Masters in Marketing Agency

In this podcast episode, we chat with Andy Halko, CEO of Insivia. He discusses the value of coding in his career and his vision of democratizing strategic planning through AI integration. Andy also emphasizes the role of AI in removing bias and extracting valuable insights for marketing strategies. We discuss the challenges of "shiny key syndrome" in building a successful business and finding the right team members. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency Podcast:Andy's coding projects include an AI-integrated platform for strategic planning and a series of micro products.By combining AI with methodologies and structures, Andy aims to democratize strategic planning.Identifying personal strengths and weaknesses helps in finding the right team members.Recognizing that thinking one knows everything is a huge mistake in sales and marketing.Building partnerships with other agencies can be beneficial, especially when they complement each other's strengths.Hiring individuals with a passion for execution and a willingness to get involved in day-to-day tasks is valuable.Resources:InsiviaDevNoodleThe E-MythEOS - Entrepreneurial Operating System for BusinessesConnect with Andy Halko:LinkedInConnect with our hosts:Josh Hoffman - LinkedInAlex Garashchenko - LinkedInQuotables:10:53 - I've always talked about like bias and you go into a company and you talk to their salesperson that's been there 15 years and they're gonna tell you, this is how our clients think. Your sample size is only the people you've talked to. AI ignores that. We come in and do personas and we gather information from AI and it's using a wide range of different sources and data and all of a sudden you take it from, you know, the sales guy that comes in and says, I know our customers better than anybody else in the world and here's what they think and here's what you should do an ad about. And we know we're all sitting there going, oh yeah, okay, whatever. 22:02 - “I've said for years the, you know, another effect, the Wiley Coyote effect of like, you see those cartoons and he runs off the cliff into the air and he's going until he looks down and realizes there's no ground beneath him. You know? And I think there's a little bit of that in every entrepreneur, but I definitely think it's strong in me of like, “just go forward and as long as you're moving forward and you don't look down, like you are not gonna fail.”24:02 - “It's funny when I look at websites and designs, I try and like put myself in a bit of a childlike mentality of “I don't get it.” you know, that kid that keeps asking why, why, why? From a standpoint of “that's how people are.” They're, even if they're super smart when they're looking at stuff, they're looking at it with half their brain, you know, and they're not paying attention, they're not reading fully. I feel like you have to remove that bias of [I think] people care about this or I know so much about it.”14:58 - “If you're a great designer and you decide that you want to open a design agency, if you think that you're gonna be designing, you better either find somebody else to lead the company; or you better change your whole like, personality and outlook. I kind of had to hit that point at one point where it's like going from that executor programmer to being able to go do speaking engagements and networking events and sales and all that stuff to really actually turn it into something.”25:46 - “We actually have some with different agencies where they have strengths, you know, especially ones that are stronger in design. But we've got a little bit more of the technology and programming chops behind us. I mean, I think a lot of agencies out there, they've got their specialty. I think sometimes making sure that you realize what your specialty is and being able to admit like, I need to bring somebody else in for this or not is, is probably the biggest barrier to get over. But when you do, you can find really great relationships out there.”

In this engaging episode, discover the journey of Alex Oesterle, CEO of Blue Bear Creative, and a content creation expert. From transitioning from finance to launching a thriving social media agency to uncovering the significance of community engagement and generosity for success, this episode delves into the evolving landscape of social media marketing. Gain insights into the fascinating transformation of compliance agencies in the beverage industry into marketing powerhouses and learn valuable tips for enhancing your TikTok content strategy. Join us for an exploration of this ever-evolving industry and the keys to successful content creation.Alex Oesterle, CEO of Blue Bear Creative and host of the FMN Podcast, is a seasoned entrepreneur and expert in engaging millennial consumers through social media. With nearly a decade of experience, Alex's background spans digital marketing, finance, and operations. His insights into marketing to the millennial demographic and his success in building and leading a social media-focused digital agency make him an excellent guest for discussions on modern marketing strategies and entrepreneurship. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:Alex transitioned from a career in finance to marketing while helping friends with their CPG companies.Engaging with customers is essential for building a successful brand.The content video forward ad strategy offers significant opportunities in the social media space.User-generated content will continue to be an essential part of content strategy.Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram are integrating features for e-commerce.Blue Bear Creative offers comprehensive social media services, making them an ideal partner for marketing agencies in need of social media expertise.Posting at least one TikTok per day, preferably two, can help increase visibility and traction.Resources:Blue Bear Creative - Social Media AgencyDevNoodleThe Lean Startup (Book)Connect with Alex Oesterle:LinkedInConnect with our hosts:Josh Hoffman - LinkedInAlex Garashchenko - LinkedInQuotables:33:40 - “I mean social [media] changes so much on a month-to-month basis, even faster. I think the user-generated or user-forward side of content is going to continue to be a huge part of content strategy. I think there's a lot of smart partnerships and integrations that are starting to happen with the platforms themselves. TikTok for example, rolling out shoppable, the e-commerce features that Instagram has, but I think they're integrating really well with Shopify and into the website side of things.”38:25 - “Probably say 60% of the work that we do at least is around the content creation. Whether that's planning, presenting the creative ideas based around a content calendar, putting together a content calendar. That's a big part of it. And as things have shifted from being this high production value kind of sexy or food porn, which I hate that term, but for us it's very, everything that we do is very food forward. There's still a time and a place for that, but started to enlist creators and build, curate a group of creators that we can kind of turnkey knockout content that is more of that user-generated type of look and feel more effectively.”41:05 - “That user-generated type of content or the creative shooting that as an agency is very tough. Because you need talent, somebody on screen, ideally somebody different across brands, multiple different people across different clients. So it's not one person on every client's video. And then you need a location that looks like where you want to shoot, and then you need a crew there. Which is really why we started leaning into that creator pool. Individuals at their own house, just coaching them through how to shoot stuff, directing them remotely. So it's a one-person crew, one person shooting themselves on an iPhone. And it solves a lot of pain points that the traditional agency model or production model is kind of restricted to in terms of production”49:25 - “I think a lot of people get hung up on follower numbers and impressions, but really the quality of your interactions and your fan base is the most important. And you build that through genuine one-on-one connections, whether that's through good content that leans into an insight of a specific audience or literally talking to somebody one-on-one by a community manager.”17:00 - “We were talking about how we're trying to build this community and everything. And what I got of what you just said is it's not necessarily if you build it, they will come. You need to engage. It's not like you just put the social media out there or we just put the podcast out there and people just come and beyond this community. We're trying to give our guests a lot more, whether it's support or referrals or whatever it is, but we obviously understand it's not just let's start a Slack page and maybe do a round table like it, it has to be a little b

Join Sara Helmy, the Founder and CEO of Tribu, as she discusses unconventional advertising and branding strategies. Tribu focuses on human connection and uses innovative, progressive advertising media to develop consumer loyalty. They emphasize the importance of embracing change in the digital world and highlight the role of artificial intelligence in shaping the industry. The episode also explores the use of branding and digital marketing to build strong tribes for clients and emphasizes the need to start with SEO as a foundation for agency success.Sara Helmy is the Owner of Tribu Marketing, Advertising, and Design, a creative agency specializing in digital marketing and graphic design. With over a decade of experience, she's a seasoned entrepreneur and marketing expert, known for her passion for human connection, consumer psychology, and innovative branding strategies. Sara's leadership in advertising and her commitment to creativity make her a valuable guest for discussions on entrepreneurship, branding, and the digital marketing landscape. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:Tribu offers clients direct access to their team, allowing for a more personal and efficient partnership.Started with Part Apparel in college by raising funds for the working poor by selling artist-designed t-shirts.Unconventional approach of earning money for a cause instead of relying on donations.Tribu's unconventional approach includes no account executives and creating tribes for each partner, fostering direct relationships with the creative team.They employ a subscription model for 80% of their business, providing predictability and allowing clients to add services over time.Progressive advertising means embracing new capabilities and technologies to improve marketing strategies.Starting with SEO provides a solid foundation for agency success.Resources:TribuDevNoodleSizing People Up - Podcast EpisodeConnect with Sara Helmy:LinkedInConnect with our hosts:Josh Hoffman - LinkedInAlex Garashchenko - LinkedInQuotables28:00 - “That is one of the things that makes it hard the way that we're structured. We talk about scope a lot at the start and we set expectations there at the same time, like we don't want our partners just to stay within scope, to stay within scope. We want to grow our relationship with the brands that we're lucky to serve, so another unconventional tribute is that we have a sales department, some agencies have their new business team. We have three solutions consultants, that's what we call them. And their entire function is to listen to a tribe. When a tribe is saying “Hey, whose partner needs this? And then go execute and have that conversation, so there is a resource internally inside of tribute where if you're working on a tribe and you see that there is a need for something that is not within that scope.”32:50 - “If you're a partner or a customer or dealing with any agency, there's so much onus on you to know exactly what you need. And the reality of business is that it changes really fast. And something that you thought you knew exactly what you needed five months ago has drastically changed. And in the act of discovery in this type of work, maybe the partner thinks that, “oh, I want this” but they learn “actually guys, we both kind of agree we need this”, so that flexibility I think is something that customers really enjoy the ability to say “I thought this was going to be my number one priority in Q2, but actually we've got this event coming up and now this is it. Instead, let's use our resources here and they don't have to go back to a contract every time, you know? So that helps”.34:34 - “We all try at Tribune, we're not perfect at this, but we try really hard to like, “Let's please not have like this scheduled recurring repeating meeting that bogs down everybody's calendar that both sides eventually end up feeling is just another meeting on top of many meetings I have to attend.” Let's make that once-a-month discussion really count and let's just pick up the phone and call each other in between.”45:50 - Sara: “If I had to teach something to other marketers, what would it be?”Josh: “To be honest, I think everything you've said in this has been very focused on that question. But I guess I'll squeeze the grape and see if you have anything else.”Sara: “I think the number one thing would honestly be to fail fast. And to not overcomplicate, keep it simple or fail fast. I think we get really lost in coming up with a perfect strategy and it's like, “hey, don't ever forget that execution is where the truth is told.” And get to execution, and fail fast.”20:43 - “This ability to work directly with your graphic designer and develop a relationship with your designer as well as the person doing your website as well as the person publishing your social and like that really direct and close relationship with the hands that are actually touching the work has been born

In this episode, Andrew Aebersold discusses his journey from college to running a record label, the influence of ADHD on entrepreneurial tendencies, the challenges of defending a patent, and the importance of specialization for agencies. The episode also explores the experiences of acquiring an agency, giving back to the community, and incorporating growth habits into business ownership. Additionally, the importance of streamlining development processes and building a supportive community are discussed.Andrew Aebersold is the CEO of Mediaura, a digital agency driving digital growth through a blend of experience, creativity, and technology. With over two decades of experience, Andrew is a marketing and entrepreneurial expert. He's passionate about creating cutting-edge digital solutions and has a diverse background in various ventures, including music and cybersecurity, making him a dynamic guest for discussions on marketing, entrepreneurship, and business advertising. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency Podcast:Andrew did not let adversity deter him, and he continued to pursue his passion for business and entrepreneurship.The inability to focus on one thing can lead to unconventional problem-solving.The story of KFC's impact on creating a digital menu board system.Team structure and staffing issues may arise when acquiring an agency, impacting client support and workflows.Habits that can help improve energy levels and increase purpose in the workplace.Eliminating the need to manage a stable of WordPress and Shopify developers allows for a focus on acquisition, customer service, and creative strategies.On-page SEO can be managed with basic web skills, but off-page SEO and link building require specialized expertise.Resources:MediauraDevNoodleConnect with Andrew Aebersold:LinkedInConnect with our hosts:Josh Hoffman - LinkedInAlex Garashchenko - LinkedInQuotables:39:10 - “We talked a lot about being kind of a niche, understanding your expertise, don't do everything, but I think if you are a small business, you need to be able to pivot rapidly and make those changes. So if you kind of called yourself, I always used to joke, like if I called Mediaura “Andrew's Website Design Company” in 2003, I'd have a harder time pivoting because people would just associate me with website design. And the reason I'm saying that is our industry's just changing quicker right now than it ever has.”30:20 - “I think this is going to be crucial for anybody that's acquiring or anybody that's thinking about selling their own agency. You have to be really clear about what that owner's bringing to the table. And so earlier I mentioned the SEO stuff and it's just one flavor. So pick your flavor of how you want to run your business. But for me that is a way for me to get out of the day-to-day so that if I choose to sell my business at some point in time, it's not 100% dependent upon me.”21:28 - “That's one of the things I think that could be a lesson learned for other agencies and startups doing it: try to pick a specialty or a niche and be the best at it. We evolved organically over 20 years and picked up whatever was changing or going on at that time. And now we're kind of looking back at it and saying “Okay, what can we be experts and specialists at?” and that's been interesting.”21:54 - “This topic comes up a lot on the show of the full-service agency approach. So what is really a full-service agency if they say they specialize in so many areas, how do you specialize in any if there's so many? So I think that split is, that sounds like a great move because it allows you to focus the processes, and the teams, and the culture of one specialty one way and the other specialty another way. We've had a couple of conversations where if you are going to be essentially full service, then technically maybe you’re a brand and a consultancy, but then you outsource essentially everything else.”04:09 - Josh: “Why do you think people that have Attention Deficit Disorders end up being in entrepreneurship?”Andrew: “I think for me, it always felt like the ideas were just kind of bouncing around a lot more. And the inability to focus on what was laid out in front of me kind of made it feel like I was just being a little bit more creative, and filling in those gaps with my own information, which just led me down different paths. So if you're able to really focus on something, maybe you're reading like a novel and you just get fully engrossed in that novel and you're in that world and you're just following it from start to finish. And if you can't focus on the novel as you're reading it is obviously influencing your brain and now you're bouncing to a different idea, but you're borrowing from the content that you're reading and you're just kind of coming up with your own thing.”

In this episode, Michael Doyle, Owner, CEO, and Brand Champion of Brand Iron, discusses his journey from being an entrepreneur to the corporate world and back again. He highlights the challenges faced during the dot-com bust and emphasizes the importance of technology in marketing. The interview also explores the evolution of the industry, including the rise of new positions like analytics. Michael stresses the need for a good understanding of technology stacks, financials, marketing, branding, and packaging in pitch decks. Michael Doyle is the Owner, CEO, and Brand Champion of Brand Iron, a branding agency that has raised over $5 billion for its clients. With over two decades of experience, Michael's expertise lies in marketing, branding, and business development. He has a passion for helping companies strengthen their marketplace positions through holistic branding strategies, making him a valuable guest for discussions on branding, pitch decks, brand building, capital raising, and venture capital. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:The impact of the dot-com bust on the marketing industry.The shift from a creative-focused agency to a technology-focused one.Learning financial basics and reporting to Wall Street during his corporate experience.New positions, like analytics, have emerged in marketing agencies.Relying solely on quantitative data can hinder decision-making.Soft skills, such as reading people and effective communication, are vital in marketing.Mentors play a crucial role in gaining real-life industry knowledge.Resources:Brand IronDevNoodleLove is the Killer App by Tim SandersConnect with Michael Doyle:LinkedInConnect with our host, Josh Hoffman:LinkedInQuotables:01:09 - “Back in the late nineties, I had an advertising and marketing agency and we really honed in on working in the technology space and technology companies because we saw what was going on in the dot-com space and we said “Hey, we want to be a part of this. And there's a huge growth in that sector and they're buying companies like crazy. So if we start doing a lot of work in that space, there's a good chance we may get acquired”. So it's very intentional. And sure enough, one of my clients got acquired as a part of an IPO roll-up and they came to me and said “Hey, we got acquired. We want to acquire you guys. And since you've done all the branding and all the positioning and all the marketing to help get us to this point, we want to acquire you. We want to have you come on board and run our national brand.”04:58 - “But what I really started doing was putting together what we call these analyst presentations and reporting to Wall Street about our results. And I learned this invaluable skill of working with all these investment banking firms that had invested hundreds of millions of dollars in our company and started putting together these decks and putting together these presentations. And I learned an invaluable skill that has helped propel Brand Iron and made us really successful.” 15:04 - Josh: “How do you then think about, quantitative versus qualitative decision-making? You know, it sounds like maybe before it was a lot more qualitative 'cause the, the data just wasn't there and now the data's there. Is it, can you go too far on the quantitative side? Is there no such thing? Like what are your thoughts on that?”Michael: I think that you've got that balance between quantitative and qualitative data and decision-making. And I think that the people are very reliant on the quantitative and just don't have the experience or the knowledge underneath their belt, if you will, to be able to bring those real-life business or life experiences to be able to help make those qualitative decisions and or the experience to know what really works and what's really valuable from the data perspective and what's going to help really move the needle.”16:50 - “I had the really good fortune of I had some mentors when I was starting my agency that really helped me immensely. I had a leader of a design firm that I merged my firm with later, a couple years down the road. But I had a mentor like that and I had a mentor on the sales side who really helped groom me from that business development and sales side. And then I had also a financial person help me out as well too. And so having mentors and helping bolster that real-life experience or giving you advice is immensely important and can help bridge that gap.”20:11 - “And then just as important, probably we see 95% of the companies out there don't know how to tell what we call a good financial story. Why is your company so valuable? Is it because you have a reoccurring revenue model; it's like a SaaS or a technology play, or it's a cash cow and you're producing cash on a regular basis, or what is it that's so valuable about your company from a financial perspective that makes your company so valuable, whether it be cash flow or reoccurring revenue,

Rami Jahedi, CEO of Black Ops Agency, shares his journey from being a dishwasher to becoming a successful restaurateur and eventually running a marketing agency. He emphasizes the importance of patience, consistency, and having a clear plan to achieve success. Rami also discusses the CEO model, digital foundations and marketing transformation. He highlights the significance of providing a 10-star experience to clients, understanding their needs, and collaborating with other marketing agencies. Furthermore, Rami emphasizes the value of understanding client needs in the marketing industry, listening to clients, and providing suitable solutions instead of pushing sales. Collaboration between marketing agencies is also essential for growth and success for all parties involved.Rami Jahedi is currently the CEO of Black Ops Agency, a digital marketing firm based in Austin, Texas. He has been in this role since June 2014. Black Ops Agency specializes in various internet services, including Google photography, video production, and social media marketing, helping businesses grow in the digital landscape. Rami's leadership emphasizes transparency and community engagement, making sure clients stay updated on the latest internet trends. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:Focusing on creating a great client experience to drive word-of-mouth marketing.Rami’s background in the restaurant industry helped shape their approach to building relationships in the digital world.Collaborate with marketing agencies to provide comprehensive services.Focus on building relationships and helping others succeed.Highlighting the importance of employee well-being versus prioritizing profits.Embracing everyday life and not overthinking itResources:Black Ops AgencyTalk2RamiDevNoodlePurple Cow by Seth GodinTalk2Rami Podcast on AppleConnect with Rami Jahedi:LinkedInInstagramFacebookYouTubeConnect with our hosts:Josh Hoffman - LinkedInAlex Garashchenko - LinkedInQuotables:20:06 - “It's not about the business. We're building relationship with people. It doesn't matter. You run digital marketing, you run a bakery, restaurant, insurance, you have to get to that relationship. You got to build a trust, as in marriage, it is like communication. And how you're going to build that by bullshitting people and not going to work. It's not going to work. And you have to be open to be interested to listen to people's story. And then when you hear that, and you say, oh my God, and be able to put yourself in their shoes and not look at them as how can I milk this cow that doesn't work. We have clients that they had a budget for $20,000, and I said, no, that's not going to cost. You just need three or $4,000 a month. He said, what?”12:10 - “During my whole life, what I did and what made me successful to who I am today was because of the people. Because of the people that they guide me, they help me, they lift me up and, they helped me to get where I'm at today. And that did not happen by me not connecting with people. Basically, my philosophy is this, we all social animals, we all connect with one another. You and me, you know, we all connecting right now. We're doing a podcast for other people to learn something, I don't know, people are going to listen to it and learn something, but in somehow we all connecting with each other.”11:24 - “My first company, I'm sure I did a lot of things wrong, but I think one thing that, we kind of did right, is we thought about when we were starting an app at first, when you think of starting an app, you get users. And I almost told the team that I didn't want to use to ever use the word user because I think we talked about this last time, but in my mind, you know, user usually comes with a number at the end, but not a name. So if you kind of just think about your end user as an actual person, you know, you think a little bit differently of how you approach building the app and building everything like that.”23:34 - “There's something similar, actually the Airbnb has a, similarish story where, obviously you can only have a five-star experience, but what the brainstorming that they did is they said, what does a six-star experience look like? What does a seven-star experience? What is all the way to a 10 star? And a 10-star is, you know, a rocket ship comes to your house, and it flies you to the moon and back. But when you start to think like that, then it actually, it almost becomes easier to go back to that five-star experience and then make a true five-star experience.”04:11 - Josh: “What traits do you think helped you move up in either of those two businesses?”Rami: “It's just, you have to be patient, you know, you really have to be patient. Consistency is the key. If something's not working, don't give up. And if you have a clear plan, just work the plan, work the plan, and take one step at a time because you can't be everything to everybody, and you know, you just got

Join us for an insightful conversation with Vlad Mkrtumyan, CEO of Logic Inbound. He shares his journey in building successful app-based businesses like Shop Lets and Drake Quotes. Vlad discusses customer acquisition strategies and the importance of journaling for personal and professional growth. He also highlights the role of referrals and connections in their growth, and how embracing hardship paved the way for their success. Additionally, he dives into the changing landscape of SEO, the power of partnerships, the need for technical SEO skills in the AI era, and the significance of building a community around a specific topic.Vlad Mkrtumyan is a digital entrepreneur and CEO of Logic Inbound, a thriving marketing agency. With over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and business strategies, Vlad has achieved remarkable success. His innovative approach, including search marketing and marketing automation, has not only propelled his clients to a 34% yearly growth rate but has also made him a sought-after speaker and a community builder in the tech and marketing industry. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:Tie-ins with popular brands can leverage their popularity to boost your own business, much like a successful podcast with popular guests.Building referral partnerships and cultivating relationships with vendors are essential for expanding client networks.Deep knowledge of technical SEO and assisting marketing agencies with SEO implementation.Currently hiring a senior SEO specialist and always looking for talented individuals.Book recommendations include “The One Thing” by Gary Keller, “Give and Take” by Adam Grant, and “Anti-Fragile” by Nasim Lib.Book club discussions focused on “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” and “The Power of Habits”.Creating an insider group or community can help grow the podcast.Resources:Logic InboundDevNoodleFive Dysfunctions Of A TeamAntifragile: Things That Gain from DisorderConnect with Vlad Mkrtumyan:LinkedInXFacebookConnect with our host, Josh Hoffman:LinkedInQuotables:11:36 - “Let's say you, you teach boxing or Jujitsu, your students will go there for you, and you are teaching them boxing jujitsu, but you're also probably teaching them other things like confidence, right? Learning how to stand up for yourself. So, you know, the other aspects is people come to me for Google traffic, right? But they're really asking, how do I grow my business? How do I take things to the next level?”23:14 - “But everybody, no matter what field you're in, right, is going to be looking at AI and what matters the most in SEO is going to be technical SEO. So stuff like, you know, data hierarchy structure of your websites' schema, right? It is the biggest thing. So we're doing a lot of schema consultation right now for AI and I think Google is going to use that data and then that's how they're going to help continuously pre-populate searches, right?”24:40 - “So here's the scariest part that we haven't even talked about, right? Is that when it comes to search, right, Google, I actually predict, is not going to be doing as great. Like, I don't think they're going to end up being the king of search forever, right? And that's why they're changing. They have to change, right? They have to adapt because, you know about Bard and their whole ChatGPT scare.”24:15 - “I've seen on some searches as you scroll down now that Google's gotten rid of the pagination on mobile, and you scroll down and then the background start changing. Now there are different colors and there's different sections and they have a bunch of the Q&A has expanded videos have expanded. It's just, it seems like over the last, I don't know, five, six months, it's changed so much.”26:38 - Josh: “So, Vlad, if you had to teach something to other marketers, what would it be?”Vlad: “Man, I should be flipping these questions out on you guys, actually. Really? So I'll do that, actually. But I think the number, and you guys actually talked about this earlier. I think the number one thing, as a marketer, you need to learn is how to build a community, right? That's what it comes down to, right? Like you can do a million cold spam reach outs, right? Great. Right? Go ahead, do that. That works. That can work. We actually had a client from that as well, right? But right at the end of the day, you're going to make the most profit from building an engaged community around a topic, right? So the question is, right, what about the business or the surf, the service that you're providing, right? What about it excites you the most? And where can you build a community around that, right?”

In this episode, Zeev Wexler, CEO of Wexler Marketing, discusses the potential of blockchain, web3, and AI in shaping the future of marketing agencies. He emphasizes the benefits of blockchain technology in eliminating the need for third parties and enhancing security in various industries. The transition from web2 to web3 is explored, highlighting the empowerment of individuals as part owners of networks. This episode also showcases exciting projects, including a specialized tool for agencies and a groundbreaking AI model that creates immersive gaming experiences. Zeev's partnerships and collaborations with Unity and Jordan Peterson are also discussed.Zeev Wexler is a digital industry luminary, marketing automation pioneer, and CEO of a thriving marketing agency. With a remarkable journey that began with successful businesses in PR and hospitality at just 16, Zeev now boasts over 20 years of expertise in sales, marketing, and business strategy. Recognized as one of LinkedIn's top 20 global experts, Zeev's innovative approach combines technology and strategy to automate processes, achieving a remarkable 34% yearly growth rate for his clients. His inventive marketing automation technologies, including the 9-second follow-up and Linkboost, have reshaped conversion techniques, solidifying his reputation as a trusted advisor for international CEOs and a highly sought-after speaker. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:Blockchain is not synonymous with cryptocurrency and offers superior technology for secure and private transactions.Web3 enables individuals to become part owners of networks, offering them a voice and control over governance.Blockchain allows for the verification of data points and helps track products throughout the supply chain.Web3 and AI are transforming the marketing industry and require a shift in mindset and processes.Zeev encourages collaboration and is open to helping other marketing agencies navigate the shift to Web3.The tool created by NFCA, used by NASA and others, has serious capabilities for marketing, gaming, and various industries.Zeev is also working on a tool that automates data connections for agencies, making it easier to access client data from various sources.Resources:Wexler MarketingDevNoodleUnconditional PowerConnect with Zeev Wexler:LinkedInConnect with our hosts:Josh Hoffman - LinkedInAlex Garashchenko - LinkedInQuotables:01:35 - “If you accept crypto, on average, your sales go up by about, I believe, 21%. So wouldn't you want to grow your business revenue wise, 21%? I would. So accepting crypto makes a lot of sense to me. Now we're selected, I won't accept any crypto for any project. I just had a really big project where we had some sweat equity included with it, and I told the CEO will accept crypto later at the moment, because of the sweat equity, we need some cash, but crypto makes sense.”02:56 - “We live in a world where everything is about what's fashionable and what's not. What words are in and what words are out? So crypto is, has a bad name and I want to distinguish something to everybody here. Crypto and blockchain are not the same thing. Blockchain is a superior technology that's going to take over the world, and I will sign everything for it. Crypto is something that is built in into the system to give tokenization and value to someone. Okay? So in the crypto field, fraud has been huge, unfortunately. But it's not the problem of blockchain, it's the problem of fraudulent people.”06:59 - Zeev: “So internet was the fastest technology we've ever adapted to. At that time, smartphone was way faster, blockchain is faster, AI is faster. So we're adopting these technologies and Wayne Gretzky was a great hockey player, said once, I don't want to be where the puck is, I want to be where it's going to be. And that has always been my business focus. So I want to know what's going to happen and I want to be there. So internet, smartphone, now blockchain is the next one. So I don't think people understand the level of impact blockchain is going to have. The same way that internet changed multiple industries. Like do you guys remember what we did before? The internet”Josh: “Manual, writing things down, calling…”Zeev: “Sending mails, like do you guys remember that stuff? It seems like a different world. Blockchain is going to do that and it's going to do that in ways that people don't really realize.”14:45 - “So on web 2, Joshua, Alex, and myself, we are the product. That's why Facebook is free. That's why LinkedIn is free because we are the product. Our data is being manipulated and sold 24/7 to the highest bidder based on these companies that control the internet. So on web 2 we are products, web 3 is in a way the democratization of the web and it's because blockchain is going to negate third parties. It's the same idea on the internet. So when you put blockchain and then put the internet on top of it, now you have a c

In this episode, Shaheem Alam, the CEO of Five Rings Marketing, shares valuable lessons learned from his experience in door-to-door sales. From grit and resilience to adaptability and playing the player, Shaheem explains how these lessons continue to impact his sales and marketing strategies. The episode also touches on the highs and lows of starting a sales office and transitioning into a full-service agency, providing inspiration and insights for entrepreneurs.Shaheem Alam is the Chief Executive Officer of FiveRings Marketing, where he leads as the go-to revenue partner for B2B tech companies. With a diverse background in roles such as Account Executive at RenoRun Inc., Founder of Triton Marketing LLC, and Direct Sales Executive at Eco Energy Home Services Inc., he brings a wealth of experience to his current role. Shaheem's journey reflects his commitment to driving business growth and innovation in the Greater Vancouver Metropolitan Area and beyond. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:Shaheem learned a five-step sales process during his door-to-door sales job, which he still uses today.Market differences can impact product-market fit and success, as seen in the contrast between selling in Toronto and Vancouver.Expanding services and becoming a full-service agency allows for growth and a more holistic approach to revenue generation.Shaheem is invested in the vision of Five Rings Marketing and enjoys the process of managing people and plans.Resources:FiveRings MarketingDevNoodleTEC CanadaConnect with Shaheem Alam:LinkedInEmailConnect with our host, Josh Hoffman:LinkedInQuotables:01:12 - “Yeah, no, I learned a lot in door-to-door sales. So when I was doing door-to-door, I was selling like furnaces, air conditioners, water, water filters for homes, basically. And when I first got started, like I didn't know anything about sales. Like, I sucked, you know, my first three weeks I didn't make a single sale. So I think like that's what it taught me, but then it taught me a lot of other principles too, which, you know, you could say are marketing related, sales related, but it's really just being able to adapt to different personalities, different people. You meet all kinds of characters, right? When you're knocking on doors, like behind air, like two neighbors can be completely different basically. And just adapting to those personalities is so important if you're gonna actually, you know, be able to want to be able to sell to them.”04:25 - “Yeah, so basically eventually I got like, pretty good at, at sales, but not just that I was, I found that I was really good at building teams, like in door-to-door, right? So I, I always have the biggest team, and this is like, and that's tough, right? It's commission only sales. So when we're in Canada, so we're knocking doors in like, you know, minus 20 degrees and snowstorms blizzards everything, and to keep people coming back when they literally made $0 last week, like it's, they have to have a pretty good reason to want to come back. And that was the culture, that was the team that we built, the culture that we had in the office and all of that stuff. So eventually I started running a sales office.”02:40 - “I say, play the player and not the game, right? Like, I think a lot, they learn how they want to do sales and, and when we'll time marketing to that as well, and they say like, you know, I'm just going to rinse and repeat this over and over again. And I think that's a really bad methodology because at the end of the day, like, you know, at least I'll speak for myself. I'm a very fast energetic or fast speaking energetic person, but when I know that the person in front of me is just not that, like, I try to tone it down. I try not to be Josh. Like I always say, like, you don't matter. I don't matter at all, right? The person in front of the only person that matters. So that's kind of the, the phrase that I used is, is like, play the player and not the game.”18:22 - “To echo that, you know, where, where I think advisors help, and this is a phrase that I tend to use a lot is, is, you know, they help you work on the business, not just in the business 'cause Exactly. Starting a business, you know, like you're just in the grind all day, every day and you can't almost like take a thousand-foot view or whatever it is, 10,000, whatever the phrase is. So I think, you know, when you, when you almost put a pause or a benchmark or whatever it is, and you speak with advisors, that's your time to work on the business.”19:13 - Josh: “If you had to teach something to other marketers, what would it be?”Shaheem: “Teach something to other marketers? Are you talking about like other marketing agencies or other like marketers within companies?”Josh: “I guess both the marketing agencies.”Shaheem: “Marketing agencies. I would say don't put your eggs in one basket. Yeah, that'd be like the biggest advice. Don't put all your eggs in one ba

