The Agency Growth Podcast

**Cold Open (Cody wears random shirts he finds / Having a tough week at Evergrow)****Skip the Cold Open at 6:41**We had a listener of ours ask what our opinion was on HighLevel (GHL) as he was hearing a lot of agency owners promoting it and it seemed to have a lot of features he could sell.I had a pretty honest conversation with him about why we don't use GHL and reasons why he should or should not use it.If you build your agency in someone else's playground, you don't have a good agency.As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials:Twitter/X: @HundleyJakeLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/

**Cold Open (Cody brings up NVIDIA article / When is chasing money no longer worth it?)**Skip to Cold Open at 8:07**We're joined by David Tobin of TobinLeff M&A Advisors to discuss what agencies need to consider when thinking about selling their business.Jake mentions how he sees a lot of small agency owners (freelancers) looking to sell their "agency" in groups. We ask David very pointed questions on whether it's even feasible to sell an agency that only consists of one person and a client list as well as what things businesses look for when acquiring an agency.Some questions David answers are:How can you tell how much an agency is worth?What kind of multiples can agencies sell for?What can agencies do now to sell for more?Why do people buy agencies and who is buying?What are things you need to know about your agency before you sell it?What questions are buyers asking?What's a realistic revenue number an agency should be at before selling?TobinLeff M&A Advisors is a team of advisors that helps business owners plan and facilitate exiting their business or acquiring other businesses through mergers and acquisitions. They'll not only facilitate the transition but also advise on your business now for a future acquisition or merger.As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.You can find more about TobinLeff at tobinleff.com or reach out to David Tobin on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/david-tobin-120658184/Other Resources:NVIDIA article Cody referenced in the Cold OpenTobinLeff: 10 Questions Buyers Will Ask When You Sell a BusinessTobinLeff: 7 Best Practices for Managing a Rewarding Exit PaydayWant to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials:Twitter/X: @HundleyJakeLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/

**Cold Open (Jake and Cody talk about rebranding the podcast)****Skip the Cold Open at 7:11**A listener of the podcast submitted really great questions and we wanted to take the time to respond to all of them on the show. This is part 2 from episode 74 where we answer questions 7-10.There were 10 questions, we answered the last 4 in this episode:Why did you decide on digital marketing?What did you wish you could have done sooner to make you more successful today?How do you avoid burnout?How long does it take to make a good salary?What's a salary I can expect in the first year?What have you gained from being your own boss?This episode is sponsored by Aura -- Your personal security is your agency's security. Sign up for a free trial and run a scan on your email and personal information to see if it has been picked up in a data breach at aura.com/everbros.As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials:Twitter/X: @HundleyJakeLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/

**Cold Open (Jake delivers a keynote at a lawn care business conference)****Skip the Cold Open at 7:42**A listener of the podcast submitted really great questions and we wanted to take the time to respond to all of them on the show.There were 10 questions, but we were only able to get to 6 of them on this episode:How did you learn more about building websites and utilizing SEO? What would you focus on learning first?Should I build my business first or learn marketing first?What do you do about health insurance? Is it expensive to provide it to employees?Can you tell me more about the importance of choosing a niche and why did you pick your niche?What limitations would Evergrow face if Jake didn't have Cody and vice-versa?What are some unexpected tasks you had to do whether you liked them or not?----------------------------------JOIN THE FREE DISCORDhttps://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRDOur recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencygrowthpodcastTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencypodcastFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

**Cold Open (Handkerchiefs / The Everbros Lost Episodes / Vulgarity)**Skip the Cold Open at 17:27**We see a lot of rookie mistakes new agency owners are making that's causing them to not get any sales or make it passed the $10k/mo mark.At its core, it comes down to commitment to your expertise and your niche.In this episode, we don't just tell you what we think the mistakes are, we also talk about things you can do to prevent these from affecting you and your agency.The 7 mistakes are:Having no skillsOutsourcingNot being an expertNot doing researchNiche hoppingStart-up costsNo clear goalOther mistakes we mention in this episode are:Not subscribing to Stacked Marketerhttps://www.stackedmarketer.com/friend-recommended/?rh_ref=9731be28Not leaving us a review or a rating on Spotify or AppleAs always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials:Twitter/X: @HundleyJakeLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/**This note is for Matt Diggity. I mentioned you in the podcast and made a bet you'd get a Google Alert on your own name. Your part is at 54:30**

**Cold Open (Do you take non-professional email addresses seriously?)****Skip the Cold Open at 06:13**This week's episode comes to us a week after Jake talked about getting his Facebook account hacked and the implications that the hack had on the entire agency and our clients.During the period of this hack, Jake decided to partner with Aura. After getting his Facebook account back and getting the agency back up and running on the Facebook side of things, we thought it would be good to make agency owners aware of how easily usernames, passwords, and personal information get out there and how common hacks and data leaks are.What better way to do that than to bring Aura's SVP of Growth to talk about online security and what agency owners can do to prevent hacks and data leaks that compromise their operations?Jason Fragoso is the SVP of Growth at Aura, a rapidly growing AI-powered digital security company focused on keeping individuals and families safe online. To connect with Jason, check out his LinkedIn page at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonfragoso/As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials:Twitter/X: @HundleyJakeLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/

**Cold Open (Cody is sick... again / GoDaddy's Weird Marketing Strategy****Skip the Cold Open at 11:10**This is a topic we've been holding off on talking about until the dust settled -- but in July, Jake's Facebook account was hacked. It doesn't sound like a big deal until you realize that Jake's personal account is connected to all of our clients' ad accounts...Jake details what happened, what he had to do to get it back, and how he had to deal with the fallout with this basically crippling the agency's Facebook operations.Jake also talks about signing up with Aura to protect his digital identity and information moving forward and how the Everbros have now partnered with Aura.After this hack, Jake and Cody encourage you to sign up to Aura for a free 14-day trial (aura.com/everbros) to see what and how much information of yours has been leaked and which of your usernames, emails, and passwords are compromised.You can head over to aura.com/everbros to support the podcast and get your free trial.Podcast reference:**Jake talks about reaching out to Hacked to help recover his Facebook account. That link is hacked.com. This podcast is not sponsored by Hacked.As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials:Twitter/X: @HundleyJakeLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/

**Cold Open (Cool things about Colombia from Colombians)** **Skip the Cold Open at 10:03** On this episode, we're joined by Carolina Rincon and Isabel Gaviria from OnTop's legal team to discuss how agencies can hire and pay foreign and overseas contractors the right way from a centralized portal. We've talked about OnTop multiple times throughout the podcast so we thought we would bring them on. Many of our listeners rely on contracts to invoice them or pay them through payment processors like PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle -- but not every contract receives payment the same way, and with those apps, you don't have much security or control over when and how contractors receive their money. With OnTop (which we've used since March of 2022), you can manage contractor contracts and payment processing all from a centralized dashboard for a fee that's not any higher than the standard, local payroll tax. Additionally, contractors can choose to be paid in either their country's currency or your country's currency, which is a huge benefit for overseas contractors looking to be paid in USD. If you're looking at hiring contractors and want to do it the right way, reach out to Ontop at getontop.com. We're curious... how are you paying contractors? Head over to our website and post in the comments of this episode how you typically pay contractors. If you're listening on Spotify, you can do it right in the app. As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content. Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials: Twitter/X: @HundleyJake LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/ Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1 Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/

**Cold Open (Cody asks Jake what his take is on wash rags...)** **Skip the Cold Open at 7:48** Jake was asked by a listener what goals we aim to achieve in our agency on a recurring basis. Frankly, there aren't a lot of goals we have. The more goals you have as a small agency the more analysis paralysis you experience and it keeps your eyes off of the true intentions of growing your agency. Cody also gives his take on goals in general and how he hates them. He also hates camping -- did you know that? Tell us what goals you have in your agency by heading over to our website and commenting on this episode. If you're listening on Spotify, you can do it right in the app. As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content. Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials: Twitter/X: @HundleyJake LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/ Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1 Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/

**Cold Open (Homeownership is turning Jake into an old man. Jake also talks about his vole problem)** **Skip the Cold Open at 9:00** On this episode, Jake and Cody talk about the fallacy of the phrase "work on your business rather than in it". Too many people take this too literally and too soon. In order to work on your business, you have to work in it and you have to do it for a while. If you try to jump the gun and work on your business before doing the important work from working in it, you will operate a very short-lived business model. As always, if you enjoyed this episode or any other episode, leave us a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple. It helps us get found and gives us the motivation to keep producing this free content! Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials: Twitter/X: @HundleyJake LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/ Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1 Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/

**Cold Open (TikTok releases search ads / Subscribe to Stacked Marketer)** **Skip the Cold Open at 11:13** Cody and Jake talk about how adding more services to your offering won't necessarily get you more clients or help you grow. What you should do instead is figure out what you're actually selling. You're not selling SEO and Google Ads, you're selling leads. You're not selling organic social media posting, you're selling branding. Attempting to sell a service you're not an expert in is a slippery slope in the legitimacy and perception of your agency to your clients. As mentioned in the cold open, if you're not subscribed to Stacked Marketer, are you even a marketer? And as always, if you enjoyed this episode or any other episode, leave us a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple. It helps us get found and gives us the motivation to keep producing this free content! Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials: Twitter/X: @HundleyJake LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/ Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1 Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/

**Cold Open (We discuss the worst things we've ever bought online)** **Skip the Cold Open at 8:54** If you're looking for advice on scaling an ecommerce marketing agency, this episode is for you. Cody and Jake are pretty notorious for not speaking well of the ecommerce niche. Not because ecommerce is bad to get into but because ecommerce companies that have a high enough budget to pay agencies and remain profitable are few and far between. In this episode, we're joined by Mike Begg from AMZ Advisers, a 7-figure ecommerce marketing and consulting agency. Mike tells the Everbros how he scaled his agency, how he started, who he works with now, and how his services and pricing model works. We grill him more on his agency and his advice for other aspiring 7-figure ecommerce agency owners like: What is the ideal client when you're first starting out? Why doesn't he like working with founder-led organizations? What's his pricing model and what some other pricing models are? How he tracks ROI for his clients And much more Mike also talks about working in Mexico and doing business there -- even so far as to starting a company helping brands get into Mexico's ecommerce industry with GoAvance. Have more questions for Mike that we didn't ask him in this episode? You can find him on all of his personal socials below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m1ke_begg/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbegg/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mike_begg Be sure to check out his business socials as well! Facebook: https://facebook.com/amzadvisers Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amzadvisers/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/10895001 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/amzadvisers

**Cold Open (Cody gets detained at customs)****Skip the Cold Open at 14:00**In this episode, Jake talks about his personal journey over the last 3.5 years going from a negative income making $42,500/year at an inside sales position at the beginning of 2020 to making $200k/year by 2023.Something that was not mentioned in this episode is that Jake had a negative income at $42,500, meaning more money was coming out for bills than was coming in from his day job. Additionally, Jake didn't graduate college, which made him hard to employ for a position that yielded a higher wage.This isn't a step-by-step guide or a how-to episode. We wanted to talk about this to show you what it looks like to not only make money by turning a side gig into a full agency but also growing your personal career life with a day job at the same time.Getting to the $200,000 mark obviously didn't happen overnight, but there were significant changes each year that added to the bottom line both on the Evergrow side and the career side.2019: Jake closes out the year at $42,5002020: Jake and Cody make money and Jake closes out the year at $80k2021: Jake and Cody have an explosive year and Jake takes a new day job, closing out the year at $125k2022-2023: Evergrow continues to grow pushing Jake to the $200k markCody asks the real questions about the problems Jake faced making $42.5k vs the problems he faces now and how things have changed as well as what things Jake still worries about.If you have any questions about Jake's journey or want to reach out to us, head over to our website at everbrospodcast.com.Also, if you liked this episode or any other one, leave us a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple! It really helps us get found and gives us the motivation to keep coming up with things to talk about and provide free content!Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials:Twitter/X: @HundleyJakeLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/

**Cold Open (Jake asks what our biggest prediction flops were)****Skip the Cold Open at 4:16**Chris M. Walker, owner of Legiit and Superstar SEO joins us on this week's episode to talk about why it's important for you to know how to execute the service you're delivering and not simply hire a contractor to do it for you -- at least no without being somewhat of an expert yourself.We talk about how it isn't only unethical but it also isn't scaleable.We also cover:How Chris got started with his SEO career and started Superstar SEOHow and why Chris started LegiitHow an Alex Becker course was actually a catalyst for LegiitHow Chris used cold email to get clients when he first startedHow freelancers can use Legiit to get clientsAnd much moreLegiit.com is a platform where freelancers, agencies, and course creators can list their services where people are looking for those services. Unlike Upwork or Fiverr, buyers find you on Legiit, not the other way around.Superstar SEO is Chris' agency he started before creating Legiit where they offer SEO training, consulting, and managed SEO services -- all conveniently productized on legiit.com.You can find Chris on various social media platforms as well as his sites linked above:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/superstarseo/Twitter: twitter.com/cmwalkerFacebook: facebook.com/cmwlegiit/If you like this episode or any other episode, leave us a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple. It helps us get found and gives us the motivation to keep producing this free content!Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials:Twitter/X: @HundleyJakeLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/

On this special episode, Cody, Jenny, Jake, & Lauren all meet up in Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan for an in-person podcast episode! In this episode, we talk about all things relationships when it comes to owning an agency. Lauren gives her take on what it was like to date Jake while he already owned an agency. and Jenny tells us about the feelings she had when Cody decided to partner up with Jake. We also dive into the positives and negatives being an entrepreneur and agency owner can have on our relationships and how we've worked through some of those things and where compromises had to be made. Deciding to be an agency owner and entrepreneur isn't just a personal struggle, it also affects our loved ones around us. If you enjoyed this episode or any other episode, leave us a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple -- it really helps us get found and gives us more motivation to produce this free content!

On this special guest episode, we invite Alec Smith on the podcast; a former coworker and friend of ours at the agency we all worked at together in Iowa.Alec brings a unique perspective to the show as he, like us, left the agency employment life and started his own freelance / agency.However, after a while, even while proving to be successful on his own, he decided to give his clients a 30-day notice and work for another agency that wanted to bring him on as a full-time employee.Alec explains his decision and why the business side of things no longer interested him, yet was able to find an agency to work for that gave him the autonomy, higher earning potential, and flexibility he was looking for when starting his own agency.Alec also explains how he got into digital marketing, specifically PPC marketing almost by accident and his journey to where he is today.Have any questions for Alec or want to reach out to us? Head over to everbrospodcast.com and let us know!As always, if you liked this episode or any other one, leave us a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple. It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content!Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials:Twitter/X: @HundleyJakeLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/

**Cold Open (Airport and flying tips and business travel)****Skip the Cold Open at 9:43**We've wanted to talk about the books we'd recommend to other agency owners for a while now so we decided to put together a pretty comprehensive list of those.Jake went deep. Cody provided his top 3-4 books.Here's a link to each book and article we recommended:Jake's Recommendations to the ListenerHow to Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie)The ONE Thing (Gary Keller & Jay Papasan)Start with Why (Simon Sinek)Profit First (Mike Michalowicz)Rework (Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson)The Art of War (Sun Tzu, translated by Thomas Cleary)The Prince (Niccoló Machiavelli)Crush It! / Crushing It! (Gary Vaynerchuck)The Boron Letters (Gary C. Halbert & Bond Halbert)Little Red Book of Selling (Jeffrey Gitomer)The Simple Path to Wealth (JL Collins)The E-Myth Landscape Contractor (Michael E. Gerber & Anthony C. Bass)This book is specific to the landscaping niche, but there may be one specific to your niche. If nothing else, check out the general E-Myth book.On Writing Well (William Zinsser)***Recommended by both of us.Books Cody Recommended to Jake but Jake Still Hasn't Read YetMy Life in Advertising / Scientific Advertising (Claude C. Hopkins)The Master-Key to Riches (Napoleon Hill)Cody's Recommendations to the ListenerOn Writing Well (William Zinsser)***Recommended by both of us.Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Robert B. Cialdini, PH.D.)Breakthrough Advertising (Eugene Schwartz)This is an expensive book.Advice is Futile (Edith Zimmerman)This isn't a book. It's an article Cody said we'd put in the show notes when he mentioned it in the episode.Honorable MentionsNever Split the Difference (Chris Voss)This wasn't mentioned in the episode but Cody has brought this up to Jake on numerous occasions regarding negotiating with clients and vendors -- written by an actual FBI hostage negotiator.Stacked Marketer (Newsletter)We've mentioned this before but if you want to stay up to date on all things digital marketing, this is the #1 newsletter we both recommend. We unsubscribed to all other marketing newsletters and only subscribe to this one.Do you have any book recommendations for us? Tell us at everbrospodcast.com!Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials:Twitter/X: @HundleyJakeLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/

