Small But Mighty Agency: How to Grow Your Agency

What if I told you that your expertise can get in the way of growing your business? 

It sounds counterintuitive, but it's a real barrier. 

The phenomenon is called the curse of the expert. It can play out in different ways on your journey from being a solo service-based business owner to an agency owner. 

But wait, isn't being an expert advantageous? When that expertise becomes a barrier to training your team or scaling your business, it's more of a curse than a blessing.

In this episode, I share how your expertise becomes a barrier to scaling your business and how you can overcome the 'curse.'

Show Links

Audrey Joy Kwan 

Stuck in the “it’s easier to do it myself” cycle? 

We’ve all been there. Get access to a free private audio event, all about breaking free from being the bottleneck in your business. 

If you’re a consulting, marketing or creative agency owner, this thoughtfully curated line-up is for you. 

Featuring 5 business leaders – you won’t find this line-up anywhere else – who have gone through different seasons when “just delegate” isn’t enough. 

Join me on the inside of this private audio event 👉Breakfree from Being the Bottleneck

Hey thank for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one. 

Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast-ep73

Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

Are you protecting your time effectively?

Last month, I found myself in the emergency room of a hospital, and it got me thinking about the parallels between better boundaries in an emergency room and in a business. 

Not every challenge in a business, just like not every trip to the ER, is a life or death situation. The right boundaries help you prioritize what truly matters and let go of being the bottleneck.

In this episode, I share how to set better boundaries so you can serve your clients better and guard your time to grow your business. 

Show Links

Breakfree from Being the Bottleneck

Stuck in the “it’s easier to do it myself” cycle? 

We’ve all been there. Get access to a free private audio event, all about breaking free from being the bottleneck in your business. 

If you’re a consulting, marketing or creative agency owner, this thoughtfully curated line-up is for you. 

Featuring 5 business leaders – you won’t find this line-up anywhere else – who have gone through different seasons when “just delegate” isn’t enough. 

Join me on the inside of this private audio event 👉Breakfree from Being the Bottleneck

Hey thank for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one. 

Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast-ep72

Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

How do you transform processes into profits? 

If you want a higher ticket offering in your service-based business, tune in.  You’re listening to the last episode of a series to help you break down a strategic system in your business called your intellectual property so that you can build a profitable business without burning out. 

Intellectual property drives results and helps your team deliver for your clients in your service-based business, and it’s a powerful tool for marketing and positioning when packaged and presented effectively. 

By leaning into this strategic system, you can reduce what feels like heavy lifting in your business. 

So tune in as I plug into transforming your processes into profits. 

Show Links:
Part 1: Ep 67: How can intellectual property transform your service-based business?

Part 2: Ep 68: Leverage these two foundations to break free from being a bottleneck

Part 3: Ep 69: How to avoid a major trap that keeps you stuck as the bottleneck in your business

Part 4: Ep 70: Creating more revenue-generating opportunities with a strategic service delivery structure


Hey thank for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one.

Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast-ep71


Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

Are you ready to discover what can separate your service offerings from the pack?  

We're digging into the art of crafting a repeatable structure for your service delivery and what makes it possible to transfer your knowledge to others. 

In this episode, strategic service delivery structure isn’t just about the mechanics of intellectual property.

There’s more. 

Understand how it's about making your mark and creating a legacy that stands the test of time.

Let me explain in this week's episode. 

_______

This episode is part four of our series on finding and developing intellectual property (IP) in your service business.

Whether you want to enhance your competitive edge, create processes that liberate you from the nitty-gritty or craft a magnetic marketing presence, this series shows you the power of IP to make it happen. 

Show Links

Delivery System Blueprint

Part 1: Ep 67: How can intellectual property transform your service-based business?

Part 2: Ep 68: Leverage these two foundations to break free from being a bottleneck

Part 3: Ep 69: How to avoid a major trap that keeps you stuck as the bottleneck in your business

You have a lot on your plate as a marketer, consultant or creative business owner.

You want to grow your business but are bogged down with busy work that doesn't move the needle. 

I know because I help six and seven-figure service-based business owners (120 and counting) who are at capacity get out of being stuck in client delivery to scale. 

Having a clear delivery system that works for a lean team can help you break free from this cycle.

Get your hands on our Delivery System Blueprint to help you step out of the busy work and into more of what you love. Download the FREE BLUEPRINT

Hey thank for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one. 

Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast-ep70

Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

Do you know how to steer clear of the A to Z thinking trap?"

It’s a major pitfall that keeps service-based business owners trapped as the bottleneck of their business. 

In this episode, we’ll give you step-by-step actions to avoid the trap or, if you're in it, how to get out - so you can grow your business and do it with a lean team. 

Show Links

Part 1:  Ep 67: How can intellectual property transform your service-based business?
Part 2: Ep 68: Leverage these two foundations to break free from being a bottleneck

You have a lot on your plate as a marketer, consultant or creative business owner.

You want to grow your business but are bogged down with busy work that doesn't move the needle. 

I know because I help six and seven-figure service-based business owners (120 and counting) who are at capacity get out of being stuck in client delivery to scale. 

Having a clear delivery system that works for a lean team can help you break free from this cycle.

Get your hands on our Delivery System Blueprint to help you step out of the busy work and into more of what you love. Download the FREE BLUEPRINT 

Hey thank for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one.

Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast-ep69

Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

Are you looking to take your business to the next level without becoming the bottleneck? If that sounds like you, tune in. 

