• 00:47 – 01:38 – Chris’s Background: Chris shares his experience supporting consultants and facilitators in achieving measurable impact.
• 02:07 – 03:04 – The Challenge of Change Management: Agencies face difficulty educating stakeholders and driving meaningful organizational change.
• 04:03 – 05:26 – Behavior Change Precedes Results: Chris explains the importance of tracking behavior shifts that lead to KPI improvements.
• 05:26 – 06:33 – Ambiguity in Brand Strategy: Marcel highlights challenges caused by subjective opinions and delayed results in brand strategy.
• 08:31 – 09:44 – Three Requirements for Behavior Change: Chris identifies a clear path, motivation, and knowledge as key to driving behavioral change.
• 13:43 – 15:06 – Chunking Tasks into Smaller Steps: Chris emphasizes reducing ambiguity with small, actionable steps to drive progress.
• 19:01 – 20:14 – Feedback Loops and Impact Signals: Self-reported change helps measure progress before observable or KPI results emerge.
• 21:56 – 23:10 – Connecting Daily Actions to Outcomes: Chris stresses clarifying small tasks that contribute to long-term project success.
• 23:10 – 24:36 – KPIs and Leading Indicators: Identifying relevant KPIs and leading indicators creates measurable goals for success.
• 26:04 – 27:45 – Aligning on Success Metrics: Chris highlights the importance of aligning with clients on clear success metrics and tracking progress.
• 27:45 – 29:30 – Behavioral Change Before Visibility: Change begins internally and becomes externally observable over time.
• 34:36 – 36:00 – Triple Double Framework: Chris introduces a structured approach—double down on strengths, double back on gaps, and double click on new information.

• Connect with Chris
  • LinkedIn
  • Actional.co
  • Behavior Change Toolkit

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• 00:42 – 01:16 – Industry Stats Nerd: Marcel highlights Carson’s expertise in analyzing agency reports and introduces the core topic of navigating the agency world’s "new normal."
• 03:00 – 04:10 – Financial Challenges in 2024: Carson explains how financial tightening, including cash flow and reserve issues, has become a significant pain point for agencies in the past year.
• 04:11 – 06:15 – The “New Normal” for Agencies: Discussion about how the agency landscape is stabilizing into a "new normal," marked by consistent challenges and tighter margins.
• 06:16 – 10:10 – Impact of Market Maturity and Global Trends: Marcel outlines how market maturity, globalization, AI, and freelancing trends are reshaping the competitive environment for agencies.
• 10:11 – 14:47 – The Metrics that Matter: Marcel and Carson identify the three core levers of agency profitability: cost per hour, utilization, and average billable rate.
• 14:48 – 18:35 – Improving Average Billable Rate: Marcel shares strategies to increase average billable rates without raising prices, focusing on efficiency, quality, and offering high-value services.
• 20:50 – 22:38 – Utilizing AI for Operational Efficiency: The conversation shifts to how AI can improve efficiency in content creation, client management, and operational workflows.
• 22:39 – 27:18 – Effectively Measuring and Managing Utilization: Marcel explains how to measure and use utilization effectively, debunking myths and aligning it with realistic agency models.
• 27:19 – 35:45 – Internal Specialization and Future-Proofing Agencies: Carson introduces the concept of internal specialization, where agencies focus on high-value tasks while outsourcing lower-margin, high-risk work to specialized partners. A case study of an SEO agency illustrates this model.
• 24:44 – 26:10 – Balancing Overhead and Delivery Teams: Discussion on the importance of properly modeling agency teams to maintain a balance between delivery capacity and profitability.
• 34:22 – 35:00 – Importance of Quality Over Quantity in Revenue: Carson and Marcel highlight the value of focusing on high-margin, high-quality work rather than expanding into low-margin offerings.

• Connect with Carson via LinkedIn
• Agency Profit Toolkit
• The Parakeeto Foundations Course

