Episodes
"I think the hardest thing that all HubSpot agencies are trying to solve for is… 500 product updates this year. How do you keep it all straight? How do you share that knowledge? How much knowledge do you have to know as a team, to what level? One thing that I practice and preach is: not everybody's going to know everything, but that collectively as a team and as an agency, we've got people in certain areas that are experts in those areas that we can rely on."
Adam Sharrow is the founder of...
Published 04/04/24
We’ve got an announcement to share about the future of the podcast.
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Published 03/26/24
“In today's day and age people are scared to be measured. But your athletes, they love it because that's how they grew up. How do you know who are the best players on the team? You look at the box score, you look at the stat sheet. So I like bringing a sports mentality to everything I do.”
Casey Cavell is a serial entrepreneur. He’s built a $40,000,000 portfolio from a $9,000 investment by founding, buying, or investing in dozens of small businesses over the last two decades.
He also has...
Published 03/21/24
“I had bought into this idea that you had to sacrifice everything you had to kill yourself for growth. And it cost me dearly. I made some really poor decisions.”
Carlos Hidalgo is co-founder & CEO of Digital Exhaust, a Utah-based data-driven, AI-enabled agency with a belief that "growth is a state of being, not just a goal to be achieved".
But he's also a man with a dramatic story of putting his business ahead of his other life priorities—and learning some very hard lessons from...
Published 03/07/24
“I have long seen myself as: I’m a very good marketer. I'm a very good communicator. I'm a good content creator. That's my lane. I know how to drive in that lane very, very well. And this has been a challenge for me to say: how do I become the best president, owner of a services business? Versus the best marketer anybody knows.”
Ali Schwanke is founder and CEO of Simple Strat—a Diamond HubSpot Solutions Partner and premium B2B content marketing agency.
You may know them from the HubSpot...
Published 02/21/24
“If you don't like managing people, one of the things to consider is: do you want to run an agency? The management portion will never go away. But it also doesn't have to be so hard.”
Karl Sakas, agency advisor and founder of Sakas & Company, has served as “agency therapist” for over 600 clients in 36 countries. He was also our recent guest on Agency Journey. His fourth time on the show!
You can guess why we had Karl on so many times—his insights are always on point.
If you want to...
Published 02/08/24
“We all consider ourselves humble experts. So we all know that we're good at what we do, but ego does not get in the way around our workplace.”
Arianne Foulks, CEO and founder of Aeolidia, a one-stop shop agency for creative ecommerce brands with 20+ years of market presence, was our recent guest on Agency Journey.
If you want to build an efficient, adaptable agency that builds strong relationships with clients and employees—this episode will be perfect for you.
Episode Insights:
💡...
Published 01/24/24
[This is a special feature of Gray's recent appearance on Perpetual Traffic—reposted on the Agency Journey feed so you don't miss this informative discussion!]
Kasim chats with Gray MacKenzie, the co-founder of ZenPilot, a company that helps agencies master project management. Gray reveals why project management is more than just software, and how to create effective processes and habits. He also shares how to set up your scorecard, track your client health, and deliver an awesome experience...
Published 01/17/24
"Small groups of highly skilled, highly motivated, well communicating people can just achieve more than you can at a large organization."
Jesse Resnick, co-founder of Ei Digital, a full-service digital agency, was our recent guest on Agency Journey.
This episode is a must-listen for agency owners and managers looking to build a high-performing team culture.
Episode Insights:
💡 Jesse's journey from working in larger agencies to establishing EI Digital.
💡 The journey of EI Digital from a...
Published 01/11/24
Is your agency prepared for the cookieless future that threatens to “tank” advertising performance?
Paris Childress, CEO of SaaS-focused performance marketing agency Hop Online, was our recent guest on Agency Journey.
He shared insights on crafting first-party data strategies that can help agencies avoid disrupted campaigns when third party cookies expire.
Paris also discussed expanding service offerings with data science capabilities; making use of new privacy-focused technologies like...
Published 11/26/23
Want to take your agency to the next level? Learn how Matthew leveraged EOS, strategic partnerships, and custom ecommerce solutions to optimize operations and expand offerings over 9 years in business. His proven strategies can help your agency demonstrate ROI and pave the path to sustainable growth.
Matthew McIver shares his journey evolving Commence Studio from a service-based creative agency into a productized business selling themes on Shopify.
Learn how EOS and Traction shaped their...
Published 11/22/23
Running a professional services agency? You need compelling case studies to close sales. But most video case studies end up dry, boring, and forgettable.
So how do you create video case studies that captivate prospects and accelerate deals?
In this episode of Agency Journey, host Gray MacKenzie interviews Ian Garlic, founder of Video Case Story. Ian shares his proven process for producing video case studies that get results. He also talks about writing a book, starting a partnership...
Published 11/01/23
Running a marketing agency is hard. Running one remotely across several time zones? Even harder.
So how do you keep a distributed team aligned, motivated, and growing together?
