Before you decide to take the leap and put that first employee on your agency's payroll, there are a few things you should think about.

In this episode, Patrick Rogan of Ignition HR talks with Chip Griffin of SAGA about pre-hiring considerations, as well as what you should be doing in terms of the paperwork and other administrivia associated with being an employer.

Patrick and Chip discuss where you can safely cut corners, but also where you need to make sure you cross all of your t's and dot all of your i's. They answer basic questions about the hiring process, including the difference between doing it yourself and using a PEO to handle some routine employment tasks for you.

In this episode, Marcel Petitpas of Parakeeto and Ken Jacobs of Jacobs Consulting & Executive Coaching join Chip Griffin of SAGA to talk about how agency leaders can adopt a transparent approach with their team.

The panel discusses the importance of sharing information, including financial data, with the full team to get the best results. At the same time, they stress the importance of education and context to help employees better understand the information that they are receiving.

Listen in as they share some of their personal experiences to help you learn what works and decide how you can put transparency to work for your own agency.

Kami Huyse of Zoetica Media and Brad Farris of Anchor Advisors join Chip Griffin of SAGA to talk about the year ahead and how agency owners can best prepare themselves.

It turns out that the trio covered a similar topic almost a year ago, so perhaps this is now an annual tradition!

During this episode, the panel explores how to set clear goals and handle uncertainty. They look at how agencies should be thinking about their own business development and marketing activities, as well as what the talent market is likely to look like in the months ahead.

In this episode of the Small Agency Talk Show, Lee McKnight, Jr. of RSW/US joins Chip Griffin of SAGA to discuss the problem with mass marketing your agency instead of taking a more focused approach.

The pair explore the reasons why agency owners often end up taking a more shotgun-style approach rather than wielding a scalpel to drive more efficient and effective business development.

You will hear some practical suggestions that you can begin to apply to your revenue growth activities for the new year, along with observations from the panel's decades of experience.

With New York City now mandating pay transparency for job listings, the agency community is taking a closer look at what transparency means and how transparent they should be with their teams -- whether or not it is required by law.

The conversation among agency leaders usually centers around how much they should share, but in this episode you hear from Marcel Petitpas of Parakeeto and Chip Griffin of SAGA about why it matters just as much how you share that information.

Educating your team about financial information and providing context helps to avoid incorrect assumptions, but it also puts them in a better position to provide the insights and assistance that will help you and the entire team achieve your goals.

Karen Swim of Solo PR Pro and Chip Griffin of SAGA discuss the shortage of available help for small agencies and solos alike.

It has perhaps never been more difficult to find employees or contractors -- and that creates both challenges and opportunities for small agencies and solos.

Karen and Chip explore how to be better prepared when the time comes to hire help, as well as what small agencies and solos can do to position themselves to provide help as a business growth strategy.

Gini Dietrich of Spin Sucks and Patrick Rogan of Ignition HR join Chip Griffin of SAGA to talk about how to hold on to your best employees -- especially in the age of the Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting.

The panel explores the importance of re-recruiting your own team, but also explains why you shouldn't fight to change an employee's mind who has decided to leave.

You will also hear how to communicate with the whole team when an employee does depart -- voluntarily or otherwise -- and why that has such an impact on curbing the domino effect that can occur when a top performer exits.

With the end of the year nearly upon us, Jody Sutter of The Sutter Company and Chip Griffin of SAGA discuss how agencies should go about planning for their 2023 business development efforts.

The conversation explores the actual planning process, including how to set meaningful goals. In addition, they look at the current environment and what that means for your own plans.

As you prepare your own strategic plans, this episode will give you some insight that you can use as you understand the questions that other agencies are asking.

In this episode of the Small Agency Talk Show, Marcel Petitpas of Parakeeto joins Chip Griffin of SAGA to talk about how agencies can adapt themselves to find the right set of solutions for their ideal clients.

Marcel shares some of his own journey with Parakeeto as an example of how to iterate on your ideas to test positioning and find the sweet spot for your agency.

It is a process that never ends because the market is ever-changing and your team is, too.

The more work you do to find the right fit, the more successful and profitable your agency can become.

Lee McKnight, Jr. of RSW/US joined Chip Griffin of SAGA on the latest Small Agency Talk Show to discuss his firm's latest research into the state of agency business development.

The annual survey revealed what is working -- and what isn't -- for agencies today, as well as how they perceive the current environment.

Chip and Lee explore the data along with the reasons behind some of the results. They also suggest ways that agencies can improve their own pipelines based on what they are observing.