The Agency Growth Podcast

Episoade

• 
  What is Your Agency's Brand Voice? | Episode 224 18.09.2026 48min

  [Cold open [The Problem With ChatGPT Ads.] ends at 07:03.]Your agency already has a brand voice, even if you’ve never defined it.We learned this when a team member published the first Evergrow blog post that Cody or Jake didn’t write. The article was solid, but it didn’t sound like us. That exposed a problem many agency owners eventually face: once content and client communication move beyond the founders, the team needs more direction than “keep it casual.”In this episode, we talk about defining a voice around your clients, company values, and the way your team actually communicates. We also explain why reviewing work together matters, especially when you’re training newer employees. The goal isn’t to make everyone sound identical, but to give them clear boundaries and room to contribute.We also break down how objective writing standards can make editing less subjective. If your agency is delegating content, emails, or social media, this is the groundwork that keeps the brand consistent as the team grows.-----MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE:Article: Data Reveals ChatGPT Ads Not Performinghttps://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/417528/data-reveals-chatgpt-ads-not-performing.html-----PREMIUM:Join the Patreon and get exclusive content from this episode with more in-depth advice and hours of bonus content each month:https://www.agencygrowthpodcast.com/premium-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  How to Buy Premium Domains Below Sticker Price | Episode 223 11.09.2026 46min

  In this episode, we talk about why the right .com can be worth pursuing as your agency grows. It will not instantly bring in more leads, but it can change how established and credible your business feels. That matters when you are building a real company instead of chasing short-term revenue.We walk through how to find the owner of a taken domain, determine what it may actually be worth, and complete the purchase without hiring a broker. The most important part is deciding what you are willing to pay before the negotiation starts.Cody also shares how he bought a domain listed for a few thousand dollars for just $230. It is a good reminder that an asking price is only an asking price, and that domain acquisition could become another useful service your agency offers clients.-----MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE:Inside the Castello Brothers Smoothie Move Into Fractional Ownership of Domain NamesArticle: https://www.dnjournal.com/articles/2026/smoothie/doma.htmBook recommendation: "Never Split the Difference" by Chris VossHow to get in touch with the domain owner?lookup.icann.orgPremium domain negotiating toolbox:Estibot.comEscrow.com-----PREMIUM:Join the Patreon and get exclusive content from this episode with more in-depth advice and hours of bonus content each month:https://www.agencygrowthpodcast.com/premium-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  The Tax Strategies Most Agency Owners Never Consider (ft. Emily Bowie w/ Thorne Advisors) | Episode 222 04.09.2026 54min

  We sat down with Emily Bowie from Thorne Advisors to talk about the boring, unsexy side of tax strategy and fixing broken agency pricing.Most agency owners lump tax prep in with basic bookkeeping and ignore real strategy until Uncle Sam takes a massive chunk of their profit. Emily breaks down why tax strategy starts making sense around the $100k net mark, how S-Corp elections factor into the mix, and how to handle reasonable compensation to stay off the IRS audit list. It comes down to understanding your actual cash flow instead of guessing your way through payroll.We also talk about the operational leaks that make agencies look profitable on paper while the bank account tells a completely different story. From miscalculating labor rates to ignoring true overhead, scope creep silently eats away at your capacity to take on better work. Emily breaks down how one agency lost $120,000 just by failing to factor true delivery costs into their proposals.If you want to stop bleeding cash on bad proposals and keep more of what you earn, listen to the episode and share your thoughts in the comments.-----MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE:Follow Emily:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyvbowie/  Thorne Advisors:www.thorneadvisors.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thorneadvisors/  5 Cash Leaks and 5 Missed Tax Deductions:https://www.thorneadvisors.com/cashleaks-----PREMIUM:Join the Patreon and get exclusive content from this episode with more in-depth advice and hours of bonus content each month:https://www.agencygrowthpodcast.com/premium-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  Account Management is Harder Than You Think | Episode 221 28.08.2026 54min