In this episode, Jason Ciment, CEO of Get Visible Digital Marketing Agency, shares his entrepreneurial journey from starting a magazine subscription service to building a successful digital marketing agency. The future of marketing is also explored, focusing on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and potential acquisitions. The importance of building intimate client relationships, creating unique and better content, and defining boundaries in marketing strategies are discussed. Additionally, he delves into hard conversations, Yiddish phrases, job opportunities, AI resources, and valuable recommendations for reaching out.Jason Ciment is a seasoned digital marketing expert and CEO of Get Visible, a renowned digital marketing agency. With over 20 years of experience, he has helped numerous clients achieve higher search engine rankings, increased online visibility, and improved website performance. His expertise lies in SEO, PPC management, social media marketing, and reputation management, making him a trusted authority in the digital marketing arena. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:He transitioned into the digital marketing industry by offering search engine optimization services and later expanded to provide a full suite of digital marketing services.The agency's growth has been largely driven by referrals, and Jason's involvement in networking organizations has been instrumental in acquiring new business.AI is a game-changer in marketing, enabling agencies to deliver more and create tailored content. However, the challenge lies in creating better content when other agencies have access to similar tools.Acquisitions can be beneficial to increase economies of scale within the same stream of business, rather than diversifying into new areas.The host suggests utilizing different AI tools and resources like Google Bard, ChatGPT, and Poe.com to access a broader range of AI models.Planning and defining boundaries within marketing processes is crucial before exploring new possibilities and strategies.The guest shares an old Yiddish phrase and an old Arab curse, both with amusing and interesting implications.Resources:Get Visible Digital Marketing AgencyDevNoodleThe AI ExchangeProVisors | The Largest Networking Organization for Trusted AdvisorsLetip | Business Networking GroupBNI: Business Network InternationalGoogle BardChatGPTPoeConnect with Jason Ciment:LinkedInConnect with our host, Josh Hoffman:LinkedInQuotables:06:36 - “And we have a thing we call all hands on deck. Like when you have a meeting, you're dealing with the people doing the work. So you're not dealing with an account rep who says, oh, let me go check with this person or that person. And sometimes clients feel overwhelmed because they're getting too many emails, let's say from different stakeholders. But at the end of the day, they're getting expertise at the root level, at the ground level. And they're not having it filtered through an account rep, who often doesn't really understand what's going on.”09:23 - “So if you were working for me, you're coming to work for me because you have my mindset and my partner's mindset, which is it's not a nine to five job, and we're not clocking people in. It's a passion job. And your reward is not the money. That's just a measure of success. The reward is the satisfaction in accomplishing the outcome that the clients want and that you want. So I think it's like, it's just, when you don't have salespeople and you don't have quotas and you don't have commissions, the mindset's different.”12:48 - Jason: “The best reason to acquire is economies of scale. Because if I have or the team already in place and I could bring somebody in that gives me more of the same type of business, I would rather do that than try to open up a new stream of business. So like I don't want to go into media advertising as an example. So I wouldn't do a parallel, I wouldn't do a related thing to go horizontal. I'd go vertical to stay within the same stream.”Joshua: “No, I think that that makes sense.”08:18 - Joshua: “But is there anything specific that you set up to make it intimate? Or is it really just the people you hire or the right people? Like how, what's the ingredients in there?”Jason: “Well, it's two things. It's definitely the people that we hire. Like there's an organization I belong to, I'll give them a shout-out. It's called ProVisors. So I get a lot of business from that because it's like a networking organization like Letip or BNI, let's say. But it's high level. So you're dealing with partners of law firms, partners of accounting firms, managers of bank departments. Like, it's not low level, it's very high grade. So you, you don't sell to people in the room that you go to, you sell through them.”10:38 - Joshua: “You mentioned either on this call just now or on a previous call, that you made an acquisition and you bought the software company that you had hired previ

In this episode, Nick Jaworski, CEO of Circle Social Inc, shares how his marketing firm is meeting the needs of healthcare providers and connecting patients to care. He discusses his contrarian approach to mental health advocacy and the unique strategies used by his agency. The importance of his podcast, Recovery Executive, in bridging the gap between business and behavioral health is also highlighted. The episode also delves into the journey of building a successful consulting and marketing firm, the importance of trust in marketing high-cost items like addiction treatment services, and the limitations of AI in marketing.Nick Jaworski is a seasoned marketing expert and the CEO of Circle Social Inc., a strategic marketing firm specializing in addiction treatment and behavioral health. With a strong passion for helping those in need, Nick's career has been dedicated to building brands, driving results, and enriching communities. From managing centers for Disney English to fostering academic excellence, his leadership and coaching skills have consistently led to exceptional outcomes and customer satisfaction. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:Circle Social is a marketing firm that serves the behavioral health industry and connects patients to care.Circle Social provides integrated marketing strategies and works with both nonprofit and for-profit healthcare organizations.The podcast has allowed Nick to build relationships and connect with industry leaders, leading to unique opportunities and insights.Laser focus and gradual expansion led to success in the healthcare industry.One-liners and buzzwords can grab attention, but delivering on promises is essential to maintain trust.Having a strategy, not just tactics, is vital to maintaining trust and delivering results.Many marketing agencies remain small due to a lack of scalability and comfort with their lifestyle.Resources:Circle Social IncDevNoodleThe Price of Time (Book)Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (Book)Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World (Book)The Innovator's Dilemma (Book)Simone de Beauvoir’s Works (Books)Michel Foucault’s Works (Books)Connect with Nick Jaworski:LinkedInConnect with our host, Josh Hoffman:LinkedInQuotables:22:24 - “So at the end of the AI is just taking a bunch of stuff from different places and throwing it together. While what I always tell the team is, like I said, the worst thing that I can see is the top three Google search results rehashed as our article. I said, I never want to see that. I don't want to see a Wikipedia article or just a rehash of the top three. I want unique, original content that's actually going to help people.”26:20 - “I'm like, oh, we're data driven, and we're performance based, and so we just got to use the numbers here. But I realized that more and more the creative is king at the end of the day. Really good creative performs anywhere from four to seven times better than bad creative. And so it doesn't matter what the data's telling me, I need good creative at the outset. And so how do we do that? And it's all about the right audience with the right message. So I think that's probably one of the things I would focus on teaching. Because that's what I focus on with our team a lot of the time.”06:08 - “[A podcast] really is a great resource to get connect people, you know, like we can always send cold emails, and we can always do things like that, but this medium is just a great medium. It's not very business focused, right? And a lot of people, they do want to get out kind of the things that they've been working hard on their whole lives. So I think it's just a great kind of, yeah, again, like medium for people to talk.”13:51 - Joshua: “And for someone that might be thinking of taking that route, right, like maybe they are already on the marketing side and the thinking about consulting, are there any signs or is there anything that you kind of said, okay, you know, this is worth the effort or this maybe isn't worth the effort and, and also, you know, like how do you charge? Is it usually project based? Is it retainer? You can take it that in any direction you want. I know I asked two questions.”Nick: “So everything's value based for us, right? So on the marketing side, we're mainly a retainer, right? Like most agencies, people pay up front. On the consulting side, it's project based.”25:41 - Joshua: “If you had to teach something to other marketers, what would it be?”Nick: “Teach something to other marketers, what would it be? Honestly, what we work on with the team is really understanding the audience. It's probably number one when we look at, you know, how do you run a Facebook campaign? How do you set up a marketing funnel? How do you think about capital allocation on different channels?”

In this episode, Tyler Weese shares his inspiring journey from being a D1 football player to becoming the CEO of Skale Strategy, an e-commerce agency focused on scaling brands on Amazon. He discusses the challenges and importance of embracing imperfections while sharing strategies to help clients succeed on the platform. Tyler also highlights the evolving landscape of Amazon, the significance of authenticity in marketing, and the role of an omnichannel approach in scaling direct-to-consumer brands. He emphasizes the value of staying true to brand values and establishing a strong identity. Tyler Weese is an experienced e-commerce leader who has founded and grown multiple brands on Amazon. He was the Director of Brand Growth at Skale Strategy, helping scale brands on Amazon. Weese also founded the communication product company Rettel Board, where he served as Director. He played college football as a wide receiver at Utah State University. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters of Marketing Agency:He believes that athletes and individuals with a passion for something make great employees and leaders.Tyler's previous company, Rettel Board, was founded during his last year of college and was eventually acquired.Importing products for Rettel Board taught him valuable lessons about entrepreneurship and the process of sourcing goods.Inexperienced with sourcing, language barriers were a major hurdle at the start.Being an early adopter in a category provided both challenges and success opportunities.Skale is a full-service Amazon agency focused on helping clients navigate compliance and catalog issues.Establishing an authentic and passionate brand identity is crucial for effective marketing and establishing credibility.Resources:Skale StrategyDevNoodleTraction (Book)The Founder (podcast)Connect with Tyler Weese:LinkedInConnect with our host, Josh Hoffman:LinkedInQuotables:22:56 - “We've long seen Amazon as, you know, the marketplace that is cheap or imported brandless product that is just, you know, serving a need, right? And I think that's definitely repositioning, I think direct to consumer, brands need to pay attention and migrate towards Amazon. And there's ways now that Amazon has made this possible for direct to consumer brands. So I see, you know, Amazon at its core, it's a search engine, right? It's a product search engine.”03:57 - “I just love seeing people that, you know, challenge themself, have passion in life, have something that they wanna accomplish or excel at or do well in. And I think that for sure finding people that have a passion for something and can set goals and, and meet achievements regardless if that's athletics, you know, music, whatever it might be. Yeah, I definitely love finding those people that have proven outside of a work environment that they can be successful and that they can be passionate about something.”27:35 - “I came from the sales space and what I always tell everyone is, you know, I have my ways and, and that's all I can like share with anyone else is how I do it. But I always preface and I always make sure to that they understand like, this is me using my strengths. Like you should obviously understand your strengths and where I, you know, build rapport galore. Maybe that's just not your strength.”25:26 - “I think, you know, obviously having some kind of omni-channel approach and, and getting outta your D2C site, Shopify or whatever it is, or just retail or something like that, I think is, is usually a good growth strategy.”25:37 - Joshua: “If you had to teach something to other marketers, what would it be?”.. Tyler: “Hmm. I think just authenticity, right? Like don't be someone or don't create a brand that you are not, it is just hard to find passion behind what you're doing or, or be compelling when you're trying to be someone that you're not. Right?”

In this episode, Jonah and Jeremiah Wilson join Joshua Hoffman to discuss the future of marketing and the impact of AI and automation. They share insights from their experience in sales, emphasizing the importance of leveraging technology and staying competitive. They delve into the significance of leveraging technology, studying the market, and utilizing the best tools available. Furthermore, they discuss the dynamics of working with family in a business setting. Additionally, the episode emphasizes the need for agencies to utilize data to convince clients of their value, and suggests obtaining granular insights for greater success.Jeremiah Wilson is an experienced entrepreneur and sales trainer. He founded multiple call tracking and marketing analytics companies over 20 years, including ContactPoint and Convirza. Jeremiah has also worked in logistics, sales training, and as a university professor.Jonah Wilson is an ambitious up-and-coming marketer who is following in his father Jeremiah's entrepreneurial footsteps. He gained valuable experience interning at Convirza and honed his skills in digital marketing by starting his own agency, Orsett Marketing. Jonah's drive and determination to succeed in business and marketing comes through in his experience in solar sales and various digital marketing roles. He represents the next generation of marketers and entrepreneurs. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters of Marketing Agency:Despite the competitive nature of the industry, marketers can stay relevant by adapting to changing technologies and maximizing the tools available.To stay relevant, businesses must continuously study the market, be aware of the latest advancements, and utilize the best tools available.Building in-house solutions may not be feasible for small businesses, it is more beneficial to partner or use existing tools.The hosts highlight the success of their father-son partnership, which works because of shared values and a clear business hierarchy.Imposter syndrome is a common experience among entrepreneurs and executives, but it is important to remember that even top CEOs feel uncertain at times.People remember how they made you feel, not what you said.The book "Originals" by Adam Grant explores similar themes.Resources:ConvirzaDevNoodleOutliers by Malcom GladwellOriginals by Adam Grant48 Laws of Power by Robert GreeneUnapologetically Ambitious by Shellye ArchambeauHundred Million Offers by Alex HormoziConnect with the guests:Jeremiah Wilson - LinkedInJonah Wilson - LinkedInConnect with our host Josh Hoffman:LinkedInQuotables:04:41 - Jeremiah: “So why is one able to go do $300,000 in, you know, solar panels sales that year and another does, you know, 15,000, you know, what makes a difference? And there's a lot, there's a lot of magic to that too that still has to come out... Joshua: Well, you can't just mention that comment without me like double-clicking, so I don't you better be ready with an answer.”.. Jeremiah: “I'll tell you at 12 years old, I learned the lesson like I learned from me, and it had to be from me only that I learned that I could look them in the eye. And, and so I'm big on personality profiling, like, like who, what are, what, who are they? What do they need, and what do they need from me? And I have to be that now. And I've got like two seconds for them, even less. They're going to make a split second decision the moment they look at me as to whether they like me or not. And that was it.”21:25 - “Let me back up because I told him at a very young age, my job is for you to be better than me. If I do my job as a father, you're going to be better than me in every possible way. And, and I think that that's a bit stuck with him. I mean, if you really got into his head, and I think I know my son pretty well, he already knows he's better than me.”19:03 - “And they would run into problems of family would work together, and it would cause issues, and they couldn't buy them. Because the uncle wanted to not sell his share, do this and that. And the only time that he said it ever worked is if you worked with a father and a son or that same relationship because I grew up and my whole life Jeremiah is “hey, do this, don't do this”. Being that figure, that example, and it's the same in business where he's the CEO and his assistant. I do all the dirty work and I think because of that, it works quite well and we think alike. And for anybody who wants to father and son, it varies a lot based on what the direction and the values of them are. But in general, I think it's the, just about the only time family and business can work is when that clear dichotomy of or father, son or CEO and employee works.”24:13 - “For me, what I do is if I'm ever doing something that like brings all nerves and I've never done it before, I actually try to appreciate, I say like, this is a position, especially when you're running a company or something like that, and you're in a positi

Greg Shuey, CEO of Stryde, discussed the company's focus on e-commerce businesses and the benefits of having a women-powered team. He also touched on strategic decisions, the impact of Covid-19 on the e-commerce marketing agency space, AI adoption in marketing agencies, and the importance of understanding the customer journey. Additionally, he highlighted how Stride drives leads through SEO, paid search, and partnerships, as well as his passion for coaching and empowering the younger generation.Greg Shuey, the CEO of Stryde - Ecommerce Marketing Agency, brings over 10 years of experience in digital marketing and customer acquisition. He specializes in helping 7-figure D2C businesses overcome challenges, scale to 8 figures, and make better decisions in digital marketing. With expertise, time-saving strategies, and an objective perspective, Greg guides businesses to navigate the evolving marketing landscape and identify new opportunities for growth. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters of Marketing Agency:The agency focuses on mom-and-baby fashion, women's fashion, home decor, and sporting goods.Their team is powered by women who are skilled at marketing products targeted toward women.Stryde partners with an Amazon agency to assist clients in expanding into new marketplaces.They have been exploring collaborations with agencies like Evolved Commerce and AMZ Advisors.Extreme focus in verticals: Narrowing down to specific verticals helps agencies attract better leads, close deals faster, and stand out from the competition.SEO is the biggest driver of leads for Stryde, with keywords related to e-commerce and marketing agencies ranking high.A request to not make any changes to the conversation before publishing.Resources:StrydeDevNoodleWho Not HowConnect with Greg Shuey:LinkedInConnect with our host Josh Hoffman:LinkedInQuotables:9:11 - “The funny thing is two days after lockdown, everyone became an e-commerce marketing agency. So it became very, very saturated, very competitive very quickly for us. But lucky for us, I mean we already had kind of that Stryde as the e-commerce marketing agency for these verticals and we kind of owned it, which was fantastic for us.”14:21 -”And that's also part of the problem is that a lot of agencies, they don't want to do the elbow. They don't want to put in the elbow grease for that, right? Understanding who your customer is and more is more than just saying, oh, we target women between the ages of 35 and 50 who have two kids and an income of a hundred thousand dollars a year, right? It's picking up the phone and calling 50 of their customers and going through like a real conversation of learning.”15:42 - “I tend to say this like really aggressively, but I think people care too much about themselves and what they're trying to pitch. It's kinda like the how and the why or the what conversation where you don't want to be pitching what you want to be pitching the why and all that kind of stuff. And I think when people, they're so proud of their business, and they try to just like share the benefits and features that they want to get out there, but they don't understand. Like you, I always tell people on my team like, you don't matter. Like your opinion doesn't matter.”16:11 - “All about the customer. You need to get in their heads and, and it sounds so silly, but even writing emails like you don't matter. Your opinion doesn't matter. It's how do you want to, how do they read this? How do they want to read this? What should they kind of like, or what do they want to hear?”22:14 - Josh: If you could teach, if you had to teach something to other marketers, what would it be?.. Greg: Figuring out who the customer is. I mean, if you follow me on LinkedIn, that's all I talk about these days. I'll sprinkle in a couple of other things, but I feel like just deep down, it's so important for an agency to be able to know how to do this and to push their clients in the right direction.

In this episode, Brook Shepard, CEO of Mason Interactive, delves into the role of AI in marketing, emphasizing the need for human oversight. She also discusses the importance of creativity, campaign ideas, diversification of advertising spend, and growth metrics. The episode also highlights the significance of ethical client relationships, goal setting, and key event planning. Additionally, Shepard shares insights on Mason Interactive's upcoming rebrand and participation in Grow in New York.Brook Shepard is the CEO and Managing Partner of Mason Interactive, a leading Performance Marketing agency with offices in New York City and Charlotte. With over 14 years of experience, Brook and his team specialize in media buying strategy, SEO, creative development, and email marketing for clients in the Higher Education and D2C brand sectors. Prior to Mason Interactive, Brook held key roles at Yodle, SendTraffic, and Yankee Rose, demonstrating his expertise in search marketing, client services, and web design. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:In the next two years, companies must use AI, or they risk losing out to competitors who do.Advertising spend has changed with the introduction of iOS 14, and companies must diversify their mix to be in front of more people.Soft goals can be important to clients, and honesty is crucial in distinguishing them from hard goals.Red flags to look for when working with clients include a lack of numerical goals or sales targets, not attending meetings, and an overly strong emphasis on ROI.They will be participating in the Grow in New York event on July 11th.Brook talks about their marketing strategies and how they work closely with their clients.Resources:Mason InteractiveThe She Speaks PodcastDevNoodleConnect with Brook Shepard:LinkedInConnect with the host Josh Hoffman:LinkedInQuotables:3:19 - “So I think there'll be more automation in this industry and not less over time. I think that's been a truism for a long time. I think that what that will mean is that if I had to guess in the future of this industry, people will have fewer clients, sorry, more clients paying them a lower rate or maybe the same rate, but lower hours on that work because a lot of the work will happen more quickly. And if the real skill set is not going to be doing the work, real skill set will be explaining why you did the work and, and, and reasons why you made those choices along the way.”6:18 - “I think that the human ability to synthesize data and relate to other people through common experiences will still be valuable. I also think that creative will become more important in this industry right now than it, than it's right now. A lot of clients certainly focus on creative. They're focused on like, what audience did better today? Why haven't you uncovered the right audience? Let's try a new audience that's important and that's not going to stop.”19:08 - “I think the biggest issue that new marketers run into is they think, and, and, and any company, right? I do this when I join a new company in sales, I just want to get everything in the door and I don't really care about quality at this point. So I, I think, you know, it is important that it is okay to turn down a customer even early on based on a lot of signs.”14:27 - Josh: “And I think a lot of people like to pretend that a vanity metric is their key performance indicator, when it not always necessarily is. So I think that was a great point. Take a step back now.” Brook: “But follow up about that. So like, so like the, the, we call those hard goals versus soft goals.”2:32 - Josh: “But you mentioned AI taking jobs, so, you know, what do you see as the future both in the next two years of what that looks like and how AI and chat between all those things take over, and then what do you see it in the next 10 years look like?” Brook: “So for our industry, specifically, clients ask me what I think about it. And my answer is always, you want to use those tools. What do you think about them? I don't really think I get a vote. Zuckerberg isn't asking me a thing, isn't asking me, I don't get a vote. And whether those things are happening, they just are.”

In this episode, host Josh Hoffman and guest Netta Kivilis, founder and CEO of Blue Seedling, discuss various aspects of marketing in the B2B space. Netta shares her insights on the impact of AI on marketing, and talks about contrarian B2B marketing myths and the utility of AI as a thought partner. She stresses the importance of developing people skills in marketing and provides valuable perspectives on marketing practices for B2B startups.Netta Kivilis is the Founder and CEO of Blue Seedling, a boutique marketing agency specializing in high-growth enterprise B2B startups and scale-ups. With a background in retail marketing, including roles at Custora and Amazon, Netta has successfully built marketing operations, created industry-standard dashboards, organized events, and coached teams, contributing to impressive revenue growth and employee expansion. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters of Marketing Agency:Marketers need to experiment with AI tools and applications to gain a competitive advantage in the market.AI tools can help marketers in various applications such as content marketing, outbound email prospecting, and visual generative AI.Startups need to package AI tools and applications into marketing and sales-specific tools to make them user-friendly and effective.AI tools can make brainstorming and Kickstarter easier and more effective for marketers.AI can be used as a “thought partner” in B2B startupsIt's not realistic to expect AI to write an article from start to finish, but it serves as a great tool for brainstorming ideas, titles, and even SEO improvementsHiring SDRs for email marketing is a marketing task better handled by B2B marketersResources:Blue SeedlingThe She Speaks PodcastDevNoodleConnecting with Netta Kivilis:LinkedInConnecting with Josh Hoffman:LinkedInQuotables:2:25 - “Marketing technology is not going to make or break your marketing success. However, this is the exception. When I saw ChatGPT and understood the consequences, I got super excited. I think right now we are in the waiting fees where we are waiting for all the startups that are coming along to package ChatGPT into marketing and sales-specific applications and tools that will make it more usable, more user-friendly, more bulletproof for us.”8:41 - “And I think it's amazing, especially for folks who are remote, maybe walking on their own as freelancers, you suddenly have like a counterpart walking with you and brainstorming with you and helping you ride. So you are never alone, which is delightful.”7:27 - “We kind of say that it's more of a thought partner, right? Like now, you have a thought partner that is just an expert into whatever you ask it. So it's, you know, it's not necessarily going to be great at, I mean it's great at so many things, but to use it more as if you think of it and brand it as a thought partner, it's a beautiful tool.”15:15 - “I always find it so interesting again because like I think that coding and a few, and I've mentioned this before, but coding and like law is, it's almost a different way of thinking and, and it gives you this kind of benefit of, of thinking a little bit differently because you know, there's, when you're coding obviously you have got to think about things way in the future and how will that will operate or how it'll break it. So I think it's just kind of a, a different way of thinking.”9:28 - Josh: “Do you have any examples of how you guys have either used it like very specifically or even used as a thought partner? Is there anything you can kinda share on that site? Cold emails, whatever it is.”.. Netta: “Yeah, so definitely brainstorming for the writing process. I would say the utopian vision of like, I'm going to give you an idea or brief, and you are going to write the entire thing for me end to end. Not realistic at the moment, but for example, here's a blog post I wrote. Let's create a title together. That's an amazing use case.”

In this episode, Alex Fanshel, the CEO of New Standard Digital, discusses his unexpected career shift from finance to starting a marketing agency. They explore topics such as the future of marketing, the impact of AI, and the services offered by New Standard Digital. The episode also delves into the story behind the agency's growth, the challenges and advantages of digital marketing for big brands and smaller businesses, and the technical challenges faced by big brands utilizing complex tech stacks.Alex Fanshel is a highly accomplished professional with extensive experience in the digital marketing industry. As the CEO of New Standard Digital, a leading digital marketing agency, Alex helps Fortune 500 brands and startups drive predictable traffic, leads, and revenue through a range of digital specialties. Additionally, as an Enterprise Consultant and Subject-Matter Expert at General Assembly, Alex works with Fortune 500 enterprises to transform their marketing departments, focusing on digital transformation, e-commerce, and various marketing strategies. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:New Standard Digital is a marketing agency that offers services such as content marketing, search engine optimization, Amazon management and marketing, and paid acquisition.Offering agency services, New Standard Digital expanded their offerings to include search strategy and organic search strategy for Fortune 500 beauty brands.Referrals and word-of-mouth played a significant role in growing their client base, along with upskilling through teaching opportunities.Big brands have brand awareness and existing search traffic, making it easier to get results.Smaller businesses can execute strategies faster due to fewer restrictions.Strategies for content/SEO and Amazon paid acquisition are usually similar for big brands and smaller businesses.Dev Noodle helps marketing agencies with developers' “bench time”, providing support when needed.Resources:New Standard DigitalDevNoodleConnecting with Alexander Fanshel:LinkedInConnecting with Josh Hoffman:LinkedInQuotables:30:28 - First thing, if someone were thinking about starting an agency or any business, my answer is always the same. Your only job is to get someone to give you a single dollar. I don't care what it's for, I don't care if you're losing a ton of money, you probably will completely agree. Your only job is to get someone to give you a dollar. If you can do that once, okay, you can probably do it again in the second dollar, in theory will be easier to earn.31:00 - What I always say in terms of marketing, I would say, you know, if someone is interested in marketing or just trying to do marketing better, I would say if something is complex, it probably isn't necessary, and it's probably not the best strategy when it comes to content in SEO, right? What are people searching? What is the intent? Do we have a right to win slash play? Can we create great content? Can we acquire backlinks? The strategy hasn't changed in years. It's very straightforward. It is not fancy. If, again, if it doesn't intuitively make sense, it's probably not a good strategy, frankly.21:49.. Josh: Was there any, you know, like lessons that you learned through that process? Like you wish you brought stuff up earlier or anything like that?.. Alex: Oh, this is, this is a very good question. I think this was unavoidable, but to your point, we didn't discuss what we wanted to do long term until we were well in it. And my business partner at the time was like, I just want to make good money and, and live, you know, live a, a high quality life where I don't work all the time. And I was like, well, I want to build a, a business that grows.27:06 Josh: Is there anything that you tried with like a bigger brand that worked with a smaller brand or vice versa that just fell on space? Take that the other way if you also want to say, oh my God, it worked, and you didn't expect, so I'll, I'll give you the option there... Alex: I'll say it this way, with what I mentioned before, with the bigger brands, right, they have brand awareness. If I have that, if I have existing search traffic, my life is going to be infinitely easier. Usually working with big brands is the dream because all the difficult part, brand awareness, what have you is already there. Now I just need to get my strategy approved and live. Whereas with the startups, the strategy is usually approved immediately, but the strategy going live does not produce results immediately.19:32 Josh: obviously the first customer is really important, and through your story too, I think the second customer is arguably just as important. Because that almost starts the trend, right? Like, that makes it a company. So how did you guys, did you use that to get your second customer? Or how'd you guys get your second customer?.. Alex: I was just talking to a friend, and he is like, oh, what are you up to? And I was like, oh,

In this episode, Tommaso Vaccarella, the co-founder and general manager of Connected-Stories, talks about his experience in the production company and the challenges of scaling a tech platform. He discusses the innovative product that helps personalize and automate video ads, while also highlighting customer success as key to growth. Additionally, Vacarella provides insights into finding a platform for entrepreneurship and the challenges of managing people in the advertising technology industry.Tommaso Vaccarella is the GM and Co-Founder of Connected-Stories, the first Creative Management Platform for Advanced Video Formats. With a focus on disruptive innovation in video advertising, Connected-Stories brings together advertisers, creatives, data, and media professionals to develop data-driven strategies for enhanced video asset performance. Prior to that, Tommaso held roles at Frank Inc., Hudson East Capital LLC, and Wrong Way Pictures, showcasing his expertise in growth, finance, and production within the tech and media industries. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:Vaccarella moved to New York City after high school to attend Pace University and pursue his dream of living in the city.Co-founded a production company with friends during college, which focused on music videos, short films, and commercials.The founder was inspired by his father and the idea of being a tech entrepreneur from a young ageThe first customer is the most important and takes a leap of faithConnected-Stories is hiring a product manager and a business development lead for all things EuropeTommaso recommends “Thinking, Fast and Slow” as a book everyone should readConnected-Stories' objective is to make advertising more enjoyable for consumersResources:Connected-StoriesThe She Speaks PodcastDevNoodleConnect with Tommaso Vaccarella:LinkedInConnect with our Josh Hoffman:LinkedInQuotables:07:42 - “Inspiring people more so than guiding them towards a certain vision is what probably is the most difficult aspect of being an entrepreneur. Although also the most fulfilling one, the most exciting ones. Because when you see people, you know, coming together, creating something exciting and really making friends along the way and becoming successful people together. That's what's most interesting thing to me.”14:53 – “So the first customer is the one that takes the leap of faith, right? There's gotta be the innovators, there gotta be the ones that are essentially trusting you as you know, their partners, right? The second customer, we got it through essentially creating an interesting case study around the first customer showcasing that our platform was successful for, again, this first customer to achieve their objectives, creating ROI for their agencies and the brands we're working with.”04:20 - “I joined a venture capital firm for a real while. And then I joined a tech startup in, in, in FinTech in finance technology focused on borrowing and lending money between friends and family. That was the name of the company was Frank, which really literally stood for Frank, the friends bank, right? So that's so something that inspired me to really dive in more the tech business and essentially find something that was a little bit more scalable than production, right?”07:07 - Josh: “What happened as you were growing the business that you just didn't expect, you know, going in, and I know your dad had like a successful exit, and he's been there and done it, but for you personally, like what ended up happening? Like wow, I didn't think I'd have to focus that much on this or something like that.” .. Tommaso: “So many things. Yeah, I would say one in particular that I had sort of like found myself in previous experiences is probably managing people. I knew that it was difficult. I didn't know that it would've been sort of like this challenging.”11:22 - Josh: “So can you talk a little bit more about the product?”.. Tommaso: “Totally, totally. No, that's a good point. So we are a creative management platform with certain people not necessarily familiar with the advertising technology industry. We basically have a platform solution that allows to make video ads more interesting, right? And how you do so is through personalization, ensure activity, but at the same time essentially solving for different challenges, right?”

In this episode, Stacy Cretu, founder and CEO of Uncommon Marketing Works discusses the challenges of marketing in a constantly changing industry, the importance of client relations, hiring the right team, and the impact of failures in the entrepreneurial world. Stacy also shares her insights on the growth of her digital-first marketing operations agency, building a team of women, and the benefits of focusing on having fun while learning in any job, including marketing.Staci Cretu, the Marketing Maestro, brings two decades of experience in enchanting audiences and transforming brands. With expertise spanning diverse industries, she has orchestrated captivating campaigns that generate results while keeping the world smiling. Staci's leadership and strategic marketing initiatives have driven significant revenue growth, fostered successful partnerships, and empowered businesses to thrive with next gen marketing strategies. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:The agency helps B2B clients navigate the world of marketing and drive growth opportunitiesThe marketing industry changes constantly, especially during Covid-19, and creativity is essential to successTo ensure the right fit for hires, Uncommon Marketing Works asks content writers and paid media specialists to complete writing tasks and analyze client accounts, respectively, before hiring.Failure is inevitable in the entrepreneurial world, and it is crucial to embrace and learn from it to succeed.Short and engaging training sessions are more effective for retaining information.Incorporating humor and fun in marketing campaigns can make them more memorable and effective.Resources:Uncommon Marketing WorksThe She Speaks PodcastDevNoodleConnecting with Stacy Cretu:LinkedInConnecting with Josh Hoffman: LinkedInQuotables:02:29 - But marketing definitely can change on a dime, and I really equated it to the constant change in the industry, in the practice of marketing and equated it to climbing or scaling a mountain, which I will never do personally, but it's the idea and the premise that scaling a mountain, if you're a, you know, hiker or what have you, you are constantly battling different terrain, different climates and different challenges along the way, and it's how you overcome those challenges in the end.10:35 - And really educate the client on the fact that you don't have to do everything, you know, pick something, be good at it, do that, and then, you know, hopefully generate the KPIs that you need and then move on and add things to it. So it's really from, as far as like out-of-the-box creativity, it's coming up with and coming up with ideas that are, that you're able to execute on within like very, very firm constraints.08:14 - I think like at the end of the day, it needs to have prompts to go in and the higher quality those prompts are going in, the higher quality, the responses will come out. And, and I think it's a very good thought partner, but it's not the decision maker. And I think you still need that human side to clean up the words to further the idea, right?09:24 - I think people are getting into like this mindset that they might be able to use this to replace a marketing firm or something like that. And I just think that's not the case at all because you still need the expertise to go in, you still need to understand any, whether there's personas or like, you need to have a marketing knowledge to get the best out of the tool.23:45Josh: If you were to teach something to other marketers, what would it be?Staci Cretu: You're going to fail, and you're going to fail hard. And it's about how you pick yourself up and how you figure things out and how you reconstruct and learn from those failures and understand failures always something that's going to happen. And again, it's the learning process of where you're at and if you're not willing to fail, you're not willing to succeed.

This episode, SheSpeaks’ Founder and CEO, Aliza Freud, talks about the opportunities for women in marketing, the benefits of being an entrepreneur, and how she’s connecting influencers with brands.Aliza Freud is the Founder and CEO of SheSpeaks, an award-winning influencer marketing platform, where she connects female influencers & creators with brands and media.The SheSpeaks platform reaches over 300 million consumers monthly and is powered by a community of hundreds of thousands of influential women. Aliza is also the host of the SheSpeaks Podcast which features female CEOs, actresses, producers, authors, and athletes who are shaping our world. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:.The importance of having a focused message.What the paradox of choice means for businesses.The implications the Pareto principle has for entrepreneurs.The main reasons for becoming an entrepreneur.Why marketing should focus on a product's features.The importance of highlighting women's voices.The opportunities there are for women in marketing.Resources:SheSpeaks Inc.The She Speaks PodcastDevNoodleConnecting with Aliza Freud:LinkedInTwitterConnecting with the Josh Hoffman:LinkedInQuotables:18:02 – “One of the learnings as an entrepreneur is that you learn that sometimes that, yes, the world, there are lots of opportunities. That's one of the wonderful things about entrepreneurship. It feels like the world is wide open. But what I think a lot of successful entrepreneurs, what they've learned is to be really focused on what you offer and be very clear on communicating that. Because otherwise it's interesting because as a marketer and I spent the first part of my career working at a very large brand doing marketing. One of the first things I remember learning as a marketer was, when you give people too many choices, they choose nothing.”36:05 – “I've never been somebody who gets dissuaded by failure. I love saying, and I say this to my kids all the time, that failure's not fatal. Like it's going to happen. You have to be able to say, okay, I am going to fail at something. I'm going to fail at multiple things. How do I figure out what I learned from it, that experience is going to give me, and then move forward from there.”42:20 – “For me, and it doesn't mean I don't have a boss as an entrepreneur, but you have a lot of bosses as an entrepreneur too. But you still have more control. And I think for me that was a big part of wanting to be an entrepreneur. You know, just wanting to feel like I put this thing into the world and I make the decision to continue doing it or not.”13:36 – “Now more than ever, we still need what we're trying to do, which is amplify, you know, make sure we understand what's going on with women and then amplify that to brands, to the media, to anybody who will listen.”15:29 – “We were in a position to really give them access to all of these women who were, what, you now call influencers. Back then they were like mommy bloggers, people who were so, were active in social media, you didn't have a name for them. Now there's a name for them. And we have really great relationships with them. We know what is important to them. We know how to take a brand's message and really translate that to creating awesome content with these female creators and influencers.”21:10 – “Another principal that you learned in business school, the Pareto principle, which is that what otherwise known as the 80 20 rule, which is okay, what are, you know, you typically have, you know, 80% of your volume coming from 20% of something, right? So you really have to say, okay, be very ruthless in your decision to what you're going to focus on, especially early in a startup's life. I think the more, the more specific you can be, the more focused you can be, the better off you're going to be in the longer run. And then you can always, as I said, expand after you've, you've mastered one thing.”

This episode, B Squared Media’s Founder and CEO, Brooke Sellas, talks about different scheduling and automation tools, how these can be used to improve productivity, and the different ways you can streamline the hiring and onboarding process.Brooke Sellas is an entrepreneur, digital customer experience consultant, and CEO and Founder of B Squared Media, where she spends most of her time working on sales and marketing. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:.Tools that help with scheduling and automation.How smart automation tools can save time and increase productivity.The danger of scope creeps and how to avoid it.Hot to build trust with customers using social media content.Why behind-the-scenes content is always the top-performing content, no matter the industry.The type of person that makes a good guest.Resources:B Squared MediaTeenage Wastebrand: How Your Brand Can Stop Struggling and Start ScalingDevNoodleConnecting with Brooke Sellas:LinkedInTwitterConnecting with the Josh Hoffman:LinkedInQuotables:06:34 – “I don't want to do automation to the point where personalization goes away, but I do use a lot of automation to help get my message out as people want to connect with me or want to buy the book or want to download something that we offer or sign up for our newsletter. So I always say in my emails that are automated, Hey, this really is me and I read and respond to every comment. So if you want to reply and ask a question, book a call, whatever it is, I will read it and I will reply. And so I think that kind of helps soften the fact that yes, everybody's getting this automated email, but it truly is me and I truly do respond.”11:18 – “As a business owner, what I've learned, one of the biggest and best pieces of advice I could give is in your agreements, make sure that your scope of work is crystal clear about what you will and what you will not do. And that way if somebody tries to do something that's outside of the scope or presents you with scope creep, you can say, Hey Josh, thank you so much for the opportunity to do this new project with you. It is outside of our scope of work. If you look at the agreement, however, I can put together a proposal for this project or an hourly rate or whatever it is to get this done for you. Like we'd love to do this for you, but it's not in your scope, so you're going to have to pay more”18:52 – “We were the opposite of what the thing says, which is hire slow, fire fast. We were the opposite. We weren't hire slow, no, we would hire fast and fire slow. So we were not the best and we got lucky. We've had some like incredibly amazing people who have worked with us and still work with us, but we've also made some real doozies hiring. And so about two or three years ago we totally revamped our hiring process, and we stuck the job of hiring with a few key people on our team so that that process is followed. It's always the same people, and that has drastically changed the way we hire and onboard new people.”29:57 – “We actually score people with a scorecard on how they answer questions. So if they don't make it to a certain score, we don't hire them. So, some people can have a good interview, but their personality seems amazing, but they don't answer the questions quite the way you'd want them to. Well, they don't get hired. I'm sorry, it's not about how great your personality is, it's how well can you do the job? So we have those and then our onboarding process got totally revamped, and now we make them shadow with people. So for the first 90 days, they're almost in training so that we're not just cutting them loose on doing something before they're ready.”24:41 – “I think the biggest thing that marketers have issues with are putting things in a box, right? So like a lot of times you'll see the social tools post something, the best time to post is Wednesday at 11 or whatever. And then marketers take that blanket statement and apply it to their brand, when really every brand is different. You have to set your own standards for each brand or client that you work with. And I think teaching marketers that critical thinking part of creating what those standards are and then implementing that into some of the, the processes, the standard operating procedures that are specific to that client, right? So we have the SOPs, but then you have the brand SOPs or statements or whatever.”

This episode, One18Mediaa’s CEO AJ Sonnick talks about the characteristics of a good leader, how the role of a CEO changes as a company grows, and the different ways having a virtual assistant has helped him.AJ Sonnick is the CEO and Founder of One18Media, a digital marketing agency startup that’s worked with Website Design, IT Services, and Media Consulting firms. AJ drives every aspect of projects, from initial concept to implementation and client delivery, and manages P&L and budget. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:The pros and cons of online degrees.What makes a good leader.How to use software to improve employee engagement.How the role of a CEO changes as a company grows.Different aspects that make a company successfully grow.The benefits of having a virtual assistant.The importance of having the right SOPs.Resources:One18MediaPace UniversitySlackBonuslyPatagoniaGet Rich in the Deep EndDevNoodleConnecting with AJ Sonnick:LinkedInTikTokConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables:3:54 - “When you’re working with kids whether it’s elementary school, middle school, high school, college. When you’re working with young kids or young adults you're supposed to motivate them.”18:13 - “It has revolutionized the way he works, coincidentally enough I said to him you look better, you don’t look stressed, you look calmer, you’re not tense on the last few meetings I noticed and he said it’s all thanks to you making the investment and getting us tools and software that help us do our job and that’s just one example out of many.”19:37 - “There was one problem with that risk, there wasn’t enough money for me, I just got married at the time how do I not make a salary, I’ve been doing this for how many years now? I went out and took a full-time job somewhere else to make sure we didn’t have to fire anyone on our team and that to me is being a leader you see all these CEOs in corporate America that have all these big salaries and very well deserving they are talented smart people but do they need the 100 million dollar bonus, did they need that big boat? Why don’t you give that back and reinvest in your team, there’s all these layoffs and I’m not trying to get political or anything. I just saw today though McDonald's is preparing to lay off thousands of people, you’ve got the tech industry crumbling and falling apart, you have banks crumbling and falling apart but everyone’s making all their money, everyone’s in it for themselves, and there are good businesses out there, there are good leaders out there and I’m trying to help coach everyone out there and teach them listen you’re going to make a lot of money, you’re going to be successful, you’re going to do well but don’t be a jerk about it.”

This episode, the Founder and Creative Director of Asenka Creative Services’, Brian Hasenkamp, talks about how to know when an agency is ready to scale, the challenges of letting go of control as a business owner, and why networking is so important in business.Brian Hasenkamp, the Founder and Creative Director of Asenka Creative Service, a marketing agency that focuses on strategic branding and marketing for mid-size businesses. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:.What being a minister teaches you about business.The benefits of understanding coding.How to know when to grow your agency.How to let control go as a business owner.The importance of networking effectively. How to track where you acquire new clients from.Resources:Asenka Creative ServicesThe Business Side of CreativityDevNoodleConnecting with Brian Hasenkamp:LinkedInConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables:13:07 - “I was shaping the business to be what I wanted it to be while it was still also being valuable to the customers but I didn't want to work past a certain time, I had young children at that point so I wanted to save some time for that there was some personal time management that was all baked into my picture of the company and after I hired that person now it was serving that person and it was still serving the clients and it was still serving me but in a different way so when I say it shifted to an asset in my head I looked at it as something that now this is something that can provide for other staff, it can still serve the customers and it can provide for me but it’s a different type of thing now my hands don’t have to touch everything that’s going on here I guess it just took me up another level.”21:51 - “That’s the bottom line of networking if you can help other people there’s a reciprocity there that comes back over time so it’s not so much the perfect pitch of anything like that but getting to know people building relationships that comes back to this build relationships and then just try and help people.”22:13 - “The way I got this job being the podcast host is I was in the Philly startup community and there was a pitch event and someone didn’t show up to do their pitch and the pitch was already in my head so there like ok let’s move on and I ended up raising my hands and being like do you mind if I just pitch here’s my flash drive I’m ready to go and they said yes and little did I know Alex who runs DevNoodle the sponsor he took note of that and talked to me after and we’ve been talking ever since and we never did business together it was just two entrepreneurs talking and then he one day asked me hey I think you would be great for this host and I’ve loved it ever since.”12:28 - "It's funny actually that as soon as I hired that person, at the end of that day, after her first day working there, my whole mindset shifted on the business. It went from a business that I was building to an asset and it was right in that moment just changed. It was like, oh, okay, this my whole mindset shifted that day, which was strange cuz I had been in business for over five years, I think, at that point. So it wasn't new, but just definitely a mindset shift."14:29 - "Yeah, I did get to a point where I had to take all that software off my laptop so I physically could not do the work even if I wanted to anymore. And I still remain in that situation and it kind of pains me at times. It's like, oh, I just wanna go. But, yeah. I think the other, the only other real growing pains part is, and I think this is probably typical for most small businesses, is you never really have the cash or the business to do the hire, but you kind of need to do the hire and then it needs to follow. And so you're always in that point of like, wait, but what if it doesn't? And it's always every step, every hire is that way. You're never rolling in it and you're just like, great, I can hire five people now. Just at least for me, it never went quickly there.”

This episode, the CEO of Leadbird Carl Rohling talks about what makes a LinkedIn campaign effective, the best ways to make new connections on LinkedIn, and how to build trust with someone before doing business with them.Carl Rohling is the CEO of Leadbird, a B2B lead generation platform focused on connecting business service providers with brand-new businesses in real-time.Carl is a former M & A attorney, responsible for licensing and general contracts related to business, and has over 5 years of digital marketing experience in all aspects of growth marketing and inbound marketing strategies. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:.How being a lawyer impacts being a CEO.Legal recommendations for new marketing firms.How to market yourself without using an agency.What makes a LinkedIn campaign effective.LinkedIn marketing best practices.What makes a lead valuable.How to build trust with someone before you work with them.Resources:LeadbirdTuneInTwo Weeks NoticeDevNoodleConnecting with Carl Rohling:LinkedInConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables:18:03 – “What’s happened with LinkedIn is, just like email and just like your mobile phone, you don’t answer it anymore if you don’t recognize the number, you don’t even open emails if they find their way into promotion or junk. You have to do your homework upfront. You have to look at who you're targeting and that’s your data, and if you’re not reaching the right people, then you’re wasting their time and your time.”23:11 – “If you do a good job, there always your best customers is having the people you’ve succeeded with referring you to people who need help and that’s where the second and the third particularly on the inbound marketing side.”25:24 - “We say no to some clients because I’m not going to take your money if in a month I know I’m not going to get the results because I’ve done it already with other companies similar situated as you so we do a little bit of filtering upfront but a lot of times there’s companies that come along and are not sure if it’s going to work.”30:55 - “You have to be constantly measuring yourself because I believe the rules constantly change what worked with SEO this month might be different 3 months from now what works for email remember that was your primary way of lead gen was email now it’s really challenging to get an effective email in to get it open and read.”31:43 - “Things are always changing, is text messaging the most effective way today is social going to remain as influential as they are in 6 months or a year? So that’s one of the things I love about this is if you’ve been doing this for 20 years I don’t think you’ll be any better than the person who started 3 or 4 years ago.”

This episode, the CEO and Founder of KJ Media Jacquelyn McManus talks about the best way to find the right niche for your agency, the different ways to get new customers, and why companies shouldn’t provide sign on bonuses.Jacquelyn McManus is the CEO and Founder of KJ Media, a full-service agency that helps trucking businesses streamline and optimize their driver recruitment process through digital media.Jacquelyn has been immersed in the trucking industry for over a decade, where she helps companies illuminate their core values and match them with the best talent out there. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:The transferable skills from sports to business.How to find the right niche for your marketing agency.What it’s like being a female in a male-dominated industry.How to successfully start a business at a young age.The opportunities in the trucking industry.The problems with offering sign-on bonuses.Different ways to get new customers.Resources:KJ MediaOutliersDevNoodleConnecting with Jacquelyn McManus:LinkedInConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables6:30 - “Through working with that business I really fell in love with the trucking industry, and there’s an old joke in the industry, once you’re in you don’t get out. A lot of people like hop industries not in trucking it’s kind of this form of good old boy club so being a younger millennial female there’s been challenges but with challenges like I was mentioning earlier with Lacross there’s opportunity.”14:52 - “If you’re 21/22 you can also pair up with a buddy one of your best friends and you can travel the United States all 48 for a year and you’re getting paid 85 to 90 thousand dollars a year with presumably no student debt, no college debt that’s a big issue now people are graduating college with 200 thousand dollars worth of debt and can only get a job for 40 grand a year that’s a desk job, so there’s such an opportunity to travel and explore the country as a young person and get paid to do that and as you increase getting more badges being experienced for a couple more years your pay rate increases.”20:58 - “Everyones about 2 degrees of separation, if you’ve been in this space for about 10 years you know of this person or vice versa and so we’ve been able to build our business through sales but also referrals which has been fantastic.”21:03 - “The biggest mistake I see from companies just starting is being too broad and a lot of people shy away from that so if you find a niche lean into it, get on the boards, do your public speaking, I’ve driven a truck before myself, do it all in that niche specifically and then if you want to branch out branch out.”

This episode, Leadly Media’s Vice President, Greg Kaye, talks about using multichannel marketing and ally management to increase clients' pipelines in B2B sales, the different CRMs that can be used for effective lead management, and the different ways to reduce your acquisition costs.Greg Kaye is the Vice President of Leadly Media, a dedicated customer acquisition agency that uses multichannel marketing & LI Management to dramatically increase their clients' pipelines. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:How Greg started his entrepreneurship journey in school. Building an entrepreneurship club.How to learn the operational side of marketing.Why it’s important to personalize B2B sales messages.Different CRMs that can be leveraged for effective lead management.Outbound tools that can generate leads and retargeting.The power of organic outreach.How to reduce your acquisition costs with outbound tactics.Resources:Leadly MediaDevNoodleConnecting with Greg Kaye:LinkedInConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables:07:29 – “So we share in a spreadsheet every time someone responds back to that person who responds when they respond, what they respond with, and then their first name, last name, company name, title, phone number, email address, if we get that from LinkedIn. And then we share that in that spreadsheet that they can upload into their CRM. And it's an incredibly useful tool instead of you going in on a daily basis and trying to message somebody on LinkedIn, copying, pasting, maybe that same message, we're able to kind of scale that up for you with very personalized outreach. So we have a kickoff call with all of our clients, and we understand who their ideal audience is and more information about their company, unique value propositions, irresistible offers, and we take a combination of those two things to craft that personalized message towards that niche audience and that's what we're able to scale up to. Then obviously get a better positive response rate that can lead to more calls and conversations. And it is proven to be quite successful for us, for our clients and that's what's led to a good retention rate and growth in a short time period"09:40 – “When we incorporate outreach, say we are just starting on LinkedIn, we get someone to respond with interest, someone says, Hey, thanks for reaching out, I'd like to learn more. We respond back to that person either on behalf of ourselves or our clients or recommend our clients to obviously, obviously we want to respond as quickly as possible, but if they don't reply back to our response, we have to follow up a second time via LinkedIn, maybe a third time. If they don't respond to those message on LinkedIn, we want to follow up a fourth time, but via email this time and then maybe a fifth time via cold call, we want to go get through every potential medium to have them respond and be able to book that call as possible. And if they don't respond after six touchpoints across, again these different channels, LinkedIn, cold call, email, then we can obviously remove them from the list and still we want to retarget them with email marketing, whatever the case may be to ensure that we can get them on the call. But that's why where cold email is really important to be able to incorporate that into that overall process when you're trying to sell to potential clients once you've already gotten them in that pipeline with interest.”11:17 – “We have seen a lot of quote-unquote bots that are on LinkedIn and a lot of spammy messages. This is normally the, the cadence that we've seen on LinkedIn. Hey, I hey John, I'd like to join your network, let's connect. Oh the worst. And then the second message is, Hey John, we are a B2B SaaS company that's looking, that has seen X growth in the past 10 years, and we can give you ROI in this amount of time. And we just quote-unquote bullshit message, right? What we do is we take it a different approach. We find again who that ideal audience is. We want to be as niche as possible in the targeting. So we want to be able to filter by, by location, size of company, industry, title, keyword, word. And the more niche the audience is, the more niche the message can be, which leads to a better response and there's no bullshit.”14:19 – “Yes. So it depends on the size of the company that you are and how you're going to leverage that. I mean the main three that I know that I think are best fits for most companies, Salesforce, HubSpot, pipe Drive, I mean there's Zoho and there's a whole variety of high-level of different CRMs that are out there. But what I've seen for startups, HubSpot being the main one because of the marketing automation that you can incorporate. So what we do is we take all those responses that we see for ourselves and for our clients and add them to the spreadsheet like I mentioned earlier. Then we download that as CSV and upload that directly into our CRM

This episode, the CEO of The Ad Girls Jennifer Spivak talks about how she got a Forbes article written about her, the way to use media placements in conversion campaigns, and how getting new customers changes as your agency grows.Jennifer Spivak is the CEO and Founder of The Ad Girls, an all-female Facebook & Instagram advertising agency dedicated to putting more money into the hands of more women. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:How to use media placements in conversion campaigns.How to get a Forbes article written about you.The financial aspects of abusive relationships.The benefits of starting your own marketing agency.How getting new customers changes as your business grows.How mentorship programs can help marketing agencies.The problems with ‘Bro Marketing’.Resources:The Ad GirlsFreeFromThink and Grow RichThank & Grow RichDevNoodleConnecting with Jennifer Spivak:LinkedInInstagramConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables:15:14 - “In the beginning, it was all about being scrappy, and when I’m talking to business owners agency or not I always say trying to build a funnel or do advertising before your 100K no you need to be scrappy you earn that first 100K after that you put your systems in place and your funnels.”22:28 - “They feel bad saying it too they’re like I don’t know if I’m allowed to say this but I’m working with this other agency, and they’re fine but it’s all men and I just feel like they don’t get me is the thing that I hear most often and again I don’t actually think it’s because their men I think it’s that a lot of these other agencies follow this very structured bro this is how you do things.”24:24 - “It’s actually time to stop talking about pain points and start talking more about you. If you are just marketing and you’re messaging is just using pain points then you have the exact same messaging as every other person that offers the same thing that you offer. It’s all the same, there’s no such thing as new offers anymore, the space is too crowded the literal only way you can ever possibly stand out is by creating this unique fingerprint with your messaging hitting on these certain points that can only ever belong to you.”

This episode, PCG Digital’s CEO Glenn Pasch talks about how podcasting can be used for marketing, the qualities that make a good public speaker, and how to interview people to get the best responses.Glenn Pasch is CEO of PCG Digital a full-service digital marketing agency that specializes in helping dealerships and businesses generate more qualified shoppers.As a leader in digital marketing and leadership training, he’s been featured on multiple podcasts, on CBT News, Dealer Marketing Magazine, Auto Success, and Automotive News. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:Using webinars and podcasts to grow an agency.How to start a conference for lead creation.The benefits of hosting your own podcast.How podcasting can be used for marketing.What makes a good interviewer.Techniques for managing your time effectively.How to be a good public speaker.The best ways to train your employees.Resources:PCG DigitalYou're in Charge PodcastThe reMarkable Tablet TodoistWhy Employees Don't Do What They're Supposed to Do and What to Do About ItThe Dealer Playbook PodcastThe Pivot PodcastDevNoodleConnecting with Glenn Pasch:LinkedInTwitterConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables:1:59 - “When someone is starting a business from a theoretical standpoint when you’re telling all of your friends and your family about your idea their going to be supportive and they want to be supportive but when it comes down to taking a chance as much as they love you on a new company from something they already know in our case marketing where they have a marketing company to take that risk is a little scary, doesn’t mean that they won’t come with you but it might take 6 months, 8 months a year of you having a little bit of a track record.”26:02 - “For true marketers out there analytics GA4 is coming in July it better be set up in your website today if it’s not you’re going to miss tracking what’s going on because universal the old analytics is stopping aggregating data July 1st so one you need to be prepared.”34:20 - “Somewhere along the learn we forget how we learned meaning when we were young in school I have a senior now and a freshman but all through school and when they were young we showed them what to do we showed them how to throw a baseball, showed them how to ride a bike, showed them how to do things, showed them how to hold a pencil, showed them how to do math and someone was always there watching them giving them feedback on how to do things and eventually they got better and better but they were still taught that way but then somewhere after we become 18 and we get into the workplace all we do is tell people so for 18 years I’ve been shown how to do something like think about driving a car 10 and 2 and this is how you do it, we showed people how to do it and somewhere along the line when we’re in business we think that’s condicening and so we tell people and when I tell you if I told you what I want you’ve got a picture in your head of how to get there it probably is not the same picture that’s in my head and that’s why there’s always a disconnect of results and then when I come talk to you or people listening think how many times either you said it or you’re leading a team you heard it oh is that what I oh I thought you meant, that’s because you didn’t take the time to say ok here’s how we’re going to do it let me show you how to do it then let me watch you do it because then if I see you doing it then it’s great then there’s no wiggle room.”

This episode, the Founder of On Air Brands Erik Cabral talks about the marketing opportunity in podcasting, how podcasting can get you clients, and how he built a podcast production agency.Erik is the founder of the fast-growing multi-media agency On Air Brands, which launches, produces, and promotes weekly podcasts.Erik is also the host of the Entrepreneurs Circle podcast, a partner in the Renault Winery & Resort, and offers private capital to his network of investors for various projects and opportunities. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:.How to become a podcast producer.The benefits of marketing towards one specific niche.Building a podcast production agency.How podcasting can get your clients.How to get guests for a podcast.The type of businesses podcasting is beneficial for.How to avoid Zoom fatigue.Where to look on a Zoom call.Resources:On Air BrandsBiggerPocketsEntrepreneurs CircleTractionRocket FuelDevNoodleConnecting with Erik Cabral:LinkedInConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables:7:24 - “The podcast was a way for me to build relationships and to share the stories that were in the hallways I was always having conversations with brilliant minds and people that just had so much wisdom and I just thought wow it would be so cool if we recorded this and that was when I started interviewing people live at events and recording that content and streaming it.” 14:37 - “The statistics show that Gen Z and Millenial 67 percent of them believe that it is necessary for someone whose in business to have a personal brand, and what it means a personal brand for me and my definition is your online reputation so if you don’t have the digital breadcrumbs that lead to you your online reputation how is someone going to know when they need a new roof, or they need a new website, or they need a podcast, or they want to buy a building, whatever is they want to do you’re going to be the person they’re going to call because you’re out there constantly, if you have a podcast you’re creating content weekly, daily because it’s getting chopped up into micro-content.”26:04 - “Have a personal brand, if that’s through a podcast that’s great you can kill two birds with one stone but if you’re a marketer I get it you’re teaching things, you’re saying things and you’re recommending things that you’re not necessarily doing so that’s what I’d say practice what you preach.”

This episode, 9Sail’s Founder and CEO Joe Giovannoli talks about how he started a business when he was still in college, the benefits of specializing in a certain niche, and how to create and implement the core values of a business.Joe Giovannoli is the Founder and CEO of 9Sail a digital marketing firm that specializes in working with law firms to aid them in achieving their growth goals by leveraging SEO, paid search, content creation, and digital PR services. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:Starting a business as a college project.How to avoid bad business partners.How students can prepare themselves for business success.The difference between an agency and a firm.The benefits of being a specialized agency.How to create your company's core values.Resources:9SailBuilt To SellExtreme OwnershipWhat the Heck Is Eos?TractionRocket FuelDevNoodleConnecting with Joe Giovannoli:LinkedInConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables:2:02 - “In college we were assigned a project to write a business plan and my question to my professor was why would I write a business plan for a business I’m not going to start, the project was to write it on a specific industry, I actually don’t even remember the industry that they asked us to write it on and I said I don’t have interest in that can I write a business plan on a business that I might actually be interested in starting and if we can start it and actually get a client and prove that we’ve been able to execute our business plan can I have a A? And after some back and forth he agreed.”6:08 “Hiring, dating and working with a partner and finding a partner for your business are all virtually the same. You need to know what you’re looking for, you need to know what you’re trying to achieve, and you need to make sure that the person that you’re doing that with is aligned with those same goals and values.”32:16 - “You’re going to learn more from the failures than the successes, I think that’s true in both business and marketing, things aren’t going to work there’s a saying 50 percent of marketing works we just don’t know which 50 percent.”

This episode, AddMediaNYC’s CEO Shanta Adhikari talks about why he choose to focus his marketing agency on one niche, the unique difficulties of marketing for dentists, and how he got new marketing clients through cold emailing. Shanta Adhikari is the CEO of AddMedia NYC, a marketing firm that helps local dental practices develop profitable customer acquisition channels using direct response advertising and remote sales teams.In 2022 his agency directly generated over 5 million impressions, over 700 scheduled appointments, $30M+ in pipeline value, and more than $6M in direct sales & production for their clients across the US. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:How to become an IOS game developer.The benefits of focusing on one industry.Using cold emails to get new clients.The response rate you get from cold emailing.How marketers should approach dentists.The difficulties of marketing for dentists.When to hire your first employees.Unconventional hiring techniques.Hiring mistakes to avoid.Resources:AddMedia NYCJeff Miller Insider SecretsSapiensWay of the WolfThe Game w/ Alex HormoziDevNoodleConnecting with Shanta Adhikari:LinkedInInstagramConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables:8:21 - “I’m trying to act like a customer, awesome hey by any chance do you this type of service for HVAC their like yes hey fantastic awesome do you mind if I pitch you real quick or something like that like can I pitch you real quick they say yes ok fantastic I can do this for you would it be impossible for us to spend 5 minutes together over a call and at some point it’s a number game you do it so many times that someone’s going to say yes.15:04 - “One time I hired a guy to do my calls and he was doing amazing this was after onboarding, he was killing it, dude was booking so many appointments I’m like Jesus Christ. I find out that in one day I’m listening to the calls he’s doing the calls drunk. So that was insane he was a high performer but he had flaws and holes in the well or whatever the phrase is.”16:47 - “I’ve never looked at their resume, I don’t typically look at it, I’ve always placed personality over talent. One of our core values is kindness that is something I look for so when I’m going about hiring someone I always like at on top of their skills and experience how is their personality like is this someone I can actually work with?”

This episode, StoryAZ’s CEO Ren Agarwal talks about the different psychological burdens startup founders face, how startup founders can avoid burnout, and the danger of chasing vanity metrics.Ren Agarwal is an executive, entrepreneur, and strategic advisor who helps companies and clients refine their business value proposition and accelerate growth.Ren has created and executed incisive go-to-market and sales enablement programs at multiple firms that led to successful IPOs, acquisitions, and double-digital growth, and his leadership has led to significant enterprise value appreciation and consistent investor returns. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:The different milestones of a startup.How startup founders can avoid burnout.Different psychological burdens for startup founders.Vanity metrics marketing agencies should avoid chasing.The differences between being a CMO and starting your own agency.The importance of how your client uses your content.The value of sharing metrics across departments.How the media landscape is changing.The different components of messaging and company positioning.Resources:StoryAZThe Seven Moons of Maali AlmeidaThe Master and His EmissarySapiensHuberman LabDevNoodleConnecting with Ren Agarwal:LinkedInConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables:7:01 - “If they haven’t been entrepreneurs if they don’t have the entrepreneurial mindset it can be very difficult for folks to come in and have to bare additional perhaps responsibilities or work in a very different way than what they’re used to.”8:35 - “Let’s say you lose a client, which we did. It’s a big client or a client doesn’t renew for whatever reason because they’ve decided to go a different route, that takes a toll on you. How do you share that? The right thing to do as entrepreneurs learn, and I’m learning it on my second venture now is that you have to share that, you have to share the good as my parents would say and you have to share the bad and it relieves that burden.”13:35 - “As a business person now whose getting seasoned in this area of starting businesses it really is about customer success and customer satisfaction that I’m most focused on and not on revenue not on the number of employees not even on profitability because if you can break even year over year as you get more clients well then you’ll scale and your margins even if they stay at the same percentage will throw off more cash that will allow you to do things like invest or hire more people if you want things like that.”

This episode, Growth Skill’s Founder and CEO Lavall Chichester talks about the similarities between fighting and business, how to get CEOs to align with a marketing vision, and what the online sales process looks like.Lavall Chichester is the Founder and CEO of Growth Skills a marketing agency that helps brands increase revenue and brand awareness.Lavall is a growth marketing expert with a specialty in SEO and Content Marketing, he also made AdAge's 40 under 40 for innovating in these areas. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:What it means to ‘embrace the suck’.The similarities between fighting and business.How to get into creative writing.How creative writing helps with marketing.Getting CEOs to align with your vision.The online sales process.How to properly use ChatGPT.Resources:Growth SkillsPredictable Revenue7 Powers: The Foundations of Business StrategyThe Lean StartupZero to OneAlchemistFlavor FixUrban IncomeDevNoodleConnecting with Lavall Chichester:LinkedInTwitterConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables:2:51 - “If you’re hurt or you’re injured you got to embrace that shit because he’s not going to stop, the fight’s not going to stop because you’re uncomfortable and I equate that to business.”4:04 - ‘Being an entrepreneur everyone tells the story about oh yea it’s great and I make business but the journey is lonely honestly, it’s lonely and a lot of the times it sucks so you got to embrace that.”18:15 - “My wife is playing Candy Crush, bro I’m crushing cash from the internet because my rankings go up that’s my video game literally we’ll watch some nonsense on Netflix while we’re chilling and she’ll be crushing candies and I’ll be crushing cash, I’m just optimizing an article, I’ll publish it and I love it bro.”

This episode, 39 Celsius’s CEO Toby Danylchuk talks about the different challenges in the hiring process, the downsides to working with franchises, and the problems with hiring new college graduates.Toby Danylchuk is the Co-Founder of 39 Celsius, an online marketing consulting company that focuses on growing company's profits through digital marketing.Toby’s an experienced internet marketer with over two decades of diverse real-world experience, including several years in management consulting, starting two companies, and online marketing across dozens of different industries. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:How an MBA prepares you for business.How marketing changes across industries.Different tools for marketing automation.The downsides to working with franchises.Common problems with young staff.The pros and cons of hiring a new college graduate.The danger of being too reliant on one platform.Resources:39 CelsiusSharpSpringKeapThe Boron LettersDevNoodleConnecting with Toby Danylchuk:LinkedInConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables:7:14 - “When you own a brick-and-mortar business like that and cash flow is so critical to your survival, everything you do is mission critical, everything you do has to produce a profit and has to generate results or you’re dying.”22:28 - “So many of the people that we run across are just flaky when they’re on the younger side so they seem to get sick on Fridays and Mondays, which is odd I didn’t know Fridays and Mondays seem to be sick days but?”23:00 - “It’s our client's business, I tell people look imagine if this is your business, you mortgaged your house to get this off your house is on the line your financial well-being is on the line you need to be passionate about what we’re doing our clients put a lot of trust into what we’re doing and we have to produce for them.”

This episode, Right Left Agency’s President Courtney Wasserburger talks about how she’s crafted a risk free approach to hiring new team members, the techniques to see if someone’s a good fit for your company, and what it’s like being an introvert in a leadership position.Courtney Wasserburger has worked in marketing for over a decade and joined Right Left Agency in 2017 as an Account Manager.Courtney excelled at the marketing agency and in 4 years worked her way up to President of the company. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:How to be successful in a marketing agency job.What it’s like being an introverted leader.Different self-care techniques to stay energetic and productive.How to create an effective marketing strategy.How to know which services to offer your clients.Risk-free approaches to hiring.How to know if someone’s a good fit for your company.How to collaborate with a remote team.Resources:Right Left AgencyUpworkFiverrThe Culture CodeDevNoodleConnecting with Courtney Wasserburger:LinkedInEmailConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables:6:26 - “Diversity of thought, if everyone has the same thought on the team you’re just going to get the same result or the same answer over and over again where at the end of the day you want as many data points as possible and you’re going to get multiple data points through multiple opinions and multiple ways of thinking and things like that.”14:49 - “We were making all these Facebook ads, Google ads, we had all these clients it was really great but the challenge was that you can run an incredible campaign for online ads but if you don’t have a really good website, a good email marketing flow, you don’t have the funnel set up it really doesn’t do actually that much for the client.”17:46 - “We went out and we tried to find contractors through Upwork or Fiverr and ultimately I was running the ads but we were bringing in different people to help support, and project work just all project work seeing what they could do, seeing how they worked within Right Left, seeing how they interacted with other team members and then when anyone would actually stick and they were getting it they were understanding, they were really reliable, their work was really good, that’s when we’d say hey we’ve been working together for a few months, you’ve done some good projects for us we really like working with you would you be open to a retainer or an actual position here, and that’s literally our entire team is made up of people who started as a project and doing contract work and then we kind of won them over and told them to come on to retainer so that’s how we always approached hiring.”20:25 - “When we are hiring people we’re not only looking for skills we’re looking for personality fit, we’re looking for something that is both fulfilling for us and for the employee or team member and being really understanding and open.”

In this episode, the CEO of Webterior Designs Salim Faour talks about the differences between being a business owner and an employee, the power of influencer marketing, and the importance of SOPs in business operations. Salim Faour is a marketing professional who is passionate about developing ideas that drive businesses to achieve their goals.Salim runs his own marketing agency Webterior Designs and is proficient at defining and setting marketing strategies, uncovering meaningful consumer insights, and creating and executing effective communication plans and metrics, while preemptively solving challenges. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:How to get your first website development customers. How to decide which digital marketing services to provide. When solopreneurs should hire a team. The power of influencer marketing. Best hiring practices for marketers.Starting a remote staffing business. Time management for business owners.The difference between being a business owner and an employee. The importance of SOPs in business operations. Resources:Webterior DesignsHow to Win Friends and Influence PeopleThe Win Without Pitching ManifestoDevNoodleConnecting with Salim Faour:LinkedInConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables7:50- “My brand is out there in my local community it’s been 5 years and I haven’t spent a dollar on ads at all to acquire any new customers it’s all been word of mouth, referral, proof of work etc. I’ve made a lot of strategic partnerships with certain influencers in my local community they have between 20-70 thousand followers on their social media and we have a barter relationship where I do some work for them, I slap my logo on the bottom of it and they post it and they also publish work of mine on their status, on their feed so I’ve been getting clients like that, that’s how I’ve been growing.”9:42 - “This is 2019 December and he’s like somethings going to happen this is right when we heard about the outbreak in Wuhan and he’s like somethings going to happen let’s open up something together where we find remote staff for people anywhere around the world, I said you know what I’m in so me and him together we opened up a remote staffing business.”21:38 - “I consider this business as my baby, I’m always talking about it literally day in and day out I went from working a 9-5 job and I said to myself I need to get out of this I need to be my own business owner and I went from working 9-5 40 hours a week to now working 90+ hour weeks and I love it, every minute of it, every second of it.”

In this episode, Founder & Lead Creative of FPW Media Owen Garitty talks about the old-fashioned but still effective ways of building relationships with clients, the benefits of hiring in-house as opposed to using contractors, and how to avoid bad hires.Owen Garitty founded FPW Media over a decade ago with an aim of dismantling the archaic nature of a traditional marketing agency and forging a path for an innovative, fresh, and transformative creative vision of a marketing agency.Today, FPW Media is an award-winning creative studio that creates breathtaking media and beautiful content for a fast-paced world, positioning itself as an easy button for marketing content, concepts, and execution. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:How to know if an MBA is right for you as a marketer.The signs that it's time to scale up your team.Unique ways to build relationships with potential leads.How to get new customers for your marketing agency.The benefits of hiring in-house as opposed to using contractors.The challenges involved in the hiring process.The benefits of hiring outside of your industry.How to avoid bad hires.Ways to decompress from work.Resources:FPW MediaThe Lion Heart ProjectThe Bonfire of the VanitiesThe Big ShortDevNoodleConnecting with Owen Garitty:LinkedInWebsiteConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables:5:04- “Education doesn’t always translate to results there’s a lot of very highly educated people in our field that do very well but there’s also a lot of very highly educated people in our field that really struggle because it is really results based and a lot of the education around marketing is theory based and so it becomes this application problem that people have of how do you actually translate that into a result for a client that’s measurable.”13:56 - “You’re replaceable really at the drop of a dime because what we do is offered by so many different people but it’s can you offer a full package, can you provide above and beyond customer service, can you provide some differentiator that is worthwhile to that person and makes their job easier.”16:28 - “We’ve been fortunate enough that we’ve grown through referrals, 95 percent of our net new business is referrals from existing clients which is incredible I think that that is best case scenario it’s not always possible depending on what market you’re in or whatever it may be but I always think the best marketing we can do for ourselves is to do a really good job for our clients because then when they’re speaking to their peers they’ll mention us.”26:22 - “I love to garden, it’s something that my fiancee and I do together it’s very humbling because it’s really freaking hard, those plants just don’t grow unless you make them grow and so getting all dirty it’s very humbling because all day you’re making these big decisions and you have the weight of all of your clients on your shoulders and then you go home and you’re like my lettuce died this is just soul-crushing, how are we going to do it, I want this lettuce to grow, but it brings you back to reality it brings you back to being a human.”

In this episode, Founder & CEO of Ethic Advertising Agency Jeff Swartz talks about the best education marketers can get, the benefits of working for someone else before you work for yourself, and how to stand out in a marketing or advertising interview.Jeff Swartz always knew he was fascinated by solving problems, and after an internship at a marketing agency found his love for advertising.Nearly a decade ago, he turned his passion into a career and founded Ethic Advertising Agency, a company that specializes in hyper-targeted visual advertising and creative services. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:What majors can help you start an advertising agency.How an MBA can help you with advertising.The benefits of working for someone else before you work for yourself.How to get your second customer.The average customer retention rate for marketing agencies.Hyper-targeted marketing through geofencing.How to find a qualified business advisor.How to stand out in a marketing or advertising interview.Resources:Ethic Advertising AgencyEthic Advertising LLC 2022 Book RecommendationGeo FencingPurple CowContagiousLibbyDevNoodleConnecting with Jeff Swartz:LinkedInConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedIn

This episode, Founder and Creative Director of Digital Magician Studios Denver McQuaid talks about how to use social media to get marketing clients, different marketing strategies marketing agencies use, and how to avoid high churn rates.Denver McQuaid is the Founder and Creative Director of Digital Magician Studios where he helps brands build loyal Gen Z communities on TikTok and Instagram through captivating & engaging content.Denver has worked with clients like Amazon Alexa, Ralph Lauren, PopSockets, Nadri, Tiesto, Ferrari, and Sony. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:How to use your connections to get big-name clients.Transitioning from freelance marketing to starting a marketing agency.How to get new clients for a marketing agency.Using social media to get clients.Different marketing strategies for marketing agencies.How to avoid high churn rates.Resources:Digital Magician StudiosAtomic HabitsThe Client Retention HandbookThe Purple CowThe Artist’s WayDevNoodleConnecting with Denver McQuaid:LinkedInTikTokInstagramConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables13:02 - “I believe success is 80 percent hard work 20 percent luck for the average person because doing the hard work sets you up to be in positions.”13:36 - “Put yourself in the right places and you're not always going to know what that place is until hindsight sometimes you’re going to feel like you’re in the right place and you’re not sometimes vice versa but find a way to be in the place that everybody else is.”26:19 - “That’s what landed me a bunch of jobs and opportunities is that in college I did a Vine a day for 121 days, summer after my freshman year Vine a day 121 days 6 seconds, most of them had visual effects what kind of funny story could I tell a lot of them sucked some of them were great some viral moments but that led to opportunities that led to connections that led to me meeting creators I still chat with now 8 years later.”27:55 - “He only does content now that survives longer than that live time so for example he won’t do radio anymore because if you’re not listening to it at the time that content is essentially gone that’s why he’ll do podcasts and things like that because it stays out there and you never know who’s going to see it”28:23 - “You never know what seeds you plant and nurture will grow, not every seed you nurture will grow that’s another thing sometimes the seed that does you think this is going to be a dope connection and it turns out not the right vibe not the right moment not the right opportunity and sometimes you meet someone and they text you hey you want to work with Tiesto and you’re like yea!”

In this episode, CEO of S&G Content Marketing Lauren Fairbanks talks about the difference between a lifestyle business and a growth business, how to know when to expand your business, and the common mistakes marketing agencies make.Lauren Fairbanks is a former journalist and the co-founder and CEO of S&G Content Marketing, an award-winning agency that creates branded content experiences for companies who want to stand out from their competitors. Her work with clients, such as DJ Khaled, Square, and the Las Vegas Tourism Board, has won numerous brand and communications awards.Lauren is also a member of the Forbes Agency Council and is a Forbes columnist, covering brand communications. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:How millennials want to be marketed to.What you need to successfully work with your spouse.Using your network to get more clients.Common mistakes marketing agencies make.The difference between a lifestyle business and a growth business.How marketing content changes depending on the size of a business.How to know when to expand your business.Why tech companies are having such big layoffs.How to make a business case for getting agency support.Resources:S&G Content MarketingAgencynomicsHow to Feed a DictatorDevNoodleConnecting with Lauren Fairbanks:LinkedInConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables1:18 - “You just have to recreate those spring and summer months in your home, so use a space heater, get a small space, put your seed starters in a little container with a plastic top so that you get lots of sunlight but you're keeping the heat humidity in there, keep the humidity high and then get one of those plant warming pads or you can even get one of those you know how people used to use heating pads in the 80s and 90s, I feel like no one uses heating pads anymore just plop them on top of a heating pad as long as you recreate those warmer environments you'll get them to start.” 5:33 - “When we started there was a lot of content that was informational so how to articles things that were very technically focused like there are all the things that you need to know about our industry or our products whereas now there’s much more of a shift towards thought leadership so the top of the mind content really just becoming an expert in your industry and in your space.”7:15 - “It’s actually been really great for us, I think as long as you have that ability to compartmentalize your life a little bit so you've got work and you've got personal time and home time and family time, I enjoy working with my spouse because I enjoy my spouse, we’re friends, we’re partners so I feel like it makes sense to want to work with the same person that you’re sharing your life with.”14:27 - “A lot of people run their business as a lifestyle business and there’s nothing wrong with running a lifestyle business it really depends on what your goals are and how I define a lifestyle business is basically you keep your business boutique, you have one to two founders who are running the day to day you have maybe 5 or 6 employees basically no real level of middle management and basically everything that you make in profit goes back to the Founders and it provides a nice comfortable life for you to be able to do whatever you want and keep your income fairly high and to grow but grow in small increments over the years. The way that we’ve built our agency is with growth in mind, we have very aggressive growth goals over the next five years.”

In this episode, CEO and Founder of HV Media Group Ed Weeks talks about how to prep your company for an acquisition, the multiples startups that need to get bought, and what he looks for when making an acquisition.Ed Weeks is the CEO and Founder of HV Media Group an independent strategic marketing agency focused on delivering ROI for clients based on their commercial objectives. Ed is a seasoned businessman and entrepreneur with a background in business and finance and has a proven track record of success in the digital marketing industry. He is known for his trend-spotting acumen and ability to drive growth, which he achieved by building a successful company from the ground up. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:How marketing changes across different industries.The benefits of not having a set pricing structure.How marketing agencies get new customers.What to look for in acquisitions.How to prep your company for an acquisition.The worst parts about brokers.How to be a better broker and business owner.Multiple startups need to get bought.Resources:HV Media GroupThe Power of One More: The Ultimate Guide to Happiness and SuccessLiving Untethered: Beyond the Human PredicamentDevNoodleConnecting with Ed Weeks:LinkedInConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables7:14 - “We want to help anybody we can within reality, we can’t help somebody who only has a few hundred dollars that’s very difficult but we want to help as many businesses as we can and they all have different budgets and are at different places in their growth cycles.”22:15 - “Getting your financials in order is probably one of the best things that anybody out there can do in any business, forget about marketing in any business and that is usually the biggest stumbling block.”31:05 - “I understand riches are in niches but that doesn’t mean you should just cookie-cut everything you put out there because I have so many conversations with companies that want to leave that personal injury agency that does the same thing for 833 clients, eventually they know.”