**Cold Open (How many alarms do each of us set to wake up?)****Skip the Cold Open at 4:14**On this episode, Jake and Cody are joined by Toggl Marketing Director, Ilia Markov, discussing the importance of tracking time in your agency for reasons beyond simply billing.We've talked about tracking time for various reasons in episode 4 (How to Price Your Agency Services) but most importantly in episode 19 (Understanding Your Internal Labor Rate Calculation is More Important Than Making Money) -- however, in this episode, we dive deep into the not only why time tracking for multiple reasons is important in agencies, but also which tools you can use.Ilia, Jake, and Cody discuss why time tracking is important for agencies as well as key features of various time tracking apps including Toggl.Toward the end of the episode, you'll learn:How Toggl is much more than a time-tracking appHow time reporting is just as important as time trackingHow Toggl Track integrates with other project management tools like ClickUpToggl's own project management tool, Toggl PlanNew Toggl features such as Toggl HireAdditionally, for the next 3 months after this episode's air date, Ilia has been gracious enough to give all Everbros Podcast listeners 20% off on annual plans for new members by using code "EVERBROS"!**Head over to toggl.com to learn more about their products!As always, if you enjoyed this episode or any other episode, it would greatly help us get the word out there by leaving us a review on Apple or a rating on Spotify.Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials:Twitter/X: @HundleyJakeLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/**The Everbros Agency Growth Podcast does not receive any compensation for referrals to Toggl. This is strictly an offer Ilia wanted to offer to our listeners.

**Cold Open (Cody exclaims his love for konbinis and how often he eats at them)****Skip the Cold Open at 3:45**We've noticed a lot of newer marketing agency owners out there understand the importance of niching down but it looks like they have trouble grasping the concept of doubling down and becoming an expert in that niche.You can't simply "niche hop" every month or so; you need to stick to it and become an expert in that niche -- that's how business owners will trust you and how you'll establish credibility.But what does it mean to be an expert in your niche and how do you go about doing it? How do you become an expert and how do you portray that to your target audience?In this episode, Jake lays out exactly what he did and what he still does to establish himself and Evergrow as the industry experts in lawn and landscaping.As always, if you liked this episode or any other one, leave us a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple.If you have anything you want to reach out to us about or comment on this episode, head over to our website at everbrospodcast.com!

**Cold Open (Making some changes to the podcast - including shorter Cold Opens)****Skip the Cold Open at 3:58**Whether you're first starting out or you've been in the agency game for a while, eventually you'll want to explore adding new services to your business. In this episode, we talk about how we navigate adding new services to offer to clients without having them crash and burn.When you offer a new service that you don't have a lot of experience in, you run the risk of rocky setups and underwhelming performances which can leave a bad taste in your clients' mouths.Jake also talks about the importance of learning the craft before you start charging people for it.The TL;DR on the episode is:Find a service that your clients want and could be mutually profitableOffer that service for a discounted rate to test it outManage client expectationsIf success is found, ramp up the pricingCreate a system around that service----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

**Cold Open (Cody eats a banana)****Skip the Cold Open at 1:45)A lot of people getting into the agency space are realizing that we're in a time of pretty heavy market saturation, so we wanted to address it and what our feelings are on it.For starters, we don't really believe in paying too much attention to market saturation when dealing with a recurring good/service. It isn't difficult to stand out and separate yourself from the competition.In this episode, we cover three main topics about market saturation:Market saturation can mean that it's a healthy industry to be in -- many people are finding success in it and you can tooSeparate yourself by focusing on a niche within a nicheSimply being better than your competition may be all you need to separate yourselfPeople who are just jumping in and doing it without thinking too much about market saturation are ahead of youWhat's your take on market saturation?----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

**Cold Open (Bananas aren't that great for you... but also the optimal banana is around 30% brown)****Skip the Cold Open at 8:11**We've been seeing a lot of businesses, not just agency owners, turning to paid ads in order to acquire clients in the early stages of their business. Although it can be a fast way to acquire clients, most businesses in the early stages don't have the courage or foresight to limit the number of clients they accept.In Cody's words, they pour gasoline on a business that's already on fire.We see it in our clients who pause marketing services because they can't handle the leads we're delivering and we see it in new agency owners trying to get their first clients but don't even know what their onboarding process actually looks like.Congrats, you paid money to watch your business burn and stand in the middle of it.In this episode, we give some practical advice when it comes to deciding to run paid ads as well as what some "budget neutral" alternatives are to acquiring clients for no cost as well as at a rate in which you can handle.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

**Cold Open (How much would you buy an agency for that did $10k MRR?)****Skip the Cold Open at 12:04**We asked the community what they wanted to hear more about and client retention was the top subject. We've covered it a couple of times on this podcast, specifically in episodes 005, 008, and 020, but we've noticed a few things that we didn't cover in those episodes that we see people lacking in the agency community.In this episode, we wanted to focus on 4 key things to make sure you're doing in order to maximize client retention:Make sure you're working with the right clients (pre-qualify) - people may want to work with you... but do you want to work with them?Offer a successful service (You can't sell something vague and you have to have a process for whatever you sell)Set clear expectations and deliver on themAccept that on an infinite timeline, all of your clients will leave youThough these topics may seem obvious, we jump into specific examples that go further into detail on what we mean about each of these.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

