The Agency Growth Podcast

**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

We got a little off track right away in this episode and it turned into an episode of its own.Everyone has the same amount of time in a day yet some people always seem to get more work done than us. How do they do it?We talk about the sacrifices we've made in our daily lives to be able to focus on getting work done and scaling the agency. Jake set the Xbox controller down and Cody doesn't own a TV. Sometimes these are the choices we make in order to make ourselves focus on work...Sometimes work is so important and plentiful that we don't even realize we've put our hobbies down.Either way, at some point, we have to figure out what is truly most important to us because we aren't getting more time in our days.----------------------------------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, Jake points out some fallacies when it comes to agency owners trying to find work and where they try to find it.There's a common belief that agency owners should be everywhere at all times (Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, etc) in order to get in front of your potential clients, but that just isn't true. It's honestly a waste of your time.When you're first starting out, you might have nothing better to do than to post to every social platform out there and that's okay -- but at some point, you'll see which platforms are most ideal to find work and when you do, you need to double down on that platform.Different agency models in different industries favor different platforms. It's important for you to find out where your top platform is and we talk about how we found ours.Jake talks about which platforms worked best for Evergrow to acquire its first clients and Cody brings up freelance websites like Fiverr and UpWork.----------------------------------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

Cody hates Thanksgiving, and it's only a week away. So I thought it'd be funny if we did a Thanksgiving episode just to annoy him.First, I get that Thanksgiving episodes are boring; That's why we decided to make an appropriately themed episode that actually provides value rather than get all sappy about what we're thankful for.The things we're thankful for range from having a partner to take the burden off of your shoulders to having sought out and found a mentor that you can go to with questions regarding your business or industry.----------------------------------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

DISCLAIMER: #1: If you don't want to hear about Jake's engagement story then skip to the 9:45 mark to get to the meat of the content (you're welcome)!DISCLAIMER #2: Cody is recovering from the flu and Jake is running on 2hrs and 47 minutes of sleep after getting back from Mexico. Both of us sound like we're going to die in this episode.Today we talk about burnout and how it's inevitable for anyone who wants anything bad enough.Google defines burnout as:“...a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed." However, we both disagree with this definition for different reasons.Burnout comes in many forms and oftentimes isn't something that's always in your control. This means, you either have to be the luckiest person alive to avoid it, or you really don't care that much about what you're doing.----------------------------------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

Ever noticed how all of the gurus, competitors, or your peers only seem to brag about their revenue numbers? Does it have you feeling like you're not as successful or that you should be doing more?You might want to pay closer attention to what they're saying -- you might end up feeling better about yourself.Revenue is one of those numbers that are easy to inflate. If someone spends $1m in ads and makes $10k back, their revenue is $1.01m. That seems like a lot of money until you realize the owner of that company only took home $10k... and that's assuming there were no other expenses. On top of that, they incurred a huge liability! $1m in ad spend!In this episode, we discuss how the only thing you should be concerned about at the end of the day is how profitable your company is. Revenue means nothing if it's not generating a healthy profit margin. Profit margins are what keep businesses around for the long haul.Smart people don't buy businesses that have high revenue numbers, they buy businesses that are profitable.If you're an agency or consultant and don't in inventory or ad spend as much, your profitability comes from your labor hours. Pay attention to how much revenue you're bringing in divided by how many labor hours you're attributing. You may not be as profitable as you think.If you like tangents, you'll love this episode!If you don't... well... at least it's a shorter episode...----------------------------------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 figured we'd hop on the topical train and today's topic is Halloween!In this episode, we'll share a few of our spooky agency stories. No ghosts or ghouls -- just genuinely scary moments for us while working in an agency setting whether that's at our agency or the ones we used to work at.These stories include:Arriving to work to learn that all of the founders are quittingSending a mailer to print with a client's competitor's phone number on itBeing called into an executive's office after telling an account manager to shut up during a business meetingBeing called into an executive's office after presenting in front of the entire company drunk...A story you've probably heard of online that was a client of ours!When the agency's biggest client left and people were literally cryingThat time we were served settlement papers----------------------------------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 discuss how much they actually work as agency owners -- but more importantly, is the work-life balance worth it versus striving to make a 6+ figure income at a 9-5 working 60+ hours per week?When you start your own business, you're going to need to put more time and effort into it than a standard full-time job. However, it is yours and it has more potential. You get to decide when you work, for how long you work, and in what direction the business is headed.Ultimately, you don't have to work long-hour days, you also don't have to make a lot of money.If you want to start a business because of the monetary possibilities, you first need to think about what kind of commitment you're making and assess whether or not it's worth it.I would argue you can make 6-figures in a 9-5 faster than you can starting your own business if you don't have any successful, entrepreneurial experience and even without a degree.----------------------------------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 might think saying "yes" to more jobs and custom client requests may grow your business, but in reality, it can set you up for failure.One of the hardest things to do is to say "no" to a prospective client who is willing to give you their money for an ask or service that you either don't provide or haven't fleshed out yet.Jake and Cody go through a few examples of how saying "no" is a much better solution than taking on a task you're either not prepared for or don't have the resources to execute effectively.The easiest way to know if you should say "no" is if saying it pushes your business in the direction you want to take it. If saying "yes" to something moves your business in a direction that is counter to what your goals are, then you should have said "no".----------------------------------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 whole point most of us even started our agencies was to make money; so how can anything be more important than that?Money doesn't mean anything if it isn't associated with the labor that's put into it. If you made $50,000 in one year, that doesn't seem like a lot -- that seems like a normal full-time salary. However, most people equate that to 40 labor hours per week.$50,000 starts to look a lot different when you say you worked 80 hours that week to earn it. On the other hand, it looks like the opposite when you say you only worked 10 hours in a week to earn that same $50,000.That $50,000 is worth a lot more in the 2nd scenario than it is in the first.That's the whole principle of this episode. Labor Inventory.If your business is making $100,000 per year but you're clocking in 6,000 labor hours between you and your partner, you two have a better shot at making more money working full-time at McDonald's.In this episode, we go over:A healthy labor rate (including what we are doing)How we assess labor hours given a service for a clientHow we allocate available employee labor hours versus leaving space for internal labor hours (60% client, 40% internal)Knowing our labor rates and available labor inventory lets us know:When we're stretching our employees thinWhen we need to hireHow much we can pay our employees or how high we can give raiseshow valuable and how profitable our company is----------------------------------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

