whether you're looking to scale your agency, improve your team's capabilities, or foster a culture of experimentation, this episode is packed with actionable advice and fascinating perspectives.Episode Insights:

"Trust is only built through time. It's very hard to build trust through any other mode than time. And that's what's great about having a podcast."Hector Santiesteban is the founder of Amplafy Media, a podcast production company helping businesses leverage podcasting to drive revenue. In this episode of Agency Journey, Hector shares insights on using podcasts strategically to grow your business and generate leads. He emphasizes the importance of focusing on benefits over features, creating a great guest experience, and using different podcast formats to build trust and drive sales.This episode will be a great listen for agency owners looking to leverage podcasting for growth; podcast hosts seeking to monetize their shows more effectively; as well as business leaders wanting to establish thought leadership in their niche.Episode Insights:

Corey Morris is the owner and CEO of Voltage Digital, a specialized digital marketing agency focused on search marketing and websites. He's also the author of  "Digital Marketing Success Plan", a new book aiming to help businesses worldwide make digital marketing predictable with a documented strategy and objective, actionable plan. In this episode of Agency Journey, Corey shares insights on niching down an agency's services, creating comprehensive digital marketing plans, and adapting to AI in search marketing.This is a great conversation for agency leaders interested in specialization, strategic planning, and staying ahead of industry changes.Episode Insights:

"It was clear that there was so much power in individuals banding together to do something."Cooper Munroe is the CEO of The Motherhood, an influencer marketing agency founded in 2006, long before the term "influencer marketing" existed. Cooper shares the fascinating origin story of her agency, which emerged from a viral blog post during Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.In this episode of Agency Journey, Cooper discusses the evolution of influencer marketing over the past 15+ years, from early "mommy blogs" to today's multi-billion dollar industry. She provides insights on best practices, untapped opportunities in regulated industries, and the importance of authenticity in influencer partnerships.This conversation is valuable for agency leaders interested in the history and future of influencer marketing, as well as those looking to partner with specialized agencies to deliver these services.Episode Insights:

"Managing a CEO's LinkedIn account is a full-time job."Garret Caudle is the founder and CEO of Influent, a full-funnel LinkedIn marketing agency. With a background in scaling agencies and a passion for LinkedIn's untapped potential, Garret shares his expertise on leveraging the platform for thought leadership and business growth.In this insightful episode of Agency Journey, Garret breaks down the strategy behind effective LinkedIn content creation for agency founders and executives. He emphasizes the importance of developing a clear point of view and consistently sharing valuable insights with your target audience.Whether you're looking to establish yourself as an industry thought leader or generate more leads for your agency, this episode will give you plenty of inspiration and actionable advice to make LinkedIn a key pipeline driver for your business.Episode Insights:

Is it ever possible to track 40 hours of work in a given week?If not, what should the benchmark be?What is time tracking for, anyway?And how to talk about it with your team members in a way that makes them motivated, and gives you good insights?In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray and Kuba discuss the challenges and best practices of time tracking in agencies. They explore how to communicate its purpose, implement effective processes, and use the data to drive business decisions.Episode Insights:

In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray and Kuba discuss the pros and cons of daily standup meetings and explore alternative approaches for remote teams. They break down why many companies still rely on standups and offer strategies to instead build trust, maintain momentum, and improve planning asynchronously.Episode Insights:

"From the very start, when I launched Galactic Fed, some of my friends (former entrepreneurs) gave me really good advice, which is that you want to be removing yourself from as many processes as you can. You do not want to create what some people call a key man or key woman scenario."Zach Boyette is the co-founder and Managing Partner at Galactic Fed, a full-service growth marketing agency with a team of 150 people across 25 countries. Zach has an unconventional background, having worked at Google and P&G before becoming a digital nomad and building Galactic Fed.In this episode of Agency Journey, Zach shares insights on scaling an agency while maintaining a strong remote culture. He emphasizes the importance of documentation, promoting from within, and choosing your team over rude clients.Zach also discusses his perspective on the future of remote work and why he believes younger generations will drive a shift toward more location-independent companies. This is a great conversation for agency leaders inte

“​​In all aspects of your work and your business, you have systems. Why is networking, which is just as important as any one of those singular things, not managed with such ferocity?”Kurt Schmidt is an agency founder, podcast host, author, and agency coach with 25 years of experience growing agencies from just a few people to over 500 employees and tens of millions in revenue. He started his career as a designer and developer before catching the entrepreneurial bug and becoming a "pirate" as he puts it.In this value-packed episode of Agency Journey, Kurt shares his hard-earned wisdom on business development, networking, and delivering client results. He emphasizes the importance of taking a problems-first approach rather than just showcasing capabilities.Kurt is also the author of “The Little Book of Networking”, and in this conversation he explains the system he uses to consistently provide value to his network and build community.Whether you're looking to jumpstart your agency's growth or build a thriving p

John Corcoran is the co-founder of Rise25, an agency that helps B2B companies get clients, referrals, and strategic partnerships through done-for-you podcasts and content marketing. John has been podcasting since 2010 and his business partner Jeremy has been doing it since 2008. Together they've built a team of over 50 people to support B2B companies in leveraging this powerful medium.John has a fascinating and diverse background prior to Rise25. At various points in his career, he was paid by President Bill Clinton as a White House writer, worked for Steven Spielberg at DreamWorks, and did some work for Warren Buffett. He was also a lawyer for a period before discovering the power of podcasting to have high-caliber business conversations and decided to make that his focus.In this episode of Agency Journey, John shares his knowledge on using podcasts strategically to deliver value to your ideal clients and referral partners. He emphasizes that download numbers and vanity metrics matter far less than having th

In this episode, Kuba generates a list of client success tips using AI—and Gray critiques them and goes way deeper based on his hard-won experience in the agency space.Episode Insights: