Episodes
Friday Nov 19, 2021
Remote Culture
Friday Nov 19, 2021
Friday Nov 19, 2021
A remote workforce can be highly efficient and can even help you create an even better company culture. But if you don't have an effective remote working environment and know how to manage your remote team correctly, your agency won't thrive.
In this episode of The Agency Blueprint, I talk about creating a collaborative type of remote working environment. I also give you some tips on communication standards and fostering connection within your remote workforce. So, if you'd like to discover how you can manage an effective remote workforce, jump right into the podcast!
The Key Questions:
- How does remote working impact your remote team? (3:03)
- How can an agency owner help their remote workforce deal with isolation? (3:58)
- Why are communication standards so important in remote teams? (6:17)
What You'll Discover:
- The number one thing agency owners shouldnot do with remote teams (1:30)
- How you can help your remote workforce set up their home office (4:45)
- Tips for managing different kinds of remote meetings (10:55)
Friday Nov 12, 2021
Structure for Success
Friday Nov 12, 2021
Friday Nov 12, 2021
Every agency owner dreams of building a successful business. But without a strong foundation, it can be challenging to achieve your desired outcomes.
If you still haven't achieved the success and freedom that you dreamed of having when you first started your agency, tune in to this episode of The Agency Blueprint. I'll share seven steps that can help you start building a solid foundation today. So, if you want to start setting up your agency for success, jump right into the podcast!
The Key Questions:
- What do the vast majority of businesses lack these days? (2:36)
- How does leadership set the tone for the entire agency? (5:59)
- Why is it important to have automation in your agency? (8:01)
What You'll Discover:
- The foundational elements to setting up a successful agency (0:50)
- The importance of having standard operating procedures (9:16)
- Why agencies need to focus on marketing within their own agency (6:56)
Friday Nov 05, 2021
Importance of the Right Team
Friday Nov 05, 2021
Friday Nov 05, 2021
Your team is the foundation of your agency. It’s what drives your agency to long-term success. And since you're a service-based business, you’re essentially selling your team's expertise. But if you don't have the right team, your end product will not turn out how you want it to be.
In this episode of The Agency Blueprint, I walk you through the entire vetting, selecting, and hiring process. I also share insight into how I usually pick employees to join my team. So, if you want to know how you can ensure that you hire and have the right people in the right position at your agency, jump right into the podcast!
The Key Questions:
- How can you write the perfect job description? (4:21)
- What's the best way to vet employees? (6:49)
- Why should every team member's values and personality match the agency's culture? (11:00)
What You'll Discover:
- Why every agency owner needs to curate their team (3:34)
- My process of vetting clients (7:54)
- The importance of a good training program (9:05)
Friday Oct 29, 2021
Team Communication Process
Friday Oct 29, 2021
Friday Oct 29, 2021
Did you know that your agency’s efficiency and profitability can be predicted by how well your agency communicates internally and with clients? From project management problems to client errors, many things can go wrong when there is a communication breakdown.
In this episode of The Agency Blueprint, I talk about why team communication matters. I also discuss some key fundamentals and communication strategies that you can use to ensure that your team members are effective communicators. Tune in to discover how you can manage team communication in your agency.
The Key Questions:
- Why is it vital that you have set both client and internal communication standards? (4:23)
- Why do agencies fail at communication? (5:10)
- What should agency owners consider when compiling a communication strategy? (11:37)
What You’ll Discover:
- A case study demonstrating how a lack of communication affects agency profitability (0:21)
- My top communication rule (6:09)
- How I deal with communication overwhelm (6:58)
Friday Oct 22, 2021
Agency Culture & Connected Management
Friday Oct 22, 2021
Friday Oct 22, 2021
Many agency owners ask me, “How do I make my team members feel engaged and excited about what they are doing?”, and “How can I create a safe and secure environment that motivates my team to jump out of bed every single morning and want to come to work and do their best?”.
If you’re wondering the same things, tune in to this episode of The Agency Blueprint, where I talk about agency culture and the steps to creating your ideal work environment. I also share my personal experiences and what I’ve gone through in my career to develop good company culture.
The Key Questions:
- What is the first step agency owners need to take when creating their agency culture? (1:29)
- What should an agency’s culture be based on? (5:07)
- Why is a collaborative type of environment key to creating a great culture? (10:31)
What You’ll Discover:
- My journey to mental health and wellness (0:47)
- A study by Google on how to create the perfect team (7:30)
- What every agency should know when working with other people (10:42)
Friday Oct 15, 2021
Data Comfort
Friday Oct 15, 2021
Friday Oct 15, 2021
Running an agency can be stressful and overwhelming. After all, there are so many moving parts involved that even making a simple decision becomes difficult. Fortunately, there is a way to help mitigate the anxiety you may have around making a decision. And it lies in my favorite topic: data.
In this episode of The Agency Blueprint, I talk about how data can give agency owners peace of mind when making decisions about their agency's future. I also share some of my own decision-making experiences, as well as those that I've gone through with clients. To find out how you can ensure you’ll make the right decisions for your agency, jump right into the podcast!
The Key Questions:
- How can data help you make the right decisions? (9:07)
- What should every agency owner know about tracking data? (11:24)
- How can you find your ideal client profile? (12:57)
What You'll Discover:
- What every agency owner needs to do before making a decision (5:02)
- My personal experience of managing decision-making anxiety (6:02)
- A real-life case study that shows how data helps with decision-making (11:57)
Friday Oct 08, 2021
Reporting You Need
Friday Oct 08, 2021
Friday Oct 08, 2021
Have you ever worked hard on a project… only to find out that you weren’t profitable or that you made very little money? No agency owner wants to work for months on end, only to receive financial reports that show they are not doing well. Unfortunately, it happens a lot.
In this episode of The Agency Blueprint, I talk about the importance of reporting and the different types of reporting you should be doing in your agency. I also give insight into how you can see what’s going on across your agency without being directly involved. So, if you want to sleep well at night knowing your agency is functioning well, jump right into the podcast!
The Key Questions:
- What is the first thing agency owners need to do before setting up a reporting system? (2:30)
- Why is it important that information gets into the right people’s hands? (6:43)
- What are the different types of reporting? (10:29)
What You’ll Discover:
- The simple method I use for easily figuring out which metrics to focus on (7:45)
- What agency owners should be looking at from a sales and marketing perspective (10:30)
- The top metrics to consider when creating a financial report (15:54)
Friday Oct 01, 2021
Agency KPIs
Friday Oct 01, 2021
Friday Oct 01, 2021
KPIs and reporting data are fundamental to business management. If you and the rest of your team are not measuring your respective KPIs correctly, you are setting your agency up for failure.
In this episode of The Agency Blueprint, I talk about KPIs – why they are important, which KPIs you should measure to match your business and agency type, and why KPI data should be accessible to managers and your agency’s middle management. So if you want to learn how to take your agency to the next level, jump right into the podcast!
The Key Questions:
- Why is it important to know which KPIs to measure? (2:22)
- How does measuring KPIs affect an agency owner's ability to know what's going on in their business? (7:19)
- What are financial KPIs? (5:45)
What You'll Discover:
- Why you shouldn’t measure KPIs for the sake of measuring (1:27)
- The relationship between the KPIs you report and the type of industry you are in (2:03)
- Why agency owners should focus on project management (9:45)
Friday Sep 24, 2021
Sales Inputs vs Outputs
Friday Sep 24, 2021
Friday Sep 24, 2021
It can be incredibly daunting to scale your agency. Fortunately, there are ways to make it happen without making you feel that it’s intensive. To increase your agency’s sales operations, you need to start paying attention to the sales input and output metrics.
That’s why in this episode of The Agency Blueprint, I talk about the importance of sales inputs and output metrics and how they affect each other. I also give you a detailed example showing that it's possible to boost your agency's revenue without increasing costs. Tune in to discover how you can scale your marketing and sales operations and get some fantastic wins.
The Key Questions:
- What is the difference between sales inputs and output metrics? (0:51)
- What are the key factors that agencies need to consider when increasing or scaling sales operations? (2:00)
- How can agencies improve the lead qualification process? (10:10)
What You'll Discover:
- The importance of understanding the difference between sales inputs and output metrics and how they affect each other (1:27)
- Why agencies should be clear about who they are and how they can help prospects (6:40)
- Why you should listen to your potential clients and pay attention to their interaction at each stage in the funnel (11:22)
Friday Sep 17, 2021
Freelancing vs Offshoring
Friday Sep 17, 2021
Friday Sep 17, 2021
Many agencies start out with a lot of freelancers on their teams due to the perceived benefits. To start with, you don't have to be so involved in client work. You can also scale up and down as needed. However, there are also pitfalls to hiring freelancers, especially when an agency starts to grow.
In this episode of The Agency Blueprint, I talk about the differences between hiring freelancers and offshoring. I also provide insight into what every agency owner needs to consider before deciding to work with freelancers. Tune in to discover how you should pick your team to ensure you're setting up your agency for success.
The Key Questions:
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of working with freelancers? (0:20)
- What are the differences between freelancers and offshore team members? (8:18)
- What is the #1 thing agencies must keep in mind when hiring offshore workers? (9:57)
What You'll Discover:
- How to work effectively with freelancers (3:11)
- The #1 benefit to working with an offshore or nearshore team (10:49)
- A case study demonstrating the financial impacts of working with freelancers versus a nearshoring team (11:32)