Trailblazer FM: WordPress without the drama

Meet Oliver Martin from Wunderful Designs. Wunderful Designs is a one man band web agency, located in the South-East of Kent. He provides WordPress website design, Digital marketing and Care Plan services for small local businesses. He is also a full-time stay-at-home dad to his daughter Rosie. His wife works too so his days are filled with fatherly duties, and work whenever he can fit it in. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/podcast/agencylife-series-oliver-martin-wunderful-designs/ --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"Content is key" but without actually marketing what you have created, how do you even get eyeballs on it in the first place? Meet Chris Marr of the Content Marketing Academy. He shares with us common misunderstandings about and how we can create an effective content marketing strategy. If you are creating content but are not entirely sure how it is helping you grow your business... you need to listen to this episode. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/podcast/how-to-market-your-content/ --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Meet Ed Ellingham from CloudCareWP. They started in November 2014 as an IT company focusing on Phone Systems, but took a hard left turn and turned into a Web Design company. Combining his technical skills and passion for design, he was able to generate a local name in Web Design. In 2016 his wife left her job to assist in day-to-day operations, and are now bringing on a new virtual employee in India to increase their hours of operation on support tasks. Their focus today is more on the technical side of things. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/agencylife/agencylife-series-ed-ellingham-cloudcarewp --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Meet Kylie Martin from Kylie Martin Creative. She runs her own creative digital agency from her home office. They offer unique bold branding, print media and web design to small and large businesses who want to look and feel professional. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/agencylife/agencylife-series-kylie-martin-kylie-martin-creative --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There is so much distraction in agency life, we need to be able to focus on the present and what's going on and not let it overwhelm us. Yael unpacks with us different mindfulness; wellbeing, fitness and health techniques that we can be using to get ourselves on the right track. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/podcast/how-to-care-for-your-wellbeing/ --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Meet Vivienne Neale from VKN Digital Ltd. They have been a limited company since January 2017. Before this they were a bunch of creatives working together. They are a group of ten people that includes web developers and designers, writers, graphic artists and marketing strategists. They also have associates that provide them with animation, videography and PPC. They moved up from London to Doncaster in the north of the UK last year for a change of air and it's been a very interesting journey in every sense! Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/podcast/agencylife-series-vivienne-neale-vkn-digital-ltd/ --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Meet Martin and Lyndsay from Jammy Digital. They run a WordPress web design agency, however, their knowledge and expertise expands way beyond that. Part of the reason their clients hire them is because of their deep understanding of SEO, content marketing and website design, which is reflected in every website they build. Full show notes - https://agencytrailblazer.com/podcast/agencylife-series-martin-lyndsay-huntbach-jammy-digital/ --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the creative industry, how do you stand out? Dana James Mwangi shares how she developed her story and her voice which has lead to exposure on television, events and leading industry websites. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/podcast/the-importance-of-telling-your-story/ --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Agency Life is lonely. Whether you are heading a company of 50 employees, or are on your own. The direction of the business starts and ends with decisions you make. This is where accountability becomes fundamental in agency life. How do you find the right person to keep you accountable? Meet the guys who have got it down, Kyle and Matt speak daily keeping one another on track and keeping the relationship growing. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/podcast/how-to-start-an-accountability-partnership/ --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Meet Leanne Mitton from Norlink. She is an agency of one providing web services for small business and solopreneurs. She helps entrepreneurs and small businesses build and grow their website. She focuses on your specific goals, for online success. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/podcast/agencylife-series-leanne-mitton-norlink/ --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Meet Kevin Brennan from Build Studio. Build Studio is a Calgary design and development agency specializing in WordPress websites. Their services extend to providing graphic design and marketing strategy for those clients they’ve partnered with. Since 2011, Build Studio has worked with business owners to create an online presence that engages their customers. Converting visitors to a website into paying customers involves a deep understanding of their habits. It also includes designing an experience that is easy to navigate and allows them get to the content they’re looking for as quickly as possible. They work with you to better understand your current customers and make new ones. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/podcast/agencylife-series-kevin-brennan-build-studio/ --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

User experience is key, yet how do you put it front and centre during planning, design and delivery? Jennifer shares with us the importance of user experience, wire-framing, and product specking when building a website. She teaches us how she does this by talking in a language that her clients can understand. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/podcast/how-to-put-user-experience-first/ --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Meet Belinda White from Arttia Creative. They specialise in working with life science, biotech and highly technical niche markets who need to drive quality enquiries from their website. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/podcast/agencylife-series-belinda-white-arttia-creative/ --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Meet Imogen Allen from Umbrella Digital Media, a solo agency with a focus as a Technical Partner for Online Course Creators. Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/podcast/agencylife-series-imogen-allen-umbrella-digital-media/ --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Clifford shares how we can generate leads using web audits. He unpacks practical ways you can test his system during the 14 day trial of My Web Audit. Firstly it is important to understand the GIVE method that drives all that Clifford does both in his own agency (Hire A Wiz) and his software business. Introducing the GIVE method GIVE stands for Generosity, Information, Value, Education. You can find more information in this free guide "How To Make More Sales Easily". G is for Generosity Start an interaction by providing something of value. I is for Information Your prospect likely has an expensive problem. Provide them information on how to solve the problem. Your solution can save them money or make them money. V is for Value When you focus on delivering value, the sale will look after itself. E is for Education Establish yourself as the expert by educating them on how the issue they are facing is an opportunity. Practical ways you can generate leads in the next 24 hours In the podcast Clifford shares practical ways you can generate leads using web audits. He covers: Leverage existing and past relationships firstConnect with your communitiesReaching out to personal network (champion client and referrals)Social and search ad networks You can grab a free trial of My Web Audit by clicking here. --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jason is the owner and operator of Red Mill Creative. In their own words: "We believe that when you do what you love you can change the world. Our goal is to partner with those that love what they do through digital marketing, web design and branding." Full show notes: https://agencytrailblazer.com/agencylife/agencylife-series-jason-vance-red-mill-creative/ --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Kyle is the owner and operator of OGAL Web Design in Gainesville, Texas. Kyle and his wife are both business owners and have 2 young children.He has been in the graphic design field since he graduated High School in 2002 and launched his business in 2016. Agency website - click here Social media Facebook - click here Email - click here Twitter - click here --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today we share with you a recording of our June mastermind within the Agency Trailblazer Community. In this mastermind we focused on targeting the right sort of clients by looking at existing ones, and where they can be found online. We also discussed content marketing and creation strategies. The format is a relaxed 1 - 2 hour conversation where we get different folks on asking questions and we have open discussion. This recording is taken from where Mark asks a range of questions on social media, content and finding where his target clients are. If you'd like to be on the next mastermind, join the community here. We also discussed ARENA for the creation of compelling landing pages: Affinity Show the reader you understand their problem Example: Are you an agency owner making big profits for everyone else but not yourself? Reassure Offer hope and reassurance that there is a way. You can provide a case study to help illustrate. Example: Chris was so busy creating websites he didn't even have time to market his own. Using our 4 pillars Chris was able to generate new leads with clients that paid well and freed up his time to work on the business. Easy win(s) Provide some value, some easy wins that will help people towards solving their issue. Small actionable items that they can do that will not necessarily solve their full problem, but will allow them to do something positive. This gets them used to the idea of implementation, and taking back control. That feeling of accomplishing something is very positive and powerful. Nutshell Wrap everything up in a nutshell with a reminder of the benefits. Example: As you can see by taking simple steps today you can take your agency to next level Action Provide them the ability to act. A "call to action". This could be a form, a purchase etc. Example: Apply today --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Websites need time and attention if they are going to achieve their purpose. Agencies often