The Get Paid Podcast: The Stark Reality of Entrepreneurship and Being Your Own Boss Tena Pettis: Running an Agency, Office Included (GPP03)
Jun 22, 2015
Tena Pettis, founder and CEO of Tena.cious, runs a growing social media and design agency and creates courses. She discusses why she buys brand-awareness ads, her signature Twitter follow-up tactic, the many revenue streams she juggles, how her retainer packages are priced, why she keeps a physical office, and the payroll stress of scaling a team.
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How Tena.cious Income Breaks Down
- Tena.cious revenue split is roughly 40% design, 40% social retainers, 20% DIY courses.
- Design often ties into retainers; top clients can spend $10,000/month on design work because their website is their storefront.
Limit Account Loads To Preserve Quality
- Do cap account managers at about 10 social-retainer clients to avoid burnout.
- Tena says one manager can handle ~10 clients, with half needing high-touch work and the other half mostly hands-off.
Founder Role Shifts Toward Sales And Team Leadership
- Tena spends her time coaching the team, speaking, and sales rather than daily client work.
- She estimates she does about 60% of the sales and focuses on podcasting, webinars, and in-person talks to close clients.