What does it take to turn a side hustle into a thriving agency serving some of the biggest names in publishing? In this episode, Corey chats with Alex Strathdee, founder of Advanced Amazon Ads, who started with a simple goal: sell more books. Fast forward, and Alex now manages millions in ad spend, helping nonfiction authors like Mike Michalowicz and Dan Sullivan grow their influence. But Alex isn’t stopping there. He’s pulling back the curtain on a game-changing rebrand to Shelf Life,...

"You have to think about the exit from day one.” – Ronik Patel,  Founder of UnlimitedWP. If you’ve ever dreamt of selling your agency, look no further than this episode. Excitingly, we have another two-time guest on, as Corey welcomes back Ronik Patel to discuss his recent success in getting his company, UnlimitedWP acquired by E2M. And, if the latter sounds familiar, it’s because its founder, Manish Dudharejia, is also a recent guest and friend of the podcast! Ronik joins the show to share...

"The commitment to specialization gives clarity and perspective, leading to higher conversion rates and client trust." – Vlad Mkrtumyan, CEO of Restoration Inbound Today’s guest may have started as a general agency founder, but since niching down and taking a vertical approach, his team has helped one of their client’s achieve an increase of over $1M in new revenue. Meet Vlad Mkrtumyan, CEO of Restoration Inbound, a top-tier lead generation and SEO agency exclusively designed for mold...

"The audiences of niche podcasts are so much more engaged than some of these really big shows.” – Angie Trueblood, Founder of The Podwize Group Our guest’s founding moment might have originated by chance, but what followed was pure talent, and certainly, a knack for sales and pitching. Meet Angie Trueblood, Founder of The Podwize Group, a company that connects business owners and podcast hosts with other hosts who serve an aligned audience in their vertical. What started as a discovery of a...

"We get new clients by showcasing the wins that we do have and the return on investment that brands are getting.” – David Glaza, Founder/CEO of DIGITS Agency Retail media is a $54B a year industry, so as a niche, it’s extremely lucrative. Today’s guest saw an opportunity after fourteen years working at Target, and never looked back. This week, we welcome David Glaza to the show. He is the founder and CEO of DIGITS Agency, an independent retail media agency that, like Target, is based in...

Episode: 17 Chapter Seventeen of Anyone, Not Everyone encourages agency owners to embark on their journey towards vertical market specialization, emphasizing that existing clients are likely to remain supportive during this transition. It clarifies that specializing in a vertical market is not a magical solution but a strategic step that requires solid business fundamentals and can serve as a foundation for future expansion or diversification. The chapter motivates agency owners to start...

"One of the things that we do best across all of our product categories is talk to niche audiences.” – Josslynne Welch, President at Litzky Public Relations Public relations is a fast-moving industry, yet today’s guest has successfully stayed ahead of the news cycle for close to three decades. Meet Josslynne Welch; Today, she sits at the helm of the communications agency Litzky Public Relations, a company she joined some 26 years ago. The agency specializes in toy companies, publishing, and...

Episode: 16 Chapter Sixteen of Anyone, Not Everyone outlines the importance of the agency founder in leading the transition to vertical market specialization, emphasizing that early successes can be achieved with the existing team. It advises agency owners to deeply understand their chosen vertical market, embodying the values and knowledge that will inspire and guide the team. The chapter also details functional skills required for each strategy phase, suggesting the use of internal...

While we’ve had troves of agency founders on this show, today’s guest brings a unique spin to the typical genesis story. Peter Kang, Co-Founder of Barrel Holdings, started out running a website agency some 20 years ago.  Today, the business has evolved into a sprawling portfolio of agencies, all homegrown under a single holding company umbrella. How did all this come to be? Looking back, Peter’s path to a holding company co-founder might make complete sense, yet he got there by...

Episode: 15 Chapter Fifteen of Anyone, Not Everyone discusses the significance of being on the "day one list" of vendors that buyers consider without prior research, achieved mainly through colleague recommendations, past experiences, and vendor websites. It emphasizes the importance of building a strong reputation within a vertical market community, akin to integrating into a village, through deliberate relationship-building with influential brands (tastemakers) and mavens. The chapter...

"If I would have called my services Fractional CMO 10 years ago, people would have thought I was crazy. Now, the market's ready for it.” – John Jantsch, Founder of Duct Tape Marketing. In recent years, we’ve witnessed the resurgence of fractional CMOs - Why now? With the pandemic, many companies were caught red-handed for their lack of marketing strategy - coupled with financial strains, economic headwinds, and smaller budgets, the environment brought about opportunity for fractional CMO...

Episode: 14 Chapter Fourteen of Anyone, Not Everyone highlights the power of vertical outbound sales and marketing strategies, stressing the importance of proactively reaching out to potential clients within a targeted vertical market. It introduces the concept of the Zone of Indifference, where the majority of clients are neither actively seeking nor strongly opposed to new services, and emphasizes the necessity of targeted, personalized outreach, using unique and memorable gifts (USI...

