Making the leap from a stable full-time job to starting your own marketing agency sounds like the ultimate dream – being your own boss, setting your own rates, choosing your clients. But here's what most people don't talk about: the transition is brutal, and agency life is nothing like having a job. The sleepless nights wondering if you'll make payroll, the feast-or-famine cycle that becomes your new normal, the crushing weight of being responsible for everything from client delivery to keeping the lights on. One day, you're celebrating landing a dream client, the next you're dealing with scope creep that's eating your profit margins alive. The mental shift from employee to entrepreneur isn't just challenging – it's a complete rewiring of how you think about work, money, and success.

Today's guest knows this reality all too well. Jeff Tormey is the founder of SEO Guru Atlanta, LLC and Bariatric Audience, where he's built a thriving digital marketing agency specializing in SEO and lead generation for the bariatric surgery industry. But his journey to agency ownership wasn't the smooth success story you might expect. Jeff made the bold decision to leave his secure full-time position to strike out on his own, and he's here to share the unfiltered truth about what that transition really looks like – the good, the bad, and everything they don't tell you in the entrepreneurship books.

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Jeff Tormey about:

⭐ The Financial Reality Check - Understanding the true financial implications of leaving steady employment, including the feast-or-famine cycle and how to prepare for income uncertainty.

⭐ The Mental Game of Agency Ownership - Strategies for managing the psychological shift from employee to entrepreneur and dealing with the isolation and pressure that comes with being responsible for everything.

⭐ Building Systems vs. Creating a Job - Practical approaches to structuring your agency from day one to ensure you're building a scalable business rather than just an expensive position for yourself.

Learn more about Jeff Tormey

Connect with Jeff Tormey on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

SEO Guru Atlanta, LLC

Bariatric Audience

Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Andrew Davis

Monday

Teamwork

Teams

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution. Follow Agorapulse on LinkedIn.

Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, Chief Storyteller at Agorapulse. If you’re interested in being featured on an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike.

Many agency owners find themselves trapped in a single industry niche, constantly fighting for the same clients and struggling to break through growth plateaus. You've developed expertise in one vertical, but the market is getting saturated, competition is driving down prices, and you're vulnerable to industry-specific downturns. What if expanding into multiple industries could be the key to sustainable growth? Is diversification the answer to building a more resilient agency, or will it just dilute your focus and reputation?

Today, we're joined by David Neff, founder and president of Neff, an award-winning full-service advertising and public relations agency. With over 35 years of experience, David has transformed his agency from a local player into a regional and national powerhouse serving the real estate, restaurant, hospitality, and retail industries. His strategic approach to expansion across multiple sectors offers a blueprint for agencies looking to scale beyond their original niche.

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked David Neff about:

⭐ Practical strategies for identifying and entering new industries that complement your agency's existing strengths and expertise.

⭐ Organizational approaches to managing multi-industry expertise without diluting your brand or overwhelming your team.

⭐ How to leverage cross-industry knowledge to create unique competitive advantages and deliver superior client outcomes.

Learn more about David Neff

Connect with David Neff on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

Neff

Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

AT&T

Philadelphia Inquirer

GoPuff

Starbucks

Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/podcasts/agency-edition/the-multi-industry-advantage-scaling-your-agency-through-strategic-expansion

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution. Follow Agorapulse on LinkedIn.
Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, Chief Storyteller at Agorapulse. If you’re interested in being featured on an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike.

Running a marketing agency today means constantly adapting to a never-ending stream of platform changes, algorithm updates, and emerging technologies. Just when you've mastered Facebook Ads, suddenly TikTok demands attention. You finally understand SEO, then Google changes everything overnight. Each pivot requires new skills, different team members, and updated client strategies—all while maintaining profitability and keeping clients happy with results. The pressure to stay relevant while delivering ROI has never been more intense.

Today, we're fortunate to have Darwin Liu, Founder and CEO of X Agency, a digital marketing firm that has not just survived but thrived through 15+ years of industry transformation. Darwin leads a powerful team of growth hackers, engineers, writers, and storytellers dedicated to driving profitability for their clients. His agency culture emphasizes excellence, curiosity, and integrity—qualities that have helped X Agency navigate the evolution from early social platforms to today's AI revolution while consistently delivering results.

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Darwin Liu about:

⭐ A framework for evaluating industry changes and determining which require immediate adaptation versus which can be monitored or ignored.

⭐ Practical strategies for managing the financial aspects of agency transformation while maintaining profitability through transitional periods.

⭐ Insights on building a flexible, adaptable team structure that can pivot quickly as digital marketing continues to evolve.

Learn more about Darwin Liu

Connect with Darwin Liu on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

X Agency

Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Warrior Forums

Cambridge Analytica

ClickUp

Zoom

Connected TV

Netflix

Hulus

HBO Max

Mountain

GA4

Pearson Correlation

Moores Law

Clubhouse

AI for Business, Marketing & Sales: The AI Hat Podcast

Gemini

Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/podcasts/agency-edition/from-myspace-to-ai-building-an-agency-that-thrives-through-transformation

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution. Follow Agorapulse on LinkedIn.
Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, Chief Storyteller at Agorapulse. If you’re interested in being featured on an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike.

Does your agency feel like it's held together with duct tape and prayer? Every new client brings both excitement and dread as you wonder how your team will manage yet another account. Your processes - if you can call them that - are stretched thin, and what worked for 10 clients is crumbling under the weight of 20, 30, or more. The constant juggling act leaves you exhausted, your team stressed, and your growth potential limited.

Today's guest knows exactly how to transform that chaos into a well-oiled machine. Haydn Fleming, CMO of 2POINT Agency and Managing Partner of their Dallas branch, has built systems that successfully manage hundreds of client programs simultaneously. As someone who's plugged into countless marketing programs at any given time, Haydn brings practical, proven strategies for creating sustainable systems that scale. He's here to share how you can build an agency machine that runs smoothly whether you're handling 10 clients or 100.

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Haydn Fleming about:

⭐ The critical systems and processes needed to scale an agency from 10 to 100 clients

⭐ Practical strategies for automating routine tasks while maintaining service quality

⭐ How to identify and fix process breakpoints before they become critical issues

Learn more about Haydn Fleming

Connect with Haydn Fleming on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

2POINT

Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Claude

Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork

Dan Sullivan

How to Structure Your Agency to Win Using EOS

ChatGPT

Perplexity,

Gemini Gets Personal, Proactive, and Powerful

Loom Video

Icon.me

Motion

Capcut 

Facebook ad library

Ad Spy

Meta

Zapier

Google Drive

SEM Rush

Ahref

Slack

Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/podcasts/agency-edition/building-your-agency-machine-how-to-scale-from-10-to-100-clients-without-breaking

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution. Follow Agorapulse on LinkedIn.
Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, Chief Storyteller at Agorapulse. If you’re interested in being featured on an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike.

Every agency owner today is confronting a new reality: AI has fundamentally altered how search engines evaluate and rank websites. What worked yesterday suddenly seems outdated, leaving many scrambling to understand new rules while clients demand the same level of performance. The ground beneath our feet is shifting rapidly, with algorithm updates, AI-generated content flooding the internet, and traditional SEO metrics being redefined. Many agency owners feel like they're playing a game where the rules keep changing without notice, risking client retention and struggling to articulate their value proposition in this new landscape.

Today we welcome Joshua Jacoby, owner of My Favorite Web Designs, a Mesa-based digital marketing agency that's successfully guided over 200 local clients through evolving search landscapes. Joshua brings a unique perspective having transformed his agency through personal adversity—surviving COVID, overcoming significant injuries, and shifting from technical practitioner to strategic innovator. His expertise in SEO and web design, combined with his adaptability in crisis, positions him perfectly to help us navigate the AI revolution reshaping search.

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Joshua Jacoby about:

⭐ Practical website design principles that remain effective despite AI's growing influence on search algorithms

⭐ Content strategy adaptations that help agency clients maintain visibility in AI-powered search results

⭐ Future-proofing techniques that help agencies demonstrate continued value as search continues to evolve

Learn more about Joshua Jacoby

Connect with Joshua Jacoby on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

My Favorite Web Designs

Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

ChatGPT

Perplexity

Gemini

ChatGPT detector

QuillBot

Google Search's guidance about AI-generated content

Yelp

Yellow Pages 

Manta

Hot Frog

Google Maps

OpenAI

Magai

FluxPro

ChatGPT

Gemini

Claude 

New ways AI helps keep business information trustworthy

OpenAI Introduces Operator Feature: What You Need to Know

Google Analytics

Moz

SemRush

BrightLocal

Google Blog

GMB SubReddit

Local Search Subreddit

Ads Search Reddit

Google AdWords

Click Cease

Traffic Guard

CloudFlare 

Reddit User Generated Content

The Moz Blog

The Search Engine Land Blog

Artificial Intelligence Show by the Marketing AI Institute with Paul Roetzer and Mike Kaput

The AI Hat Podcast

Google's Deep Mind Podcast, hosted by Hannah Fry

Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/podcasts/agency-edition/search-in-the-age-of-ai-website-strategies-that-still-win-clients-results

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution. Follow Agorapulse on LinkedIn.
Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, Chief Storyteller at Agorapulse. If you’re interested in being featured on an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike.

Every agency owner has been there – staying up late to fix that client emergency, jumping in to handle the important tasks because "no one can do it quite like you can," and feeling the weight of needing to have all the answers. It's exhausting, unsustainable, and secretly undermining your agency's potential. If you're caught in this cycle of being the agency hero, constantly swooping in to save the day, you might be the biggest obstacle to your own growth.

Today's guest knows this challenge intimately. Igor Avidon, founder and CEO of Avidon Marketing Group, has built a thriving agency by doing the opposite of what many agency owners do – he stopped trying to be the hero. Instead of having all the answers, he's created a culture where his team leads, innovates, and drives results. His approach to leadership and agency growth has transformed not just his business, but the way his clients view what's possible with their marketing.

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Igor Avidon about:

⭐ The counter-intuitive truth that stepping back and empowering your team leads to better client outcomes and agency growth

⭐ Practical strategies for transitioning from tactical expert to strategic leader

⭐ How to build a culture of distributed leadership while maintaining quality and consistency

Learn more about Igor Avidon

Connect with Igor Avidon on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

Avidon Marketing Group

Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

How to Structure Your Agency to Win Using EOS

 Trello

Google Chat

Google Suites 

Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/podcasts/agency-edition/stop-being-the-hero-why-great-agency-leaders-dont-need-all-the-answers

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution. Follow Agorapulse on LinkedIn.

Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, Chief Storyteller at Agorapulse. If you’re interested in being featured on an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike.

Managing multiple client campaigns feels like juggling chainsaws while riding a unicycle. Your team is drowning in tasks, metrics are all over the place, and just when you think you've got one client's success figured out, another starts slipping. Every agency owner knows this pain - the constant pressure to deliver consistent results across different channels, the endless status updates, and the gnawing feeling that there must be a better way to run things.

Today we're joined by a true innovator in agency operations - Hal Smith, founder of H Street Digital and the architect behind a game-changing 90-day sprint system that's revolutionizing how agencies deliver results. Having managed over $100 million in advertising campaigns for everyone from startups to Fortune 50 companies, Hal has mastered the art of turning complex marketing chaos into predictable success. He's here to share exactly how he's transformed traditionally messy processes like media buying, creative testing, and attribution into a systematic approach that's changing the game for agencies everywhere.

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Hal Smith about:

⭐ A structured 90-day sprint system can transform chaotic agency operations into predictable, scalable success.

⭐ Proper framework implementation leads to better client retention through improved communication and consistent results.

⭐ Systematic approaches to media buying and creative testing can be broken down into manageable, repeatable processes that drive predictable outcomes.

Learn more about Hal Smith

Connect with Hal Smith on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

H Street Digital

Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business

The EOS MODEL®

How to Structure Your Agency to Win Using EOS

 The Eisenhower Matrix: How to prioritize your to-do list

MoSCoW method

Lean Startup

Notion

 Triple Whale

North Beam

Fairing

Replo

Shoplift

Ninety

Show Notes & Transcript: http://www.agorapulse.com/blog/podcasts/agency-edition/build-predictable-client-success-with-90-day-marketing-sprints

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution. Follow Agorapulse on LinkedIn.
Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, Chief Storyteller at Agorapulse. If you’re interested in being featured on an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike.

Every agency owner starts somewhere, but what happens when that "somewhere" is completely from scratch? Without formal training, industry connections, or a proven playbook to follow? The journey of building a marketing agency can feel overwhelming enough when you know what you're doing - but imagine taking that leap while learning everything as you go.

Today's guest knows this journey intimately. Alan Thompson, founder and CEO of Stingray Branding, built his agency from the ground up starting in 2008, learning every lesson the hard way - and turning those lessons into a formula for success. With three generations of small business owners in his family and service in both the U.S. Army and Air Force Reserves, Alan brought a unique perspective to agency ownership, proving that sometimes the best education comes from real-world experience.

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Alan Thompson about:

⭐ Practical strategies for building credibility and delivering results while still learning the ropes

⭐ Essential systems and processes that help self-taught agency owners maintain quality and consistency

⭐ How to turn learning experiences and mistakes into valuable assets for agency growth

Learn more about Alan Thompson

Connect with Alan Thompson on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

Stingray Branding

Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

Microsoft FrontPage

Adobe Dreamweaver

Craigslist

Drupal 

WordPress

Microsoft OneNote

Scribe

Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/podcasts/agency-edition/learning-on-the-fly-how-one-agency-owner-turned-trial-and-error-into-triumph

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution. Follow Agorapulse on LinkedIn.

Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, Chief Storyteller at Agorapulse. If you’re interested in being featured on an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike.

We've all been there - that awkward meeting where a client looks you dead in the eyes and asks, "So what exactly am I getting for all this social media spend? " Your stomach drops as you scramble to explain engagement rates to someone who just wants to know about sales. It's like trying to pay your rent with Monopoly money - the value is clear to you, but they're just not buying it.

Today, we're cutting through that confusion with Scott Emalfarb, founder and CEO of Fresh Content Society, social media whisperer, and ROI translator extraordinaire. This is the guy who turned a desperate tweet from a struggling deli into a 1,500% sales increase during the pandemic. Scott has cracked the code on speaking the language of social media value to everyone from skeptical CEOs to hungry CMOs to overwhelmed social managers. He doesn't just get results - he makes sure everyone in the room understands exactly why those results matter.

So, whether you're tired of blank stares during client presentations or just want to sleep better knowing you can defend your social strategy to anyone with a budget, today's episode is your new secret weapon.

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Scott Emalfarb about:

⭐ Stakeholder-specific communication is essential: Learn how to tailor your social media ROI messaging to address the specific concerns and priorities of different decision-makers, from CEOs focused on bottom-line impact to social media managers needing tactical validation.

⭐ Effective ROI frameworks translate technical metrics into business outcomes: Discover how to build communication systems that connect platform-specific metrics to the business outcomes that matter most to clients across all levels of their organization.

⭐ ROI communication is an ongoing process, not a one-time report: Understand how to implement consistent value-demonstration touchpoints throughout the client relationship to build trust and demonstrate long-term impact beyond individual campaigns.

Learn more about Scott Emalfarb

Connect with Scott Emalfarb on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

Fresh Content Society

Learn more about Agorapulse with a free demo

The desperate tweet

Manny's Deli

How to Turn a Crisis Into a Growth Opportunity

Chili's

TikTok and fast-food rivalry fuel Chili's sales as parent Brinker says turnaround is taking hold

Adam Mosseri

ChatGPT 

Gemini

Mark Schaefer 

Audacious: How Humans Win in an AI Marketing World

Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/podcasts/agency-edition/how-to-demonstrate-social-media-roi-to-every-decision-maker

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution. Follow Agorapulse on LinkedIn.
Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, Chief Storyteller at Agorapulse. If you’re interested in being featured on an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike.

Remember when posting great content was all it took to keep your agency's pipeline full? Yeah, those days are fading faster than your client's enthusiasm for another Instagram algorithm change. If you've been scratching your head wondering why your brilliant blogs and perfectly optimized website aren't bringing in leads like they used to, you're not alone. Welcome to the 'inbound ceiling' – that frustrating plateau where your content machine keeps churning, but the leads have slowed to a trickle.

The truth is, standing out through content alone has become about as easy as explaining TikTok to your grandparents. But before you throw your content calendar out the window, today's guest has cracked the code on breaking through this ceiling. Jason Yormark built Socialistics into a seven-figure social media agency by zigging when others zagged, and he's literally wrote the book on it – his best-seller 'Anti Agency' has become the rebel's guidebook to building a thriving agency business. As a Forbes-recognized social media influencer, Jason's not just talking about theory – he's in the trenches every day, navigating the same challenges you are, and he's figured out how to complement inbound with strategic partnerships and outbound tactics that actually work without making you feel like that pushy salesperson we all love to hate. 

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Jason Yormark about:

⭐ Recognizing the Inbound Plateau: Listeners will learn the early warning signs that indicate their inbound strategy is hitting diminishing returns and understand the market forces creating this phenomenon across the agency landscape.

⭐ Strategic Partnership Framework: Audience members will gain a practical approach to identifying, vetting, and structuring agency partnerships that complement their existing business model without compromising quality or brand positioning.

⭐ Balanced Resource Allocation: Agency owners will take away a framework for effectively distributing limited resources across inbound, outbound, and partnership initiatives to create a more resilient and predictable lead generation engine.

Learn more about Jason Yormark

• Connect with Jason Yormark on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/podcasts/agency-edition/oops-im-an-agency-owner/

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution. Follow Agorapulse on LinkedIn.

Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, Chief Storyteller at Agorapulse. If you’re interested in being featured on an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike.