Agency Lessons | Interviews with Founders, Owners, and Operators about Growth and Operations

00:00:00 - Introduction to today's key topics: Balancing Agency and Software Development, Exploring AI Opportunities, Global Hiring Strategies, Maintaining Remote Team Culture, Using CRM for Growth.

00:02:30 - Discussion on balancing agency work with software development. Key challenges and strategies to overcome them.

00:10:15 - Exploration of AI opportunities. Understanding the potential of AI in transforming businesses and industries.

00:19:45 - Deep dive into global hiring strategies. How to find and attract the best talents around the world.

00:29:30 - Maintaining a positive and productive culture in remote teams. Strategies for managing and motivating a dispersed workforce.

00:40:00 - The role of CRM in business growth. How to leverage CRM tools for enhancing customer relationships and driving growth.

* My Twitter

* Andre Haykal on Twitter

00:02:15 - Agency Offers Evolution Explained
00:07:45 - The Role of Incentive Alignment in Success
00:13:30 - Proven Strategies for Effective Hiring
00:18:50 - Journey of Building a Successful SaaS
00:24:20 - Power of Personal Brand in Business
00:29:55 - Boosting Operations Using Typeforms
00:35:10 - Overcoming Challenges in SaaS Development
00:40:40 - Striking Balance: Brand and Product
00:45:30 - Ensuring Effective Team Communication
00:51:00 - Predicting Future SaaS Platform Trends

00:00:00 - Andrew Pierno talks about his career in venture-backed companies and how he started his cold email agency, Cold Email Studio.
00:02:45 - Andrew Pierno discusses the challenges and lessons learned from running a cold email agency and the importance of finding the right market, message, and timing.
00:05:34 - Andrew Pierno shares insights on how his agency evolved by focusing on content marketing and thought leadership to attract ideal customers.
00:08:27 - Andrew Pierno talks about the challenges faced by agencies in terms of profit margins and how they shifted their focus to increase profitability.
00:11:07 - Andrew Pierno talks about the process of acquiring and turning around businesses, emphasizing the importance of buying businesses with growth potential and a working channel.
00:17:38 - Andrew Pierno discusses the factors that make a business attractive for acquisition, including product, customers, and channels, and the reasons why some people choose to sell their businesses.
00:20:11 - Andrew Pierno shares his approach to finding and evaluating businesses for acquisition, including direct outreach, online marketplaces, and inbound leads.
00:25:25 - Andrew Pierno highlights the importance of timing and exhaustion as reasons why people sell their businesses, and the challenges of competing with other buyers on online marketplaces.
00:28:49 - Andrew Pierno talks about the value of his online presence and audience in raising outside capital and differentiating his agency in the acquisition space.

- Tibo's Twitter

- Tweet Hunter

The nomad lifestyle (00:00:00) Discussion about the pros and cons of working as a nomad and the preference for having a dedicated workspace.

Starting the podcast conversation (00:00:24) Small talk about their current locations (Paris and Denmark) and setting the casual tone for the conversation.

Past startup experiences (00:02:17) Conversation about previous startup ventures, the mistakes made, and the dreams of building a successful company.

The evolution of Tweet Hunter (00:11:08) The speakers discuss the initial idea behind Tweet Hunter, its main features, and how it has evolved into a scheduling tool.

Challenges in building a scheduling tool (00:13:20) The speakers talk about the initial fear of building a scheduling tool and the challenges associated with it, including the risk of messing up and the need for strict accuracy.

Changes in Twitter's algorithm (00:17:27) The speakers discuss recent changes in Twitter's algorithm, including smaller initial sample sizes, the focus on engagement, and the optimization for mainstream content. They also express concerns about the loss of the core community and the preference for video content on platforms like TikTok.

The Twitter Community (00:22:18) Discussion about the decline of the Twitter community and the search for a replacement platform.

LinkedIn as a Business Tool (00:23:01) The value of LinkedIn for building a business audience and concerns about Twitter's changes and potential account loss.

Tweet Hunter's Success (00:25:29) Factors contributing to the success of Tweet Hunter, including being early in the market, AI advancements, and consistent presence on Twitter.

- Sam's website

- Sam's agency