In this episode of Agency Journey, host Gray MacKenzie interviews Janet Mesh, CEO and co-founder of Aimtal, a fully remote marketing agency. We dig into the keys that accelerated Aimtal’s growth over the past 5 years.
Janet shares how Aimtal has doubled its team and revenue each year through an intentional focus on...
Published 10/24/23
Ask any agency owner and they’ll tell you—growth doesn’t happen by accident. It takes strategy, systems, and support.
So how do you choose the right blueprint to guide your agency’s growth? What if that blueprint could help you smash through plateaus and scale your team 10x?
In this episode of Agency Journey, host Gray MacKenzie interviews Tyler Dolph, CEO of Rocket Clicks. We'll dig deep into how EOS(The Entrepreneurial Operating System) helped transform Rocket Clicks into the Agency that...
Published 09/10/23
Struggling to get your team aligned on goals and metrics? Wish your company culture was more productive and humane?
Mark Abbott, founder and CEO of Ninety, shares how and the importance to implement tools to empower employees and build a resilient organization. In this episode, Mark discusses the specifics of designing effective scorecards, setting targets vs goals, and getting team member buy-in and so much more.
Episode Insights:
Why companies are complex adaptive systems. The best ones...
Published 08/27/23
In this episode, Kuba shares his vision for ZenPilot Marketing. He details his strategy to transition ZenPilot's perception from merely a ClickUp implementation partner to a team of agency operations experts. Kuba emphasizes the importance of promoting the ZenPilot team and using platforms like YouTube and LinkedIn to highlight their expertise and unique personalities, fostering a more connected audience.
Kuba also offers valuable insights into "low-hanging marketing fruit" for agencies. He...
Published 07/02/23
Do you struggle to create work that truly resonates with your audience? The ability to craft stories and messages that forge meaningful connections is what separates good creators from great ones. In today’s episode, host Gray MacKenzie sits down with storytelling expert Jay Acunzo.
Jay Acunzo, The founder of the Creator Kitchen, a membership program helping you push yourself creatively. He's also an author, speaker, and host of the award-winning podcast Unthinkable, where creative people...
Published 06/18/23
In this episode, Erika Zeigyte, CEO of a consulting & recruitment agency called Prosana. joins Gray Mackenzie to discuss the intricacies of hiring an A+ talent for your agency.
Erika also shares her insights into what makes for great agency candidates, how to build an effective hiring process, the benefits of using a recruiting agency, interview techniques, and recommended tools for recruiting.
In this episode, you'll learn:
What makes someone a good fit for an agency?
How to vet...
Published 06/04/23
Misti Ferris holds the “Integrator” seat at digital marketing agency Roger West Creative & Code, which means she ensures that everyone is dancing to the same beat called EOS (even the creatives).
In addition to the Integrator role, Misti serves as Vice President of Operations, where her “3 M” mantra: marketer, minimalist and mom (of 4 daughters) is the driving force behind all things requiring structure, process and a firm yet loving nudge.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How EOS...
Published 05/14/23
William Ferreira is the founder of Social Buff, a full-service digital agency that builds and scales direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce brands. Since its launch in 2019, the business has taken countless companies to multi-million pounds in revenue.
In this episode, William and Gray discussed the tools and strategies Social Buff uses to operate efficiently while providing high-impact results, including a focus on metrics, process, and hiring the right talent.
In this episode, you'll...
Published 04/30/23
In this power-packed episode, we are joined by JJ Rusell, Partner and Director at Best Damn Agency Mastermind. Together with Gray, they delve into the importance of having a clear vision for mastermind groups, the value of strong connections within the community, and overcoming self-limiting beliefs. They also discuss strategies for building a successful agency and fostering an entrepreneurial mindset in children. Tune in for an insightful conversation that's sure to leave you inspired and...
Published 04/16/23
In this episode, Karl Sakas, Author, Speaker, Agency Consultant and Founder of Sakas & Company, joins Gray MacKenzie to discuss strategies & key metrics that agency owners should start tracking, and how it contributes to achieve sustainable growth and increased profits.
Karl Sakas helps people at agencies make smarter decisions for smoother growth. Drawing on his background in agency operations, Karl has personally advised hundreds of agencies on every inhabited continent. He is the...
Published 04/02/23
In this episode, Andrew Stern, Partner, and COO at Pilothouse, a full-service digital marketing agency that helps DTC brands scale through performance marketing.
Andrew shares insights into Pilothouse's unique partnership model with clients, how they've scaled to over 170 employees in just a few years, and the key sales and marketing strategies that have fueled their growth.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How to Focus on true alignment of incentives between the agency, clients, and internal...
Published 03/19/23
Mike Rose, Founder and CEO of Return On Energy, is a highly successful entrepreneur who has built multiple profitable agencies that can run without him. With a track record of accolades, including being named INC Best Places in America and a 3X Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Private Company, Mike shares his insights and strategies for creating a sustainable agency that can thrive even when the founder steps back.
As a HubSpot Diamond-Certified Partner and DFW American Marketing Association (AMA)...
Published 03/05/23