Whether or not you should have a business partner seems to be a hot topic lately both in our industry and in the industry we serve. It seems like the vote is heavily weighted towards not having a business partner.Obviously, we don't necessarily agree with that sentiment. We do, however, think there are situations where you probably should partner with someone -- and that includes:FriendsFamilyPeople with the same skills as youPeople who don't have a good work ethicThe last one is a given, but people typically miss out on the second to last. If you partner with someone who has the same skill set as you, you're not really adding value. You're just adding someone who can do the work you're already doing.Cody handles all of the internal and operational things (invoicing, processes, training, workflows, etc). Jake handles, sales, marketing, client communication, big picture, etc). Both skill sets are completely different and require different mentalities. Both of which complement each other. That's just one reason our partnership works great.It's worth it to mention that Cody and I weren't friends before we started this business. We were work acquaintances from a few years back. It was through business that we found friendship. Not the other way around; and that's important.----------------------------------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 have a bit more fun during this episode and occasionally go down rabbit holes of rants regarding how there can be a misconception about how easy and laid-back remote work is.Working remotely for yourself and with your team has its perks but it also has its drawbacks as well. On one hand, you can celebrate things like being able to work wherever you want and sometimes (whenever you want). On the other hand, it's difficult to delineate what is and isn't work if you don't have a physical place you do it at. Additionally, you and your team have to be disciplined. It's easy to get distracted when no one is watching over your shoulder and you intentionally put yourself in distracting situations.In this episode, Cody goes deeper into how people you hire may like the idea of working remotely, but once they realize what it entails, they'll find out it's not for them and leave.He also rants about how the term "cultural fit" seems to just be an unintentional war on blue-collar jobs and discusses how awkward the first time answering a business phone call for him was.----------------------------------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 recession is the hot topic today as we head into the end of Q3 looking at two consecutively "down" quarters. When recessions hit, people and businesses get tighter with their money and non-essential services are cut. As a marketing agency, we're often seen as a "non-essential" service (which is odd to us), but as much as we don't want it to be, it's the truth.However, not all businesses and industries are affected by recessions -- some even boom. Both the industry we market for and our business saw huge growth spurts during COVID. Although not a recession, we still saw the same money tightening and job displacement you typically see in one.Having said that, we felt like this was an important topic to cover for new and experienced agency owners who are wondering what a recession is going to mean for their business.In this episode, we dive into:The pros and cons of a recession (yes, there are pros for some people and businesses)What industries are and aren't affectedHow you can recession-proof your agency such as:Creating low-cost services to draw-in revenue from scrappier clientsCreating and defining services that are needed (administrative) rather than sought after (ROI-focused)Picking a recession-proof agencySegmenting & protecting your moneyContinuing to stay lean, not because you're in a recession, but because it's just smart in general----------------------------------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're going to face competition no matter the niche or the industry you're in. It's inevitable. But competition isn't something you should be afraid of for a few reasons:There are plenty of fish out thereCompetition can be friendly and even rewardingPeople don't like your competitionPeople have also never heard of your competition (no matter how big they seem to be)What Cody and Jake have found is that they really just simply don't believe in competition. Worrying about "competitors" only raises your anxiety and causes you to copy them. You'll never be better than them if you just copy them.Also, Cody gives tips on wrist exercises and used to drive a crappy Buick named Linda.----------------------------------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's a belief out there that in order to be successful in your entrepreneurial endeavors, you have to quit your full-time job and dedicate your life to your business. This just isn't true.Often times people equate the first level of success in an entrepreneur's lifecycle to when the income from the side hustle replaces the income of their day job. Although that is a great milestone, it isn't what defines your first level of entrepreneurial success.With the right systems and processes in place, your side hustle can equal the income from your day job without you having to leave your day job and have it only increase from there while putting in only a fraction of the time. All the benefits of scaling your own thing with the security and stability of a full-time job. This is especially helpful and more appealing to those of us who have families to take care of. Sometimes leaps are stupid. Sometimes they're lucky. But in our opinion, leaps are rarely smart -- it just pays to have luck on your side if you do need to make a leap rather than a calculated step.----------------------------------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

Every new agency owner we run into likes to show off their fancy, expensive software whether it's a reporting tool, CRM, or bid manager. It seems like everyone thinks the next piece of software they buy is going to push their agency to the next level when in reality, it's most likely going to keep you from going to that next level.We grew our agency to the efficient machine it is without using one paid SEO or ads tool and as of the recording and posting of this episode, we still don't.If you're considering purchasing new software, ask yourself if it's something you really need. Is your business struggling because you don't have something like it? Or is it struggling for another reason?We dive into the tools we used when we first started, the ones agencies we used to work at used and how wasteful they were, as well as some of the software and tools we use now in our agency.----------------------------------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 #1 problem with the marketing and consulting industry is fake gurus and "Master Classes". Nearly all of the people who host these or have some kind of agency blueprint course are fake and can't actually perform the marketing they're preaching for clients -- so they turn to teach you instead. For the most part, this is an episode where we take a dump on people who sell agency and marketing courses for over $500 and call a few of them out by name.It's worth it to note, Jake has actually taken one of these courses (and regrets it) while Cody has never. We don't only speak from an outsider's perspective looking in but also from firsthand experience.If you don't like what we have to say in this episode... you're probably not going to like owning a business. Real success takes real work and there are no shortcuts and that's what people are trying to get with these online Master Classes and blueprints.----------------------------------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

If you chase relationships in your agency or consultancy, the money will follow. But if you chase money first, you risk destroying current and future relationships which becomes self-defeating in the pursuit of money.We give specific examples of when we cared more about preserving a relationship than adding a new client or taking a business' money that has had positive effects on our business. That includes nurturing and maintaining relationships over money in the following areas:ClientsProspectsIndustry PartnersEmployeesBusiness PartnersVendors & Publications----------------------------------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**Disclaimer**As we become more comfortable with our podcast layout, we make more jokes. Some jokes may be offensive to some, but we do want to iterate that these are simply jokes (specifically regarding the joke around 34m 30s mark).

When you first start out, you'll likely try to acquire and maintain as many clients as possible regardless of how demanding or awful they are. We uncover what it's really like when you sacrifice more money for clients that are out of scope, not a good fit, and are downright rude as well as how to tell when you should consider letting a client go or not take that client on in the first place.Taking on clients that could mean trouble in the future can cost your business money, valuable employees, and other clients. When you have demanding clients, they suck your time away from other clients and other aspects of your business start hurting.Know the signs of when a client may not be a good fit early on and learn how and when to say no to an existing client.----------------------------------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

As you start and grow your agency, you'll deal with client criticism. You can either let it annoy you or let it make you better. Criticism can be rooted in miscommunication, poor delivery, or even your client simply having a bad day.We've dealt with our fair share of client criticism in the past and felt like it would be good for us to share how we deal with different types of criticism as well as how to spot the differences.All of the criticism we've received for our agency services has made us better. It's caused us to:Redefined our servicesSet better expectations with the clientProvide simple value that wasn't there 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

Your services oftentimes include values that aren't measurable. Reporting, assurance, maintenance, etc. But sometimes clients don't understand that. If they're equating the price they're paying to only one aspect of the services you're offering, you can have an issue on your hands with your client's happiness.In this episode, we'll go over a few ways we got our clients to understand the value they got by using our agency's services in more than just our marketing efforts. It can start with simply setting the right expectations and end with communicating your values in a way that they understand.This is one of the key things you can focus on when figuring out how to reduce client churn and keep people and businesses as clients longer.Clearly stating and communicating your value can also prevent your competitors from swooping in and stealing your existing clients.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.----------------------------------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