"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 modest ...
Jan 11, 2024•37 min•Ep. 284
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 his AI p...
Nov 26, 2023•33 min•Ep. 283
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 growth,...
Nov 22, 2023•32 min•Ep. 282
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 program, and...
Nov 01, 2023•31 min•Ep. 281
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 talent...
Oct 24, 2023•37 min•Ep. 280
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 i...
Sep 10, 2023•32 min•Ep. 279
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 are ...
Aug 27, 2023•40 min•Ep. 278
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 disc...
Jul 02, 2023•39 min•Ep. 277
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 take u...
Jun 18, 2023•46 min•Ep. 276
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 candidates ...
Jun 04, 2023•29 min•Ep. 275
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 provides str...
May 14, 2023•30 min•Ep. 274
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 learn: Overv...
Apr 30, 2023•31 min•Ep. 273
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 motiv...
Apr 16, 2023•50 min•Ep. 272
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 auth...
Apr 02, 2023•40 min•Ep. 271
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 team...
Mar 19, 2023•31 min•Ep. 270
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) Marke...
Mar 05, 2023•37 min•Ep. 269
Individuals with soulful character approach leadership with tremendous fervor. They possess a deep understanding of their organization's structure and prioritize bottom-up motivation over top-down. They recognize the importance of all team members. These leaders also value open communication with all employees, recognizing that each person plays a crucial role in the organization and is equally valuable. In this episode, Kenny Lange, CEO of Kenny Lange Coaching, Kenny helps agency owners and the...
Feb 19, 2023•35 min•Ep. 268
In this episode, Charles "Charlie" Gaudet II, CEO of Predictable Profits. He is also the author of “The Predictable Profits Playbook" and host of The Beyond 7-Figures Podcast, joins Gray MacKenzie to explore the strategies and best practices for building successful and profitable agency partnerships. In this episode, you'll learn: Why it is important to understand the benefits of agency partnerships How to identify the right partners for your agency How to establish clear expectations and goals ...
Feb 05, 2023•39 min•Ep. 267
In this episode, Anne Shenton, CEO of Ascend Strategy & Design, a HubSpot Diamond and Advanced CMS Implementation certified solutions partner, joins Gray MacKenzie to dig deeper into the impact of implementing EOS. Whether it's self-implementation or with a professional implementer, you will learn how an agency quantifies the impact of implementing EOS. Topics discussed in the episode: How Ascend balances using ninety.io and ClickUp and their approach on how to leverage using both tools Asce...
Jan 22, 2023•24 min•Ep. 266
Kevin Barber is the Head of Growth at Lean Labs, focused on helping innovative companies make their marketing profitable so they can scale. Father of 3, lives in Tampa, FL, and loves bikes, boats, and building brands. Chris DuBois is the CEO at Lean Labs, helping build growth teams and websites for brands that deserve to win. Father of 2, and husband of 1. Lives in Portland, Maine, and enjoys exploring the outdoors, and reading a good book. In this episode, Chris DuBois, CEO at Lean Labs, and Ke...
Jan 08, 2023•37 min•Ep. 265
John Heritage is the President at Evenbound, A Diamond-level HubSpot Solutions Partner, in 2012. Evenbound specializes in growth marketing and technical consulting. John discusses the benefits of professional EOS implementation and the importance of aligning your organization's goals and processes. Topics discussed in the episode: Evenbound's journey Evenbound's team and expectations How covid changed the way agencies work John's story on discovering EOS Their journey to self-implementation and ...
Dec 25, 2022•25 min•Ep. 264
In this episode of Agency Journey, Paul joins Gray to discuss what EOS is and how it significantly contributed to Fuelius' growth. Paul Earnden is the Managing Director at Fuelius , an agency that works with scaling companies to provide end-to-end customer journey solutions. Fuelius offers a full suite of services, including CRM enablement, inbound marketing, and web development, designed to help scaling companies grow. Topics discussed in the episode: How Fuelius started and why it is a sub-bra...