  [Cold open [Moving to Tampa, podcast camera shaming, and getting called "AI slop" on Reddit.] ends at 12:43.]Account management might be the hardest agency skill to teach.We’re moving two experienced strategists into formal account management roles, and the hard part is not SEO, PPC, or reporting. It is learning how to communicate strategy, understand the history behind the numbers, and know when a client email needs 30 seconds or 30 minutes. Those soft skills carry more weight than most agency owners realize.We break down the difference between client services, account management, and account executives, plus what each role actually requires. A strong account manager needs more than likability. They need strategy, organization, communication, industry knowledge, and a clear understanding of where they can push back.If clients are used to working with the owner, handing off accounts takes more than changing the name on an email thread. You need to build trust, stay involved, and give the new account manager time to prove they can handle the relationship. Until that happens, stepping away from the agency can cost you clients and recurring revenue.-----PREMIUM:Join the Patreon and get exclusive content from this episode with more in-depth advice and hours of bonus content each month:https://www.agencygrowthpodcast.com/premium-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  How to Stop Undercharging for Creative Work (ft. Jasmine Sotiropoulos w/ ReWorded) | Episode 220 21.08.2026 59min

  We sat down with Jasmine Sotiropoulos to talk about the reality of undercharging, learning how to sell services, and niching down without torching your main agency.Jasmine started like a lot of agency owners, taking cheap jobs on task sites, grinding nights and weekends, and saying yes to everything. Everything shifted when she stopped treating design like "making pretty things" and started learning how to communicate actual business value to her clients. That shift in communication allowed her to step away from low-ticket work and start closing $10,000+ branding projects.We also talk about how she launched a second agency entity to capitalize on founder-led branding without trapping her original business in a single box. Plus, she breaks down why she skips lazy automation for personal voice memos and chooses tech stacks that make client handoffs painless.If you are stuck undercharging or terrified of making the wrong strategic pivot, this conversation offers a grounded look at the boring work behind building a real business. Check it out and let us know what you think.-----MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE:Contact Jasmine:LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasmine-sotiropoulos/ReWorded:https://www.reworded.com.auRed Bow House:https://www.redbowhouse.com-----PREMIUM:Join the Patreon and get exclusive content from this episode with more in-depth advice and hours of bonus content each month:https://www.agencygrowthpodcast.com/premium-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  Competitor Interview: From White Label to Niche Agency (ft. Mark Kelly w/ Inbound Revenue) | Episode 219 14.08.2026 59min

  Mark Kelly built Inbound Revenue by doing the work other agencies were selling.For roughly a decade, white-label Google Ads made up most of his business. It reduced the sales burden and gave partner agencies a productized fulfillment system, but it also meant his team had to jump between completely different industries.Mark is now shifting toward direct relationships with outdoor living contractors. We talk about why narrowing the niche gives him more control over budgets, client communication, and lead feedback. We also discuss why white-label agencies can lose accounts over problems they had nothing to do with.We compare pricing, landing-page control, hiring Google Ads specialists, and the systems required to keep fulfillment consistent. Mark is building a different version of a niche agency than ours, which is exactly the point: two competitors can serve the same market without building the same business.-----MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE:Contact Mark:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.d.kelly1LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdkelly/Inbound Revenue:https://inboundrevenue.com-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  The Trade Show Strategy Behind a Six-Figure Niche Agency (ft. Matt Aldrich w/ Pet Engine Marketing) | Episode 218 07.08.2026 1h 9min

  We sat down with Matt Aldrich of Pet Engine Marketing to break down how he built a six-figure niche agency using trade shows and a $2,500 monthly minimum retainer.Cold outreach flopped in his industry, so Matt pivoted to trade shows to build face-to-face trust with local business owners. He eventually turned those connections into paid speaking gigs that positioned him as an authority in the space. Most local clients did not even understand what a real marketing budget was, so educating them became step one.We also covered why he completely ditched organic social media management after realizing it burned out his team and provided zero financial return. Instead of selling bloated service packages, Matt shifted his focus strictly to high-impact strategy, email, and paid ads. Agency growth is rarely linear, and sometimes cutting useless deliverables is the fastest way to fix your margins.-----MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE:Contact Matt:[email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjaldrich13/Pet Engine Marketing:https://petenginemarketing.com/-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  Quality Suffers When Owners Step Away | Episode 217 31.07.2026 47min

