Small But Mighty Agency: How to Grow Your Agency

What does it take to grow an agency from 0 to 7 figures in four years? The first thing I noticed about Joel, founder of KARMA jack is his joy and zest for life.He has an uncanny ability to make conversations about almost any topic lighthearted yet packed with insights. In this episode of the Small But Mighty Agency, Joel shares how he grew his agency to 7 figures in four years, and that includes: Finding a north star in his business and creating a business with more meaning How to keep the authenticity of giving back as company mission versus company marketing The value of investing in a team in his first year of business How he is leading a seven-figure marketing agency of 23 people The step-by-step morning routine that keeps him inspired Meet Joel Sellentine, after a successful career in fundraising and helping grow several businesses, Sellentine invested his leadership ability and marketing expertise into starting his own agency. Now leading an eclectic team of marketing experts, the data-driven agency has led a wide array of clients to incredible success. With a Bachelor of Arts in English from Oakland University, he started an internship program for Detroit area students and uses the driving force of one day giving away $1 million in scholarships.Show LinksTraction by Gino Wickman: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8549192-traction The One Thing by Gary Keller: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16256798-the-one-thing Atomic Habits by James Clear: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40121378-atomic-habitsJoel Sellentine LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelsellentine/  This episode is brought to you by the FREE TEAM GROWTH ROADMAPWhat if you didn’t spend all day, every day, in the weeds of running your business? More flexibility. More freedom. Less overwhelm. You’d scale your business with more easeGain clarity on the strategic systems and leadership actions to create a self-managing team that can support your clients and frees up your time.My free Team Growth Roadmap will give you my C.O.M.P.A.S.S method to get you out of the weeds of running your business and help you build a small but mighty team that gives you more freedom and flexibility.Unlock the C.O.M.P.A.S.S Method right hereThanks for listening to the Small But Mighty Agency Podcast, if you enjoyed this episode please leave a review on iTunes or send a screenshot on Instagram while tagging me  @audreyjoykwan

What if the traditional rules of productivity and work are broken because they are outdated? Meet Brittany Berger, she’s on a unique mission to help neurodivergent individuals work smarter, not harder, whether a business owner or not. Brittany believes that the traditional rules of productivity and work that people learn are inaccessible for many. She speaks candidly about her neurodivergent brain and how she has leveraged it in her business to be more productive and focused. In this episode of Small But Mighty Agency, we explore: How to recognize the point of diminishing returns where more work doesn’t pay offBuilding a business with Chronic Illness, ADH, and Autism Reducing content creation overwhelm by using a content remixing strategy Why posting one piece of content over and over again will work in your favor ​​Brittany Berger is the founder of Work Brighter, a digital media company that helps productive people go beyond working smarter to a version of productivity that makes room for “unproductive” things like rest, self-care, and fun. Show LinksSusan Cain, Author of Quiet Revolution: https://www.quietrev.com/author/susan-cain/  Work Brighter Website: https://workbrighter.co/ Work Brighter IG: https://www.instagram.com/workbrighter/ Brittany Berger Website: https://www.brittanyberger.com/ Brittany Berger IG : https://www.instagram.com/thatbberg/ This episode is brought to you by the FREE TEAM GROWTH ROADMAPWhat if you didn’t spend all day, every day, in the weeds of running your business? More flexibility. More freedom. Less overwhelm. You’d scale your business with more easeGain clarity on the strategic systems and leadership actions to create a self-managing team that can support your clients and frees up your time.My free Team Growth Roadmap will give you my C.O.M.P.A.S.S method to get you out of the weeds of running your business and help you build a small but mighty team that gives you more freedom and flexibility.Unlock the C.O.M.P.A.S.S Method right hereThanks for listening to the Small But Mighty Agency Podcast, if you enjoyed this episode please leave a review on iTunes or send a screenshot on Instagram while tagging me  @audreyjoykwan

How does diversity drive progress and creativity in marketing agencies? And why will agencies who don’t address the call to action on diversity and inclusion get left behind? In this Small But Mighty Agency episode, I connected with Mooren Bofill, Partner of 123West, an award-winning agency, to explore the topic of diversity and inclusion and what Morren is doing to champion initiatives that are not just band-aide approaches. Tune in to gain insights on:Why diversity and inclusion make an agency more creative and successful Learning to see ethnicity as a superpower to creative work in an agencyWhen doing the same things go un-noticed how does  it impact diversity and inclusion How an award-winning agency is innovating to create more opportunities for people in underprivileged backgrounds to advertising We also get to talking about what it was like to work in agencies as a young woman of Asian ethnicity. Yes, that was like 15 years ago. We both speak candidly about our upbringings, struggling to find our voice and learning to see our ethnicity as the superpower.Join us in this vital conversation about re-thinking the impact of diversity and inclusion to help you build a better business. Show Links123 West: https://123w.ca/ Morren's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mobofill/ This episode is brought to you by the FREE TEAM GROWTH ROADMAPWhat if you didn’t spend all day, every day, in the weeds of running your business? More flexibility. More freedom. Less overwhelm. You’d scale your business with more easeGain clarity on the strategic systems and leadership actions to create a self-managing team that can support your clients and frees up your time.My free Team Growth Roadmap will give you my C.O.M.P.A.S.S method to get you out of the weeds of running your business and help you build a small but mighty team that gives you more freedom and flexibility.Unlock the C.O.M.P.A.S.S Method right hereThanks for listening to the Small But Mighty Agency Podcast, if you enjoyed this episode please leave a review on iTunes or send a screenshot on Instagram while tagging me  @audreyjoykwan

What are some of the biggest fears business owners I work with having about building a team?It’s normal to have fears, it doesn’t make you less likely to have an effective team but understanding how these fears track and what’s true instead will help any business owner become a better leader and grow a more profitable business whether you have a team of one or many. In this solo episode of the Small But Mighty Agency Podcast     ▪️Discover the two ways of thinking that self-sabotage business owners from having effective teams.      ▪️Uncover how these fears track in reality and what's true instead.     ▪️Why business owners don’t know that they are micro-managing     ▪️How to have uncomfortable conversations with someone who isn’t keeping commitments      ▪️Get clear on the three-pillar foundation you need so that you don’t self-sabotage      ▪️How can a roadmap help you grow your business with a team more confidently? Show LinksAudrey Joy Kwan https://www.audreyjoykwan.com/ This episode is brought to you by the FREE TEAM GROWTH ROADMAPWhat if you didn’t spend all day, every day, in the weeds of running your business? More flexibility. More freedom. Less overwhelm. You’d scale your business with more easeGain clarity on the strategic systems and leadership actions to create a self-managing team that can support your clients and frees up your time.My free Team Growth Roadmap will give you my C.O.M.P.A.S.S method to get you out of the weeds of running your business and help you build a small but mighty team that gives you more freedom and flexibility.Unlock the C.O.M.P.A.S.S Method right hereThanks for listening to the Small But Mighty Agency Podcast, if you enjoyed this episode please leave a review on iTunes or send a screenshot on Instagram while tagging me  @audreyjoykwan

Lots of companies and corporations say they are people first but are they?Talk is easy. Alignment of business decisions to the principles and values of people first isn’t that simple. Meet Kate Strathmann; she thinks of her business as an incubator for building a company that gives her team the freedom and flexibility they need. In her bookkeeping agency and consultancy practice, Kate makes decisions in alignment with the actions and values of the cooperative economy where her goal is not to maximize profits for her gain and instead have a business created to meet the human needs of her team. On this episode of Small But Mighty Agency:       ▪️What does it mean to build a counterculture business that isn’t centered around the primary purpose of profitability for the owner or the founder(s)?        ▪️How she uses a matrix of compensation to create a system for her team to have more freedom and flexibility      ▪️How she prioritizes quality work over the amount of time spent at work and how that inspires her team for excellence      ▪️One untraditional action in her hiring process that helps her find the right fit for her culture Kate Strathmann is a multi-disciplinary business owner and a rebellious spirit. She is the owner and director of Wanderwell, a consulting and bookkeeping practice that grows thriving small businesses while investigating new models for being in business. Wanderwell integrates financial expertise with an empathic, vision-forward approach, and leads with the belief that businesses can help create a more just world that centers people, community, and the environment.Show LinksWandererwell Consulting: https://wanderwellconsulting.com/ Wanderwell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_wanderwell_/ Kate Strathmann LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katestrath/This episode is brought to you by the FREE TEAM GROWTH ROADMAPWhat if you didn’t spend all day, every day, in the weeds of running your business? More flexibility. More freedom. Less overwhelm. You’d scale your business with more easeGain clarity on the strategic systems and leadership actions to create a self-managing team that can support your clients and frees up your time.My free Team Growth Roadmap will give you my C.O.M.P.A.S.S method to get you out of the weeds of running your business and help you build a small but mighty team that gives you more freedom and flexibility.Unlock the C.O.M.P.A.S.S Method right hereThanks for listening to the Small But Mighty Agency Podcast, if you enjoyed this episode please leave a review on iTunes or send a screenshot on Instagram while tagging me  @audreyjoykwan

