Beyond SEO®

Growthack.io
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  • Marketing
  • Biweekly

Welcome to Beyond SEO® with Growthack.io. From search and content to product, data, and strategy, we dive into the ideas and conversations that go beyond SEO. Each episode takes you inside candid conversations with marketers, founders, and digital leaders who turn complex business challenges into measurable success. Hosted by Kevin Kapezi (Founder) and the team at Growthack, an award-winning SEO consultancy, Beyond SEO cuts through the hype to uncover the systems, data, and mindset behind sustainable online growth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Episode 15

    She SOLD Her Agency To Her Employees (Life After Exit) with Susan Hallam MBE | S2 EP15 Beyond SEO®

    Susan Hallam MBE founded Hallam in 1999, grew it into one of the UK's best-known digital agencies, and in 2025 sold it to her own employees through an employee ownership trust. She was also my first boss in the agency world, back in 2017. In part one we get into the brown envelope from the Cabinet Office, why she thinks nobody is born an entrepreneur, the ten years she worked alone before the business took off, and what two and a half decades of ethical SEO taught her about the AI shortcuts agencies are taking now. 0:00 Beyond SEO is back for season two 2:02 Welcome, Susan 2:55 The brown envelope and Buckingham Palace 5:35 "I didn't expect to be an entrepreneur" 8:02 Ten years alone before the liftoff 9:08 1999, Google, and the Wild West of SEO 10:20 AI content is the new black hat 12:20 Hiring people smarter than you 14:40 Staying independent, and saying no to VC 16:50 From management buyout to employee ownership 21:30 What she would do differently: niche down sooner 23:20 Being a woman founder, and learning to say yes 28:25 The lonely side of running a business 30:00 Resilience, burnout and COVID 33:05 "Work-life balance is a myth" 36:10 Briefs, feedback and the laundry list of 10 things 39:40 "Okay, what are you paying me for?" 42:30 Part two is coming Part two goes deeper into scaling an agency, how a founder's role changes as the business grows, and what the future looks like for agencies. Beyond SEO® is hosted by Kevin Kapezi, founder of Growthack. Growthack.io helps brands go Beyond SEO, specialising in building SEO systems that drive revenue: combining technical, content, data-driven insights and AI-ready strategies to help businesses scale smarter. Practical, award-winning SEO that helps your brand stay discoverable, trusted, and ready for what’s next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. Episode 16

    The 27 Employee TIPPING POINT (Why Agencies Break) with Susan Hallam MBE | S2 EP16 Beyond SEO®

    Spotify, YouTube and Apple Podcasts: linktr.ee/kevinkapezi Part two with Susan Hallam MBE, who founded Hallam in 1999, grew it into one of the UK's best-known digital agencies, and in 2025 sold it to her own employees through an employee ownership trust. This one goes deeper into the mechanics: what actually breaks as an agency scales, the point where a founder has to make themselves unnecessary, and what Susan thinks the agency of the future looks like. 0:00 Welcome back to part two 0:50 In-house or agency: where should the work actually sit? 3:22 Migrations and launches are the moment to bring an agency in 4:37 Agencies as educators, and why creativity stays human 6:18 AI is just levers, and spotting a website Claude designed 8:24 The immediacy problem, and "get on your bike and do it" 10:06 Trust is the one constant, and we are less trusting than we were 12:24 How public speaking grew Hallam 14:55 An authentic public voice, and a private life 17:00 Advice for a generation with no junior jobs to apply for 19:56 My niece, a creative degree, and no junior roles 20:47 The age of experimentation, and failing without being a failure 22:02 Scaling from 5 to 60: what broke at each stage 23:15 27 employees, the tipping point 23:40 "De-Susanning the company" 24:31 How that made the employee ownership trust possible 25:47 The golden thread 27:29 A politics degree, polling data, and keeping your eyes open 28:44 "If they're not going to change, they are going to die" 29:34 She would start an agency again today, 100% 30:25 Headcount as a badge of honour, and hybrid work 31:41 Closing and reopening like a phoenix 32:06 Retainer contracts are the mark of success 34:37 There has never been a one-size-fits-all agency model 38:23 Judgment before you let it loose in the wild 40:29 Gerald Ratner, and nothing new under the sun 41:00 Closing thoughts Part one is S2 EP15. Beyond SEO® is hosted by Kevin Kapezi, founder of Growthack. Growthack.io helps brands go Beyond SEO, specialising in building SEO systems that drive revenue: combining technical, content, data-driven insights and AI-ready strategies to help businesses scale smarter. Practical, award-winning SEO that helps your brand stay discoverable, trusted, and ready for what’s next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. Season 2 Trailer

    “They Are Going To Die” | Beyond SEO® Season 2 Trailer

    Beyond SEO is back for Season 2, and this time we're going beyond marketing. Growthack has evolved and the show has evolved with it. This season I'm sitting down with founders, entrepreneurs and business leaders about what it actually takes to build and grow a business: the decisions, the challenges, the mistakes, and the stories behind the growth. Episode 1: Susan Hallam MBE founded Hallam in 1999 and sold it to her own employees in 2025. Beyond SEO® is hosted by Kevin Kapezi, founder of Growthack. #BusinessPodcast #FounderStories #UKBusiness #growthack #beyondseo Growthack.io helps brands go Beyond SEO, specialising in building SEO systems that drive revenue: combining technical, content, data-driven insights and AI-ready strategies to help businesses scale smarter. Practical, award-winning SEO that helps your brand stay discoverable, trusted, and ready for what’s next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

See All Season 2 (3)

Trailers

About

Welcome to Beyond SEO® with Growthack.io. From search and content to product, data, and strategy, we dive into the ideas and conversations that go beyond SEO. Each episode takes you inside candid conversations with marketers, founders, and digital leaders who turn complex business challenges into measurable success. Hosted by Kevin Kapezi (Founder) and the team at Growthack, an award-winning SEO consultancy, Beyond SEO cuts through the hype to uncover the systems, data, and mindset behind sustainable online growth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Growthack.io
  • Episodes
    19
  • Seasons
    2
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Growthack Ltd
  • Show Website
    Beyond SEO®