Build a Better Agency Podcast

Caitlin Studdy, agency owner and automation enthusiast who founded South Street and Company, walks through how she built 500+ automations to cut repetitive work. She explains starting small with Zapier, spotting daily tasks to automate, and using AI for hiring and content workflows. Practical tool tips and real-world automation examples keep it actionable and inspiring.

Kevin Sanderson, virtual event specialist who has produced 30+ online summits, explains summit formats and why they still draw audiences. He covers speaker selection, promotion tactics that actually work, and practical operations and tech choices. Kevin also outlines monetization options, VIP upgrades, pricing tests, and common mistakes to avoid.

Yoni Kozminski, CEO and co-founder of Escala who builds agency maturity frameworks, explains how agencies become dependent on their founders. He outlines a 1–5 maturity scale and the Build-Manage-Execute index. He describes a three-phase approach: assess, design, and systemize processes and knowledge. Practical topics include SOPs, onboarding, dashboards, and reducing owner mental load.

A seasoned agency leader maps five big opportunities born from AI, consolidation, trust shifts, and hiring changes. He highlights why niche, founder-led shops can thrive as clients rethink in-house teams and discovery methods. Practical plays cover becoming strategic advisors, monetizing AI around outcomes, specializing to get found, capturing unwound budgets, and building sellable businesses.

Emily Thompson, marketing manager at CoSchedule who led the AI Impact 2026 study, shares findings from a 900‑respondent look at AI in marketing. She highlights surprising optimism about AI despite declining channel ROI. Conversation covers how marketers use AI now, why owned channels are suffering, and where agencies can step in to guide strategy and prompt design.

John Hall, entrepreneur and founder of Influencing Co., now invests in AI-focused service and tech firms. He talks about generative AI for visibility and high-converting leads. He outlines how agencies can package AI visibility services. He also explores niche, analog innovations, the power of industry communities, and using first-party data and financing as growth levers.

Stephen Boehler, co-founder of Mercer Island Group and agency search expert, and Robin Boehler, agency and search consultant, share their client-focused playbook. They stress making everything about the prospect, standing out with clear positioning, being selective about pursuits, and preparing teams to present confidently. They also touch on how AI raises the value of strategy and why being findable and memorable matters.

Kat Duncan, a talent acquisition pro with 20+ years helping agencies hire, shares fresh takes on modern recruiting. She contrasts talent acquisition with HR and calls recruiting a people-first sales craft. Short timelines, respectful candidate communication, systemized hiring, and hiring for potential over pedigree are highlighted in lively, practical conversation.

Discussion of how buyers research and choose agencies long before pitches happen. Examination of data showing early vendor preference and the rise of trust brokers. Focus on building visible authority, social proof, and machine-readable positioning. Practical homework exercises for auditing discoverability, revamping case studies, and running a 90-day authority sprint.

Julian Goldie, an agency owner and AI/SEO specialist who reinvented his SEO business with automation. He recounts his ChatGPT-driven pivot. Topics include auditing tasks to find high-impact automations, picking and simplifying an AI tool stack, practical QA and human-in-the-loop safeguards, and using AI to multiply content, cut costs, and create new revenue streams.