Raising your rates?Andréa Jones is the CEO of Online Drea a social media marketing agency that brings in between $70K - $80K per month with high ticket retainers. But that wasn’t always the case.Listen to how Andréa transitioned from a $500 retainer service by leveling up her offer and then raising her retainers that now range between $2500 to $5000 per month. Join us in this episode of the Small But Mighty Agency to explore:      ▪️When is the right time to raise your rate?      ▪️How to raise your rates and communicate your new rates to legacy clients      ▪️Why losing clients isn’t a bad thing when growing a business      ▪️The marketing activities that tripled her revenue      ▪️When is the right time to create a course and membership when you have an agencyAndréa Jones has built an online business committed to empowering businesses to utilize the power of social media in a positive and impactful way, without being overwhelmed and drained by it. With over 7 years experience in the game, Andréa hosts the acclaimed podcast Savvy Social Podcast, leads a team providing done-for-you service inside of her marketing agency that was named a Top Digital Marketing Agency in 2021, and serves over 200 students in her membership Savvy Social School.Show LinksAndréa’s video on How To Organize Social Media Content using Airtable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fw9vCKj_DoWebsite: https://onlinedrea.com IG: https://instagram.com/onlinedreaFB: https://facebook.com/onlinedreaLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/onlinedreaThis episode is brought to you by the FREE TEAM GROWTH ROADMAPWhat if you didn’t spend all day, every day, in the weeds of running your business? More flexibility. More freedom. Less overwhelm. You’d scale your business with more easeGain clarity on the strategic systems and leadership actions to create a self-managing team that can support your clients and frees up your time.My free Team Growth Roadmap will give you my C.O.M.P.A.S.S method to get you out of the weeds of running your business and help you build a small but mighty team that gives you more freedom and flexibility.Unlock the C.O.M.P.A.S.S Method right hereThanks for listening to the Small But Mighty Agency Podcast, if you enjoyed this episode please leave a review on iTunes or send a screenshot on Instagram while tagging me  @audreyjoykwan

When you think of having a multiple seven-figure marketing agency, you might also think to reach this revenue marker; you need to serve many clients or have a big team.Think again. Rita Barry of Rita Barry & Co. has built a digital marketing agency that serves 15 clients with a team of 7 people and makes multiple seven figures. Rita keeps things simple by focusing on one core service. In this special episode, get an inside peek at: ▪️ How offering fewer services has led to more revenue and when to let go of a service offering.▪️ What people tend to misunderstand about marketing metrics ▪️ The marketing strategy that helped her build a multiple 7 figure agency ▪️ Prioritizing client revenue over agency revenue and how that has helped transform her business▪️ Mindset challenges to building a team that supports a 7-figure agency and how to overcome it ▪️ How to hire A+ players to her team Rita Barry is the CEO of Rita Barry & Co, a digital marketing agency that focuses on metrics and helps its clients take control of their numbers so that they can transform their marketing campaigns and drive more sales. Rita revels in nerdy data collection and interpretation, connecting with business owners whose missions she loves, and creating true value and growth through marketing. She lives with her husband, kids, and Boston Terrier, Zoey in the gorgeous Canadian Rockies, where she can literally climb a mountain any time she needs to getaway.Show LinksRita Barry & Co. Website: https://ritabarry.co/Rita Barry Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ritabarryco/ Rita Barry LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritabarry/This episode is brought to you by the FREE Strategic Connections RoundtableJoin the free Strategic Connections Roundtable where creatives, consultants and service-based business owners can meet new business connections without the awkwardness of traditional networking. It's a curated experience where the group fit is curated so that connections and conversations thrive.That means that every month, a strategic connections roundtable will bring together a group of service based business owners in similar stages of business who can benefit from knowing each other SO that you can▪️Make connections easier▪️Share what your business offers▪️Discover new resources▪️And have an opportunity to mastermind a challengeSave your free seat right hereThanks for listening to the Small But Mighty Agency Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on iTunes or send a screenshot on Instagram while tagging me  @audreyjoykwan