**Cold Open (We're getting negative reviews and we're sad)****Skip the Cold Open at 7:38**Something we've seen new digital marketers struggle with is whether they should create an agency or focus their services around their personal brand and we wanted to talk about the pros and cons of each.Depending on your timeline, expertise, and goals, one or the other may be best for you. Maybe you want to do both, that's okay too.But some things to consider when it comes to each are:If you're not truly an expert, an agency may be best for you. In other words, if you're not capable of delivering the results without contractors or media buyers, then stick with an agency model.If you are an expert and don't want to deal with managing a team, expectations, or deadlines, a personal brand may be the best course.If you want a decent amount of money faster vs a larger amount of money over time, a personal brand may be better.When Jake started Evergrow, he actively avoided creating a personal brand at first because he wanted to have the ability to sell the company in the future. You can't do that in a personal brand -- you have to work until you can't.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

**Cold Open (Pre-podcast technical difficulties / Cody talks about how his stay in Japan is going)****Skip the Cold Open at 18:17**In this special episode, we wanted to make sure that we didn't let a full year of creating, editing, and publishing this podcast go unnoticed. Although we do this for fun, a lot goes into making it, especially when there is no current monetary gain for us.Jake describes this episode as a "throwaway" early in the episode as we mainly recap the last 365 days and how much has changed. However, there are a few golden nuggets uncovered throughout the way such as:A lot can happen in one year... Like seriously. A lot. Don't get discouraged.Your successes in year 1 are huge! But compared to year 5, they may seem like nothing. And your year 5 successes will seem like nothing in year 10.We also talk about how much the podcast has grown since May of 2022, what trajectory we are on for our agency, Evergrow, and accomplishments and updates in our personal lives.Thank you all so much for following us on our journey and stopping in to say hi on the website from time to time!----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

**Cold Open (We discuss what we think about getting manicures as men)** **Skip the Cold Open at 9:40**Our 52nd episode! That means we've been publishing a new episode every, single Friday for a full year! Thank you for continuing to listen and support our podcast!In this episode, we cover a brief topic that Jake saw while scrolling through Facebook. Someone had brought up that they think the marketing industry should be regulated to prevent people entering it who do not know what they're doing and potentially damage business reputations, website rankings, or mismanaging their money regarding paid ads.Jake asks Cody what he thinks about regulating the marketing industry similar to how the hair or accounting industries are regulated with government-issued licenses and certifications.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

**Note: Starting at 41:15, there is some distorted audio for a few minutes. This podcast was recorded in person and Cody's mic sucks. This does pass and return to normal.** **Cold Open (Cody gives Jake a familiar mug for his birthday / Jake talks about the Iowa license plate scandal / Buzzfeed News closes down)** **Skip the Cold Open at 12:00** AI isn't a new topic but it's time we talk about it and how it will affect the agency space. Some agency owners think it will cause agencies to close down or make it difficult to find new clients while others see opportunity in it with scalability and executing jobs they can't perform themselves without the need for hiring. In this episode, we talk about how our agency uses AI as well as what agency business models will be negatively affected and if you fall into that category.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

Lately, within the last year, there has been a surge of new, self-proclaimed "agency" or "SMMA" owners. You might even be one of them -- but with that surge of new, ambitious agency owners comes a surge of other people capitalizing on it and taking money from naive people looking to finally make something of themselves. These people are the Mastermind, YouTube, and Facebook gurus. 99.99999% of them never actually had a successful agency that did over $10k in MRR but they've found it lucrative to pretend they did and charge people hundreds and thousands to be part of their cult. They're selling shovels during a gold rush -- yet they have no idea where to dig but pretend they do. In this episode, Cody and Jake talk about why Masterminds are generally a waste of money and the information you learn from there, you can learn for free on YouTube, in your community, or even directly from this podcast. Cody even likens Mastermind groups to paying for business friends, which is sad. After listening to this episode, do you disagree with us? We'd love to hear what your thoughts on Mastermind groups are whether you've never been a part of one or you've been a part of one for a long time. Head over to everbrospodcast(.com) and tell us what you think!----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

**Cold Open (What's the maximum number of days you can eat leftover pizza?)****Skip the Cold Open at 5:45**Lately, we've been getting a lot of requests from listeners and people in groups asking if there is an opportunity to work for us for free so they can gain experience. Although the idea of free labor sounds appealing, it really isn't from our perspective, and in this episode, we'll tell you why.When you hire someone, whether it's a paid position or an unpaid internship, you have to dedicate resources to get that person trained and up to speed. When someone wants to work for free to gain experience, it means they're not going to stick around for the long haul. Who would? They're not getting paid.We take time to invest in our team. We do it because our team makes us stronger and better forever. When you hire someone, you can expect it to take a year before you get real value out of that team member -- how long does someone really expect to work for free?If you liked this episode or any other episode -- head over to your podcast platform of choice and leave us a review! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this content.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

**Cold Open (Jake almost dies at a paintball tournament)** **Skip the Cold Open at 13:00** 1 in 5 businesses fails within the first 5 years. We think that number is much higher in the digital agency space. We're rounding off our 4th year with Evergrow and seeing continual 100% year-over-year growth with no business debt. But when we look around, we see new (and even older) agencies doing really dumb things that are killing their businesses. The gurus out there will tell you that you can hire an appointment setter and closer on a strict commission basis and even do the same for the marketing execution by outsourcing it to the Philippines. Although, yes, you can do this -- it's a surefire way to kill your business within that first 5 years. If your entire sales process is outsourced, you have no brand identity. If your entire marketing execution is outsourced, you have no quality control and no value prop. You'll get away with a few bucks in the first year. A respectable wage as a solo operator, but eventually, the business will die -- and sooner than you think. If you liked this podcast, leave us a review on your favorite platform. It helps us get found and keeps us motivated to keep producing quality, free content. As always, you can head over to our website at everbrospodcast(.com) (I'm leaving the link out to see if this episode gets discovered more by doing so -- sorry, it's the SEO in me).----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

We're joined by Kevin Miller from the Marketing Agency Owners group on Facebook to talk about something we don't do ourselves to acquire clients -- cold messaging and outreach.Kevin owns All Approach and regularly gives tips as well as coaches agency owners on how to book appointments and acquire clients using LinkedIn messaging.As you know, we (Jake and Cody) don't do any outreach. All of the clients we receive are inbound and since we sell SEO and PPC services, we have a belief in drinking our own Kool-Aid to acquire clients. However, as we established in episode 40, some niches may not be as easy to acquire clients through inbound methods.We talk with Kevin to understand:Which niches LinkedIn outreach may be best suited forHow to approach new prospectsTips and tricks to get prospects to respond to your messagesHow you can establish credibility when you don't have anyIf you liked this episode or any other Everbros episode, leave our podcast a review! It helps us get discovered and gives us motivation to continue providing all of this free information!You can also reach out to us on our website at everbrospodcast.com and even comment on specific episodes.As mentioned at the end of the episode, you can find Kevin at allapproach.com or join the free Facebook group.

In episode 004 of the podcast, we talked about how to price your agency services. However, the episode was geared more toward pricing once your agency is more established. It covered understanding your labor hour allocation and market rates.When you're just starting out, you won't know this information. Additionally, you likely don't have much, if any, experience or case studies to show to prospective clients meaning they're going to have to take a chance on you.With that in mind, you cannot charge what an established rate would be. You may have to discount or give your services away for free.In this episode, we go over just how much you might consider discounting your services, the constraints and expectations you set with your clients regarding those rates as well as what can happen if you charge too much right away.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

The main reason why Jake believes so many new agency owners and people who sell SMMA courses gravitate to social media is that you don't have to really learn how to track anything. All of the important tracking features are built into the Facebook interface. All you have to do is copy and paste a pixel into a landing page and boom, you're done.It's why there don't seem to be as many Google Ads or SEO experts out there as there used to be. People who teach themselves Google Ads fail to teach themselves the tracking and analytics portion of it that will track more than just phone calls from call extensions.In this episode, we talk about how understanding the key components of tracking digital marketing efforts will set you lightyears apart from other agencies out there.We talk about how and what we track for all of our clients regardless of the medium we're promoting on using Google Tag Manager with Google Analytics and how we track phone calls, emails, and form fills without having to pay for any call tracking software.Furthermore, if you can't track all of the conversion actions on your client's site, your ads can't optimize to deliver to people likely to complete that conversion action. This is why it's so critical to make sure you understand tracking and analytics setup.Want to learn Google Tag Manager and Analytics setup? Here are a couple of free trainings from Google on each of them:Google Tag Manager FundamentalsGoogle Analytics 4 Google Training----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

In this week's episode, we go over arguably the single most important thing that separates our agency from the rest of the agencies out there.Tracking.The number one thing clients hire you for is results. If you can't provide results, they'll fire you. So it's your job to make sure the results you're providing are trackable. As much as we like to think, things like clicks, traffic, impressions, and rank are not results business owners care about.They typically care about leads and sales. But it's important to make sure you find common ground with the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) you want to deliver and the KPIs your client sees as valuable.If there is a mismatch, either you need to adjust your value proposition or the client may not be a good fit for you.The first step in tracking your KPIs is figuring out what KPIs you should be tracking.Also in this episode:Jake talks about a guy who tried to call him out for being a "fake guru"Jake and Cody debate buying used houseware----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

Are you a serial planner or do you take action for the sake of taking action?In this episode, we share differing beliefs on whether you should take time and plan out the right moves for your agency or just get started and figure it out.There are pros and cons to each method.Taking Time to PlanPro: The actions you take will be meaningful and although will have slower short-term returns, the long-term results can be exponential.Con: Analysis paralysis is a real thing and taking too much time to plan can cause you to never take action -- making you your own worst enemy.Just Taking ActionPro: You don't let analysis paralysis stop you from taking action toward your goals and you're already further ahead than the people who are planning everything.Con: It's easy to take the wrong steps without planning. The wrong steps can stifle your long-term growth.We differ slightly on each of these but ultimately, there is some middle ground. Jake provides his insight on why he plans everything out before starting. Cody talks about why it's better to just take action.Either way, Jake takes time to plan things out and executes quickly while Cody just takes action but is a perfectionist in the execution -- ultimately causing both of us to reach our goal around the same time.Useful links:At the end of this episode, Jake talks about a Marketing Agency Owners group on Facebook where a lot of the topics for the episodes come from. You can find that group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/maopublicAt the beginning of this episode, Cody and Jake talk about the best marketing newsletter to subscribe to and even cover a topic that was discussed in it. Here is a link to subscribe to it: https://www.stackedmarketer.com/friend-recommended/?utm_source=sparkloop&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=sm_daily&rh_ref=9731be28----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

We sit down with Schieler Mew of Service Lifter and owner / admin of the Google SEO Mastermind group on Facebook (120k members) and dive deep into his business model where his average ticket is only a little more than $600 per client per month, yet he's hitting the $2.1m mark. We've seen it over and over again in SEO and agency groups that you need to charge thousands of dollars per month in order to hit not only the 6-figure, $10k/mo mark, but the 7-figure mark. Although Schieler focuses on the carpet cleaning niche while we focus on the landscaping niche, our business models are nearly identical in both pricing and deliverables. We talk about things like: How it's better to have 100 $500 clients vs 10 $5,000 clients Appropriately pricing your services Scaling with smaller clients How Service Lifter acquired clients vs how Evergrow acquired clients How ridiculous the marketing agency industry is And much more. Check out Schieler's company at servicelifter.com and if you're in the SEO space, check out the Google SEO Mastermind group! As always, if you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review on Apple podcasts or a rating on the Spotify app!

We've been seeing a lot of people in Facebook groups talking about how they're building funds by white labeling their services for other agencies or getting involved with setting and closing to "get money to start their agency".But that begs the question, "how much money do you need to start an agency?"If you're familiar with our earlier episodes, you know about how much you need -- but in this episode, we go into other objections we've been seeing like "I don't have time to start an agency on the side, I need to quit my job and I have to have money for that."Additionally, we spend a good amount of time talking about how the idea of passive income is mostly bulls**t and expose some telltale signs of fake online gurus, specifically in the crypto and real estate spaces.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

We stress the importance of niching down when it comes to creating your own marketing or consulting agency, especially in such a crowded industry, but we've never gone into how to pick your niche.Granted, niching down isn't for everyone -- but if it is for you, then you'll want to hear what we have to say regarding picking your niche.Too often we see people default to the same few niches (real-estate, roofing, dentists/medical, other agencies), but you need to be more creative than that. There are also other factors you should consider when picking your niche that you might not be thinking of:Are you familiar with the niche? If not, you have a lot of learning to do.Does the niche have a high market cap in your area? If there isn't a lot of money in the niche, you can spend years working only to cap out in a small market (small gym owners)Do forums and publications exist for business owners exist in this niche? If not, you'll have to figure out how you're going to get in front of these people.What does the competition look like? This is my least favorite thing to look at but if you see a lot of competition, then it could be too saturated, especially based on the market cap. If you don't see any competition it good either be really good or really bad. It's really bad if there is no competition for a reason (as in no money in that niche).What is the best way to promote to business owners in the niche and does it match your skillset?Do you even like the niche? If you don't inherently like the niche, you won't like your life after you pursue it. Creating a successful agency takes time and hard work. You're not going to flip it in a year -- your niche will become your career for the next 5-10 years or more.It's also important to remember to not spend too much time overthinking. You can do multiple niches at once and figure out what you like along the way, but some preliminary research will go a long way.Here's some homework for you:Find 5 niches you're interested in.Find online forums or groups for business owners in this niche.Find magazines/publications specifically for business owners in this niche.List strengths and weaknesses for working with these niches (Example: high average profit for businesses and high market cap versus no online forums or publications for business owners in the niche)List barriers of entry for business owners in these nichesOnce you do this, you'll help narrow down which niche(s) you should start with.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

A few episodes back we dropped episode 35 on how to get published in a niche magazine -- the problem with that is figuring out what to write for that magazine that resonates with that audience.This is something everyone who produces content asks themselves."Should I publish this content on my own site or should I give it to a publication?"The default answer is to usually give the least impactful or the lowest quality content to the magazine as all you're looking to do is get the branding and the link that comes with it. However, oftentimes, this is the opposite of what you should.For starters, ALL of your content should be high quality. Second, this was the #1 way we got most of our leads back when we first started.When you don't have a large audience coming on to your site, you can leverage the audience of a publisher and get your great content in front of that audience.In this episode, we dive into how we determine what piece of content goes on our site and what should be pitched to a publisher. Sometimes, we write the piece first and then decide after it's written.It's all about what it's about and who the audience is better suited for:Someone on our site looking for this informationOr someone not looking for the information but should be aware of it----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

We read a listener's question regarding how they can turn their graphic design skills into a service where they can work for themselves rather than someone else.In the past, we've mentioned how it's really hard to turn graphic design services into something that people want to buy every month multiple times. In other words, it's a service you have to keep selling over and over again which makes it really hard to scale and requires you to constantly be looking for new opportunities.The question comes from someone who doesn't want to do that but still wants to utilize their passion and experience in graphic design.Join us in this episode where we give our individual inputs on how we would use this skill as a productized service for an agency or freelance concept that keeps clients paying every month. Not only that, but a service that clients find value in and you don't have to keep selling your value to existing clients.HINT: Don't think about how you can provide graphic design services to clients... think about how you can use graphic design in the services you provide.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

This week, Jake and Cody talk about the different digital agency roles at an agency and how each of them can break off into their own freelancing gig.Not all roles are created equally. Some can transition smoothly into freelance work like SEO, PPC, and Social Media Management. But what about other roles like graphic design, content writing, or account management? How can these roles at existing agencies break off and start their own thing?Jake discusses his role as an account manager and what he had to do to form Evergrow Marketing. Together, we discuss the upsides and downsides to working in these different roles as an agency as well as the struggles you might encounter with each skill set when attempting to freelance your skills.This episode is ultimately a precursor to the one that will follow, where we receive a listener's question on how to take his graphic design skills and his current role and turn it into a productized service that clients will want to pay for every month on retainer.As always, if you enjoyed this episode or any others, leave us a review on Spotify or Apple podcasts. It helps us get found and moves our podcast up in the search algorithm.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

There is clearly a different mindset between successful and unsuccessful agency owners. The main difference is you don't typically hear a lot coming from successful owners. The unsuccessful ones tend to share "Mindset" status updates and project to the world everything they're doing in what seems like a call for attention.If this is you, that's okay. Jake was like this when he first started his agency journey. It wasn't until the cruel world of owning your own marketing agency beat him into submission.Today, Jake and Cody are here to suggest who you should be surrounding yourself with when pursuing growth for your own agency as well as who you should probably consider cutting out of your life (or at least your immediate circle).Also, it's worth mentioning, that you should make sure that you're not the toxic one before assuming other people are toxic for your growth. We've found that most people who subscribe to the "if they're not with me, they're against me" mindset are the most toxic and unsuccessful bunch of people.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

We've said it before, but getting published in magazines and other industry publications has been one of the biggest game changers for our agency in terms of leads we've received, sales we've closed, and authority we've built. It's been the single most important thing that has set our brand apart from other agencies in the space.It's a topic we've considered doing for a while. Getting articles published in niche magazines and publications is one of Jake's unique talents. Whether it's an SEO publication, a lawn and landscape magazine for Evergrow, or even a restaurant industry magazine for a specific client, finding the right people to send the pitch to and crafting the right message comes naturally to him.In this episode, Jake recaps the difference between guest posting and contributing to an actual publication while breaking down his exact steps for reaching the right person at a publication and getting them to publish your article.The shortlist of the steps covered here are:Figure out which publications you want to be inPitch easier publications first and build a reputationSearch for a contribution pageResearch their guidelinesFind the editing team and their contactsReach out to the right editorPitch (or supply) the articleLeave out the sales and promotional contentGive exclusivityFollow up, follow up, follow upWant a list of publications Jake has been featured in? Check out his author page.Have a specific question about today's topic? Maybe you need some advice on how to get into a certain publication. Send an email to us on our contact page by filling out the form.For all news marketing and SEO, check out Jake and Cody's favorite email newsletter----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

Reporting to you from Cartagena, Colombia! In this episode, we host our first-ever recording in person while on our trip to Colombia! With that in mind, we did want to let you know the audio quality isn't great. However, there is a wealth of knowledge and insight into exactly how big or small we are and how we're able to accomplish the things we do at our size.We'll go over exactly what our 2022 revenue and profit numbers were as well as our growth rate year-over-year. If you're good at math, you can figure out what we did in 2021 as well.This episode isn't to brag about how much money we made -- it's to be transparent with our listeners in showing that we're not as big as you might think yet are able to still live comfortably, have a healthy amount of money in the bank, take above average US salaries, and still have the business pay for not only us but our fiancées trip to Colombia for 7 days.So if you're just starting your journey or have even been at it for a little bit, just know that the above is a lot more attainable and practical than you might realize.Have a question or just want to reach out? Hit us up at everbrospodcast.com/contact-usWant to know how we stay up to date on the latest marketing trends and topics? Check out the newsletter we read every morning: https://www.stackedmarketer.com/friend-recommended/?utm_source=sparkloop&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=sm_daily&rh_ref=9731be28

Productizing and packaging services isn't a business model for everyone. For us, it is. It's been very fruitful and scalable and clients seem to love it. But just because you package a service together doesn't mean it will sell or even be successful.We found a few of our productized services failing to meet expectations or just outright sucking. We've since learned from those mistakes and even refuse to offer requested services until we've thoroughly tested them and are able to put them into a scalable, packaged service.The trick is finding a service offering that is not only appealing, but scalable, profitable, and consistently delivers objective value in terms of your clients' target KPIs.Here is the link to the marketing newsletter we both recommend: https://cm.wtaff.co/t/j-l-zkyijul-iuuhgdutl-jy/----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

In our... somewhat Christmas episode, we got in the spirit of giving in which this week we give you some of the biggest game changes for our agencies that really impacted our growth, the value we offer to our clients, and our overall well-being.If you want to get to the meat of the episode, skip to 8:30.There are countless things we've implemented in our agency that have helped us grow, but in this episode, we talk about 8 things that changed the game for us. Those things include:PartneringGetting featured in industry publicationsGetting on industry podcastsLeaving the day jobBeing strict about who we partner withTemplating websitesHiring the right people (and positions)Documenting processes----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

Everyone always says how important it is for you to document your processes, but rarely do they talk about how they do it or what the most efficient way to do it is.In this episode, we talk about how we found massive growth and process improvement after our processes were not only documented but defined as well as how we went about doing it in a way that really didn't take too much time from us.Learn more about our rules of documentation that all of our employees must follow whenever they document a process as well as an extremely quick way to have an employee document a process they've never done before.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

This is a question we struggled with for the first couple of years of our business. Initially, we thought we wanted our first hire to be someone that would be good at performing the services we weren't adept at ourselves. We figured this would help grow the business as we could sell those services and then offload the work to them.However, we soon realized that the best thing to do would be to hire someone that gave us our time back. But we f***ed that up too.In this episode, we reflect on who the right person to hire is for your very first employee (or maybe your first contractor or outsourced work).Picking the first role you fill is the most important thing you can do while growing your business to the point where you can exit the day-to-day and work on the business rather than in the business.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

You either started or are starting your agency as a subject matter expert, that is, you are a self-proclaimed expert in whatever thing you're selling. But over time, the harsh reality is that as you grow, you will start to lose your subject matter expertise.As you document your processes and hire new people to replace the in-field work you're doing, you start to focus on things that aren't so fun about running a business like:OperationsHRResearch and Development (R&D)Managing peopleetcThe thing you were the expert in is being passed on to people who work for you who are now doing that thing every day -- and you're not.If you want to grow outside of the day-to-day work, you have to come to terms with the idea that you will at some point no longer be the expert in the field, but rather, an expert at growing an agency.Unless of course... the thing you sell is your actual hobby.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

In this episode, we discuss the main problem with most digital marketers and agency owners -- which is they don't really seem to want to learn anything new and they're stuck in their ways.This leads to antiquated practices still being utilized and a lack of testing things to see if they actually work.Most digital marketers in the industry read a case study performed by someone else and accept it as fact not taking into account the credibility of that case study, the sample size, the date it was performed, or even the industry it related to.Overall, Jake thinks most digital marketers are lazy. A true digital marketer takes everything they see and hear with a grain of salt. The typical digital marketer butts heads with peers -- they speak as if they know everything, but they need to listen as if they know nothing.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u