Dec 11, 2022•40 min•Ep. 263
On this episode of Agency Journey, Shama Hyder, CEO of Zen Media, joins Gray to discuss what dark social is, the impact of dark social on your agency's buyer journey, and why it is important to pay attention to it. Topics discussed in the episode: The story behind Zen Media's and ZenPilot's name Zen Media's journey What is dark social? How dark social works and How dark social impacts your buyers' journey What the b2b buying journey looks like Presenting Sponsor: ZenPilot Be sure to check out Ze...
Nov 27, 2022•28 min•Ep. 262
After every project, we collect feedback, brainstorm ideas, and discuss how we can improve our services. Back at the beginning of 2021, we transformed our client journey and added in a discovery project called " The Blueprint ". Why did we do this? The Blueprint is the discovery project that allows us to fully understand the agency's pains, frustrations, challenges, and goals for the project. We've received a lot of amazing feedback, and many agencies have even reverse-engineered our process and...
Nov 13, 2022•27 min•Ep. 261
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for labor is at an all-time high . Earlier this year, there were on average 40 more jobs available than unemployed workers . And to make matters worse, most agency owners don't even begin the hiring process until they are well beyond capacity. They wait until their employees start to feel overwhelmed before they even write the job description. Hence the reason why burnout has become an even bigger factor in today's work environment . This leads...
Oct 30, 2022•31 min•Ep. 260
They take ownership of: The system's design Habits and behaviors of the team inside the system Being a ClickUp expert to answer the team's questions Regardless of the platform you run on. You need to have an internal champion - Monday champion, Asana champion, Teamwork champion, etc. So, are you... A, an agency operator that has claimed the throne of [fill in the blank] champion? Or B, looking to hire or promote within to champion your project management platform? On this episode of Agency Journ...
Oct 16, 2022•28 min•Ep. 259
ClickUp 3.0 is bringing: 500% increase in speed Supercharged reliability Universal search and 99.99% uptime As ClickUp's largest implementation partner we were super excited to bring Zeb Evans, CEO at ClickUp, to discuss ClickUp's journey to get here and his goal for ClickUp 3.0. Topics discussed in the episode: The phases of ClickUp's evolution - Product, Business and Scale How to enjoy the journey while you're in it Zeb's personal journey since the beginning of ClickUp ClickUp's focus on custo...
Oct 02, 2022•28 min•Ep. 258
At ZenPilot , we help agencies transform the system in which they operate on a day-to-day basis - the place they find their tasks, collaborate with their team, communicate with clients, and take their notes. Transforming a project management platform may be one of the biggest areas of change an agency goes through. It impacts the daily workflow of every individual in the organization - and their clients! Is it easy? Nope. Is there friction? Yup! If you're looking to implement change at any organ...
Sep 18, 2022•21 min•Ep. 257
The Email Marketers help eCommerce brands flourish through Email and SMS marketing. Topics discussed in the episode: Melanie's journey from traditional consulting to starting her own agency. The power of combining email and SMS to grow eCommerce brands. How Klaviyo empowers marketing teams to drive their email and SMS marketing efforts. Klaviyo vs. Attentive How Melanie structures her team, so they don't get overwhelmed during a hyper-growth stage. How The Email Marketers have grown 4.07x throug...
Sep 04, 2022•28 min•Ep. 256
When Lauren's not shoulders-deep in ClickUp at Hawke, she's likely finding something to add to her cookbook collection or looking at new parts for her next mechanical keyboard build. Topics discussed in the episode: How Hawke managed projects using Wrike and a disparate array of tools prior to implementing ClickUp in 2020. Lauren's experience of using ClickUp for 18 months and developing a strong expertise in the platform prior to undertaking the Hawke migration. Lauren's intense 6-month impleme...
Aug 14, 2022•39 min•Ep. 255
