Hiring Mistakes and Letting Go

E945: I'm joined by Matt Diamante and Jake Tlapek for a long-form, unfiltered conversation about what actually happens after you win on social media.

All three of us came up through SEO content on TikTok and Instagram. This episode isn't about going viral - it's about turning attention into durable businesses, building teams, and deciding what you want to scale next.

We cover the real mechanics of growing agencies, removing yourself from delivery, using content as leverage, and how AI and social search are changing SEO in practice - not theory.

What we talk about in this episode: - How agency founders transition from "doing the work" to leading without breaking the business - The systems required to remove yourself from day-to-day client delivery - Why many SEO agencies stall before seven figures - and how to break through - How creators turn daily content into predictable demand and leads - The difference between chasing views and building lifetime search visibility - Social SEO: why searchable phrases now outperform traditional hooks - Posting consistently without burning out or over-polishing - Editing workflows, tools, and why speed often beats perfection - Why press releases still work for SEO and AI search visibility - How AI agents are being used for keyword research, competitive analysis, and content production - When SEO should be sold alone vs bundled with paid media - Common SEO mistakes clients make (and why they keep making them) - The hardest part of scaling a team - and when letting go is the right move - How creators think about the next phase after audience growth

Who this episode is for: - Agency owners trying to scale past themselves - SEOs and marketers using social content to generate demand - Creators thinking about products, services, or SaaS - Anyone curious how SEO, AI, and social search are converging

This is a long, candid conversation between people actively operating businesses - not theory, not recycled advice.

If you're building an agency, using content to grow, or deciding what to scale next, this episode will give you a clearer picture of what actually works.

⭐️ Jake Tlapek on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thewizardmarketing ⭐️ Jake Tlapek on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thewizardmarketing/ ⭐️ Jake Tlapek on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@thewizardofmarketing ⭐️ Jake Tlapek's agency - https://finch.com/

⭐️ Matt Diamante on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/heytony.agency/ ⭐️ Matt Diamante on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@heytonyagency ⭐️ Matt Diamante on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@heymattdiamante ⭐️ Matt Diamante's agency - https://heytony.ca/

💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/

00:00 Introduction and Agency Growth 00:20 Transition to Content Creation 00:51 Early Days on TikTok 02:20 The Power of Live Streaming 04:23 SEO Journey and Background 06:09 Daily Posting and Consistency 12:27 Social Media Engagement and Editing Tools 15:14 Effective Hooks and Content Creation 21:00 Social SEO and Long-term Strategies 38:42 Combining SEO with Advertising 41:18 Programmatic SEO Challenges 42:02 Core Pages and Content Strategy 43:33 Common SEO Mistakes 44:49 The Power of Press Releases 50:25 AI and Automation in SEO 54:03 Keyword Research Insights 01:11:32 Future Plans and Business Strategies 01:22:39 Disorganized Conference Experience 01:24:09 Unexpected Viral Video 01:25:19 Gary Vee's Heartfelt Apology 01:28:02 Collaborating with Other Creators 01:31:00 Scaling and Managing an Agency 01:41:15 Hiring a Business Coach 01:45:37 Firing Difficult Employees 01:51:17 Marketing and SEO Influencers 02:02:46 Concluding Thoughts and Farewell

#agencygrowth #searchengineoptimization #digitalmarketing #searchmarketing