In this episode, the Founder of Sponsor Cart Stephen Caffrey talks about the ways retail advertising is changing, the effect data is having on marketing budgets, and how startups can increase their credibility and awareness.Stephen Caffrey is the Founder and CEO of Display.io and Sponsor Cart, an on-site shoppable video advertising platform for retailers.Stephen is on a mission to build better advertising by focusing on continuous improvement of the user ad experience. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:Why entrepreneurs often don’t succeed at school.The difference between risk and recklessness.The amount of funding you need to open a business in the United States.How advertising fund allocation is changing.The ways retail advertising is changing.How to increase a startup’s credibility and awareness.Different ways to collect and analyze data.Why you don’t want to become too reliant on a tech stack.Resources:Sponsor CartDisplay.ioHubSpotThe PrinceOne Hundred Years of SolitudeDevNoodleConnecting with Stephen Caffrey:LinkedInConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedIn

This episode, Co-Founder and CEO of Capsule Aaron Keller talks about how to get big clients for your marketing agency, how to know when it’s the right time to scale your marketing agency and the positive effects of having a remote team.Aaron Keller is a former Adjunct Professor of Marketing at the University of St. Thomas and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD).Aaron is now the CEO at Capsule where he works with clients to solve complex marketing challenges, identify new revenue opportunities, and refresh lagging brands. They’ve worked with some big names including international brands (Pepsi, Patagonia), young brands (Pacha, Hydro Flask), and experienced brands (Red Wing Shoes, Leatherman).Aaron is also the author of three books, two in a series called Design Matters and he recently co-authored The Physics of Brand. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:Why it’s easier to coauthor a book online than it is to write one together in person.The positive effects of having a remote team.What ‘special projects’ involve.How to get a customer like Patagonia.Getting your first clients.When’s the right time to scale your agency.Why you should hire a diverse workforce.Common hiring mistakes.Resources:Capsule99 Percent InvisibleThinking, Fast and SlowThe Experience EconomySapiensThe Sea We Swim InThe Physics of BrandDesign Matters LogoDesign Matters PackagingDevNoodleConnecting with Aaron Keller:LinkedInEmailConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables9:50 - “We had solved some of the other meaty problems that they had seen, actually Smart Wool was one of the big ones that we had spent 7 or 8 years working with Smart Wool reducing the waste in their packaging, reducing the time to create their package, so taking waste out of the system and also simplifying the process of communicating with the person.”14:14 - “We’ve done a lot of oddly enough work in commodities which I always find interesting because it’s the opposite of brands. You take something like a commodity and turn it into a brand, what turns it into a brand? Well, packaging can definitely do that you’re aiding navigation you’re saving people time you’re delivering a high-quality product and you’re no longer a commodity and you’re becoming something of value that has margin.”24:44 - “You can’t solve problems that you blame on other people, you say that’s what they did then your basically absolving yourself of the problem and whether or not you take on the guilt and all the other crap that comes with you making the mistake that’s not what’s important it’s taking on the ok I can solve this, next time I’m not going to do this or this to not have that problem happen again but t if you blame it on somebody else you’re never going to try and resolve that, you’re never going to work on the problem.”25:26 - “Sometimes you have difficult clients, you have clients that you’re like they’re really hard, they’re mean to us or they don't respect our work or they push us really hard on deadlines and other stuff and I say there’s no client we can’t take on, we can’t solve and unlock because you need to keep looking at what are they looking for, you think they’re coming at you because of this but it might just be because their day is not going great and what they really need is for someone to talk to about it.”

Mario Mirabella is the CEO of MSM Digital, an award-winning, full-service Digital Marketing Agency with over two decades of industry experience.Mario has been successfully building brands and launching revenue-generating marketing campaigns for over twenty years.Mario helps businesses review and evaluate their online presence and market position and implement proven solutions to uncover their "IT" factor. He focuses on supercharging brands to stand out from the crowd, gain more attention, generate more leads and ultimately increase revenue. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:The best way to teach yourself design skills.How to start a marketing agency.Getting the first customers for your agency.The perks of doing the marketing for restaurants.How to get new customers.The pros and cons of teaching yourself coding.The benefits of hiring contractors.How client relationships work.The traits that make people successful.Resources:MSM DigitalThe Rad CastDevNoodleConnecting with Mario Mirabella:LinkedInConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables:5:50 - “We started doing free work, so I started talking to friends and friends of friends who might need something, you need a website, you need a logo, I had no idea how to price anything but again I had nothing to show so I basically said hey I’ll do it for free, what do you need and that’s how it all started.”26:03 - “I always suggest get your foot in the door, do an internship, if you’re coming right out of school get the experience because that’s real-world experience you’re not going to learn anything in a book that you’re going to learn in the real world, in the actual market space, where businesses are working on real projects with real clients at a fast-pace at a high volume it’s a warp speed course so I always recommend that to then really understand what do you like, what do you really want to do?”31:46 - “That’s why building a company all those years ago utilizing contractors was key because they weren't on payroll they were per project you can manage your money better utilizing contractors in that sense, you knew exactly what you were paying out regardless if the project took three months to complete you didn't have to worry about weekly paychecks with the person and all of the sudden you’ll be in the red, that would be a piece of advice for anybody starting out in this type of industry and looking to build up a team.”35:05 - “I could teach someone how to use photoshop, I could teach somebody how to code, but I can’t teach them the passion, the drive, or the motivation to excel in whatever they do, I can’t teach that it has to come from within.”

Evan Gove is a seasoned entrepreneur and business growth consultant specializing in operational and performance consulting.Evan has significant experience in starting and managing businesses. Here are a few topics we’ll discuss in this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:Why entrepreneurial education is so important. What’s missing from most entrepreneurship classes. The way an entrepreneur’s mind works. How to start a marketing firm. How marketers should approach new clients. Why marketing is for more than just growth. Resources:Evan Gove EnterprisesThe Ten X RuleMillionaire BookletThe Game PodcastDevNoodleConnecting with Evan Gove:LinkedInEmailConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables:2:39- “I think entrepreneurship is the hardest thing to teach because it’s probably 90 percent mindset and the rest is experiential learning or some sort of hands-on education.”7:24 - “I don’t think anyone is necessarily born with the skills but I think everybody is born with curiosity and curiosity is like we say in the entrepreneurship program at UAV, one of the many superpowers of entrepreneurs is curiosity, the ability to ask questions is something most children posses they always want to know why why why and us as entrepreneurs we want to know that as well.”24:44 - “I enjoy business, I enjoy business growth, I enjoy business innovation, I enjoy marketing and sale so really everything to do with growing a business is what I enjoy.”

Tammy Coleman has been in the marketing world for over 2 decades and has run her marketing firm Element212 for almost 15 years.As a Chief Marketing Officer, breakthrough strategist, and disruptor, Tammy focuses on aligning her clients' brands, messages, strategies, and teams for sustainable growth.Tammy focuses on creating brands that build interactions, expectations, and emotional connections. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:The problems with studying business at college.The personality you need to be a successful entrepreneur.How to get the first customers for your company.Building a retainer business model and the benefits this has.How to manage the staff hiring process.How to structure your interview process and avoid bad hires.The benefits of a hybrid work model.How the way people view their work is changing.Resources:Element212Flagship Enterprise CenterGood Authority: How to Become the Leader Your Team Is Waiting forDevNoodleConnecting with Tammy Coleman:LinkedInEmailConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables:10:16 - “You have to be a C student in high school If you got to be a straight-A perfectionist you’re never going to make it as an entrepreneur because everything will have to be perfect.”12:19 - “Our first customer we were just giving work away so you’ll find if you’re starting a new company you’ve got to just give it away to build a portfolio or have case studies or whatever the case may be.”15:43 - “My mantra with hiring is always hire slowly and fire quickly and it took me years to learn that I did it opposite. I would hire very quickly and I would fire very slowly which was a really bad business model.”30:00 - “On remote days, some people may only work 4 hours on a remote day, but if they’re getting their work done and they’re keeping up with what is necessary and they’re done and they've got nothing more to do, great read a book, do some professional development, or do your laundry. As long as the work is getting done that really at the end of the day is what matters.”34:28 - “If I were to teach something to marketers I think listening is number one. Everybody wants to look like they know everything and that if anything will get you into the most trouble because you need to get into the mindset of your client first and really understand what their challenges are, what their weaknesses are, what they view as their strengths and really just get to know them as a person and get to know their company really well.”

Eric Elkins is a strategist, author, professional speaker, and CEO and Chief Strategist of WideFoc.us a real-time social media agency that manages B2B and B2C social media outreach, paid ad campaigns, and monitoring and engagement for global brands to drive business goals like revenue, thought leadership, and lead generation. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:The dangers involved in working with partners.Getting your first marketing agency customers.How to avoid overwhelming your clients with the potential of social media.Ways to identify soft skills in the interview process.How to avoid hiring mistakes.Employee red flags.How AI tools will impact the future of marketing.Resources:WideFoc.usPulse AcademyHarvestDenverliciousDevNoodleConnecting with Eric Elkins:LinkedInConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables13:28 - “I overwhelmed their marketing director very quickly with the things she should be doing to be successful on social and they were just too stuck in their ways, her boss eventually called me and said hey we really like working with you but it’s more than we can take on right now so we’re going to pause work until so and so feels comfortable with where things are going and it never came back.”17:28 - “Know your audience, every writer knows and especially copywriter knows that you need to know who your target audience are and what their pain points are and what solution you can provide to them is the really important thing, and so knowing that not just on the marketing side but also on the interpersonal side, even as a coworker understanding what your other coworkers need and how to communicate with them in a way that resonates for them is really important.”26:49 - “Ten years ago people would say you're paying these writers to write four Facebook posts and three Instagram posts and five LinkedIn posts and twenty Tweets a week and you could farm that out to India, you could farm that out to a content farm and just have them write those posts for you don't need the staff size you don't need the headache of having all those employees you know the deadlines are going to be hit and my response has always been we differentiate ourselves on the quality of our writing, we hire writers first and their really good at what they do, we get them even better throughout own content review process and for the most part out clients the first thing they notice is the quality of the content.”30:29 - “It’s always about target audiences and business goals, learning who your client wants to reach and what they want those people to do, and really crafting your overall plan and content and everything you do to match those goals. So much of what other social media agencies or even digital agencies who dabble in social do is they talk about building awareness or just having a presence on social because it’s important which it is but if you’re not crafting every bit of work to tie it back to goals and tie it back to specific outcomes and specific audiences then you’re just checking off a box, you’re not really doing something that makes a difference.”

Ramsey Sweis is the President, Founder, Architect, and Lead Digital Strategist for Aqaba Technologies.Ramsey has over two decades of experience in the digital marketing space, improving his client's marketing intelligence, providing marketing consulting, and growing brands through customer acquisition and online engagement. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:How to pick the branding for a marketing agency.How to get your first customers and bring in new business.When to start being more selective with your clients.Common hiring mistakes.Time managment techniques.The different desires customers have depending on their location.The differences in marketing for different industries.How marketing changes on different social media platforms.Common mistakes marketers make.Resources:Aqaba TechnologiesHotjarGoogle AnalyticsAgencyAnalyticsGood to GreatWebXO.ioDevNoodleConnecting with Ramsey Sweis:LinkedInConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables:6:08 - “The saturation of social and paid and organic platforms that we all are aware of today, including emails, we get bombarded with data. It’s just overloaded on a daily basis. It needs to be meaningful, there has to be a purpose-driven brand in terms of online. We’re a non-traditional agency. We have no experience of traditional media it's all digital; and it’s all driven by data. That’s where we really invest and focus our efforts in.”10:59 - “The more knowledgeable that you become, the more knowledgeable your team becomes, from a knowledge-based sharing standpoint, and then your clients are the benefactors, and you have a job as a result.”18:55- “Everyone wants the same outcome, the same result, their goals are economically driven it’s not about scheduling appointments or visits to the websites those days are done anyone whose thinking along those lines should really rethink their approach. It's monetary outcome, return on ad spend, there may be a variance in culture, maybe a variance in language, mostly English speaking and the results are pretty much the same so it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. . .”

Andy Groller is the President and CEO of Dragon360 and is an experienced marketing leader helping B2B and DTC brands solve their marketing challenges and reach new levels of ROI, CAC, and growth. Andy has partnered with brands that range from mature startups to enterprise behemoths and is a firm believer in working hard, getting great results, and having fun while doing it. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:How to identify if something is a long-term strategy or a trend.The personal qualities you need to become a President of a company.What to look for in the hiring process.How to implement a good work-life balance in your culture.How Covid has changed marketing strategies.Specific B2B marketing techniques.How to respond to clients with low budgets.How to get to the decision-maker in a big business.Ways to promote referrals and strategic partnerships.Resources:Dragon360Google AnalyticsFunnel.ioDigital Banter PodcastExtreme OwnershipDevNoodleConnecting with Andy Groller:LinkedInConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables6:11 - “You have to have this baseline of foundational and operational marketing tactics that boil up to that strategy but you still have to take advantage of something that might come across as trendy because everybody or at least people in that market that your trying to achieve are going there even if it’s a short term fad there’s probably opportunities there, whether it plays out over the course of time or not you don’t know that but you might as well give it a trial and a test and learn and see where it takes you.”9:02 - “Digital is an ever-changing thing if you’re not having that as a core component of your individual traits you’re probably going to get left behind both as an agency but also as an individual and the same goes for life you don’t know what life will throw at you, you need to be able to think on your feet, you need to be able to test and learn your way out of situations but also test and learn what is going to drive you forward so I think it’s that innate ability but also that core function and trait we look for in individuals and the brands we work with.”18:40 - “All these lay-offs, all these shifts, these economic downturns Tare the same brands that grew exponentially not realizing that it was a short term thing and they then create sustainable growth for themselves and they got ahead of themselves and they expected that this is going to continue in that trajectory but when things got back to normal along with economic things, it wasn’t real growth, it was true growth in the sense that you took off but it wasn’t sustainable.”19:40 - “Compared to a B2B brand you have a finite market you have different audiences different verticals things like that that are part of your ideal customer profile so its a more challenging environment than just throwing up some video ads and letting it run wild, you have to be smart with your audience segmentation, you have to be smart with your messaging, your targeting and things like that. The other thing too is in a B2B buying process there’s going to be multiple decision makers.”24:09 - “You’ve got to warm up the audience, if you’re going to go in and try to sell to the CMO, the CFO, VP of finance if we’re talking an AP automation tool you’re going to be banging down a door that’s never going to open, those people are busy they have their own objectives, their own responsibilities internally so you have to warm up that audience.”26:09 - “We are heavily referral based which is an indication of good work, if you get a lot of referrals it means you’re doing something right and I think we’ve seen success in outbound but a lot of our success has really been in that partnership network that we’ve created with existing clients that might leave or go somewhere else we’re typically their first call or they refer us to somebody else in their network or vice versa, it’s all about creating that partnership, it’s all about creating that relationship that maybe it doesn't lead to something tomorrow but 3 months from now there’s probably an opportunity there.”28:09 - “Don’t let data prevent you from making a decision, data should be directional, data is skewed, data is imperfect, if you’re waiting around for statistical significance of some test, guess what it’s a pipe dream it’s never going to happen, marketers need to use their guts, should they rely on data for directional decision making? Absolutely because data exists for that purpose but data is flawed at the end of the day data is not inclusive for everything out there and if you let data dictate whether you make a move or not you’re already behind.”

Maury Rogow spent over 15 years successfully launching products and growing revenue at high-tech (software, enterprise web) companies during the internet boom, including AT&T, Lucent, Cisco Systems, GeoTel, Watchfire, and Avaya. Maury is now the CEO of Rip Media Group where he helps new companies increase sales by producing branded commercials, and amplify brands globally with digital marketing campaigns. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency:How to enter the film industry.How to get the first clients for your agency.What you need to do to scale an agency.How to build your network.What to do when you have a bad hire.How Covid has changed the marketing world.How to scale down your agency.Resources:Rip Media GroupRise of the EntrepreneurThe Pumpkin PlanThe Revenue’s Builder PodcastDevNoodleConnecting with Maury Rogow:LinkedInConnecting with the host:Josh Hoffman on LinkedInQuotables9:59 - “The first customer brought them in, it was a friend, it was a friend of a friend and we made that happen but what do you do then? Now you’re working on the project and are you out there prospecting?”17:06 - “We started winning a lot of bigger and bigger projects, so I’m thinking great I have these people I can pull them in, at that point we had 12 people and I needed more and we’re filling up the office, I need to get more offices because we want these agreements, this person comes in he’s highly recommended, I knew this person from a conference he was a writer animator, perfect, so I didn't take the time, I just didn’t take the time to go through and vet and properly qualify these people.”18:49 - “I over hired and that was crushing and that’s what made me want to change the model to be something that was my consultation, my expertise, I can help directly so I went from let's go bigger and bigger agency-wise to what can I give directly to customers.”30:33 - “OGP. Only good people, I only want good people on my team, you might be incredibly talented but if you’re a pre-madonna or arrogant this is not the home for you, this is not the place for you, and this also goes for customers.”31:19 - “Your company and your customers will thrive or die based on the story you’re telling, you have got to nail your story, you’ve got to go out there and tell your story better than anybody else, you’ve got to know your three whys, why do they need to buy, why they need to buy from you, why they need to buy now.”