Creative Agency Success Show (Episode 144): “A maturity model isn't a report card, it's about understanding where your decision-making capabilities are.” - Jamie Nau In this episode of The Creative Agency Success Show, Jamie Nau and Jody Grunden pull back the curtain on how small business owners can move from just getting by to truly thriving. They’ve spent the last eight months crafting a maturity model designed to help you assess where your business stands in five key areas: cash management, f...
Apr 08, 2025•25 min•Ep. 144
Episode Title: Mastering the Art of Agency Growth: Lessons from Brad Ferris Episode Summary: In this episode of "The Creative Agency Success Show," hosts engage with Brad Farris from Anchor Advisors, a seasoned expert with over 20 years in the marketing and creative agency space. The discussion centers on scaling agency businesses, highlighting the importance of strategic hiring, financial planning, and maintaining cash reserves. Brad shares insights on the differences between consulting and coa...
Jan 06, 2025•33 min•Ep. 143
Episode Title: 2024 Year in Review Episode Notes : In our year end wrap up: Jody, Brett, Tom, Hannah, and Jamie share favorite moments from the show, podcasting resolutions and holiday gift wishes. the hosts reflect on personal anecdotes and provide their aspirations for the upcoming year. They also introduce a new behind-the-scenes team member. "It’s super common for us to go into a conference and have someone say, "Hey, I love that podcast you’re on." It’s really cool, and we really enjoy it."...
Dec 30, 2024•37 min•Ep. 142
Episode Title: Riding the Entrepreneurial Rollercoaster: Insights from Tom Conlon Episode Summary: In this episode, the hosts engage with Tom Conlon, founder of North Street Creative, to discuss his entrepreneurial journey and the cyclical nature of business. Tom shares insights on the challenges of running a creative agency, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and timely decision-making. He recounts the impact of economic cycles on business operations and the significance of maintaining ...
Dec 17, 2024•35 min•Ep. 141
“The good thing about retargeting is that most of the sales don't actually come from people clicking on the ad. They come from people seeing the ad and then either Googling the company or typing in the URL in the browser.” – Zaid Ammari The finer details of this episode: Marketing strategies focused on paid advertising and retargeting. The significance of understanding data analytics in marketing. Explanation of retargeting and its psychological impact on consumers. Common mistakes businesses ma...
Dec 02, 2024•36 min•Ep. 140
“We try to help the sellers understand what the buyer's long-term vision is, what changes they expect to make, and over what period of time, because all of these things have implications on the business but also on emotions.” – Jonathan Baker The finer details of this episode: Overview of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the creative agency sector. Importance of preparation for agency owners considering M&A. Insights on valuation factors influencing agency sales. Discussion on the curre...
Nov 18, 2024•29 min•Ep. 138
“It's never too early to start planning because you never know when that end is going to be. Operate with optimism. There's a lot of activity that's really unprecedented in the industry right now, and I think for the years ahead, it's going to be very good for agency owners who build really solid, predictable, nice operating practices.” – Phil Daniels The finer details of this episode: Overview of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the agency sector. Insights on exit readiness for agency owne...
Nov 04, 2024•36 min•Ep. 137
In this special episode of The Creative Agency Success Show, four speakers with Halloween-themed personas—Jamie Nightmare, Hannah Hexed Hood, Adam Haunted Hale, and Joey Killing Kenny—engage in a lively draft-style discussion about their favorite Halloween movies. Jamie, the enthusiastic host, sets the stage and outlines the draft rules. Hannah humorously admits her limited horror movie experience, while Adam and Joey share their deep knowledge and personal anecdotes. The conversation is filled ...
Oct 31, 2024•47 min•Ep. 136
”When I think about sales, it's really nurturing relationships and manufacturing opportunities. That is your job all day, every day.” - Adam Kurzawa The finer details of this episode: Insights on business development strategies for creative agencies. Emphasis on nurturing existing client relationships for agency growth. Discussion on effective outreach efforts and relationship-building in sales. Importance of hiring for business development roles, focusing on soft skills and industry knowledge. ...
Oct 21, 2024•41 min•Ep. 135
“Having a strong forecasting process really should make it easier to eliminate things—like knowing if the seventh project is really one of the top seven things we need to do to hit our goals.” – Tom Wadelton “When you build a budget, you're creating a plan for the next year, and then things happen. No one really expects a pandemic to happen, but things do happen. The question is, how do you adjust?” – Jamie Nau The finer details of this episode: Importance of dynamic forecasting over static budg...
Oct 07, 2024•20 min•Ep. 134
Importance of podcasting for business owners Enhancing visibility and credibility through podcast appearances Networking opportunities provided by podcasting Role of podcast guest booking agencies in facilitating appearances Content repurposing strategies for maximizing podcast impact Overcoming imposter syndrome in podcasting Engaging team members in podcasting for brand representation Process of working with a podcast guest booking agency Personal anecdotes and experiences related to travel an...
Sep 23, 2024•27 min•Ep. 133
“If you sit down and really make sure that your profile resonates and is truly you, it feels good, and you smile. Ultimately, you become a person who doesn't have to look for a job. Jobs find you. You become a person whose phone rings because there are opportunities, because people know you, remember you, have worked with you, and they want to work with you again.” —Donna Serdula The finer details of this episode: Importance of personal branding on LinkedIn Shift in perception of the platform Ch...
Sep 09, 2024•50 min•Ep. 132
"Alignment is going in the same direction, fighting for the same things, and looking at the same big picture together.” – Rachel Gertz The finer details of this episode: ● Importance of project management and operations in digital agencies and creative studios ● Challenges in project management and the need for alignment between sales and project management ● Solutions to improve communication and alignment between departments ● Importance of understanding client goals and business objectives du...
Aug 26, 2024•38 min•Ep. 131
“Standing out is great, but conversion is crucial.” – Jason Swenk It’s hard to build a business if you don’t invest in systems.” – Jason Swenk The finer details of this episode: Analysis and insights on building a strong email list Sales cycle and close percentage Unique marketing strategies Importance of systems in building a successful business Concept of "land and expand" Effectiveness of email marketing campaigns Providing quick financial statements with industry comparison Importance of cre...
Aug 12, 2024•33 min•Ep. 130
“As you're building your business, you're building your agency, you're going to realize that there's some prospects that are just not right. You have to go through that Vegas buffet and get sick and food poisoning because you overate and you ate a lot of the bad shit and you tell yourself, ‘I'm not going to eat those raw craw legs anymore.’” -Jason Swenk The finer details of this episode: Jason Swenk's journey from agency owner to consultant and mastermind leader Importance of knowing target aud...
Jul 29, 2024•38 min•Ep. 129
“After almost 20 years of doing that nonstop, I started to lose myself a little bit. I started to wonder, is this what I want to do for the next chapter of my life? Is there something else out there for me? When I looked around in corporate America, what I realized and what I saw was that there were a lot of people like me. I really wanted to get off autopilot. I felt like nobody in my life was getting the best part of me.” – Traci Barrett The finer details of this episode: Review and analysis o...
Jul 15, 2024•44 min•Ep. 128
Episode resources: Summit Virtual CFO by Anders website: https://www.summitcpa.net/ Love our content? Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.summitcpa.net/summit-newsletter Digital Dollars and Cents: A Virtual CFO’s Playbook to help Digital Companies Create a Financial Roadmap to Success , is now an audio book! Download it here: https://vcfo.summitcpa.net/ddc Timestamps: The podcasting journey (00:00:14) Jamie recounts the evolution of the podcast, from its humble beginnings to its current loya...
Jul 11, 2024•9 min•Ep. 127
“Shifting from advocacy to inquiry is really important, and I think most leaders today are probably advocacy heavy because it's the model that we see most.” – J. Scott The finer details of this episode: Importance of leading the way in marketing and working with clients Transforming high-potential individuals into high-functioning teams Rationalizing tasks and initiatives to align with customer satisfaction, team member satisfaction, and profitability Change management and involving stakeholders...
Jul 01, 2024•33 min•Ep. 126
“Clients don’t want to ask us for new ideas; they want us to come to them with new ideas.” Hannah Hood The finer details of this episode: ● Shortening of the sales cycle indicating a positive shift in the industry ● Trend of clients seeking specialized services from agencies ● Emphasis on the need for agencies to specialize and market their expertise effectively ● Importance of being proactive in presenting new ideas to clients and pricing services based on value ● Significance of building trust...
Jun 17, 2024•20 min•Ep. 125
Episode Notes: “Delegation is challenging; it requires a lot of thought process and a lot of preparation. But you shouldn’t try to do everything on your own; use your team. Delegation is about giving them enough information so that they know what the end goal is.” Vicky Brown The finer details of this episode: Importance of supporting managers and helping them grow their leadership skills Challenges of delegation and setting boundaries in leadership roles Emphasis on teamwork and collaboration w...
Jun 03, 2024•34 min•Ep. 124
Sales is the engine of any agency, but oftentimes it's the hardest part to grow and scale when you move from a founder-centric shop to a full marketing organization. The clips in this episode offer some of the best pieces of advice our hosts of the Creative Agency Success Show have gathered, provided to you in bite-sized form, so that you can digest and try your favorites. The finer details of this episode: Who makes a good salesperson? -- with Diane Helbig How to warm up your cold calls -- with...
May 20, 2024•44 min•Ep. 123
“As a little bit of contextual background for our listeners, if you don't already know, as a part of the suite of meetings and services that we offer our clients, we are in what we call our pipeline meeting. During these meetings and throughout our client relationship, we stress the importance of knowing your data. At the end of the day, you absolutely need to be looking at your data and understanding the story that it tells you about where your agency currently is. Having conversations with my ...
May 06, 2024•29 min•Ep. 122
“I'm the CEO. I'm not a CFO, but I was acting as one. It was not my favorite part of running a company because math doesn't excite me like it does some of you. I can do it, and I think I did it pretty well. But it was invaluable to be able to have your firm come in and take a look at how we've been running the company and just to get the reassurance of, 'You guys are good, you're not doing things wrong.' You've been able to come in and tweak things and make it even better. It's been quite the jo...
Apr 22, 2024•39 min•Ep. 121
“You want to be around people who are better than you – more talented, more experienced; go and soak it in. The places where I find the most growth for myself and my agency is where I’m around other people, and we’re just sharing ideas.” – Jay Owen The finer details of this episode: ● Jay’s journey of agency ownership and hosting events ● Why attending events is good for networking, business growth, and personal growth ● Building a successful agency without sacrificing self and family Episode re...
Apr 08, 2024•33 min•Ep. 120
“When you start the agency, everyone expects you to be the contact. But you probably don't want to do that forever. Maybe initially you delegate implementation work, the subject matter expert stuff, or project management. Then you probably want to delegate account management stuff. Usually you're still doing client strategy, at least in the early to mid-days. The idea here is you're like, ‘Hey, so-and-so is great. They are your account manager. They're your day-to-day contact.’ They're running t...
Mar 25, 2024•37 min•Ep. 119
“Managers are far more costly than we realize. The more managing you have going on, the lower the overall productivity of the organization. Leadership matters, don't get me wrong, but agencies are managed to success.” – Jake Skeels The finer details of this episode: Challenges of managing a growing agency or service-based business Impact of management structures on productivity Concept of matrix managing and its effects on innovation and productivity Importance of financial management and produc...
Mar 11, 2024•52 min•Ep. 118
“When you are doing business development, you need to build your own identity. You need to have something that somebody will remember you for.” - Goran Kovacevic The finer details of this episode: Transition of individuals from production roles to business development in creative agencies Importance of building a strong brand identity in sales and business development Changing dynamics of business development as companies grow Significance of processes in supporting growth and measuring key metr...
Feb 26, 2024•37 min•Ep. 117
"Certainly, from an accountability perspective, that's the biggest benefit in coaching. The coach is going to help you follow through on the plan, and if you deviate, they'll ask why and what's the next mission as a result." – Russ Sorrells The finer details of this episode: Importance of strategy, communication, financial oversight, and sales focus in businesses The role of a coach in holding business leaders accountable The impact of not having a forecast or plan in place for small businesses ...
Feb 12, 2024•48 min•Ep. 116
"Two or three days of delay, because it takes you so long to create a scope of work or proposal, could be the difference between a potential client engaging with one of your competitors and building a lot of rapport." – Joe Ardeeser The finer details of this episode: Importance of proposal and pricing process in agency-client interactions Creating a product catalog for streamlining the proposal process Strategies to avoid scope creep and maintain clear pricing conversations with clients Importan...
Jan 29, 2024•34 min•Ep. 115
"For companies that have been around for a long time, often they get very disconnected from their actual client, and then they wonder why their growth just sort of flatlines." – Michael Johnson The finer details of this episode: Distinguishing between coaching, consulting, and agency roles Maintaining control and alignment as a CEO or owner Understanding and improving customer experience Episode resources: Summit Virtual CFO by Anders website: https://www.summitcpa.net/ Email us with questions o...
Jan 15, 2024•32 min•Ep. 114