struggle to develop a relationship with clients that go beyond the initial project or build. Erika Dickstein shares how she has developed a business model that ensures ongoing investment into their website and online marketing. My favourite quote was, "We build the monster and feed the monster". Erika shares with us: Her journeyClient on-boarding processOngoing servicesLead generationPersonal and business brand awareness We also go a bit geeky about Disney.... but why not eh? :) Mentions: Better proposals Episode: click here Connect with Erika: Website: click here Facebook: click here Twitter: click here Email: click here --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Do clients frustrate you? Do you feel like your clients are frustrated with you? How can you make your clients feel like family and actually enjoy your interactions? Theresa Hill shares how her agency cultivates family both internally and with their clients around the world. Hot topics from todays episode How to make clients feel like familyBringing family into the businessWorking with family membersPlussing a client experienceNot charging for every minuteBoundariesDealing with angry clientsWhen to fire a client Mentions: Scratch - click here Questions for web content - click here Connect with Theresa: Email - [email protected] Website - https://www.inovatemarketing.com/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/inovatemarketing/ --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As an agency we have not been generating the traffic, the engagement and the leads like we used to on social media. In this episode I share with you our recent discoveries, the mistakes we've been making and what we've done about it. Over the last two years I’ve kept on doing the same thing and found we’ve begun to stagnate. Twitter has languished in the 2k follower mark. Traffic to our websites from social media has been dropping. For example month shows 98% traffic being search engine or direct traffic and 2% being from social postings. (Saving grace is that Google has been driving more traffic to our sites that we could ever have imagined but that is a whole different podcast). Don't panic, it's not all doom and gloom. Social networking on Facebook is consistenty generating us leads, but our reach to new people, and the building of the brand via other social platforms had come to a near full stop. In todays show, I share with you lessons we have learned and illustrated what we were doing wrong where approriate. The key points: Be where the audience isDon't hide behind the cameraEngage with peopleHashtags still have powerPost mixed mediaNative is bestAutomation still needs human aspectTime can be strategic.... but algorithms...Keep educating yourselfReview the data Connect with us on social media: Instagram - click here Lee's facebook - click here Facebook group - click here Useful tools: Crystal.ai - click here Google Analytics - click here --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Getting noticed helps you attract leads and sales. An effective PR strategy involves creating content that catches peoples attention. In today's episode, Janet Murray shares how to get exposure by creating engaging content. She talks us through key content and strategies for both traditional media and online. Find out the answer to: What is PR?How has PR changed over the years?What sort of content gets you noticed? Biggest takeaway: You don't have to wait for traditional media to give you exposure, create your own media. Grab them before they are gone Want to get high-profile media coverage for your business but not sure how to get started? Join Janet at Media Influence Live on July 5 and 6 in Central London and you’ll get to meet journalists and influencers from top media outlets including the Guardian, BBC, Grazia, ITV, The Sun’s Fabulous magazine & more. Click here for more information. Janet's 10 day PR challenge Want to be featured in The Guardian, Huffington Post or Psychologies Magazine? Join Janet's 10-day PR Challenge. click here for more information. Connect with Janet Website - click here Podcast - click here Facebook group - click here Janet's book - click here Mentions Love and london - click here Ctrl Alt Delete Podcast - click here --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Confession - I had not been taking SEO seriously enough... that is until something happened that blew me away. (Listen to today's episode to find out what). Kyle VanDusen as a result connected me with today's guest, Chris Castillo for him to share his story and lessons he has learned along the way. He launched his agency focused on developing websites, but after continuing to invest in himself he made a significant change. He has now built his business as a digital marketer focusing on strategy that connects all of the relevant pieces of the puzzle. They have a heavy focus on ROI, conversion and SEO. If you like us need to start taking SEO more seriously, then be sure to check out Chris's course below. Supercharge your SEO course: https://agencytrailblazer.com/superchargeseo (Affiliate link) Connect with Chris: Website - click here Facebook - click here --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Without connecting with community, peers and other friends, your agency could be missing out on ideas, strategies and partners that will help your business grow and thrive. Michael MacGinty has been running his agency for 20 years, but was only introduced to all the amazing online groups once his business pivoted to WordPress. Michael’s takeaways: Get yourself out there. All you need is wifi so don’t be stuck