Stop being the bottleneck in your agency. Start with the Scalable Agency Accelerator: https://nicheincontrol.com/services/scalable-agency-accelerator

Laura Williams almost closed InSync Media. Here is the structural turnaround that changed her mind.

After years of six-figure months, InSync Media lost its two biggest clients in a single quarter and spent nearly two years just breaking even. Laura had handed so much of the business to other people that she could not vouch for the work, and by 2025 she was ready to shut it down. The shift was not a new marketing channel. It was taking the business back.

In this conversation with Jesse Gilmore, Laura walks through the Three Selves work that finally gave her a vision for the future self she was building toward, and the becoming self doing the work in between. She talks through the hardest decision: letting go of a key hire of five years, then stepping into all of that work herself, terrified, and watching every account improve under her leadership. She rebuilt the broken processes, held the team to real accountability, and committed to LinkedIn outreach she hated, the same outreach that produced the connection that led to a speaking slot at the International Builders' Show and four new clients after a 15-month drought.

Revenue today is less than half of the agency's COVID-era peak, and the profit margin, near 25%, is the best it has ever been. Laura makes the case that fulfillment and profit beat a vanity revenue number, and that an agency is a reflection of the owner's whole life, health, relationships, and all.

If you are an agency owner quietly wondering whether it is worth keeping the doors open, this is the structural version of how someone answered that question.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 — Introduction

5:14 — The Three Selves Framework

17:03 — One Connection, Four New Clients

24:23 — Key Takeaways

LINKS:

InSync Media — https://insync.media

Laura Williams on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-williams-insync/

ABOUT LEVERAGE FOR GROWTH:

Leverage for Growth is the show for established marketing agency owners who are tired of being the bottleneck in their own business. Host Jesse Gilmore, founder of Niche in Control, sits down with agency founders who built leverage through systems, documentation, and a sharper offer, and turned founder dependency into a business that runs without them. Every episode is a documented transformation with specific numbers, not a motivation talk.

SUBSCRIBE for new episodes twice a month.

CONNECT:

Jesse Gilmore on LinkedIn — https://linkedin.com/in/jessepgilmore

Leverage for Growth — https://nicheincontrol.com/leverage-for-growth-podcast

Ready to scale your agency without it running through you? The Scalable Agency Accelerator is a 14-day program to build the operating leverage that frees you from the day-to-day: https://nicheincontrol.com/services/scalable-agency-accelerator

Robert Bradley set an 18-month profit goal and hit it in three. Here is the structural change that made it possible.

Robert's agency, Korus GTM, was built on cold outbound and designed for scale, the well-trodden path that a lot of agencies copy. It worked, but it left him disconnected from clients and working through nights and weekends, the opposite of why he started the business. The turning point was not more leads. It was leverage: rebuilding the offer around his RevOps and go-to-market engineering background, the work he had real depth in, and pricing it to the value it created.

In this conversation with Jesse Gilmore, Robert walks through how he mapped his core competencies to the problems mid-market buyers struggle with, reworked the offer using the Offer Triangle, and shifted his sales conversations from "we'll get you leads" to a strategic seat at the table with CROs and CMOs. That repositioning made him less replaceable, raised his retainers, and reduced churn. It also let him stay strategically involved with clients instead of pulling himself out entirely, the version of success that actually fit his life. The headline number: a 3X bottom-line gross profit target set for 18 months, reached in three, with his nights and weekends back.

If you run an agency that grew on a copied model and no longer fits you, this episode shows what changes when you build the offer around your strengths and the leverage underneath it.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 — Introduction

4:11 — Life Inside the Cold Outbound Model

8:45 — Mapping the Offer to Real Problems

16:26 — Takeaways for Agency Owners

LINKS:

Korus GTM — https://www.korusgtm.com/

Robert Bradley on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertbradleyai/

ABOUT LEVERAGE FOR GROWTH:

Leverage for Growth is the show for established marketing agency owners who are tired of being the bottleneck in their own business. Host Jesse Gilmore, founder of Niche in Control, sits down with agency founders who built leverage through systems, documentation, and a sharper offer, and turned founder dependency into a business that runs without them. Every episode is a documented transformation with specific numbers, not a motivation talk.

SUBSCRIBE for new episodes twice a month.

CONNECT:

Jesse Gilmore on LinkedIn — https://linkedin.com/in/jessepgilmore

Leverage for Growth — https://nicheincontrol.com/leverage-for-growth-podcast

Start building leverage into your agency with the Scalable Agency Accelerator: https://nicheincontrol.com/services/scalable-agency-accelerator

If you stopped working tomorrow, would your agency keep running? Leverage for Growth is the podcast for marketing agency owners who are done being the bottleneck in their own business.

Host Jesse P. Gilmore is the founder of Niche in Control and has coached over 500 agencies to step out of the day to day and build companies that run without them. His premise is simple and structural: founder dependency is the symptom, missing leverage is the cause. The problem is rarely how hard you work. It is that none of the work builds leverage.

Every episode walks through the exact methods agency owners use to build leverage and create freedom: charging what you are worth with systems that back up your value, documenting the processes trapped in your head, and stepping away from the business for a month and coming back to an agency that grew while you were gone. This is a systems-first show, diagnosis over motivation, with documented transformations and specific numbers on revenue, team size, and hours reclaimed.

The Leverage for Growth method is built on three pillars, each a different type of leverage: Scalable Agency (operating leverage, so operations scale without scaling your hours), Consistent Revenue (pricing and acquisition leverage, so income becomes predictable without you), and Empowered Team (people leverage, so your team runs whole parts of the company without routing everything through you).

If you have ever thought "I am the business" or "if I stop working, the business stops working," this show is built for you. Subscribe and start building the leverage that makes your agency founder-independent.

ABOUT LEVERAGE FOR GROWTH: Leverage for Growth is a podcast for established marketing agency owners who want to scale without scaling their hours. Hosted by Jesse Gilmore of Niche in Control, each episode breaks down how agency founders build leverage through systems, documentation, and structural change, with real transformation stories and the specific numbers behind them.

SUBSCRIBE for new episodes twice a month.

CONNECT: Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leverage-for-growth-podcast/id1670694709 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5324NQbv334J8G3PmG9uVA?si=e91050526ede401a Jesse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessepgilmore Show website: https://nicheincontrol.com/leverage-for-growth-podcast YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLR9twFUjg-_sO6s4SHVOVdlvuLLZO0t5A

Most podcasts don't fail because of audio quality. They fail because they didn't have what was needed to succeed in the first place.

In this episode of The Leverage for Growth Podcast, Jesse P. Gilmore sits down with Vince Quinn, co-founder of SBX Productions, to break down who podcasting actually works for, who it doesn't, and why so many business podcasts burn out fast. Vince shares his journey from corporate radio to building a podcast agency, the hard lessons learned from saying yes to the wrong clients, and why podcasting only works when there's a real business behind it.

This conversation is for:

• Agency owners

• Coaches and consultants

• B2B and service-based businesses

• Founders who already know how to sell but want smarter marketing leverage

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why most podcast advice leads to wasted time and burnout

• The difference between entertainment podcasts and business podcasts • How podcasting functions as a business system, not just content

• Why clarity in your offer determines podcast success

• When podcasting accelerates revenue and when it's a distraction

If you've ever wondered whether podcasting is worth your time, this episode will give you a clear answer.

In this episode of Leverage for Growth, Jesse P. Gilmore sits down with Eric Ritter, Founder and CEO of Digital Neighbor & Host of The Search Bar Podcast to break down the real skills agency owners need to scale—delegation, documentation, and operational discipline. Eric shares how he grew his digital marketing agency by moving from "saying yes to everything" to building repeatable processes, clear SOPs, scalable services, and a culture rooted in mission and values.

You'll learn why documenting your work isn't optional if you want to scale, how to stop being the bottleneck inside your agency, and why "AI is the new intern"—powerful, but not a substitute for strategy, brand voice, or leadership.