Have you hired somebody into your business before and felt burned because it didn’t work out? Michael did, and it cost him $60,ooo. In this episode, we explore the hiring and leadership insights gained from the costly mistake and how the mistake he made 6 years ago informs his approach to  hiring and building his team today.On this episode of Small But Mighty Agency: How to avoid making $60,000 in hiring mistakes The leadership skills that are necessary for team building Creating KPI’s to help team members see how their salary and role can grow with the company The necessity of creating additional time to train people and the payoff Rebounding from losing over $250,000 in four days in the covid pandemic Michael Tighe is the co-founder and managing director of SOLID, a creative design and marketing agency that launched in 2010. Mike has a long-standing success record in agencies, before co-founding SOLID he worked at Critical Mass, and started up his first design company before co-founding SOLID. Mike is now the leader of a team of 14 with 5 full-time staff and 11 contractors. His quotable, "People think you have to be this otherworldly strong person to start a business, to build a business, and that's not true, To me, what it really means is your ability to bend and not break."Show LinksSolid Website: https://asolidsite.com/ Michael Tighe Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miketighe/  Thanks for listening to the Small But Mighty Agency Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on iTunes or send a screenshot on Instagram while tagging me  @audreyjoykwan

If you’re a service-based solopreneur bumping up against capacity, what might feel scary but necessary is to de-prioritize business-building activities like marketing and visibility for business-stabilizing activities like systems, process improvements, and building your team. If onboarding two more clients in your business with the current structure you have now creates anxiety about servicing them with excellence, it's time to look at your operations and team. Karen Seymour was a solopreneur who started her digital marketing business four years ago. Over the past four years she’s gone from wondering how to get her next client to now bumping into a capacity challenge. This year, she’s deciding to put her clients first by focusing on business-stabilizing activities like systems, processes and team to better serve her current and future clients. On this episode of Small But Mighty Agency: What’s growing her business right nowHow to know it’s time to focus on streamlining operations and team What a team can really do for your businessWhat’s working on social media this yearWhy networking is more important than ever Karen Seymour is the Founder & Social Media Strategist at Karen J Seymour - Digital Marketing, LLC in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She started her business in 2017, after a 10-year career as a consultant and project manager.  Karen specializes in growing audiences and creating communities of loyal, raving fans and customers on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. When she’s not working, you can find Karen shopping online, brunching with friends, or spending time with her husband Geoff and 2 adorable fur babies, Roger and Eboni. Show LinksFacebook: @kjsmarketingInstagram: @kjs_marketing Email: hello@karenjseymour.comWebsite: https://www.karenjseymour.com/ This episode is brought to you by the FREE Strategic Connections RoundtableJoin the free Strategic Connections Roundtable where creatives, consultants, and service-based business owners can meet new business connections without the awkwardness of traditional networking. It's a curated experience where the group fit is curated so that connections and conversations thrive.That means that every month, a strategic connections roundtable will bring together a group of service based business owners in similar stages of business who can benefit from knowing each other SO that you canMake connections easierShare what your business offersDiscover new resourcesAnd have an opportunity to mastermind a challengeSave your free seat right hereThanks for listening to the Small But Mighty Agency Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on iTunes or send a screenshot on Instagram while tagging me  @audreyjoykwan

While partnership in a business isn’t for everyone, it has its benefits. Darian Kovacs started his agency from a storage closet in the start-up days and now has a thriving agency of 80 clients. Jelly Digital Marketing and PR who serves clients like La-Z-Boy and Splash Down Waterpark went from an agency of one owner -- Darian Kovacs -- and towards his vision of an agency owned by a team by bringing in business partner, Sarah Clark. In this special episode we speak with Darian and Sarah about what makes a partnership successful and we get an inside peak of the systems and processes that make running 80+ clients possible in their business. On this episode of Small But Mighty Agency: What makes partnership in an agency successfulWhat systems and processes make running 80+ clients possibleThe Standard Operating Procedure that is working for Jelly Digital Marketing and PR to help the team prioritize their workHow Jelly Digital Marketing and PR plan and track capacity so that budget and people are balancedWhy launching their own podcast isn’t the marketing strategy most people think it isShow LinksJelly Digital Marketing and PR (https://jellymarketing.ca/)Jelly Digital Marketing and PR (https://www.instagram.com/jellymarketing/)Marketing News Canada (https://marketingnewscanada.com/) You Are Special, Max Lucado (https://www.amazon.ca/You-Are-Special-Max-Lucado/dp/1581342195)This episode is brought to you by the FREE Strategic Connections RoundtableJoin the free Strategic Connections Roundtable where creatives, consultants and service-based business owners can meet new business connections without the awkwardness of traditional networking. It's a curated experience where the group fit is curated so that connections and conversations thrive.That means that every month, a strategic connections roundtable will bring together a group of service based business owners in similar stages of business who can benefit from knowing each other SO that you canMake connections easierShare what your business offersDiscover new resourcesAnd have an opportunity to mastermind a challengeSave your free seat right hereThanks for listening to the Small But Mighty Agency Podcast, if you enjoyed this episode please leave a review on iTunes or send a screenshot on Instagram while tagging me  @audreyjoykwan