in one place. You can be more creative in a different space rather than staying in the same one all the time. It is hard to achieve work life balance but if you are doing something you love then it doesn’t feel like work, you can integrate them both; work and family life. Communities allow you to share issues and solutions, and also connect with others that share the same circumstances. We don’t know what we don’t know and communities allow you to put your questions out there and someone in the community will come along and help. Our communities: WP Innovator Facebook Group - click here Agency Trailblazer Community - click here Other recommended communities in no particular order: WP Builds - click here Design for geeks - click here Beaver Builder - click here Sell Your Service - click here WP Crafter - click here Grow Your Web Design Business - click here Content Creators - click here WP Elevation - click here Mentions: Beaver Builder - click here Divi - click here Piccia’s Talk - click here Recurring Revenue - click here GDPR for Websites - click here Connect with Michael: Website - click here Facebook - click here Twitter - click here Linkedin - click here See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Email marketing is tough! Conversions can be very low for a lot of effort. Mikael from ManyChat introduces us to "Messenger Marketing", a way to connect with your audience on the platforms they use that has increadibly high conversion rates. Together we create scenarios how an an agency might use messenger to: AttractNurtureSellSupportRe-engage Biggest takeaway? Do marketing that you would want to experience yourself. I don't read the umpteen emails I receive from the subscriptions I have, but I certainly don't mind a quick Facebook natter! :D Free Messenger Marketing Course: http://course.manychat.com/ Connect with Mikael: Website - https://manychat.com/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mikedyang Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/groups/manychat --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We meet the Marketing Manager of 93digital, an exciting WordPress Agency based in London. He shares insights into agency life, as well as how they generate leads through providing valuable information in multiple formats. From case studies, special reports, events resources, speaking and more, 93digital have invested in creating value which in turn leads to qualified leads and great relationships. Resources 93Digital have created a range of excellent resources to help agencies and businesses effectively plan their web projects. You can check them out here. Connect with Jeremy Corporate site: Click here Twitter: Click here --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Phil noticed that huge global agencies are hurting. They are losing large projects to much smaller agencies and consultancies. Noting this was due to flexibility, speed and price, Phil wanted to be on the right side of history launched his creative agency. Content creation, predominanltly through video has allowed him to create a huge audience on YouTube of over 100k subscribers and he now generates 65% of all new business leads through his channel. Bio Philip is a highly accomplished creative leader and expert in brand strategy and graphic design for some of the world's most successful global agencies, retailers and consumer products companies, including P&G, Gap, Inc., Petsmart, PepsiCo, GE, Chevron, Safeway, Delmonte, Diamond Foods, and Johnson & Johnson among many others. Philip has helped Fortune 100 companies and entrepreneurs alike create and revitalize brands, identities, websites and launch new products for 20+ years. He has served as VP of Design of Global Snacks at Pepsico, VP of Design at Old Navy and Executive Creative Director for the global branding agencies Landor Associates and Anthem Worldwide. Philip is currently the founder and principal of Verhaal Brand Design which specializes in strategic brand development, graphic design and marketing. Connect with Phillip Website - click here YouTube channel - click here The Design Taxi article - click here --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There can come a time in the life of an agency where things feel like they have plateaued. How can you scale? How can you change things up for growth? Jason Vance shares his journey and how he's made a significant shift in his pricing as well as exploring brand new services his agency can offer new and exisitng clients. Connect with Jason On Facebook: Click here. Red Mill Creative: Click here. Twitter: Click here --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What is the impact of GDPR on your website and what should you be doing about it? This episode serves educate as well as help build a framework for tackling compliance with your website. You can find our full article here: https://angledcrown.com/gdpr-for-websites/ --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A grouping of recordings, calls and soundbites from WordCamp London 2018. We had such a wonderful time, built on our friendships, made new friends and learned so much. I had the privilege of speaking at the conference. You can grab the slide deck here. Recordings include: Nathan from WP BuildsRobbie from Beaver BuilderPaul LaceyImogen Allen from Digital Umbrella Shout outs You can find the WordCamp website by clicking here. Here is Imogen's article of her quick wins for handling stress. --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In a crowded market, how can your agency stand out in your industry? Chris Ducker shares his experiences of elevating himself above his brands, being the face and voice that people first connect with. We also look at how building a personal brand has helped grown my agency. And finally, we can't help but talk about Star Wars quite a lot. Spoiler free of course!!!! Grab Chris's Book: http://youpreneur.com/book About Chris: Chris is a serial entrepreneur and author of the bestseller, “Virtual Freedom”, and author of his latest book, “Rise of the Youpreneur”. Originally from the UK, Chris has lived in the Philippines for 17-years, where he has founded multiple businesses, which combined house over 450 full-time employees. He’s a trusted international business mentor, keynote speaker, podcaster, blogger, as well as the founder of Youpreneur.com. Chris hosts the annual Youpreneur Summit, which is held in London, England each November and is the self-proclaimed ‘Proudest Brit’ doing business online! Connect With Chris: Website: http://www.chrisducker.com/ The Book: http://youpreneur.com/book --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Geek out with us as we share the WordPress tools we use to run our agencies. Meet my mate Róbey Lawrence who has grown his agency and developed productized brands for his services all of which are cleverly linked through themeing, messaging and subject. This is a proper geek out session, there is something for everone Connect with Robey WP Barber: https://thewpbarber.co/ Bearded Friend: https://beardedfriend.com/ Podcast: http://wpbosses.com.au/ --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How do you harness the power of "funnels" for your business? What IS a "funnel"? You may have been creating funnels for longer than you realised. Mike Killen unpacks what a funnel really is, and highlights the importance of providing really valuable content that will educate, build credibility and encourage the consumer down the right path to engagement. Connect With Mike Twitter: https://twitter.com/mike_killen Sign up for his list: http://sellyourservice.co.uk Special Offer (Discount): beaverfunnels.co Code: 10PERCENT --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Being profitable is not always about selling more and gaining more clients. In this workshop we talk through basic cost management and how we keep our finger on our financial pulse to make informed decisions and ensure we have a good balanced approach to work and play. PROFIT AND LOSS It is essential to know the current state of play. What do you have coming in? What is going out? This allows you to: Understand your business as it currently isPredict the next 12 months of operationSee where you can make savings to increase profitsBe pre-warned of any upcoming rough monthsRemoves the guess workBe purposeful in your planning Knowing your business allows you to make relevant decisions in both spending and in cutting costs. Resources: Bookkeeping Master SeriesCatewayCFO – Financial ProjectionProfit and Loss TemplateOur own P&L Template CREATING A BUDGET Without a clearly planned budget, you are going to be making purchasing decisions blindly. Planning purchases, SaaS subscriptions and new hires based on what is in the bank at any one time is inefficient and likely to bite you on the behind. The steps to creating a budget can be broken down into: Add together all your incoming revenue channels (grab your P&L)SalesAffiliate incomeAnd so onRecord all of your regular costs (grab your P&L)RentSalariesInsurancesSoftware licencesEtcSet a prediction for variable expensesFor example costs that are less predictable like contractorsEstablish any up-coming one-off purchasesNew laptopUpcoming compliance consultancyFinally get all this information in one place, keep it updated and review it regularly Freshbooks have put together this fantastic article to get you started. GETTING ADVICE If you are either struggling to get the data together, or are not sure how to read what you see, then consider getting in help. We often can’t see the wood for the trees. It’s very easy to miss things in our calculations. Equally without financial experience, we may misinterpret what we see. Despite running financial data in agency life for years, I still lean on my accountant for regular advice and to sanity check my planning and my predictions. It pays to have an expert on board. SUMMARY The keys to cost management are Knowing what you are earning and spendingEnsuring your spends are worth while and have valueHaving planned budgets and sticking to themSeeking regular advice --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Many agency owners shy away from offering SEO as it seems to be such an unknown quantity. It can seem confusing, hard to track and hard to manage. Rob Watson helps us understand how to begin to add SEO services that are manageable and scaleable. Grab Rob's free SEO guide here: https://www.clicktosale.co.uk/seoguide Connect With Rob Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rob.watson.5243?fref=grp_mmbr_list Twitter: @clicktosale Website: https://www.clicktosale.co.uk/ Mentions Made to Stick Brian Dean Martin Huntbach's Episode https://www.clicktosale.co.uk/seo-guide --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How do you get more engagement for your content? How can you effectively promote it across multiple platforms and mediums? Amy Woods of Content 10x shares strategies and tips for repurposing your content in easy and manageable ways. She also shares her story from a job she enjoyed, through a life threatening illness through to launching her Content Agency. Amy is awesome. I am a big fan and her podcast is epic. Be sure to check it out