Agency Growth Club

Are you hiring for senior Search Market talent? Let's chat: https://www.searchforhire.com/contact/ Joe Hale started Verde with no clients, no safety net, and no reputation in the market. Three years later, he's working with some of the most coveted fashion and sportswear brands in the world, and most of them came to him.In this episode of the Agency Growth Club, Joe breaks down exactly how Verde built a client list that agency owners dream about: the niche decision that changed everything, why LinkedIn became their most important growth channel, and the hiring philosophy that separates agencies that scale from ones that stall.What we cover:- How Joe landed his first client from scratch, and won an award for it- The two questions he asked himself before niching down- Why Verde only works with brands they genuinely care about- How big logos attract bigger logos (and how to accelerate that)- The Nike-inspired testimonial strategy that's spreading across agencies- Why Joe weights behaviour over technical skills in every senior hire- The honest truth about AI search, and why he doesn't believe anyone who says they've cracked it

Ashley Liddell began as a bin man, and now? He's built a 7-figure SEO agency from scratch. The story of how he got there will make you question everything you think you know about what it takes to succeed in this industry.This is the story of a man who bet everything on an idea, got fired for refusing to give it up, and used his termination package to fund the first 6 months of his agency.In this episode of the Agency Growth Club, I sat down with Ashley Liddell, co-founder of Deviation, creator of the Search Everywhere framework, and one of the most unconventional success stories in SEO, to break down exactly how he did it.We're covering→ How Ashley landed a job at Rise at Seven by bidding in Google Ads→ Why he trademarked "Search Everywhere"→ The 3 case studies that unlocked 7-figure growth (2 of them were free)→ How Deviation scaled to 11 people and £1M+ revenue → The co-founder framework Ashley and Sam use to make hard decisions→ Why thought leadership is still the highest-ROI growth channel → Ashley's post-exit goal: CMO of Adidas, Man United, WWE, or Stone Island

Chris Dreyer built Rankings.io into the benchmark of legal SEO agencies in the United States. Then he bought one.In this episode, I brought Chris back to the podcast to get the full story on the Gladiator acquisition, what triggered it, how they ran due diligence, what almost derailed the deal, and the one thing that matters more than every financial metric combined.If you're thinking about growing through acquisition, or just want to understand what elite agency operators think about scaling, this is required listening.

If your team are hiring for Search Marketing talent, visit https://www.searchforhire.com/.

Tom Jauncey, founder of Nautilus Digital, built a 27-person remote agency without locking a single client into a long-term contract. In this episode, he gets brutally honest about the hiring mistakes that cost him most, and the mindset shift that changed everything.

👔 Hiring leadership talent for your agency? Visit www.seoforhire.co AI is automating execution faster than most agencies expected.But according to Jonathan Dane, Founder and CEO of Klientboost, that’s not the real threat.In this episode, we break down what’s actually changing inside agencies as AI, automation, and software margins become the norm and why most agencies are struggling to defend their value.We cover:- Why “performance marketing” is no longer a differentiator- What agencies need to offer after automation- How guarantees change sales conversations- Why speed is a retention strategy- The systems that break as agencies scale- How content, culture, and hiring compound togetherIf you’re an agency owner trying to grow, protect margins, or future-proof your team in 2026, this conversation will challenge how you think about value, positioning, and accountability.Find Jonathan on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnathandane/ 📱 Connect With Me:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshpeacock-seoforhire/

Most agency growth advice sounds clean on LinkedIn.Reality is messier.In this episode, Jules Davies, Founder of Scalerrs, breaks down exactly how he scaled from zero to $2M ARR in a short sprint, what failed along the way, and the systems he’s building now to sustain it.We cover:• How they hit $1M, then $2M just months later• Why “ship fast” became a non-negotiable operating principle• What actually breaks when you grow this quickly (spoiler: everything)• Why Jules stopped paying himself early to stay one hire ahead• How fixing churn unlocked the next growth phase• His hiring philosophy (mindset vs skill, red flags, green flags)If you’re an agency owner, founder, or operator trying to grow past your current ceiling, this is a raw, practical look at what it really takes to scale.No hype. No playbooks. Just lessons from the trenches.
📱 Follow Jules on:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jules-davies/📱 Connect With Me:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshpeacock-seoforhire/

👔 Recruiting for your agency? www.seoforhire.co Solo consulting works until life gets in the way.Kevin Kapezi, Founder of Growthack, shares the moment he realised he couldn’t be the bottleneck anymore, how he built a small elite team, and why delegation, alignment, and positioning matter more than perfection.A must-listen for freelancers and agency owners thinking about their next stage of growth.We talk about:- The solo consultant trap no one warns you about- Why bad hires cost more than money- Letting go of being the “source of knowledge”- How content and personal brand quietly open big doors- Losing a major deal and the positioning lesson it exposed- If you are a freelancer, solo consultant, or agency owner thinking about building a team, this episode will hit close to home.👉 Salary Guide: https://www.salaryguide.com👉 SEO Recruitment Agency: https://www.seoforhire.co/👉 Are You An Agency Owner? Get access to all our free systems, frameworks and resources - https://www.seoforhire.co/hiring-os-gpt/ 📱 Connect With Me:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshpeacock-seoforhire/Find Kevin Kapezi on:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinkapezi/Time Stamps ⏰0:00 Why solo consulting breaks0:52 Meet Kevin (GrowthHack)2:07 From solo to mini agency2:43 The turning point (life + delivery collision)4:58 Delegation and building trust6:04 SOPs that speed up handover8:26 Hiring for alignment + coachability10:39 Team runs meetings without you12:26 Bad hire lessons + orange flags17:35 Thinking bigger with a team18:06 Server-side tracking example19:42 Content + personal brand wins20:39 Sponsor break22:28 Personal brand brings inbound leads26:43 Why YouTube is the leverage play28:55 Losing a pitch: positioning matters30:29 AI as the new checkbox36:53 2026 goals: Beyond SEO38:19 Where to find Kevin

👔 Recruiting for your agency? www.seoforhire.co 👉 Salary Guide: https://www.salaryguide.com👉 SEO Recruitment Agency: https://www.seoforhire.co/👉 Are You An Agency Owner? Get access to all our free systems, frameworks and resources - https://www.seoforhire.co/hiring-os-gpt/ Mary-Anne Da'Marzo, founder of Firebelly AI, breaks down how she used a custom GPT and her BRAIN framework to create a LinkedIn post that hit 9 million views, without sounding generic or “obviously AI.”In this episode of Agency Growth Club, we unpack how to codify your marketing into repeatable frameworks so AI can execute to your standard, not average internet mush. We also cover practical workflows and tools for SOPs, voice to text, content repurposing, onboarding, and staying visible as search shifts toward AI Overviews and LLMs.What you’ll learn- How Maryanne built a GPT that actually sounds like her- The BRAIN system: Brand assets, Request frameworks, AI instructions, Interaction directives, Next level examples- How to choose topics with momentum using BuzzSumo- Tools and workflows: Whisper Flow, ChatGPT Voice Mode, NotebookLM, Fathom, Zapier and Asana- GEO basics: why consistent naming and brand phrasing matters across the web- When to automate vs keep human QA, especially with “vibe coded” builds- How to build a personal brand without bottlenecking your agencyTools mentioned:BuzzSumo, Guide (GUI D), Whisper Flow, ChatGPT Voice Mode, NotebookLM, Fathom AI, Zapier, Asana📱 Connect With Me:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshpeacock-seoforhire/Find Mary-Anne on:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryanne-damarzo/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryannedamarzo.life/?hl=enTimestamps00:00 Intro and why Mary Anne’s content stands out00:40 The 9M LinkedIn impressions post and the custom GPT workflow01:17 Why “act like an expert” prompting fails and how Mary Anne fixed it02:10 Turning 6 years of content into repeatable frameworks03:29 Building a GPT that actually sounds like you04:44 Using BuzzSumo to pick topics that are already spiking05:21 What BRAIN stands for06:43 Why frameworks beat “prompting skill” alone07:03 B: Brand assets: vision, values, tone of voice, avatars, product messaging08:44 R: Request frameworks: SOPs for outputs like scripts, SEO copy, ads, pages08:54 A: AI instructions: how the system references the BRAIN docs09:08 I: Interaction directives: prompt sequencing and self scoring rubric10:11 N: Next level examples: feeding winners back into the system10:48 “This sounds like a 3 month project” and how to start smaller12:45 Tool tip: Guide (GUI D) to auto-create SOPs from your clicks13:43 Favorite AI use cases right now13:55 Whisper Flow for voice to text and cleaner writing14:46 ChatGPT Voice Mode in the car for strategies and rapid ideation16:14 Using voice mode for planning and even writing a book17:34 NotebookLM workflows (book creation, fact checking, onboarding podcasts)21:34 Fathom AI note taker plus Zapier to Asana for auto action items23:36 Why most people use AI wrong on LinkedIn and how to stand out24:14 Document vs create, and why lived experience beats generic AI posts25:47 GEO and AI Overviews: how to show up in LLM results27:03 Consistent naming across PR, SEO, social, and the whole internet28:06 Rand Fishkin approach to consistent bios and brand phrasing29:21 Warning: GEO snake oil tools and what to audit30:44 “SEO is not dead” and what matters more now (About page, clarity)33:35 Rebrands: do you need to update everything across the web?34:22 Vibe coding, automation, and when to keep humans in the loop36:42 Personal brand vs scaling the agency without you38:47 Where to find Mary Anne

Agencies Must Avoid This $260K MISTAKE 👉 Book a call here with my SEO recruitment agency - https://www.seoforhire.co/Tony Lael owns four digital agencies across the U.S., and his goal is ten.In this episode of Agency Growth Club, he shares how he builds profitable teams, applies the Profit First model to every agency he joins, and what a $260,000 hiring mistake taught him about leadership and culture.You’ll learn:

• How Profit First exposes hidden expenses and forces better decisions
• Why agency owners must “slow down to speed up” to scale past $1M
• How to define culture so it drives hiring and client fit
• The stagecoach analogy that redefines true leadership
• What Tony looks for when partnering with agencies ready to grow

🔗 Connect with Tony: consultingaponus.comLinkedin:   / tonylael   👔 Recruiting for your agency? www.seoforhire.co 👉 Salary Guide: https://www.salaryguide.com👉 SEO Recruitment Agency: https://www.seoforhire.co/👉 Are You An Agency Owner? Get access to all our free systems, frameworks and resources - https://www.seoforhire.co/hiring-os-gpt/ 📱 Connect With Me:  / joshpeacock-seoforhire  

How This Agency Owner Added $600k ARR in JUST 90 Days 👉 Book a call here with my SEO recruitment agency - https://www.seoforhire.co/ What happens when you niche down hard, hire real A-players, and get the founder out of the way? Andrew Paluso breaks down how his agency added $600k ARR in 90 days, why thinking big is not table stakes, and how a CEO + COO pairing unlocked scale.In this episode:

• The positioning shift that created true product market fit
• Why most candidates arrive underprepared and how A-players stand out
• The $15k executive search decision and what it revealed
• Moving the founder to adviser to remove bottlenecks
• Building a culture that attracts top talent
• Revenue goals, ICP clarity, and saying no to distractions

🔗 Connect with Andrew Peluso:   / andrewpeluso  Website: https://pestymarketing.com/ 👔 Recruiting for your agency? www.seoforhire.co 👉 Salary Guide: https://www.salaryguide.com👉 SEO Recruitment Agency: https://www.seoforhire.co/👉 Are You An Agency Owner? Get access to all our free systems, frameworks and resources - https://www.seoforhire.co/hiring-os-gpt/ 📱 Connect With Me:  / joshpeacock-seoforhire