In this series, I'm bringing you short, power-packed episodes that reveal valuable insights on developing your money-making intellectual property so you can grow a business without being the bottleneck. 

Today, we're diving into part two of the series, where I'll be sharing two foundational elements that make intellectual property development easier for consultants, marketers, and creatives. 

Plus, you'll get to hear how these foundations transformed a solopreneur's consulting business, allowing her to step away from client delivery. 

Exciting stuff, right? I couldn’t agree more! Tune in today. 

Show Links

Part 1:  How can intellectual property transform your service-based business?

Hey thank for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one. 

Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast-ep68

Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

Have you ever wondered how to find and develop your money-making intellectual property in your service-based business? 

Maybe you think you don’t have intellectual property, or you find yourself doing the work in your business but struggling to unlock the method to your expertise. 

In this five-part series on the podcast, we’re deep diving into how to find and develop your money-making intellectual property.

In this series, we're going to hit three goals: 

1. Identify foundations that make developing intellectual property easier
2. Find "hard-to-see” intellectual property already in your business
3. Discover how to structure your service delivery system for intellectual property

Today’s episode is part one. I’ll help you set the stage and say “yes” to embracing the IP (Intellectual Property) in your service business and share why starting now is ideal.

“Less is More” is how you scale a service-based business

How do I know this? I can 100% relate to where you are now.  You feel like you’re wearing too many hats and can’t do it all… 

I know that if you create a complex business that makes you feel trapped, you will never want to grow your business. You’ll do little (or big!)  things to self-sabotage growth because you don’t want to scale overwhelm; nobody does. 

I’ve been there.

I learned this lesson as the second in command of an agency. I could not turn off my brain and relax because I would worry about what was and wasn’t being done. 

 It wasn’t until I looked at the business from a productized service perspective. It gave us more bandwidth to double the revenue and sell and exit the business.  

Since then, I’ve been behind the scenes of six and seven-figure service-based businesses, helping agency owners who are at capacity get out of being stuck in service delivery to scale. 

It all starts by looking through the lens of a productized service. Download the FREE productize your service roadmap: https://audreyjoykwan.com/roadmap

Hey thank for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one. 

Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast-ep67

Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

What is the messy middle?

The messy middle is the transformation phase, where you get out of client delivery and grow your business with a lean team.  

If you’re a marketer, consultant or creative who turned your skill and expertise into a service-based business, odds are you started your business for more opportunities and freedom.

As you scale your business from just you to three, five or twenty, you unknowingly (or knowingly) hold onto freelancer and solopreneur habits that no longer serve your direction, and you end up overwhelmed. 

Welcome to the messy middle. Now what?

If you think about it differently, the messy middle is a milestone because only some get to this transformation phase. 

To get through the messy middle, it's time to remove the freelancer or solopreneur hat and put on the agency owner hat. 

Tune in as we share the common habits that keep you stuck in the messy middle and how to navigate through this phase and come out stronger. 

Show Links

Delivery system blueprint

Hey thank for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one. 

Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast-ep66

Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

How can agency owners leverage financial forecasting and modelling to better inform strategic planning and drive growth? 

Lean in as we talk to an agency owner whose secret to scaling from seven to eight figures is mastering financial forecasting. 

You might be at the stage of business where you’re doing this with minimal support, or you might have a fractional or even full-time Chief Financial Officer.  

Either way, this episode will get your gears turning on how to improve decision-making and allocate resources more effectively.

Show Links
Website: https://ramsayinnovations.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonmorrisramsayinnovations/

“Less is More” is how you scale a service-based business

How do I know this? I can 100% relate to where you are now.  You feel like you’re wearing too many hats and can’t do it all… 

I know that if you create a complex business that makes you feel trapped, you will never want to grow your business. You’ll do little (or big!)  things to self-sabotage growth because you don’t want to scale overwhelm; nobody does. 

I’ve been there.

I learned this lesson as the second in command of an agency. I could not turn off my brain and relax because I would worry about what was and wasn’t being done. 

 It wasn’t until I looked at the business from a productized service perspective. It gave us more bandwidth to double the revenue and sell and exit the business.  

Since then, I’ve been behind the scenes of six and seven-figure service-based businesses, helping agency owners who are at capacity get out of being stuck in service delivery to scale. 

It all starts by looking through the lens of a productized service. Download the FREE productize your service roadmap: https://audreyjoykwan.com/roadmap

Hey thank for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one. 

Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast-ep65

Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis

Are you scaling chaos in your service-based business? 

If you started your business as a marketer, consultant or creative and have grown from a solopreneur to having a team, you may have some solopreneur habits holding you back.

And if you've been following my journey, you already know that structure, roles, and processes are the secret sauce for keeping chaos at bay. 

But here's the twist: that's just one side of the story. 

As you transition from solopreneur to CEO, you need a whole new set of skills in your arsenal. 

In this episode, we share the solopreneur habits that might hold you back and the top three skills needed to go from solopreneur to CEO while reclaiming your time. 

Show Links

Ep. 60: Is The Agency Model The Best Path For You? audreyjoykwan.com/podcast-ep60/
Ep. 50: 5 Pillars of a Productized Service That Help You Grow (even if you’re at capacity) audreyjoykwan.com/podcast-ep50/

Hey thank for hanging out with me at the Small But Mighty Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode it would mean the world to me if you hit the follow or subscribe button in your podcast app and share it with a friend. And I’ll see you on the next one

Get the full show notes and more information here: https://audreyjoykwan.com/podcast-ep64

Podcast Edits by Lindsay Curtis