“I built out a cold outreach methodology around heuristics, which is a series of pattern interrupts, or shortcuts.” Justin Michael, Co-Founder of Hard Skill Exchange Ready for a different perspective on sales outreach?  This week’s guest is an executive sales coach who has helped over 200 startups make over their outbound efforts by leaning into the unexpected. Justin Michael is a best-selling author of the book “Sales Superpowers” and the Co-Founder of Hard Skill Exchange, the world’s...

Episode: 13 Chapter Thirteen of Anyone, Not Everyone discusses vertical inbound marketing strategies, emphasizing the need for agencies to be easily discovered by potential clients who are already seeking solutions. It advises on thought leadership through content marketing, visibility through speaking at and hosting events, and targeting through paid advertising. The chapter stresses that a proactive approach to marketing—going beyond passive inbound tactics—is crucial for agencies aiming...

“Eventually, we stopped the shenanigans and got vertical."  –  Rob Murray, Founder and President of Intrigue Media Some founding stories are more eccentric, and entertaining, than others, and today’s guest certainly has a tale to tell. While these days, the digital marketing agency Intrigue Media does over $5 million in annual revenue serving 110 clients and counting, its founder, Rob Murray started his business selling local out-of-home advertising all the way back in college. While Rob...

Episode: 12 Chapter Twelve of Anyone, Not Everyone outlines the necessity of creating specific sales and marketing materials to appeal to a chosen vertical market, stressing that most of a client's buying decision is made before the first contact. It recommends crafting a dedicated vertical webpage, compiling impactful client success stories and testimonials, and gathering vertical-specific social proof to demonstrate expertise and build trust with potential clients. Reminder that this is a...

“The first six, seven years were a lot of lessons. I made a lot of mistakes. I did not know how to lead people. I didn't know what kind of people should be hired."  –  Manish Dudharejia, Founder and President E2M Solutions This week’s guest, Manish Duharejia, is a true agency aficionado with over a decade at the helm of his marketing company, E2M Solutions. Founded in 2012, E2M Solutions is an integrated white label digital agency that helps other agencies expand their capacity through white...

Episode: 11 Chapter Eleven of Anyone, Not Everyone discusses vertical sales and marketing strategies, emphasizing the importance of choosing specific actions and avoiding others. The chapter breaks down the sales and marketing activities into inbound marketing, outbound sales and marketing, and relationship marketing, providing an approach to reach clients in the active buying process and underlining the necessity of being a top consideration for potential clients. Reminder that this is a...

"Niche is the number one growth accelerator."  – Josh Nelson, Mentor & Coach at Seven Figure Agency Growth can happen in an instant when you’re doing the right things. But when you find the right fit, niche, offering, and vertical, that’s the unfair advantage. Nobody knows this better than today’s guest, who not only coaches agencies on growth, but also grew his own verticalized agency from zero to seven figures in under two years. This week, we welcome Josh Nelson to the Deep...

Episode: 10 Chapter Ten of Anyone, Not Everyone presents the development of a Vertical Messaging Guide as an essential framework for consistent, high-quality messaging in marketing efforts for a chosen vertical market. This guide compiles key elements such as the agency’s Point of View, vertical positioning, client attributes, business challenges, intrinsic and extrinsic wins, transformation narrative, and proof points to create a central reference point for crafting impactful marketing...

"We specialize in B2B and we specialize in the experiences of three things: A better brand that will create a better employee experience and ultimately, a stronger client experience."  – Susan Quinn, President and CEO of Circle S Studio It’s not every day you get to sit down with an agency leader with a career spanning four decades, and running! This week’s podcast guest, Susan Quinn, is not only deeply experienced, but also one of those leaders who spits quotable business wisdom on every...

Episode: 9 Chapter Nine of Anyone, Not Everyone discusses how crafting a unique Point of View (POV) for your agency provides a competitive edge and serves as a key differentiator in a crowded marketplace. The chapter guides you through identifying a significant, meaningful problem in your vertical market, framing it against a metaphorical villain, envisioning a transformed future without the problem, and presenting your agency as a bridge to that future, thus creating a compelling and...

"We've operated in over 30 states in Europe, Mexico and Canada. The Cannabis Creative Group has absolutely taken off like wildfire."  – Dan Serard, VP of Sales and Marketing for Cannabis Creative Group  Let’s take a deep dive into a vertical that certainly is anything but dull. This week's guest, Dan Serard is a trailblazer in cannabis marketing and has stories to tell in setting up agency services for cannabis companies. As the VP of Sales and Marketing for Cannabis Creative Group, Dan was...

Episode: 8 Chapter Eight of Anyone, Not Everyone outlines a four-step process for developing a distinctive vertical positioning, ensuring your agency stands out in the marketplace. It involves identifying key attributes that your vertical clients desire, plotting these attributes to find your unique "white space," and crafting a vertical positioning statement that encapsulates your agency’s distinct place in the client’s perception. This strategic positioning is not a static tagline but a...