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• 00:47 – 01:46 – Meet Patrick O’Connell: Marcel introduces Patrick and previews their discussion on building a profitable design or creative services business.
• 01:46 – 02:41 – Patrick’s Journey to Success: Patrick shares how he transitioned from a nine-to-five to running a design agency, helping clients bring physical products to market while mentoring other designers.
• 02:41 – 03:44 – The Chocolate and Broccoli Approach: Marcel and Patrick discuss the balance between delivering what clients want (chocolate) and the deeper strategies they need (broccoli).
• 03:44 – 07:07 – Two Key Challenges for Creatives: Patrick outlines common struggles—spending too much time on craft over strategy and not understanding the math behind profitability.
• 07:07 – 10:10 – Selling Outcomes, Not Features: Patrick explains the importance of focusing on the value of transformations for clients instead of relying on accolades, experience, or features to justify pricing.
• 10:10 – 12:01 – Positioning for Success: The conversation shifts to the importance of starting with the client’s desired outcome and framing your services to match that need.
• 12:01 – 14:34 – Value Pricing Done Right: Patrick emphasizes that charging based on value requires understanding the percentage of responsibility you’re taking for the client’s desired results.
• 14:34 – 19:00 – Efficiency in Service Delivery: Patrick explains how focusing on reducing unnecessary steps in your processes leads to more profit and faster client results.
• 19:00 – 21:31 – Solo vs. Team Business Models: Marcel and Patrick discuss the trade-offs between staying a solo consultant and scaling a team, emphasizing that the right choice depends on personal goals.
• 21:31 – 25:55 – The Importance of Gross Margins: They dive into delivery margin basics, discussing the importance of average billable rates, efficiency, and cost control in scaling profits.
• 25:55 – 33:54 – Creating Leverage with IP and Consulting: Patrick highlights how adding intellectual property or advisory components to your services can drastically increase value without adding significant cost.
• 33:54 – 40:06 – Balancing Lifestyle and Growth: Patrick shares his personal experience of scaling down from a large team to a lean model to achieve more creative freedom and work-life balance.
• 40:06 – 52:44 – Building Your Ideal Business: The episode closes with actionable advice on defining your ideal lifestyle and designing a business model that aligns with it, whether that’s staying solo or scaling strategically.

• Connect with Patrick
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Website

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• 00:01 – 00:43 – Welcome and Introduction: Marcel introduces Kristen Kelly, Parakeeto's newest team member, highlighting her quick ramp-up and prior involvement with the company.
• 00:44 – 01:40 – Kristen's Background: Kristen shares her 20 years of agency experience, spanning six agencies, with a focus on account/project management and operations.
• 01:41 – 02:50 – The Role of Operations: Kristen reflects on falling in love with operations at a startup agency, emphasizing its analytical and leadership demands.
• 02:51 – 03:48 – Challenges of Operations: Marcel describes the ambiguous and multifaceted nature of operations roles, with operators often stepping in to resolve the business's weak areas.
• 03:49 – 05:07 – The Complexity of Data Integration: Marcel explains how operators are often tasked with merging financial, operational, and new business data into a cohesive system, highlighting its challenges.
• 05:08 – 06:50 – Leadership Misconceptions: Kristen discusses the disconnect between leadership's expectations of seamless reporting and the reality of fragmented systems and messy data.
• 06:51 – 09:05 – The Fallacy of Perfect Automation: Marcel outlines the unrealistic expectations of fully automated reporting systems and the need for human oversight in data management.
• 09:06 – 11:45 – Interconnected Metrics: Marcel explores the challenges of creating accurate and consistent metrics like utilization, requiring alignment across various systems.
• 11:46 – 13:12 – The Realities of Data Pipelines: Marcel highlights the need for structured data pipelines and dedicated resources, drawing parallels to enterprise-level operations.
• 13:13 – 15:01 – The Role of Finance: The discussion shifts to the differing scopes of tax accounting, financial reporting, and management accounting, emphasizing the latter’s importance for decision-making.
• 15:02 – 18:52 – Aligning Cadences and Processes: Kristen and Marcel address how agencies can harmonize data reporting cadences with operational and leadership rhythms for better insights.
• 18:53 – 25:04 – Lessons from Kristen’s Journey: Kristen reflects on her previous challenges in tackling operations without external support, estimating the significant costs of trial-and-error approaches.
• 25:05 – 35:40 – The Parakeeto Framework: The episode concludes with a deep dive into Parakeeto's three-pronged framework—data, metrics, and processes—and its ability to simplify and enhance agency operations.

• Connect with Kristen via LinkedIn
• Free Toolkit
• Parakeeto Foundations Course

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• 02:02 – 02:20 – The Prism Model: Chris introduces his "Prism Model," a framework for evaluating if a problem is worth solving. The model focuses on identifying problems that are painful, recurring, impactful, solvable, and marketable, helping agencies vet business ideas and align their offerings with market needs.
• 05:21 – 05:40 – Service Saturation: Chris discusses the dangers of service saturation, where agencies compete on price and deliverables instead of outcomes, often leading to commoditization and reduced profitability.
• 09:32 – 09:50 – Niching Down with a Purpose: Marcel and Chris explore the common mistake agencies make when niching based on services or verticals, emphasizing the importance of centering on a specific problem and solution for positioning success.
• 14:35 – 14:55 – Point of View Rants: Chris highlights a simple but effective exercise to identify an agency’s unique point of view—by encouraging founders to rant about industry problems and extract their core beliefs and perspectives.
• 22:03 – 22:20 – Four Times MVP: Marcel shares his "Four Times MVP" framework, emphasizing the need to address a problem, develop a point of view, refine a process, and then build a product, to create scalable, impactful agency solutions.
• 29:38 – 29:55 – Efficiency vs. Innovation Spectrum: Chris explains the "Efficiency-Innovation Continuum," where agencies balance streamlined processes and innovative experimentation, deciding where to focus resources based on their goals and growth stage.
• 35:44 – 36:02 – Internal Specialization: Marcel highlights the importance of internal specialization for agencies, emphasizing the benefits of focusing on core strengths while partnering with other experts to deliver comprehensive solutions.
• 41:59 – 42:20 – Monetizing Churn: Marcel shares an example of an agency that monetized client churn by maintaining revenue streams through partnerships, turning what is typically seen as a loss into an ongoing profit center.
• 43:01 – 43:11 – Closing Insights: Chris emphasizes the importance of building partnerships and leveraging them to strengthen agency offerings while staying focused on core strengths, creating a sustainable model for growth and profitability.

• Connect with Chris via LinkedIn
• Dynamic Agency OS

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• 00:01 – 01:00 – Introduction to Data Systems: Marcel introduces the episode’s focus on designing data systems that empower agencies and businesses to make data-driven decisions with clarity and alignment.
• 01:00 – 02:30 – Why Agencies Struggle with Data: Marcel explains why many agencies face challenges in getting value from their data, often due to incorrect frameworks and a lack of process around data management.
• 03:00 – 04:20 – The Pendulum of Tools: Marcel discusses how agencies often swing between using specialized tools and all-in-one platforms, creating unnecessary change management that doesn’t solve core data issues.
• 05:00 – 06:15 – Outdated Billing Models in Agency Systems: Marcel explains how traditional agency frameworks assume time-and-materials billing, which isn’t suitable for many agencies today that use retainer or project-based models.
• 07:30 – 08:45 – Misconception: Data Problems are Tool Problems: Marcel describes how agencies mistakenly frame data issues as tool problems, leading to constant tool changes without solving underlying issues.
• 09:15 – 10:45 – Introduction to the Core Framework: Marcel introduces the three key elements for a high-functioning data system: data, framework, and process, with each playing a unique role in creating reliable insights.
• 11:30 – 12:45 – The Four Essential Data Sets: Marcel explains the four critical types of data needed: finance, people, projects, and time, and why these are fundamental to any data system.
• 13:00 – 14:30 – Framework: Metrics, Formulas, and Relationships: Marcel breaks down the importance of a clear framework to define which metrics to track, their formulas, and how they relate to each other and the business.
• 15:30 – 17:00 – Challenges with Data Hygiene and Consistency: Marcel highlights the need for a process to maintain clean data and handle changes in structure, such as renaming teams or changing project codes.
• 17:15 – 18:45 – Importance of Change Management in Data Systems: Marcel emphasizes that change within the business, like adding new services or tools, can disrupt data systems, requiring adaptable frameworks.
• 19:30 – 21:00 – Realistic Expectations for Automation: Marcel cautions against fully automated data reporting, explaining that human oversight is essential for data hygiene and quality, even with AI assistance.
• 22:00 – 23:45 – Cadences for Accurate Reporting: Marcel discusses the need for regular cadences, such as weekly time tracking, to ensure data accuracy and completeness before analysis.
• 24:00 – 25:45 – How Parakeeto Helps Agencies with Data Management: Marcel concludes by inviting agencies to reach out if they need support with data frameworks and processes, emphasizing that Parakeeto’s approach can save agencies time and improve profitability.

Connect with Marcel:

• Connect with Marcel via LinkedIn
• Agency Profit Toolkit
• The Parakeeto Foundations Course

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• 00:01 – 00:42 – Introduction to Guest: Marcel introduces Dr. Kristian Alomá, PhD, an expert in narrative psychology and author of Start With the Story, to discuss the power of storytelling in agency service design.
• 00:48 – 01:14 – Background on Narrative Design: Kristian introduces his agency, Threadline, and explains narrative design as applying storytelling principles to branding, marketing, and business strategy.
• 01:52 – 02:18 – What is Narrative Psychology? Kristian describes narrative psychology as the study of how people make sense of experiences through storytelling, emphasizing its importance in understanding client relationships.
• 03:10 – 04:20 – Power of Storytelling: Marcel and Kristian discuss how storytelling resonates with both logical and emotional thinking, making it a powerful tool in sales and brand connection.
• 05:38 – 06:30 – Changing Agency Landscape: Kristian explains how agency success has shifted from mere service delivery to forming meaningful client relationships that support brand values and identity.
• 08:27 – 09:30 – Beyond Behavioral Marketing: Kristian discusses moving from a behavior-driven marketing approach to one focused on narratives that align with both client goals and agency values.
• 10:23 – 11:33 – Client Relationships Across Career Stages: Kristian highlights the importance of adapting agency services to fit the evolving needs of clients as they grow from entry-level to executive roles.
• 11:47 – 12:40 – Differentiation in a Specialized Market: Marcel and Kristian talk about how understanding clients’ unique stories allows agencies to differentiate in an increasingly specialized market.
• 15:08 – 16:15 – Hero’s Paradox: Kristian explains the concept of the “hero’s paradox,” where placing the client as the hero ultimately strengthens the agency's role as a trusted partner.
• 18:50 – 19:18 – Identifying Client Struggles: Marcel asks Kristian for tactical advice on understanding client struggles, which Kristian breaks down through his STORY framework.
• 19:17 – 20:25 – Introduction to the STORY Framework: Kristian outlines his framework: Struggle, Tools, Objectives, Rewards, and Yearning (STORY), as a guide to designing client-centered services.
• 23:29 – 24:45 – The Importance of Understanding Struggles: Marcel and Kristian discuss the importance of going beyond surface-level problems to truly understand a client’s struggle for deeper impact.
• 27:39 – 28:32 – Focusing on Individual Challenges: Kristian emphasizes the need to view client challenges from the individual’s perspective within the organization, making service solutions more impactful and personalized.

• Book: Start with the Story: Brand-Building in a Narrative Economy
• Threadline: Visit the Website
• Connect with Kristian A. Alomá:
  • LinkedIn Profile
  • Personal Website

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• 00:01 – 00:41 – Introduction: Marcel kicks off the episode with excitement, announcing the podcast's new weekly schedule, alternating between general content and Parakeeto-focused episodes.
• 00:42 – 01:27 – Introducing Carson Pierce: Marcel introduces Carson Pierce, Parakeeto’s head consultant, with over two decades of experience in the agency world, emphasizing his popularity and unique career journey.
• 02:02 – 03:00 – Carson’s Background: Carson shares his unconventional path, starting as a daycare owner before transitioning into agency work, becoming a developer, and eventually leading in project management.
• 06:21 – 07:03 – Struggles in Resourcing: Carson recounts the challenges of resource management early in his career, highlighting the stress and inefficiency caused by a lack of data visibility.
• 08:56 – 09:58 – Importance of Data: Marcel and Carson discuss how agencies often track data but don’t know how to leverage it, focusing on the need for clarity in profitability and efficiency.
• 10:45 – 11:47 – Precision vs. Accuracy: They highlight the common mistake of focusing too much on precision in data, leading to inefficiencies, when accuracy at a higher level is more effective for decision-making.
• 13:38 – 14:20 – Utilization Misuse: Carson shares how the misuse of utilization metrics at the individual level can create unnecessary pressure and mislead the team about actual workload.
• 18:54 – 19:34 – The Importance of a Framework: Marcel emphasizes how having a structured operational framework can help agencies align their metrics and make data-driven decisions to drive profitability.
• 23:01 – 23:47 – Pricing Myths: Marcel discusses how agencies often believe pricing is their main issue when, in reality, operational inefficiencies and over-servicing are often the real problems.
• 28:23 – 28:53 – Estimating Challenges: Carson shares that while agencies may be good at planning profitable projects on paper, the execution often falls short due to poor estimating and scoping.
• 35:17 – 36:30 – Looking Ahead to 2025: Carson expresses optimism for 2025, noting that agencies that learned efficiency during the lean times will be better positioned for profitability in the coming years.
• 37:25 – 38:11 – Conclusion: Marcel and Carson wrap up the episode, inviting listeners to connect with Carson and Parakeeto for more insights on optimizing agency operations and profitability.

• Connect with Carson via LinkedIn
• Agency Profit Toolkit
• The Parakeeto Foundations Course

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00:44 – 01:55 – Evolution of Duct Tape Marketing: John explains how he developed a structured marketing system that focuses on strategy before tactics, addressing the unique challenges of smaller businesses.

02:43 – 03:09 – Growth of the Duct Tape Marketing Ecosystem: John talks about the expansion of his framework, which has now been adopted by over 400 certified agencies and consultants.

03:09 – 04:31 – Research on Fractional CMOs: John introduces his latest research on fractional CMOs and the increasing demand for this part-time, high-level marketing leadership role in the industry.

05:06 – 06:51 – Solo Consultants vs Larger Firms: John and Marcel discuss how fractional CMOs are typically solo consultants but are also being adopted by larger firms that are shifting toward more strategic offerings.

06:51 – 07:46 – Pressure on Agencies: Marcel and John address the challenges agencies face today, including AI-powered competition and offshore services, which force agencies to focus more on strategy and client relationships.

08:43 – 10:12 – Insight from Research: John shares key insights from his research, including how offering fractional CMO services enhances an agency’s strategic position, improves client relationships, and increases pricing power.

11:48 – 14:40 – Breadth vs. Depth of Experience: Marcel and John discuss the benefits of having broad marketing experience across industries versus being narrowly focused on one niche, and how this diversity brings fresh perspectives to clients.

17:20 – 19:09 – The Growing Demand for Fractional CMOs: John highlights how more small and midsized businesses are seeking fractional CMOs for strategic leadership as they recognize the need for high-level marketing guidance.

24:32 – 25:46 – Strategic Leadership Without Execution: Marcel and John explore how agencies can focus on strategy and project management while outsourcing execution, allowing for scalability and maintaining high margins.

30:29 – 32:16 – Growth of the Fractional CMO Role: John cites research showing that the fractional CMO role has grown by 60% in the past five years, predicting that this trend will continue as more businesses seek part-time strategic marketing leadership.

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• 00:01 – 00:44 – Marcel’s Introduction: Marcel Petitpas welcomes listeners to the Agency Profit Podcast and introduces Jason Swenk, a returning guest and friend of the show, known for his agency expertise and role as the founder of Agency Mastery 360.
• 00:44 – 01:33 – Jason’s Background: Jason Swenk shares his journey of starting his first agency by accident in 1999, growing it to eight figures, and eventually selling it. He reflects on how he transitioned from agency founder to advisor and coach.
• 02:20 – 02:55 – Success with Major Clients: Marcel highlights Jason’s success with major clients such as Lotus Cars and Hitachi, as Jason reflects on growing his agency into a multimillion-dollar business and the lessons learned.
• 04:50 – 06:28 – Scaling with the Right Team: Jason explains the significance of building the right leadership team to scale and how to ensure the team is aligned with the company’s vision.
• 07:35 – 09:55 – The Two "Whos" in Leadership: Jason outlines two key “whos” for agency growth: who do you need to hire to scale the agency, and who do you need to become as the leader to support that growth.
• 12:19 – 14:35 – Shifting Focus to Long-Term Strategy: Jason shares how focusing on long-term strategy and empowering team members can unlock new levels of growth and how founders should stop managing day-to-day operations.
• 16:07 – 19:25 – Empowering Your Team to Take Ownership: Marcel and Jason wrap up by discussing how to empower teams to take ownership of their roles, make decisions, and drive the agency forward without relying on the founder’s input for every decision.
• 23:08 – 24:45 – Continuous Problem Solving: Marcel and Jason discuss how entrepreneurship is a constant process of solving bigger, more complex problems as the business grows, and how discipline and reinvention are key.
• 25:52 – 27:54 – Core Values in Hiring: Jason shares the importance of aligning new hires with the company’s core values, ensuring that employees believe in the same vision and standards as the leadership.
• 29:45 – 31:28 – Simplifying the Hiring Funnel: Marcel and Jason discuss how filtering applicants through creative processes like video submissions saves time and effort, allowing only the best candidates to move forward.
• 32:55 – 34:45 – Trial Hiring for Leadership Roles: Jason advocates for hiring leaders as consultants for a 90-day trial period to assess their impact on the business before committing to a full-time position.
• 34:45 – 35:52 – Measuring Success in Leadership Hires: Jason outlines how to measure success for leadership hires by focusing on how they streamline operations, save time, and work effectively with existing teams.
• 37:25 – 38:45 – Invitation to Agency Mastery 360: Jason invites listeners to check out Agency Mastery 360 and his resources for agency owners, including upcoming events like Elevate in Arizona, where agency owners can learn to step back from day-to-day operations.
   

• Jason’s Podcast: https://www.agencymastery360.com/podcast
• Swenk.it
• Elevate Event in Arizona Feb 2025 (Marcel is speaking) https://www.agencymastery360.com/elevate

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