  [Cold open [Steroids, workout hacks, and AI-flagged social content.] ends at 08:25.]Stepping away from your agency before you have a proper scale built out is a fast track to lost revenue and client churn.In this episode, we break down a recent post from our friend Caesar, who lost $10,000 in monthly recurring revenue after taking six weeks off. While he attributed the lead drop to pausing client acquisition, the cancellations exposed what happens to deliverable quality when the owner steps out. We discuss why raising prices without adding extra value creates high churn the moment you step back from managing those relationships.Based on our conversations with multi-million dollar agency owners, you shouldn't hand off account management before reaching $2 million in revenue or sales before $5 million. Putting an early-stage agency on "autopilot" usually just means you are gliding toward zero. If you want to protect retention, you have to stay in the trenches and do the unsexy work required to maintain quality.-----MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE:Cesar's Reddit Post: "Down $10K MRR this summer - it's on me" (https://www.reddit.com/r/agency/comments/1ux8bxa/down_10k_mrr_this_summer_its_on_me/)-----PREMIUM:Join the Patreon and get exclusive content from this episode with more in-depth advice and hours of bonus content each month:https://www.agencygrowthpodcast.com/premium-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  Competitor Interview: The Agency Built on Revenue Share (ft. Tyler Hoyt w/ Fast Break Digital Media) | Episode 216 24.07.2026 1h 46min

  We sat down with another competitor, Tyler Hoyt of Fast Break Digital Media, to compare how two niche agencies can serve similar clients while building completely different businesses.Tyler explains how he grew from managing every account himself to running a lean team built around revenue share, contractors, a VA, and a setter. We talk about getting out of fulfillment, hiring people who are better than you, and dropping the belief that you need to control everything.We also break down the realities of selling Meta Ads, setting minimum budgets, getting clients to create video content, and turning away prospects who will not do their part. Tyler shares real numbers on lead costs, close rates, acquisition costs, pricing, and why organic social is still his strongest source of new business.Fast Break is now doing around $70,000 per month without a bloated team. This is an honest conversation about retention, seasonality, client expectations, and what agency owners can learn from the competitors doing good work beside them.-----MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE:Follow Tyler:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-hoyt/Fast Break Digital Media:https://fastbreakdigitalmedia.com/-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  The Mid 2000s Agency Model is Dying | Episode 215 17.07.2026 46min

  [Cold open [Paintball, sick kids, and the problem with barber fades] ends at 05:58.]The agency model built on evergreen content and one reliable acquisition channel is starting to break.Last month, 25% of our Google ad spend went to LSAs, something that would have been unheard of a year ago. Now ChatGPT Ads, AI search, and changing platforms are forcing agencies to rethink both service delivery and client acquisition.We talk about why authority matters more than generic content, and how brand mentions, reviews, industry publications, social engagement, and video are shaping who gets trusted and recommended. Real credibility takes time. It comes from doing useful work and showing up in more than one place.For newer agencies, that may mean working for free to gain experience and cold calling when inbound is not there. For established agency owners, it means staying involved in sales, building beyond one channel, and accepting that the old playbook will not carry the business forever.-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  This Is the Worst Year for Google Ads | Episode 214 10.07.2026 59min

  [Cold open [Jake is moving... Again] ends at 10:40.]Google Ads feels weird right now, and we’re trying to figure out what changed.In this episode, we talk about what we’re seeing in real local lead gen accounts. LSAs are getting more attention, standard search ads feel weaker, CPAs are rising, and clients are asking fair questions.We also get into what we’re testing next, including AI Max, target CPA, Google-hosted lead forms, ChatGPT ads, and better reporting. No perfect answers here. Just honest testing, cleaner data, and saying the quiet part out loud.-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  Competitor Interview: The $3M Mistake That Changed His Business (ft. Nicklaus Conley w/ Tekton Growth) | Episode 213 03.07.2026 1h 37min

