Episode 23 | Christi Loucks with guest, Karl Hughes

In this episode of Bought the Biz, Christi Loucks interviews Karl Hughes, founder of Draft.dev and owner of The Podcast Consultants. Karl explains why he prefers the "buy vs. build" strategy, choosing to acquire his podcasting company to skip years of startup grind and instantly gain 80 client relationships. He also shares why "asset-light" digital agencies can become powerful, scalable businesses when built on strong systems and processes.

They also discuss the tough realities of ownership, including major client churn after an acquisition and the mindset shift required to handle hard decisions. The episode closes with a look at AI, as Karl argues that specialized agencies can use it to boost margins while helping large, risk-averse corporations innovate safely.