Agency Forward

Chris DuBois
  • 4.9 (10)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Weekly

Agency Forward explores the future of agencies as tech and AI drive down the cost of tactical deliverables. Topics include building competent teams, developing strategic offers, systemizing your business, and more. New episodes delivered every Tuesday.

  1. 2d ago

    132 The Shelf: 131 Episodes of Book Recommendations, Sorted by Problem

    On this episode of Agency Forward, I go through the books my guests recommend most. At the end of every interview I ask what one book every agency owner should read. I went back through 131 episodes, pulled the answers, and sorted the most recommended books into seven shelves. Each shelf is built around a problem, so you can go straight to the one that matches what's stuck in your agency right now. Before the list, a bit on how I read. I keep four books going at once so there's always one that fits my mood. I also use a sheet of printer paper folded in thirds as a bookmark: notes from the book go on the left, and on the right I try the idea on my own business before I finish the chapter. The seven shelves: I am the bottleneck: Traction by Gino Wickman, The E-Myth by Michael Gerber, Buy Back Your Time by Dan MartellNobody can tell what we're for: The Business of Expertise by David C. Baker, The Boutique by Greg Alexander, The Win Without Pitching Manifesto by Blair EnnsGrowth stops when I stop selling: The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson, Demand-Side Sales 101 by Bob Moesta, They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan, Building a StoryBrand by Donald MillerIt works, but I can't leave it: Built to Sell by John Warrillow, Good to Great by Jim Collins, Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael MastersonRevenue is up and there's no cash: Profit First by Mike Michalowicz, Digital Dollars and Cents by Jody GrundenMy team isn't what I need it to be: Radical Candor by Kim Scott, Dare to Lead by Brené BrownThe problem is me: Atomic Habits by James Clear In this episode, I cover: Why Traction is the most recommended book on the show, even though guests keep calling it boringWhy I'd hand Building a StoryBrand to someone starting an agency before someone who has run one for yearsWhat to keep in mind with Good to Great now that a number of its companies have gone out of businessWhy an agency under $500K a year should spend its time selling, the core argument of Ready, Fire, AimThe founder salary mistake agencies make when they plan to sellAnd more... Another 77 books came up on the show that didn't make this episode, from Don Quixote to Team of Rivals. ----------- No one was asking for another community. But I've made one anyway. So what's different? The Dynamic Agency Community is designed around access rather than content. Access to peers who've done it before. Access to experts who've designed solutions. Access to resources that have been battle-tested. And right now, the price for founding members is only $97/year. Join today so your agency has immediate access to everything you need to grow. You can join at dynamicagencyos.com/community. ----------- Subscribe to the Agency Forward blog on Substack. We have weekly blog content with practical advice to help you advance your agency. ----------- 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.

  2. Oct 27

    131 Nick Bennett & Erica Schneider: Scale a Microagency Without Hating Your Life

    On this episode of Agency Forward, I'm joined by Nick Bennett and Erica Schneider. Nick and Erica run Duo Consulting, an offer design consultancy for solo consultants and small agencies who want to grow past what one person can carry. Nick came up in demand gen at a HubSpot partner agency and was last on the show in episode 75. Erica is a writer and editor who ran her own content business, Cut the Fluff, before the two of them teamed up. I wanted them on because they have put a name and a shape on something a lot of agency owners want and can't describe: a business bigger than a solo practice that never turns into the agency they hated working at. Their version is one offer, one delivery pod of senior people, around 60% margin, and a ceiling the owner picks on purpose. In this episode, we discuss: What makes a microagency, and why it has a ceiling by designPutting contractors across accounts by skill, instead of giving one person everything on one accountVariable pay for senior people, and why junior hires dilute the workWhy the founder stays on as principal strategist, so the client never gets handed off"When is enough enough?" with clients cruising at $25K, $140K and $330K a monthWhich services fit the model (demand gen, content) and which fight it (coaching)The revenue wall most solo operators hit between $30K and $50K a monthWhy the offer comes first: keep the main thing the main thingWriting a book one monthly mini book at a time, and how it became their most cited source of new deals after LinkedInAnd more...You can learn more about Nick and Erica on LinkedIn, at DuoConsulting.co, and at How Solos Scale. ----------- No one was asking for another community. But I've made one anyway. So what's different? The Dynamic Agency Community is designed around access rather than content. Access to peers who've done it before. Access to experts who've designed solutions. Access to resources that have been battle-tested. And right now, the price for founding members is only $97/year. Join today so your agency has immediate access to everything you need to grow. You can join at dynamicagencyos.com/community. ----------- Subscribe to the Agency Forward blog on Substack. We have weekly blog content with practical advice to help you advance your agency. ----------- 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.

  3. Oct 20

    130 Leslie Camacho: Why AI Exposes Weak Agency Cultures

    On this episode of Agency Forward, I'm joined by Leslie Camacho. Leslie is an EOS Implementer who works only with agencies. Leslie helps owners run on the Entrepreneurial Operating System, with most of the work going into the "healthy" half of healthy and smart: core values, team health, and how owners lead and manage. I wanted Leslie on because of a sharp take on what AI does to an agency: it makes you faster at everything, including the things that are already broken. If your culture is weak, AI just grows the people problems along with the output. We talked about why that happens, how a role can change in a few weeks without anyone saying it out loud, and the small, consistent habits that keep a team healthy while the work speeds up. In this episode, we discuss: Why AI exposes weak cultures, and why "culture is how you do everything"How AI piles on decisions and changes someone's job, especially for people with ADHD or traumaCore values you can hire, fire, review and reward against, and revisiting them every quarterDelegate and Elevate as a way to catch burnout in the "good at it but don't like it" workWhy owners who hate the word "management" should learn to be a great boss, and how AI can teach youTwo book picks: Heal to Lead by Kelly Campbell and The Book of JoyAnd more...You can learn more about Leslie on LinkedIn and at LeslieCamacho.com.  ----------- Lead Gen is the hardest part of running an agency. For most, it's unpredictable, it's slow, and it's usually expensive. Gia flips that. It's the all-in-one growth platform that turns your existing relationships and client work into a steady pipeline. Gia automates lead gen follow-up and content, and it's all from the work you're already doing. You can check it out and get some free bonuses at getgia.ai/dynamicagency ----------- No one was asking for another community. But I've made one anyway. So what's different? The Dynamic Agency Community is designed around access rather than content. Access to peers who've done it before. Access to experts who've designed solutions. Access to resources that have been battle-tested. And right now, the price for founding members is only $97/year. Join today so your agency has immediate access to everything you need to grow. You can join at dynamicagencyos.com/community. ----------- Subscribe to the Agency Forward blog on Substack. We have weekly blog content with practical advice to help you advance your agency. ----------- 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.

  4. Oct 13

    129 Tim Kilroy: Why Leaning on AI Makes Agencies Forgettable

    Hey everyone, today I'm joined by Tim Kilroy, back for his third time on the show. Tim is the founder of the WTF Agency Method and Build Your Agency Better. He's founded, scaled and sold multiple agencies over 25+ years in digital marketing, and now coaches agency owners full-time. He writes the Agency Inner Circle newsletter twice a week, and he recently launched the Agency Field Guide, a directory that only lists agencies willing to show evidence of their work. I wanted Tim back because a lot of agencies are pouring money into AI tools and workflows to do the same work they've always done, faster. Tim calls it arming yourself to fight the last war. We talked about where AI earns its keep in an agency, and where leaning on it makes your work blander and your agency easier to forget. In this episode, we discuss: Why AI-written marketing misses the overlap between what the brand knows and what the buyer knowsWhy an agency selling its own software is usually competing with a VC-funded company and losingWhy the job is to be unforgettable rather than efficient, and how AI rounds off your sharp edgesWhat to hand AI (research, finding what you missed) and what to keep (writing and decisions)Why AI pushes agencies out of the execution room and into the strategy roomAnd more...You can learn more about Tim on LinkedIn, at timkilroy.com, or at agencyfieldguide.com. ----------- Lead Gen is the hardest part of running an agency. For most, it's unpredictable, it's slow, and it's usually expensive. Gia flips that. It's the all-in-one growth platform that turns your existing relationships and client work into a steady pipeline. Gia automates lead gen follow-up and content, and it's all from the work you're already doing. You can check it out and get some free bonuses at getgia.ai/dynamicagency ----------- No one was asking for another community. But I've made one anyway. So what's different? The Dynamic Agency Community is designed around access rather than content. Access to peers who've done it before. Access to experts who've designed solutions. Access to resources that have been battle-tested. And right now, the price for founding members is only $97/year. Join today so your agency has immediate access to everything you need to grow. You can join at dynamicagencyos.com/community. ----------- Subscribe to the Agency Forward blog on Substack. We have weekly blog content with practical advice to help you advance your agency. ----------- 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.

  5. Oct 6

    128 Raul Hernandez: Why "Cheaper With AI" Is the Wrong Question

    Hey everyone, today I'm joined by Raul Hernandez. Raul is the founder of Do Good Work, a growth and operations advisor who helps founder-led B2B service businesses build and own their own AI systems instead of renting someone else's. He built and led a revenue team that produced $50 million and made the Inc. 5000 the same year, and he's hosted the Do Good Work podcast since 2019, now around 300 episodes. Raul built his first agency on an 11-inch MacBook Air, grew it to 19 clients, and has since packaged his own operating systems into productized agents and skill sets that other service businesses now run on. I wanted to have Raul on because agency owners keep getting hit with "can't you do this cheaper with AI," and most of them don't have a real answer. Raul does. He's actually built and priced the systems that answer it instead of just talking about it. In this episode, we discuss: Why "cheaper with AI" is the wrong client questionOwning your data and AI agents instead of renting a modelPricing agency services four new ways in the AI eraAnd more...You can learn more about Raul on LinkedIn, or at dogoodwork.io. ----------- Lead Gen is the hardest part of running an agency. For most, it's unpredictable, it's slow, and it's usually expensive. Gia flips that. It's the all-in-one growth platform that turns your existing relationships and client work into a steady pipeline. Gia automates lead gen follow-up and content, and it's all from the work you're already doing. You can check it out and get some free bonuses at getgia.ai/dynamicagency ----------- No one was asking for another community. But I've made one anyway. So what's different? The Dynamic Agency Community is designed around access rather than content. Access to peers who've done it before. Access to experts who've designed solutions. Access to resources that have been battle-tested. And right now, the price for founding members is only $97/year. Join today so your agency has immediate access to everything you need to grow. You can join at dynamicagencyos.com/community. ----------- Subscribe to the Agency Forward blog on Substack. We have weekly blog content with practical advice to help you advance your agency. ----------- 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.

  6. Sep 29

    127 Carson Pierce: Why More Work Won't Fix an Unprofitable Agency

    Hey everyone, today I'm joined by Carson Pierce. Carson leads the team at Parakeeto, where he helps agency owners get clear on their numbers and fix their profitability problems. He meets with agency owners every month to walk through what their numbers mean, how they affect each other, and which ones deserve their attention. I wanted to have Carson on because when the pipeline dries up, most agency owners go chase more work. Carson makes the case for checking your delivery margin, team utilization and rates first, because more work poured into a business that loses money on every hour just makes the hole deeper. In this episode, we discuss: Why chasing more work can backfire when revenue dipsDelivery margin, the one number Carson would chase first, and why it should sit at 50% or lessWhy your team can feel slammed while the utilization numbers say they have roomHow AI is putting pressure on agency pricing, and why faster work rarely earns a higher priceAnd more...You can learn more about Carson on LinkedIn, or grab the free toolkit at Parakeeto.com. And here are some other fun links for you: Agency Profit PodcastAgency Profit ToolkitBook a call with Parakeeto ----------- Lead Gen is the hardest part of running an agency. For most, it's unpredictable, it's slow, and it's usually expensive. Gia flips that. It's the all-in-one growth platform that turns your existing relationships and client work into a steady pipeline. Gia automates lead gen follow-up and content, and it's all from the work you're already doing. You can check it out and get some free bonuses at getgia.ai/dynamicagency ----------- No one was asking for another community. But I've made one anyway. So what's different? The Dynamic Agency Community is designed around access rather than content. Access to peers who've done it before. Access to experts who've designed solutions. Access to resources that have been battle-tested. And right now, the price for founding members is only $97/year. Join today so your agency has immediate access to everything you need to grow. You can join at dynamicagencyos.com/community. ----------- Subscribe to the Agency Forward blog on Substack. We have weekly blog content with practical advice to help you advance your agency. ----------- 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.

  7. Sep 22

    126 Tracey Burnett: Fix Your Foundation Before You Fix the Tactics

    Hey everyone, today I'm joined by Tracey Burnett. Tracey runs Leads to Success Global and hosts the Marketing Momentum for Agencies podcast. Before working with agencies, she spent years running lead generation and marketing for companies like Unilever and Barclays. I wanted her on because agencies are often the worst at marketing themselves, even though it's exactly what they sell everyone else. After 80-plus interviews with agency owners on her own show, Tracey sees the same pattern every time: owners chase a tactic, more content, another podcast, outbound, before they've fixed what she calls their "unshakable business foundation," and their own marketing is always the first thing to get cut when client delivery gets busy. In this episode, we discuss: Why agencies look for a marketing tactic before diagnosing the actual business problemThe "unshakable business foundation" she builds before touching a single tacticWhy an agency's own marketing always loses to client delivery, and how to stop thatHow to build a marketing rhythm a founder or team will actually keep doingAnd more...You can learn more about Tracey Burnett on LinkedIn, or check out her podcast, Marketing Momentum for Agencies. ----------- Lead Gen is the hardest part of running an agency. For most, it's unpredictable, it's slow, and it's usually expensive. Gia flips that. It's the all-in-one growth platform that turns your existing relationships and client work into a steady pipeline. Gia automates lead gen follow-up and content, and it's all from the work you're already doing. You can check it out and get some free bonuses at getgia.ai/dynamicagency ----------- No one was asking for another community. But I've made one anyway. So what's different? The Dynamic Agency Community is designed around access rather than content. Access to peers who've done it before. Access to experts who've designed solutions. Access to resources that have been battle-tested. And right now, the price for founding members is only $97/year. Join today so your agency has immediate access to everything you need to grow. You can join at dynamicagencyos.com/community. ----------- Subscribe to the Agency Forward blog on Substack. We have weekly blog content with practical advice to help you advance your agency. ----------- 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.

  8. Sep 15

    125 Albert Banks: Run Your Agency Like You're Going to Sell It

    Hey everyone, today I'm joined by Albert Banks. Albert runs Apertus, an advisory firm that helps agency and professional services owners get their operations and finances ready for a sale, whether or not they ever actually sell. He built and sold two agencies himself, first Myjive in a partner-driven exit, then Union in a fully deliberate process he ran years in advance. I wanted him on because most agency owners never seriously prepare to sell, even though it's probably the biggest asset they'll ever own. Albert is blunt about what that takes: chasing profitability over vanity revenue, building a business that runs without you, and knowing exactly how a buyer will value your agency before you ever sit across from one. In this episode, we discuss: Why only about 1% of agencies ever reach a real exitThe real reason owners get stuck and can't get out of their own businessHow agencies are actually valued, and the biggest surprise owners get about their own payWhy more agencies are doing "bolt-on" acquisitions instead of waiting for a full exitAnd more...You can learn more about Albert Banks on LinkedIn, or check out Apertus if you want help running your agency like you're built to sell it. ----------- Lead Gen is the hardest part of running an agency. For most, it's unpredictable, it's slow, and it's usually expensive. Gia flips that. It's the all-in-one growth platform that turns your existing relationships and client work into a steady pipeline. Gia automates lead gen follow-up and content, and it's all from the work you're already doing. You can check it out and get some free bonuses at getgia.ai/dynamicagency ----------- No one was asking for another community. But I've made one anyway. So what's different? The Dynamic Agency Community is designed around access rather than content. Access to peers who've done it before. Access to experts who've designed solutions. Access to resources that have been battle-tested. And right now, the price for founding members is only $97/year. Join today so your agency has immediate access to everything you need to grow. You can join at dynamicagencyos.com/community. ----------- Subscribe to the Agency Forward blog on Substack. We have weekly blog content with practical advice to help you advance your agency. ----------- 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.

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Agency Forward explores the future of agencies as tech and AI drive down the cost of tactical deliverables. Topics include building competent teams, developing strategic offers, systemizing your business, and more. New episodes delivered every Tuesday.

Information

  • Creator
    Chris DuBois
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    134
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Chris DuBois
  • Show Website
    Agency Forward

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