here. --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- Links: Website - https://www.content10x.com/ Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amywoods2/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/content10x Twitter - https://twitter.com/content10x Mentions: Youpreneur - https://www.youpreneur.com/ The Membership Guys - https://www.themembershipguys.com/ Mike Morrison Podcast - https://www.themembershipguys.com/podcast/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Are you struggling to attract higher paying clients? Troy Dean from WP Elevation shares how he, and 100s of WP Elevators have repositioned their businesses for success. Troy is running a series of webinars on how to run a WILDLY successful WordPress business. Find out more at: https://agencytrailblazer.com/wpewebinar During the show, Troy unpacks the phrase "WordPress Consultant" and how understanding your identity is a game changer for how you and your audience perceive your business. We both share our own journeys as WordPress consultants and what we've learned along the way. --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- Connect With Troy: Webinar: https://agencytrailblazer.com/wpewebinar Twitter: https://twitter.com/troydean Website: https://www.wpelevation.com/ Personal site: https://troydean.com.au/ Mentions: Sarah Moore from Eleven Lights Media: http://elevenlightsmedia.com.au/ Seth Godin: http://www.sethgodin.com/ Zig Ziglar: https://www.ziglar.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Print design and web design need not be miles apart. Join Kyle with us on the phone as tells his story of shifting from a print and signage background into fully fledged web design business. He shares the tools he used to translate his design skills online without the need for code. We unpack ways he generates leads through networking and referrals. And finally he confesses to being in a death metal band. Google it ;) --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- Mentions: WP Crafter - https://www.wpcrafter.com/ Pods - https://pods.io/ BeaverBuilder - https://www.wpbeaverbuilder.com/ BeaverThemer - https://www.wpbeaverbuilder.com/beaver-themer/ John Perez - https://agencytrailblazer.com/podcast/better-decisions/ Connect With Kyle: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ogalweb Website - http://www.ogalweb.com/ Email - [email protected] Twitter - https://twitter.com/OgalWeb See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Agency life often feels like feast or famine with no middle ground. Generating recurring revenue can be as easy as pushing jelly up a hill. Ed from CloudCareWP has been able to transition 100% of his clients onto monthly and yearly care plans to get the most out of their websites and free Ed and his team up to focus on doing what they love best. Ed shares his journey where recurring revenue has always played a part, so including it in his web agency was a natural step. He shares how he achieves 100% retention, and how he is niching his service down further. My favourite line from this weeks episode is - "Better to have a retainer than nickel and dime people for the time". --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- Connect With Ed Website - click here Twitter - click here See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You celebrate moving house. You celebrate having a baby. You have awesome memories of that wedding, party or event. These are moments you will never forget, and you were glad you were a part of them. Meet Jason who has been freelancing online from that magical city, New York. Jason has created a business that allows him to spend time creating memories with his loved ones whilst balancing the needs of his clients. He goes further and makes sure he creates moments with his clients that they will remember, and come to define their relationship. In this episode Jason talks about running your business and not letting it run youWork with clients that you want to work withCelebrating milestones with your client and making yourself memorableThe power of referrals --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- Mentions Laura Elizabeth: click here House of Grays: click here Connect with Jason Website: click here Podcast: click here Twitter: click here Email Course: click here See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ever dreamed of building an agency in a far and distant land? Martin Suttill has done just that, and had a fascinating journey getting there. The exciting thing is, he's not finished yet and is in the process of designing their new office! 54 Solutions have grown a strong local client base in Peru and have found ways to offer services beyond the standard web build. In this episode Martin shares their employee onboarding processTouches on the importance of understanding the data behind the designHighlights client communicationsDiscusses giving value for moneyShares how sometimes the bigger agencies get the credit for his teams workAnd way more than we could possibly list ;) --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- Connect with Martin Website - click here Email: [email protected] See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An uneducated audience think they don't have the budget to spend with your agency. An educated audience find the budget because they understand the benefits, the value and the reasoning. Martin Huntbach unpacks how he and Lyndsay have been able to charge significantly more by providing valuable free content to their audience. He also shares how they removed a service that generated 50% of their revenue, to focus on doing what they really loved. Throughout this episode, we can see that Martin and Lyndsay have focused in on doing what they love the most. This feeds their energy and permeates their brand and communications. --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- Connect with Martin Jammy Digital Website Facebook Linkedin Google+ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Taking that leap to niche your business down is a scary process. You may feel worried about missing out on opportunities, and you may start to see an initial wobble in your finances. Staying the course becomes a difficult challenge. We catch up with Gerry King who back in episode 81 shared his desire to niche down into funeral director websites. In this episode we learn how this shift has gone over the last six months. Once you have a vision of whom you serve, it is amazing how super focused you become. Gerry shares is fears, struggles and his successes during the journey. And he demonstrates that he knows exactly what he needs to do to get in front of his target audience. Brilliant episode for those who want to explore niching their business or want to dive deeper. --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- Mentions Security Plugin Chantal Edouard-Betsy Adam Preiser Andrew and Pete GDPR Andrew and Pete Connect with Gerry Website Funeral Director Websites Twitter Profile Connect on Facebook See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When you are not enjoying what you do, when you do not feel valued, and when the work no longer satisfies, it could be time to pivot. Imogen Allen shares her own journey, and taking the leap into web design and development as a result having run a VA business for some time. She shares how she learned invaluable skills as a VA that fueled her passion and her online creativity, and how she found community soon after she made her first steps on her new journey. If you are looking at outsourcing work, Imogen gives us a brilliant insight into what you should consider when looking for, and hiring a virtual assistant. Connect with Imogen: Website - https://www.umbrelladigitalmedia.co.uk LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/umbrelladigitalmedia1/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/umbrelladigitalmedia/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/umbrelladigita1 Groups Shout out to James Rose and his group "Grow Your Web Design Business" https://www.facebook.com/groups/1306690796053606/ --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Adam has found an industry he can serve, with a very clear problem he solves. He shares his journey, lessons along the way and shares how he is plans to adopt some methods of marketing to existing and cold leads that are quite surprising. Print is not dead, it is changing. Connect with Adam: https://laceydigital.co.uk/ Become an Agency Trailblazer: https://agencytrailblazer.com --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When agency life was at it's worse and I was stuck with something that overwhelmed me and my team I had to take a step back and ask four very important questions. I share my journey from teenager to now, and some questions that changed everything. You can be a part of Agency Trailblazer here: https://agencytrailblazer.com/ And join the WP Innovator community here: http://wpinnovator.com/group --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Paul reached a point in his agency where he couldn't take it any more. Overwhelmed, stressed and unhappy. He was able to turn everything around through the support of the wonderful online WordPress communities, and is now creating a business that he loves. As you listen to this episode you can see his journey and thought process via the "Wayback Machine" on archive.org 2009 - Full service agency 2015 - Freelancer but no clear messaging 2017 - New focus with obvious service offerings Here is the design he mentions - click here. Recommended Facebook Groups: Beaver Builder: https://www.facebook.com/groups/beaverbuilders/ Content Creators: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ContentCreatorsGroup/ WP Builds: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wpbuilds/ WP Innovator: http://wpinnovator.com/group Connect with Paul: Twitter - https://twitter.com/wp_paullacey Website - https://wpblueprint.design --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is an open conversation where we unpack our own experiences of what has been asked, and hopefully share some insight and some tips in how to deal with what you are struggling with. This stream unfortunately will not have ALL the answers, nor will it try sell you any 5 step systems either. We share some no bull advice with each other. Covered: _ Balancing doing the work and building the business further? _ Who are your Mentors? How have they influenced your roadmap for 2018? _ How to handle clients and projects efficiently? _ Dealing with interruptions. _ Pricing. Knowing what to charge for anything to actually be profitable? The Live Stream: https://youtu.be/vIaSnoysnA0 Connect with Jeffery: Facebook Personal: https://www.facebook.com/jefferypatch Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffDoozy Group: https://maintain.press/group --- OUR EVENT: Do you want to make real change in your business? Join us at our in-person event Agency Transformation Live Meet Troy Dean; Lee Jackson, Chris Ducker, Kelly Baader, Amy Woods, Paul Lacey, Dave Foy and other legends in this fantastic conference focused on actionable steps that you can use to transform your agency. --- See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.