We dive into the evolving future of AI in digital marketing, the shift from execution to strategic partnership, and how agencies can thrive by systemizing workflows, tightening their positioning, and empowering their teams. Whether you're running a lean team or a growing agency, this episode gives you the frameworks to build a business that runs without your constant involvement.

In this episode of Leverage for Growth, Jesse Gilmore sits down with Sharon Toerek, Founder and CEO of Legal & Creative - Toerek Law, to uncover the legal blindspots most creative agencies ignore. You'll learn: ✅ The most common legal mistakes agencies make (and how to avoid them) ✅ What should (and shouldn't) be in your client contracts and freelancer agreements ✅ How to protect your creative IP in the age of AI and online brand dilution ✅ Why a strong trademark strategy can increase your agency's valuation ✅ How to future-proof your agency for partnerships, M&A, and scale

🎙️ In this episode of the Leverage for Growth Podcast, Jesse P. Gilmore sits down with Laura Szczes, founder of Double Z Media and host of the Paid Media Playbook. Laura shares how she left a 20+ year career in agency life to launch her own firm in early 2020 — right as the world shut down — and built a values-driven business that prioritizes work-life balance, culture, and results. Laura opens up about: ✅ What it was like to start an agency during the pandemic ✅ How she attracted her first clients and scaled sustainably ✅ Why building strong teams and culture is her #1 priority ✅ Common pitfalls in paid media — from attribution to measurement ✅ How podcasting became a powerful trust-building tool ✅ The truth about AI in marketing: where it helps, where it fails, and why human strategy still matters Whether you're an agency owner, marketing director, or entrepreneur navigating the fast-changing media landscape, this conversation is packed with insights on leadership, growth, and future-proofing your business.

Thinking about selling your agency? Don't make a move until you hear this.

In this episode of Leverage for Growth, Jesse Gilmore sits down with mergers and acquisitions veteran David Blois, founder of M&A Advisory, who brings 30+ years of experience helping agencies around the world navigate mergers and acquisitions.

You'll learn:

✅ The 3 must-haves every agency needs before selling

✅ What buyers are really looking for (and red flags to avoid)

✅ How to make your agency more sustainable and buyer-ready

✅ Real-world examples of deals that worked—and why

Whether you're planning to exit in 1 year or 5, this conversation will help you prepare, maximize value, and avoid costly mistakes.

🎯 Watch now to learn how to create an agency buyers want—and will pay for.

🎙️ In this episode of Leverage for Growth, Jesse Gilmore sits down with James Lincoln—founder of Goodly—to unpack the real metric that matters: freedom.

🚀 What started as a side hustle during James's MBA turned into a thriving agency doing $40K+ months. But what truly drove him wasn't money—it was the desire for time freedom, autonomy, and a business that supported the life he actually wanted.

👉 You'll hear how James:

Built an agency while balancing school, a job, and two kids

Delegated early by necessity, not luxury Learned to trade revenue for life ownership

Built global teams without sacrificing quality

Accidentally scaled into something sustainable—and freeing

💡 Whether you're stuck in the grind or scaling with intention, this episode will shift how you think about success, ownership, and the role your business plays in your life.

🎧 Hit play and discover why freedom might be the most important KPI you're not tracking.

What does it take to transform a legacy agency into a modern growth engine? In this episode of Leverage for Growth, Jesse Gilmore sits down with Chad Bauer, CEO of one of Baltimore's oldest advertising firms, SR&B Advertising, to unpack how he transitioned from inheriting a 60-year-old agency to leading it into a new era of innovation, culture, and brand-driven growth. Chad shares hard-won lessons on leadership—like learning to delegate, saying no to protect your vision, and why overthinking can slow you down. He also breaks down the shift from performance marketing to true brand building, and what it means to create a team that feels empowered to contribute. If you're scaling an agency, navigating a family business, or wrestling with letting go of the day-to-day, this conversation is packed with insight. 🔹 Legacy vs. reinvention 🔹 Delegation and the power of trust 🔹 Brand depth over performance noise 🔹 Communicating vision that drives culture 🔹 Building a destination workplace