  We sat down with Nicklaus Conley to talk about what happens when marketing works faster than the business underneath it.Nick scaled his hardscaping company toward $3 million in contracts before a massive chunk of that revenue vanished in weeks. The crash wasn't a marketing failure; his operations and cash flow simply couldn't absorb the rapid growth. It is a harsh look at how high lead volume can give you dangerous, false confidence.We also broke down why bragging about cost-per-lead is meaningless if you do not track your true customer acquisition cost. Now, Nick is building a lean agency focused on productized offers and AI automation. He is mapping out the unsexy systems required to scale MRR without creating endless drudgery for himself.-----MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE:Follow Nick:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicklaus.conley.2025/Tekton Growth:https://www.tektongrowth.com/-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  Competitor Interview: Did They Build a Better Agency Model? (ft. Ezra w/ Green Frog Web Design) | Episode 212 26.06.2026 1h 22min

  This week, we brought on Ezra from Green Frog Web Design to talk about what agency owners usually avoid: competitors, pricing, retention, and what “enough” actually means.Ezra works in the same lawn and landscape space we do, which is exactly why we wanted him on. Most agency owners treat competitors like enemies. We think that’s usually a barrier you made up yourself.We got into his path from lawn care and cold calling to building a niche web design and SEO agency with a low-friction monthly model. No giant retainers. No pretending every client needs the same thing. Just a clear offer, a specific niche, and a business built around retention.We also talked about the bigger question behind all of this: what are you actually building for? More revenue is great, but if the business forces you into a life you don’t want, that’s not much of a win. -----MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE:Follow Ezra:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezragreenf/Make & Model Advertising:https://greenfrogwebdesign.com/-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  What We’re Working On in 2026 | Episode 211 19.06.2026 58min

  [Cold open [Jake turns Iowa’s football stadium into a paintball field] ends at 10:39.]We’re trying to figure out what the next version of our agency actually looks like.SEO and Google Ads are still the foundation, but marketing alone has a ceiling. Adding more lead sources does not help much when clients only see the bad leads, follow-up is inconsistent, and everything gets compared to high-intent search.In this episode, we talk through what we’re testing right now. That includes Google AI Max, lead form campaigns, HighLevel, and one dashboard that brings leads from every platform into the same place.The bigger idea is moving beyond lead generation and into operations. Better qualifications, faster follow-up, sales coaching, and cleaner client data may be what makes the agency more valuable and less seasonal. We do not have it all figured out, but this is the boring work we’re doing to find out.-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  AI Is Devaluing Your Agency | Episode 210 12.06.2026 1h 1min

  [Cold open [Jake’s 7,000-word schema study] ends at 11:56]AI is making clients question what they used to pay agencies for.In this episode, we talk about how clients are starting to look at agency work differently now that AI can give them a first draft, a basic design, a legal answer, a finance answer, or a marketing opinion in seconds. It does not have to be perfect to change how they think.That is the part agency owners need to pay attention to. The real threat is not always what AI can actually do, but what the client believes it can do.The value has to move somewhere else. Better thinking, better judgment, better relationships, better performance, and being the kind of partner clients actually trust when the AI gives them a confident answer that is wrong.-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  When Agency Fatigue Sets In | Episode 209 05.06.2026 1h 8min

  [Cold open [Bad shaker bottles. Creatine. Gemini as a personal trainer.] ends at 08:43.]Cody and Jake talk through the weird spot agency owners hit when the business is growing, but the work starts feeling less fulfilling.This episode gets into the reality of running a productized agency at volume. More clients, more accounts, more expectations, and more moments where “just manage expectations better” stops being a useful answer.They also talk about what the next evolution of Evergrow might look like. Not just adding another marketing channel, but building operational tools around the problems clients already have: missed calls, weak follow-up, no review generation, bad lead handling, and messy sales processes.It’s part therapy session, part business discussion. The kind of conversation agency owners have when the machine is working, revenue is growing, and somehow the next problem still feels right in front of you.-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  The Rise of the AI-Informed Client | Episode 208 29.05.2026 1h 11min

  [Cold open (Music opinions, Spotify habits, and Mr. Brightside trauma) ends at 09:40.]AI has given clients just enough language to sound confident, but not always enough context to be right.In this episode, we talk about what happens when clients start using ChatGPT, Gemini, or other LLMs to audit the work they already pay an agency to do. Sometimes the questions are fair. Sometimes they are just AI-generated checklists dressed up as strategy.We get into SEO advice, Google Ads testing, schema, CDNs, landing page structure, and all the tiny technical things that sound important online but often do not move the needle. We opened up our inbox to share real client emails and break down how we set firm boundaries.This is not an anti-AI episode. It is an episode about authority, trust, and what agency owners should do when clients start treating AI like the expert in the room.-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  Inside the Chaos of Automotive Marketing (ft. Jackie Studor w/ Make Model Marketing) | Episode 207 22.05.2026 1h 46min

  We sat down with Jackie Studor from Make Model Marketing to talk about the absolute grind of running a niche digital agency in the automotive industry. The automotive niche isn't built for standard agency plays. Jackie explained how her team navigates massive manufacturer compliance rules and co-op dollar systems where a simple error can cost a client thousands. Because of this intense nuance, they strictly hire account managers who have actual dealership experience. They also do something most remote agencies avoid: visiting every single client in person every month. It's a high-touch model that drives an impressive 48-month retention rate but creates distinct operational bottlenecks. We dug into those hurdles, from calculating service margins without billable hours to managing team capacity as the business scales. If you have ever thought about breaking into the car business, this episode is a realistic look at the industry. Car dealers do not buy from cold calls; they buy from industry peer groups and trusted referrals. It is a heavy, unsexy operation, but there is a lot to learn from how they structure their business.-----MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE:Follow Jackie:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-studor/Make & Model Advertising:https://makemodelmarketing.com/-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  Walking Away From a $2M Agency (ft. Dan Gent w/ Dear Agency Founder) | Episode 206 15.05.2026 1h 54min

  We sat down with Dan Gent, who ran his product design agency, Lighthouse London, for 15 years before walking away in 2023 and now writes his own newsletter, Dear Agency Founder.Dan details how Lighthouse reached 20 people and roughly $2 million in revenue before market conditions forced a closure rather than a traditional exit. He explains the dangerous "dip" where profit margins drop as you hire non-billable managers and ops staff to scale. This conversation is a blunt look at the reality that businesses often end by closing or walking away instead of a multi-million dollar payout.We also tackle the difficulty of design retainers and why clients often stop seeing value once the initial project is finished. Dan advises treating yourself as an employee with a set wage in your forecast so you can actually afford to hire your replacement. He also touches on how AI is commoditizing "grunt work," forcing designers to sell accountability and taste instead of just Figma files.-----MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE:Follow Dan:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dangent/The Dear Agency Founder Newsletter:https://join.dearagencyfounder.com/?utm_source=agencygrowthpodcast-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact
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  Technology Is Changing Faster Than Agencies Can Keep Up | Episode 205 08.05.2026 53min

  [Cold open [Jake’s $700 Caviar Mistake] ends at 13:45.]Technology is moving fast, but that doesn’t mean agency owners need to chase every new tool that shows up in their feed.In this episode, we talk about the pressure agencies feel to keep up with AI, automation, new ad platforms, and all the other tools everyone is suddenly yelling about. Some of it matters. A lot of it is just noise.The real question is not “what tool should we sell next?” It’s “what problem are we actually trying to solve?” We get into why chasing tools before defining the problem wastes time, creates bad offers, and makes agencies look more like hobbyists than operators.We also talk about where technology has actually helped us inside Evergrow, from call tracking to lead aggregation to niche ad platforms. The point is not to ignore new technology. The point is to use it when it helps clients get more leads, handle those leads better, and make smarter growth decisions.-----RESOURCES:Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools-----NEWSLETTERWant the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter-----COMMUNITYLooking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD-----CONTACTGot something to say? Send us a message:https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact