Agency Forward Chris DuBois

Hey everyone, today I’m joined by Jen Spencer.
Jen is the CEO of SmartBug Media. At Inbound a few years ago, I’d met some of the SmartBug team and they raved about working there. So, when an opportunity arose to interview their fearless leader, I jumped at the chance.
Jen took over as CEO after being SmartBug’s VP of Sales and Marketing and then CRO. She has a wealth of agency knowledge from multiple fox holes and provided so many great insights in this episode.
In this episode, we discuss:
How to foster a strong culture, even as your team breaks triple digitsWhy training your clients is one of the best things an agency can doHow to provide value to a partner ecosystem that gives backand more…You can learn more about Jen at SmartBugMedia.com or on LinkedIn.
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Today’s episode is brought to you by ZenPilot.
There are lots of tools out there for agencies to manage projects. But any project issues aren’t usually caused by the tool. They’re from your own processes.
ZenPilot helps agencies implement their project management tools while streamlining operations, so your team can move from chaos to clarity.
You can see for yourself at ZenPilot.com/forward.
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Subscribe to the Agency Forward blog on Substack.
We have weekly blog content with practical advice to help you advance your agency. 
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Want to level up your agency? Get the Dynamic Offers Email Mini-Course
Explore the 5 of the most common challenges agencies face in today's market.
We're talking about the challenges that lead to no prospects, no recurring revenue, and nothing for people to buy from you.
It's worth reading just for the ideas alone.
5 emails. 5 challenges. 5 strategies to fix them.
Get it at DynamicAgencyCourse.com.
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And if you're ready for 1-on-1 help to create some mind-blowing offers for your agency, visit DynamicAgencyOS.com to schedule a free consultation. Running an agency is tough, but you don't need to go it alone. 

Hey everyone, today I’m joined by Mike Schmidt and AJ Rivera.
They are the founders of Agency Coach where they help agency owners improve all facets of their business. For a bit more background, Mike was the founder of the agency Anchor Wave which AJ joined to lead sales. Now, the business is able to run without them as they work on other ventures.
Mike and AJ are also the creators of Funnel Hub which we’ll get into in the episode.
In this episode, we discuss:
The greatest challenge agency owners face today, and what to do about itWhy there’s never been a better time to own an agencyThe biggest domino agencies can knock over to jumpstart their business successand more…You can learn more about Mike & AJ at AgencyCoach.com.

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From the Episode:
Mike & AJ have free training for listeners at AgencyCoach.com/Forward
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Today’s episode is brought to you by ZenPilot.
There are lots of tools out there for agencies to manage projects. But any project issues aren’t usually caused by the tool. They’re from your own processes.
ZenPilot helps agencies implement their project management tools while streamlining operations, so your team can move from chaos to clarity.
You can see for yourself at ZenPilot.com.
-----------
Subscribe to the Agency Forward blog on Substack.
We have weekly blog content with practical advice to help you advance your agency. 
-----------
Want to level up your agency? Get the Dynamic Agency Email Mini-Course
Explore the 5 biggest mistakes agency founders make trying to create a profitable and efficient business.
We're talking about the mistakes that lead to no one wanting what you offer, recreating mediocre assets, and becoming completely replaceable.
Yeah. It's worth reading.
5 emails. 5 mistakes. 5 strategies to fix them.
Get it at DynamicAgencyCourse.com.
-----------
And if you're ready for 1-on-1 help, visit DynamicAgencyOS.com to schedule a free consultation. Running an agency is tough, but you don't need to go it alone. 

Hey everyone, today I’m joined by Logan Lyles.
Logan is the former VP of Sales & Customer Experience at Sweetfish, and now handles evangelism and content at Teamwork.com.
Logan has interviewed hundreds of agency owners and experts as the host of the podcast, Agency Life, and has countless insights from those conversations.
For a lot of today’s episode, we get into the findings from Teamwork.com’s State of Agency Operations report from 2023. I’ve added a link to the show notes so you can get a copy to follow along and see what we’re talking about.
In this episode, we discuss:
How client expectations are changing and what to do about itWhy agencies might struggle to keep projects on time and budgetThe need for AI in agency workflowsand more…You can learn more about Logan on LinkedIn.
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From the Episode:
State of Agency Operations Report
Agency Life Podcast
Bonus: Watch “The Client” from Teamwork.com
-----------
Today’s episode is brought to you by ZenPilot.
There are lots of tools out there for agencies to manage projects. But any project issues aren’t usually caused by the tool. They’re from your own processes.
ZenPilot helps agencies implement their project management tools while streamlining operations, so your team can move from chaos to clarity.
You can see for yourself at ZenPilot.com.
-----------
Subscribe to the Agency Forward blog on Substack.
We have weekly blog content with practical advice to help you advance your agency. 
-----------
Want to level up your agency? Get the Dynamic Agency Email Mini-Course
Explore the 5 biggest mistakes agency founders make trying to create a profitable and efficient business.
We're talking about the mistakes that lead to no one wanting what you offer, recreating mediocre assets, and becoming completely replaceable.
Yeah. It's worth reading.
5 emails. 5 mistakes. 5 strategies to fix them.
Get it at DynamicAgencyCourse.com.
-----------
And if you're ready for 1-on-1 help, visit DynamicAgencyOS.com to schedule a free consultation. Running an agency is tough, but you don't need to go it alone. 

Hey everyone, today I’m joined by Justin Graci.
Justin is a Marketing Fellow at Hubspot and works with and through ecosystem agency partners for go-to-market efforts.
A 'Marketing Fellow' at HubSpot is described as "a highly experienced and accomplished individual who brings a unique and specific subject matter expertise that is difficult to find in the market,” and Justin truly brings that to life in this conversation.
In this episode, we discuss:
How agencies can embrace AI to avoid disruptionHow partnerships between solution and app partners are driving successWhy comprehensive solutions for specific industries are game changersand more…You can learn more about Justin on LinkedIn.
-----------
Today’s episode is brought to you by ZenPilot.
There are lots of tools out there for agencies to manage projects. But any project issues aren’t usually caused by the tool. They’re from your own processes.
ZenPilot helps agencies implement their project management tools while streamlining operations, so your team can move from chaos to clarity.
You can see for yourself at ZenPilot.com.
-----------
Subscribe to the Agency Forward blog on Substack.
We have weekly blog content with practical advice to help you advance your agency. 
-----------
Want to level up your agency? Get the Dynamic Agency Email Mini-Course
Explore the 5 biggest mistakes agency founders make trying to create a profitable and efficient business.
We're talking about the mistakes that lead to no one wanting what you offer, recreating mediocre assets, and becoming completely replaceable.
Yeah. It's worth reading.
5 emails. 5 mistakes. 5 strategies to fix them.
Get it at DynamicAgencyCourse.com.
-----------
And if you're ready for 1-on-1 help, visit DynamicAgencyOS.com to schedule a free consultation. Running an agency is tough, but you don't need to go it alone. 

Hey everyone, today I’m joined by Karl Sakas.
When I first joined the agency world, Karl had the first books I read to understand what I was getting myself into. So, I was very excited to get him on the show to talk about the future of agencies and how he sees things changing.
Karl has a wealth of knowledge in all things agency, and he’s got some great insights packed in here for you.
In this episode, we discuss:
Agency structures that are gaining in popularity. How to build a strong support network to help you grow and succeed.How to delegate tasks and automate processes to free up time for more impactful work.and more…You can learn more about Karl on LinkedIn or at SakasAndCompany.com.
And grab a copy of Work Less, Earn More while you're at it.
-----------
Today’s episode is brought to you by ZenPilot.
There are lots of tools out there for agencies to manage projects. But any project issues aren’t usually caused by the tool. They’re from your own processes.
ZenPilot helps agencies implement their project management tools while streamlining operations, so your team can move from chaos to clarity.
You can see for yourself at ZenPilot.com.
-----------
Subscribe to the Agency Forward blog on Substack.
We have weekly blog content with practical advice to help you advance your agency. 
-----------
Want to level up your agency? Get the Dynamic Agency Email Mini-Course
Explore the 5 biggest mistakes agency founders make trying to create a profitable and efficient business.
We're talking about the mistakes that lead to no one wanting what you offer, recreating mediocre assets, and becoming completely replaceable.
Yeah. It's worth reading.
5 emails. 5 mistakes. 5 strategies to fix them.
Get it at DynamicAgencyCourse.com.
-----------
And if you're ready for 1-on-1 help, visit DynamicAgencyOS.com to schedule a free consultation. Running an agency is tough, but you don't need to go it alone. 

Hey everyone, today I’m joined by Gray MacKenzie.
Gray is the co-founder and CEO at ZenPilot. They’ve helped thousands of agencies systemize their business, boosting efficiency and, therefore, profit.
Gray is my go-to guy for anything around processes, so I was very excited to get his perspective on the future of agency operations. He’s built an awesome team of process-focused experts who crush it with ClickUp, and you’re guaranteed to pull some nuggets from this one.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why having well-defined processes is crucial for agenciesHow AI can enhance and speed up processesWhy you should separate strategy from implementation to avoid limitations in your businessand more…You can learn more about Gray on LinkedIn or at ZenPilot.com.
-----------Other notes:
The Process Prioritization Worksheet: https://www.zenpilot.com/process-prioritization-worksheetThe time tracking tool we discuss: https://www.memtime.com/-----------
Today’s episode is brought to you by ZenPilot.
There are lots of tools out there for agencies to manage projects. But any project issues aren’t usually caused by the tool. They’re from your own processes.
ZenPilot helps agencies implement their project management tools while streamlining operations, so your team can move from chaos to clarity.
You can see for yourself at ZenPilot.com.
-----------
Subscribe to the Agency Forward blog on Substack.
We have weekly blog content with practical advice to help you advance your agency. 
-----------
Want to level up your agency? Get the Dynamic Agency Email Mini-Course
Explore the 5 biggest mistakes agency founders make trying to create a profitable and efficient business.
We're talking about the mistakes that lead to no one wanting what you offer, recreating mediocre assets, and becoming completely replaceable.
Yeah. It's worth reading.
5 emails. 5 mistakes. 5 strategies to fix them.
Get it at DynamicAgencyCourse.com.
-----------
And if you're ready for 1-on-1 help, visit DynamicAgencyOS.com to schedule a free consultation. Running an agency is tough, but you don't need to go it alone.