One of the reasons so many agencies close within 3 years is that the owners simply burn out from the incredibly overwhelming workload.

Late nights trying to hit deadlines.

Long meetings in the morning with clients who are “always” right.

And a constant churn of clients who weren’t a good fit.

What if there was a different way… maybe even a better way, to structure your agency and approach working with clients?

If the traditional agency model is broken, how should we approach doing great marketing for clients?

That’s what Chuck Hester is here to help us with.

Chuck Hester is a nationally renowned marketing trainer and speaker who helps businesses get the most out of their digital channels. He is the co-founder of A Purpose Partnership, a contrarian marketing and business consulting firm that works with its clients in all things marketing - from public relations to web development to corporate social responsibility.

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Chuck Hester about:

⭐ Why the traditional agency model is broken for so many

⭐ How he set about to build a new agency model

⭐ Where his agency, and his clients, are now seeing the benefits

Learn more about Chuck Hester

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/the-anti-agency-agency-consider-this-non-traditional-model

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

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

We all know that when we were just starting and had a single client for our new agency, that was a perilous position. And even later, when we added more clients, many of us still found ourselves with just one or two clients who were bringing in the majority of the revenue. If ever they left, our agency would be in a world of hurt.

Along the same lines, having just a single source of revenue keeps our income and our livelihood at risk. Offering different kinds of services or establishing other sources of revenue sounds like a good idea, but it’s harder than you think!

How do you figure out which income streams to pursue? How do you balance it or find options that can complement each other?

That’s what Phil Pallen is here to help us with.

As a brand strategist, Phil has advised hundreds of brands from over 30 countries, including a Shark on Shark Tank, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, politicians, and some of the most important names in entertainment. His non-conventional approach to digital marketing and talent for social media has built him a global audience, and he frequently appears as an expert contributor in media outlets around the world, including CNN, Access Hollywood, and The Daily Mail.

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Phil Pallen about:

⭐ Why income diversification is critical today

⭐ What income streams worked for him, and which ones didn’t

⭐ How to approach new revenue streams for your agency

Learn more about Phil Pallen

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/how-agencies-can-diversify-income-and-avoid-cash-flow-issues

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

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

AI is sweeping the world, interjecting generative questions and large language doubt into the future of our businesses and marketing agencies.

There’s no doubt that there’s opportunity: AI will contribute  $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. Yet at the same time, nearly 82% of digital marketers think content writers’ jobs are at risk because of AI.

How should we use AI? How should we talk about it with clients? How different will our agencies look in the years to come?

That’s what Christopher Carr is here to help us with.

Chris launched his agency in his spare time in 2001 and quickly grew it into a comprehensive digital marketing agency that now specializes in helping clients in the Healthcare, Orthopedics, Manufacturing, SaaS, and Cyber security fields see explosive growth through a proven marketing system. With roughly 50 team members, Farotech has also formed strategic partnerships with Hubspot, Wistia, and Google, while Chris has embraced Artificial Intelligence. He has a Certification in Applied Generative AI from MIT and speaks to companies nationwide through a presentation called AI Today: The State of AI, Where it is at, Where it is going, and How Your Business Can Be Prepared.

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Chris about:

⭐ The Challenge of AI for Agencies, and

⭐ The Opportunity of AI for Agencies

⭐ The Impact of AI on Social Media

Learn more about Christopher Carr

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/how-agencies-can-survive-ai

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

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

When was the last time you took a vacation?

If you’re trying to recall what year that was, there’s a problem. Too many agency owners today are so embroiled in the day-to-day operations of their business that they can’t take time off, can’t focus on providing the necessary direction for the business, and aren’t even paying themselves what they deserve.

How do we make changes to ourselves and to our agencies to solve this?

That’s what Karl Sakas is here to help us with.

Karl helps digital agency owners ‘Work Less’ and ‘Earn More’... while rewarding their best employees. Drawing on his background in agency operations, Karl has personally advised hundreds of agencies on every inhabited continent. An international speaker, he is the author of three books—including "Work Less, Earn More"—and more than 400 articles on agency management.

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Karl Sakas about:

⭐ The challenge marketing agency owners face when trying to grow & scale their business

⭐ What steps agency owners should take to Work Less, Earn More

⭐ How leaders can position themselves effectively within the agency

Learn more about Karl Sakas

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/social-pulse-podcast-agency-karl-sakas

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

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

Gone are the days of Mad Men advertising agencies - and the attitudes that went along with them. Today, marketing agencies have and continue to evolve in how they’re structured, how they operate, and how they communicate.

Brands are looking for disrupters, anti-agencies, bold thinkers with new ways of conducting business and providing value.

What are these new approaches? And if we’re leading a more traditional agency, how and what should we be considering changing?

That’s what Troy Sandidge is here to help us with.

He is the Strategy Hacker®, a renowned growth marketing strategist, global speaker, award-winning podcaster, and author. With a career spanning over 15 years, he has developed a reputation for creating sustainable, scalable, and profitable strategies that drive significant business growth generating over $175 million in client revenue and successfully launching over 35 brands worldwide. Troy's expertise in integrating psychology, sociology, and behavior science with demand generation, go-to-market initiatives, and brand development has resulted in transformative growth pathways for a wide range of brands.

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Troy Sandidge about:

⭐ How the agency landscape has changed and why old models are outdated

⭐ What areas agency owners need to invest more time and attention

⭐ Why bringing DEIBA to the fore is essential, and how to approach that

Learn more about Troy Sandidge

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/social-pulse-podcast-ep-5/

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

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

It’s not uncommon for business owners to routinely have to grapple with their demons… challenges like impostor syndrome which sit between us and our better angels.

That’s never more true than with people like influencers and marketing agency owners who live and work in circles where their colleagues and counterparts are highly visible.

How do we truly know our own worth, both as a person and as an agency? How do we deal with impostor syndrome in an industry filled with larger than life personalities to compete with?

That’s what George B. Thomas is here to help us with.

George helps companies streamline and grow by using the right HubSpot CRM, marketing, sales, service, operations, and CMS tools. He is a vault of valuable information, tactics, and strategies with a record-breaking thirty-five plus HubSpot Academy certifications. George's true passion is being a catalyst for growth and helping others be inspired, educated, and willing to work hard to achieve unlimited success!

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked George B. Thomas about:

⭐ The struggle agency owners face with imposter syndrome

⭐ How important it is to identify our own potential and value

⭐ Why this is a challenge for agency owners, and how to overcome it

Learn more about George B. Thomas

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/social-pulse-podcast-ep-4/

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

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

As a marketing agency owner, I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know when I say that growing and scaling an agency is hard.

Honestly, it’s harder than you think for many. The top three cited challenges reported by agency owners were, number one, acquiring new customers, followed by time constraints and cash flow. And as any business in any industry will tell you, if you’re struggling to bring in new clients and keep a positive cash flow, you simply cannot grow and scale your business.

Which is why finding agencies that have been around for over a decade is both a surprise and an opportunity. How did they manage to grow and achieve such longevity? How are they approaching marketing and agency management differently?

That’s what Brooke Sellas is here to help us with.

Brooke is not only shaping the future of digital marketing one conversation at a time but has also earned her stripes as an award-winning industry leader, recognized Braze as a Top 100 CMA Influencer & Strategist in 2024. As CEO of B Squared Media, an agency over twelve years old, Brooke has crafted an approach that stands out, pioneering 'social care' solutions for heavyweights like Brother International, Endless Pools, and BCU. She’s one of my oldest and dearest friends in the marketing community, and hosts an agency podcast of her own for Social Media Examiner. 

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton talked to Brooke Sellas about:

⭐ Why her agency has grown and thrived for over a decade

⭐ What her early challenges were and how she overcame them

⭐ How other agencies can adopt these approaches and win

Learn more about Brooke Sellas

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/social-pulse-podcast-episode-3/

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

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

There are over 45,000 digital marketing agencies in the world, not counting all of the solopreneurs who work as agencies but aren’t officially registered as such.

Developing services, hiring staff, and differentiating ourselves in our sales & marketing to prospects are all challenges. Along the same lines, it can be incredibly difficult to build and grow our networks. Particularly when we’re building agencies within competitive ecosystems such as HubSpot or Salesforce,

How has the agency Aptitude 8 tackled this challenge?

That’s what Christopher Barnett is here to talk to us about.

Christopher is the Vice President of Revenue at Aptitude 8 and brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role, driving growth and maximizing profitability for his organization. He’s a passionate advocate for the HubSpot community, and is deeply committed to giving back to his own community and making a positive impact on the world around him. As an exited founder, he has firsthand experience navigating the complexities of startups and scaling businesses, allowing him to provide invaluable insights and leadership to his team.

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Christopher Barnett about:

⭐ Why building a network can be so challenging

⭐ How to build genuine relationships

⭐ Why taking a multi-channel approach is critical

Learn more about Christopher Barnett

• Connect with Christopher Barnett on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/social-pulse-weekly-episode-2/

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

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

A statistic shared by Harvard Business Review suggested that within three years, only 50% of venture founders would still be leading their companies as CEO. And as the years go by, more and more founders transition to other roles and projects, leaving vacancies that must be filled.

But stepping into the shoes of the company founder is a daunting task, to say the least. And while you’d think tapping an insider CEO - someone who potentially has been trained and groomed for years to take over, would be smooth sailing. In fact, their challenges are often of the same scope, if slightly different, than someone coming in from outside.

What are some of those challenges, and what should agencies and executives preparing to transition be mindful of?

That’s what Megan Bowen is here to help us with.

Megan Bowen has spent 20 years working in B2B tech startups leading customer success, account management, sales, marketing and operations teams. Currently Megan is the CEO at Refine Labs, a Digital Marketing and Demand Generation Agency, after having worked there for years as the COO.

Social Pulse Podcast host Mike Allton asked Megan Bowen about:

⭐ What it was like to become the CEO of an existing agency

⭐ Why such transitions can be challenging in any agency

⭐ How she overcame those challenges to become a successful agency CEO

Learn more about Megan Bowen

• Connect with Megan Bowen on LinkedIn

Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode

Show Notes & Transcript: https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/social-pulse-weekly-agency-ep-1/

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

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

Social Pulse Podcast: Agency Edition is your go-to guide to solving your biggest marketing agency challenges - authentically.

Join award-winning marketer Mike Allton as he peels back the curtain with marketing agency owners just like you, unveils the issues they've been struggling with the most, and explores how they've overcome those challenges. Each episode is an honest and frank look at what agencies go through - from churning clients to tackling tech - and ideas that you can apply to your own business.

Whether you're five months or five years in, Social Pulse Podcast: Agency Edition will help you expand your knowledge, address your challenges, and scale your agency in the years to come.

Ready to scale up? Then it's time to sign up. Subscribe today.

Brought to you by Agorapulse: the #1 rated social media management solution trusted by over 3,000 agencies. Learn more at www.Agorapulse.com.

Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton