The Agency Growth Podcast

They dig into why shock-value marketing flooded the agency space and why contrived edginess often backfires. They argue that returning to professionalism can actually cut through the noise. They discuss niching deeply, using publications for credibility, and cleaning up an earlier rough persona as the business grows.

They compare communication styles needed for family-owned shops, VC/PE-backed firms, franchises and public companies. They highlight how reporting, meetings and polish must shift with ownership structure. They cover internal politics, scaling pain points, and why different decision hierarchies change how you sell and deliver services.

[Cold open (Concise Description) ends at 07:13.]There has been a lot of buzz lately with people mentioning and starting "AI Automation Agencies", yet they have no idea how to sell or position the service.They're all operating under some expectation that businesses just inherently need or want these services, which is absolutely not the case.But that doesn't mean you can't sell it and that there isn't value for it.It all comes down to positioning.-----MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE:r/agencynewbies threads:[Is this offer worth 2k monthly retainer?]https://www.reddit.com/r/agencynewbies/comments/1rkx1al/is_this_offer_worth_2k_monthly_retainer/-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact

In our pursuit of having an episode for every niche out there, we ran across Dante Montovano, who owns Seven Circle Media, a restaurant marketing agency.We knew restaurant marketing was unique, but we didn't realize how much we didn't actually know about the industry and what actually makes fast food places, QSRs, and fast-casual restaurants the most amount of money.Dante broke down exactly what it takes to be successful in the restaurant industry as a marketing agency and how knowing the industry is your secret weapon.-----MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE:Dante Montovanohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/dante-montovano-21a54370/Seven Circle Mediahttps://www.sevencirclemedia.com/-----SPONSOR:This week’s episode is sponsored by Wix Studio.-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact

They argue agencies, not clients, should control ad accounts to avoid legal and financial exposure. They walk through real overspend risks, insurance delays, and reconciliation headaches. They explain how agency-owned accounts unlock aggregated data, operational leverage from niching, and safer budgeting tools. They outline exceptions and practical safeguards for managing mid-spend clients.

They argue that simple, repeatable services drive sustainable agency growth more than flashy, complex offers. They debate realistic uses and limits of AI automation in agency work. They cover scalable upsells like Local Service Ads and email marketing, plus operational changes that boost retention and make services easier to deliver.

[Cold Open (Jake's Migraine) ends at 6:07]What if the best PR strategy for your agency has nothing to do with your own website? This week, we talk about how to build massive authority and get clients by leveraging established platforms that already have your target audience.We explain why building an audience from scratch is the slow way around. We share our lessons on using niche publications to build instant credibility and why we often prioritize these external sites over our own blog.We also dive into the new reality of AI search. We discuss why ranking number one on Google is no longer enough and what you need to do to ensure ChatGPT actually recommends your agency.-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact

[Cold open (Cody's in Hawaii and why he's there ) ends at 14:28.]For the 4th year in a row, it's that time of year when we cover our annual finances for our agency. Where we grew, what we're spending more money on, and what challenges we're starting to see at our new stages of growth.-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact

[Cold open (Busy Days, Zapier Debates, and Community Growing Pains) ends at 17:15.]In this episode, we talk through our goals for 2026.We break down what we want to focus on with the agency and the podcast, what’s changed in how we think about growth, and why being selective matters more now than ever. We also touch on audience expectations, visibility, and the trade-offs that come with putting opinions out publicly.This episode is about being intentional. What we are committing to, what we are stepping away from, and how those choices shape 2026.-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact

[Cold open [Jakes barber shop is obsessed with Peaky Blinders] ends at 08:16.]The Agency Growth Podcast officially has a new website!And it's built on Wix Studio. We kept our promise after our initial conversation with Kobi Gamliel, Head of Wix Studio, 2 years ago in episode 112.We dove in and put our first site on Wix Studio and so far, like it a lot.But... there are still some issues.There are some things that are no-brainers for agencies to want to use Wix Studio, but there are also some deal breakers depending on who you are and what your agency requires.One thing we really like about Wix is their ability to take criticism and feedback and actually do something about it.This episode serves as just that.-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact