The Agency Growth Podcast

On this special guest episode, we invite Alec Smith on the podcast; a former coworker and friend of ours at the agency we all worked at together in Iowa.Alec brings a unique perspective to the show as he, like us, left the agency employment life and started his own freelance / agency.However, after a while, even while proving to be successful on his own, he decided to give his clients a 30-day notice and work for another agency that wanted to bring him on as a full-time employee.Alec explains his decision and why the business side of things no longer interested him, yet was able to find an agency to work for that gave him the autonomy, higher earning potential, and flexibility he was looking for when starting his own agency.Alec also explains how he got into digital marketing, specifically PPC marketing almost by accident and his journey to where he is today.Have any questions for Alec or want to reach out to us? Head over to everbrospodcast.com and let us know!As always, if you liked this episode or any other one, leave us a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple. It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content!Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials:Twitter/X: @HundleyJakeLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/

**Cold Open (Airport and flying tips and business travel)****Skip the Cold Open at 9:43**We've wanted to talk about the books we'd recommend to other agency owners for a while now so we decided to put together a pretty comprehensive list of those.Jake went deep. Cody provided his top 3-4 books.Here's a link to each book and article we recommended:Jake's Recommendations to the ListenerHow to Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie)The ONE Thing (Gary Keller & Jay Papasan)Start with Why (Simon Sinek)Profit First (Mike Michalowicz)Rework (Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson)The Art of War (Sun Tzu, translated by Thomas Cleary)The Prince (Niccoló Machiavelli)Crush It! / Crushing It! (Gary Vaynerchuck)The Boron Letters (Gary C. Halbert & Bond Halbert)Little Red Book of Selling (Jeffrey Gitomer)The Simple Path to Wealth (JL Collins)The E-Myth Landscape Contractor (Michael E. Gerber & Anthony C. Bass)This book is specific to the landscaping niche, but there may be one specific to your niche. If nothing else, check out the general E-Myth book.On Writing Well (William Zinsser)***Recommended by both of us.Books Cody Recommended to Jake but Jake Still Hasn't Read YetMy Life in Advertising / Scientific Advertising (Claude C. Hopkins)The Master-Key to Riches (Napoleon Hill)Cody's Recommendations to the ListenerOn Writing Well (William Zinsser)***Recommended by both of us.Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Robert B. Cialdini, PH.D.)Breakthrough Advertising (Eugene Schwartz)This is an expensive book.Advice is Futile (Edith Zimmerman)This isn't a book. It's an article Cody said we'd put in the show notes when he mentioned it in the episode.Honorable MentionsNever Split the Difference (Chris Voss)This wasn't mentioned in the episode but Cody has brought this up to Jake on numerous occasions regarding negotiating with clients and vendors -- written by an actual FBI hostage negotiator.Stacked Marketer (Newsletter)We've mentioned this before but if you want to stay up to date on all things digital marketing, this is the #1 newsletter we both recommend. We unsubscribed to all other marketing newsletters and only subscribe to this one.Do you have any book recommendations for us? Tell us at everbrospodcast.com!Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials:Twitter/X: @HundleyJakeLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/

**Cold Open (How many alarms do each of us set to wake up?)****Skip the Cold Open at 4:14**On this episode, Jake and Cody are joined by Toggl Marketing Director, Ilia Markov, discussing the importance of tracking time in your agency for reasons beyond simply billing.We've talked about tracking time for various reasons in episode 4 (How to Price Your Agency Services) but most importantly in episode 19 (Understanding Your Internal Labor Rate Calculation is More Important Than Making Money) -- however, in this episode, we dive deep into the not only why time tracking for multiple reasons is important in agencies, but also which tools you can use.Ilia, Jake, and Cody discuss why time tracking is important for agencies as well as key features of various time tracking apps including Toggl.Toward the end of the episode, you'll learn:How Toggl is much more than a time-tracking appHow time reporting is just as important as time trackingHow Toggl Track integrates with other project management tools like ClickUpToggl's own project management tool, Toggl PlanNew Toggl features such as Toggl HireAdditionally, for the next 3 months after this episode's air date, Ilia has been gracious enough to give all Everbros Podcast listeners 20% off on annual plans for new members by using code "EVERBROS"!**Head over to toggl.com to learn more about their products!As always, if you enjoyed this episode or any other episode, it would greatly help us get the word out there by leaving us a review on Apple or a rating on Spotify.Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials:Twitter/X: @HundleyJakeLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/**The Everbros Agency Growth Podcast does not receive any compensation for referrals to Toggl. This is strictly an offer Ilia wanted to offer to our listeners.

**Cold Open (Cody exclaims his love for konbinis and how often he eats at them)****Skip the Cold Open at 3:45**We've noticed a lot of newer marketing agency owners out there understand the importance of niching down but it looks like they have trouble grasping the concept of doubling down and becoming an expert in that niche.You can't simply "niche hop" every month or so; you need to stick to it and become an expert in that niche -- that's how business owners will trust you and how you'll establish credibility.But what does it mean to be an expert in your niche and how do you go about doing it? How do you become an expert and how do you portray that to your target audience?In this episode, Jake lays out exactly what he did and what he still does to establish himself and Evergrow as the industry experts in lawn and landscaping.As always, if you liked this episode or any other one, leave us a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple.If you have anything you want to reach out to us about or comment on this episode, head over to our website at everbrospodcast.com!

**Cold Open (Making some changes to the podcast - including shorter Cold Opens)****Skip the Cold Open at 3:58**Whether you're first starting out or you've been in the agency game for a while, eventually you'll want to explore adding new services to your business. In this episode, we talk about how we navigate adding new services to offer to clients without having them crash and burn.When you offer a new service that you don't have a lot of experience in, you run the risk of rocky setups and underwhelming performances which can leave a bad taste in your clients' mouths.Jake also talks about the importance of learning the craft before you start charging people for it.The TL;DR on the episode is:Find a service that your clients want and could be mutually profitableOffer that service for a discounted rate to test it outManage client expectationsIf success is found, ramp up the pricingCreate a system around that service----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

**Cold Open (Cody eats a banana)****Skip the Cold Open at 1:45)A lot of people getting into the agency space are realizing that we're in a time of pretty heavy market saturation, so we wanted to address it and what our feelings are on it.For starters, we don't really believe in paying too much attention to market saturation when dealing with a recurring good/service. It isn't difficult to stand out and separate yourself from the competition.In this episode, we cover three main topics about market saturation:Market saturation can mean that it's a healthy industry to be in -- many people are finding success in it and you can tooSeparate yourself by focusing on a niche within a nicheSimply being better than your competition may be all you need to separate yourselfPeople who are just jumping in and doing it without thinking too much about market saturation are ahead of youWhat's your take on market saturation?----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

**Cold Open (Bananas aren't that great for you... but also the optimal banana is around 30% brown)****Skip the Cold Open at 8:11**We've been seeing a lot of businesses, not just agency owners, turning to paid ads in order to acquire clients in the early stages of their business. Although it can be a fast way to acquire clients, most businesses in the early stages don't have the courage or foresight to limit the number of clients they accept.In Cody's words, they pour gasoline on a business that's already on fire.We see it in our clients who pause marketing services because they can't handle the leads we're delivering and we see it in new agency owners trying to get their first clients but don't even know what their onboarding process actually looks like.Congrats, you paid money to watch your business burn and stand in the middle of it.In this episode, we give some practical advice when it comes to deciding to run paid ads as well as what some "budget neutral" alternatives are to acquiring clients for no cost as well as at a rate in which you can handle.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

**Cold Open (How much would you buy an agency for that did $10k MRR?)****Skip the Cold Open at 12:04**We asked the community what they wanted to hear more about and client retention was the top subject. We've covered it a couple of times on this podcast, specifically in episodes 005, 008, and 020, but we've noticed a few things that we didn't cover in those episodes that we see people lacking in the agency community.In this episode, we wanted to focus on 4 key things to make sure you're doing in order to maximize client retention:Make sure you're working with the right clients (pre-qualify) - people may want to work with you... but do you want to work with them?Offer a successful service (You can't sell something vague and you have to have a process for whatever you sell)Set clear expectations and deliver on themAccept that on an infinite timeline, all of your clients will leave youThough these topics may seem obvious, we jump into specific examples that go further into detail on what we mean about each of these.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

**Cold Open (We're getting negative reviews and we're sad)****Skip the Cold Open at 7:38**Something we've seen new digital marketers struggle with is whether they should create an agency or focus their services around their personal brand and we wanted to talk about the pros and cons of each.Depending on your timeline, expertise, and goals, one or the other may be best for you. Maybe you want to do both, that's okay too.But some things to consider when it comes to each are:If you're not truly an expert, an agency may be best for you. In other words, if you're not capable of delivering the results without contractors or media buyers, then stick with an agency model.If you are an expert and don't want to deal with managing a team, expectations, or deadlines, a personal brand may be the best course.If you want a decent amount of money faster vs a larger amount of money over time, a personal brand may be better.When Jake started Evergrow, he actively avoided creating a personal brand at first because he wanted to have the ability to sell the company in the future. You can't do that in a personal brand -- you have to work until you can't.----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u

**Cold Open (Pre-podcast technical difficulties / Cody talks about how his stay in Japan is going)****Skip the Cold Open at 18:17**In this special episode, we wanted to make sure that we didn't let a full year of creating, editing, and publishing this podcast go unnoticed. Although we do this for fun, a lot goes into making it, especially when there is no current monetary gain for us.Jake describes this episode as a "throwaway" early in the episode as we mainly recap the last 365 days and how much has changed. However, there are a few golden nuggets uncovered throughout the way such as:A lot can happen in one year... Like seriously. A lot. Don't get discouraged.Your successes in year 1 are huge! But compared to year 5, they may seem like nothing. And your year 5 successes will seem like nothing in year 10.We also talk about how much the podcast has grown since May of 2022, what trajectory we are on for our agency, Evergrow, and accomplishments and updates in our personal lives.Thank you all so much for following us on our journey and stopping in to say hi on the website from time to time!----------------------------------Our recommended agency tools:everbrospodcast.com/recommended-tools/----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website, subscribe to us on YouTube, or connect with us on socials:YouTube: @agencyuTwitter/X: @theagency_uLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/agencyuFacebook: facebook.com/theagencyuInstagram: @theagencyuReddit: r/agency & u/JakeHundleyTikTok: @agency.u