The Agency Profit Podcast

Points of Interest 00:34 – 02:25 – Introduction: Eric describes his 20-plus years in agency growth consulting and explains that he and his co-founder started their firm to give agencies both a clear growth strategy and the dedicated resources to execute it. 02:25 – 07:02 – Why Growth Isn't a Natural Skill: Eric argues that most agency founders build their business around a craft skill rather than growth expertise, which leaves agencies relying on early relationships until those relationships run out and margins tighten. 07:02 – 15:37 – The Four Pillars of Growth: Eric outlines his framework of positioning, messaging, tactics, and growth operations, starting with a multi-year revenue and profit strategy that anchors everything else. 15:37 – 20:40 – Applying the Framework to LinkedIn: Carson asks for advice on his own struggle to post consistently on LinkedIn, and Eric responds by tying content consistency to a documented plan built around a single core metric: monthly conversations. 20:40 – 23:11 – Vitals, the Growth Readiness Assessment: Eric explains that Vitals evaluates 40 variables tied to an agency's growth readiness, giving his team the data needed to make an accurate diagnosis before recommending a strategy. 23:11 – 27:29 – Clarity, the In-Person Workshop: Eric describes Clarity as a two-day, in-person workshop with agency leadership that produces a growth strategy, a 30-60-90 action plan, and a set of committed tactics. 27:29 – 35:49 – Impact, the Execution Partnership: Eric explains that most agencies lack the internal capacity to execute a growth strategy on their own, so Impact provides ongoing support to move that strategy forward. 35:49 – 39:47 – Reframing Growth as Enterprise Value: Eric introduces enterprise value as a healthier lens than raw revenue growth, tying it to the overall health of the agency and its people. 39:47 – 41:36 – Four Strategic Paths: Stabilize, Sustain, Scale, or Sell: Eric lays out the four strategies his team applies depending on an agency's current position and available runway. 41:36 – 45:40 – When Growth Would Just Scale Losses: Carson and Eric discuss agencies whose real problem is thin margins rather than a lack of leads, and Eric explains why margin visibility has to come before any growth plan is built. Show Notes Connect with Eric Brown LinkedIn Website Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:01 – 00:35 – Introducing Time Intelligence: Carson Pierce welcomes Elizabeth Thorn to discuss how agencies can use better time data to improve profitability and decision making. 00:35 – 02:18 – From Agency Owner to SaaS Leader: Elizabeth shares how her experience running a digital marketing agency shaped her perspective on operational efficiency and measuring time. 02:18 – 04:31 – Why Time Tracking Needs to Evolve: The conversation explores why simply recording hours is no longer enough and how agencies can use time data to make smarter business decisions. 04:31 – 06:46 – The Foundation of Reliable Data: Elizabeth explains why accurate, consistent time tracking is essential for forecasting, pricing, utilization, and project profitability. 06:46 – 09:15 – Improving Time Tracking Adoption: Carson and Elizabeth discuss practical ways to reduce friction, encourage team participation, and improve the quality of time data. 09:15 – 11:44 – Balancing Privacy and Accountability: Elizabeth explains why agencies can collect meaningful operational data without relying on invasive employee surveillance. 11:44 – 15:35 – Using Time Data to Prevent Profit Loss: The discussion covers how historical time data can help agencies improve capacity planning, identify delivery issues early, and prevent projects from exceeding budget. 15:35 – 17:28 – Understanding Where Profit Leaks Away: Elizabeth highlights common sources of lost profitability, including scope creep, non-billable work, excessive context switching, and inaccurate project estimates. 17:28 – 19:12 – Busy Teams Are Not Always Productive Teams: Carson explains why teams can feel overwhelmed while still falling short of profitability goals, and why utilization alone does not tell the full story. 19:12 – 23:20 – Measuring the Cost of Context Switching: Elizabeth recommends tracking a typical workweek to uncover hidden inefficiencies and better understand how work is actually distributed. 23:20 – 29:18 – Learning from Historical Performance: Carson and Elizabeth discuss how agencies can use historical project data to create more realistic forecasts, staffing plans, and utilization targets. 29:18 – 32:48 – Connecting Time Data with Agency Operations: The conversation explores how time tracking works alongside project management, finance, and operational workflows to improve visibility across the business. 32:48 – 35:13 – Building a More Profitable Agency: Elizabeth closes by encouraging agency owners to establish trustworthy operational data first, making it easier to improve margins, utilization, capacity planning, and long-term profitability. Show Notes Connect with Elizabeth Thorn & Toggl LinkedIn YouTube Heist Calculator (Agency Profit Leakage Tool) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:00 – 02:50 – Introducing Owner's Clarity: Kristen Kelly welcomes Mike Grinberg back to the podcast to discuss why founders should develop personal clarity before focusing on positioning or marketing strategy. 02:50 – 05:30 – Why Successful Founders Still Feel Miserable: Mike explains how many founders build profitable businesses that ultimately fail to support their personal goals, values, or fulfillment. 05:30 – 07:10 – A Real-World Example of Misalignment: Mike shares the story of a founder whose business model eliminated the mentoring opportunities that gave his work meaning, despite excellent financial performance. 07:10 – 10:15 – Learning from Personal Experience: Reflecting on his own agency journey, Mike explains how removing himself entirely from client work created a leadership role that didn't align with his strengths or interests. 10:15 – 16:05 – The Four Constraints of Owner's Clarity: Mike introduces the four pillars of Owner's Clarity—purpose, identity, intent, and capacity—and explains how each influences business decisions and long-term satisfaction. 16:05 – 20:00 – Discovering Purpose Beyond the Business: Mike discusses how uncovering a founder's true purpose often requires deep personal conversations that go far beyond surface-level business objectives. 20:00 – 24:35 – Translating Clarity into Operational Decisions: The conversation explores how understanding intent and capacity influences hiring, delegation, automation, forecasting, and leadership responsibilities. 24:35 – 29:55 – Burnout Is an Alignment Problem: Mike explains that burnout is often caused less by workload and more by operating outside your strengths or building a business that conflicts with your identity. 29:55 – 33:45 – Building a Business Around Founder Constraints: Mike shares how Owner's Clarity influences technology investments, financial planning, reinvestment decisions, and sustainable business growth. 33:45 – 35:40 – Using the Constraint Alignment Test: Mike outlines when founders should revisit their Owner's Clarity, including after major business milestones, partnerships, or significant life changes. 35:40 – 38:25 – Think About Your Exit Early: Mike encourages founders to define how they want to feel at the end of their ownership journey, using that vision to guide strategic decisions from the beginning. 38:25 – 41:50 – Advice Mike Would Give His Younger Self: Mike reflects on the importance of designing a business that supports the founder, embracing healthy selfishness, and intentionally building a company around personal fulfillment rather than external expectations. Show Notes Connect with Mike Grinberg on LinkedIn Owner's Clarity Toolkit™ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:01 Introduction and New AI-Driven Call Analysis: Kristen and Carson introduce a new process where they use Claude to analyze client calls regularly and surface recurring themes for the podcast, starting with today's topic: pass-through. 01:14 Defining Pass-Through: Kristen defines pass-through as any money that flows from a client through the agency to another vendor, where the agency isn't responsible for that cost's profitability, citing examples like media spend, print budgets, and stock imagery. 03:26 Defining AGI and the Formula: Carson explains Agency Gross Income (AGI) as top-line revenue minus pass-through, emphasizing that a $5 million agency by billings might actually be a $1 million agency once pass-through is removed. 05:34 Case Study: Media Spend Masking True Agency Size: Kristen shares an example of a $3 million agency that was really closer to $1.5 million once media planning and buying income was stripped away, due to a messy chart of accounts. 07:26 Case Study: Off-Balance-Sheet Media Slush Fund: Kristen describes a second client who kept media dollars off their P&L entirely, creating the illusion of abundant cash on hand and complicating tracking of which funds belonged to which client. 09:17 Cash Flow Risks of Fronting Pass-Through: Kristen and Carson discuss how agencies that don't collect pass-through funds upfront risk becoming an unintentional bank for their clients, leading to cash flow trouble. 10:16 Case Study: Events Agency Mistaking $10M for $2M: Carson recounts a client who operated as if they were a $10 million agency when 80% of that revenue was pass-through events costs, leaving them a $2 million agency with unsustainable spending habits. 12:02 Case Study: Understaffing Miscalculation on a $100K Event: Carson shares a second events example where a team overstaffed a $100,000 event without realizing only $20,000 of that actually belonged to the agency, locking them into a multi-year contract destined to lose money. 16:26 The Contractor Decision Tree: Kristen walks through a sequential framework for classifying contractors as pass-through, delivery expense, or shared delivery cost, based on questions about salary status, compensation structure, and cost attribution. 23:15 Pricing and Estimating Projects with Pass-Through in Mind: Kristen and Carson explain how to separate people costs from pass-through costs when building project estimates, using breakeven calculations to arrive at a target price with margin. 25:09 Making Pass-Through Visible on the P&L: Carson advises working with bookkeepers to separate pass-through from cost of goods sold so agencies can clearly see their AGI rather than having it obscured within a muddled COGS section. 28:15 Tracking Costs and Empowering Project Managers: Kristen recommends empowering project managers closest to the delivery work to track and flag cost overruns proactively, rather than leaving pass-through reconciliation solely to bookkeepers or finance. Show Notes Free Agency Toolkit Parakeeto Foundations Course Free access to our Model Platform Connect on LinkedIn Carson Pierce Kristen Kelly Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:00 – 01:43 – Introduction: Marcel introduces Sarah Still, Partner and COO at RAYNE IX , and frames the conversation around agency operations, profitability, scaling, and building valuable businesses. 01:44 – 02:28 – Helping Women Build Valuable Agencies: Sarah explains how RAYNE IX works with women agency owners to improve performance, build enterprise value, and prepare for future exit opportunities. 02:29 – 04:33 – From Finance to Agency Operations: Sarah shares how her accounting background led her into agency operations after helping clean up the books of a startup marketing agency. 04:34 – 06:10 – Building RAYNE IX After Agency Leadership: Sarah describes leaving her COO role after 11 years and eventually partnering with Kylie Peters to support women building healthier agencies. 06:11 – 08:39 – Why Focus on Women Agency Owners: Sarah explains the personal and professional motivation behind helping women founders capture the value they are creating in their businesses. 08:40 – 11:32 – Operationalized Leadership: Sarah argues that agencies often miss the importance of defining values, behaviors, standards, and leadership cadences that protect the business as it scales. 11:33 – 13:58 – Clarifying Founder Values: Marcel reflects on how unclear values at Parakeeto led to frustration, poor leadership moments, and delayed decisions around hiring and accountability. 13:59 – 15:43 – Culture as the Result of Enforced Values: Sarah explains that culture is not created through intention alone, but through the behaviors, standards, and values that leaders consistently enforce. 15:44 – 19:18 – The Power of Clear Expectations: Marcel and Sarah discuss how expectations shape leadership, performance, accountability, pricing, forecasting, and enterprise value. 19:19 – 24:52 – Assumptions Before Certainty: Sarah and Marcel explore why agencies should not wait for perfect clarity before taking action, but should make assumptions explicit so results can be compared against expectations. 24:53 – 28:59 – Time Tracking and Precision Traps: Sarah and Marcel discuss why unreliable time-tracking data can be worse than no data, and how agencies often overcomplicate measurement without knowing what question they are trying to answer. 29:00 – 43:38 – Finance, Operations, and Profitability: Sarah and Marcel unpack why profitability is an operational problem made visible through finance, and why agency leaders must understand the tradeoffs between margin, hiring, utilization, pricing, team health, and growth. Show Notes RAYNE IX Connect on LinkedIn Sarah Still Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:01 – 00:53 – Why Revisit Positioning: Carson and Kristen introduce Parakeeto's repositioning effort and explain why they wanted to publicly discuss the evolution of the company's messaging. 00:53 – 02:18 – The Profitability Problem: The discussion explores how Parakeeto's heavy emphasis on profitability created confusion about what the company actually does for clients. 02:18 – 04:21 – The Challenge of Category Creation: Carson and Kristen reflect on attempts to create or fit into categories like FinOps and why unfamiliar categories often create more confusion than clarity. 04:21 – 06:18 – From Profitability to Stewardship: The conversation introduces the new positioning centered around helping agency owners focus on building their businesses while Parakeeto takes care of the money. 06:18 – 09:11 – The Emotional Side of Finance: Carson shares how financial discomfort and avoidance can affect decision-making and explains why confidence is a critical outcome of financial stewardship. 09:11 – 11:31 – What Taking Care of the Money Means: Kristen outlines the practical components of Parakeeto's approach, including accounting, forecasting, reporting, and operational guidance. 11:31 – 13:19 – Agency-Specific Financial Expertise: Carson explains how deep agency experience allows Parakeeto to interpret financial data within the operational realities of agency businesses. 13:19 – 15:06 – Turning Financial Insights into Action: The discussion highlights the importance of translating financial reporting into operational recommendations that improve agency performance 15:06 – 17:37 – Expanding into Accounting and Bookkeeping: Kristen explains how bringing bookkeeping and accounting services in-house creates continuity between financial data and strategic decision-making. 17:37 – 19:54 – The Agency CFO Perspective: The conversation explores why the title "Agency CFO" better communicates Parakeeto's blend of financial expertise and operational advisory support. 19:54 – 24:13 – Who Benefits Most from This Approach: Carson and Kristen discuss ideal client profiles, including agencies crossing the $1M mark and larger firms seeking greater visibility and clarity. 24:13 – 28:19 – Building Confidence Through Partnership: The episode concludes with a discussion about education, long-term partnerships, and helping agency owners feel more confident managing the financial side of their businesses. Show Notes Free Agency Toolkit Parakeeto Foundations Course Free access to our Model Platform Connect on LinkedIn Carson Pierce Kristen Kelly Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:00 – 02:12 – Jason Swenk's Agency Journey: Jason shares how he accidentally started an agency in 1999, grew it to more than 100 employees, sold it after 11 years, and eventually transitioned into coaching agency owners worldwide. 02:12 – 06:22 – Designing a Lifestyle Business: Jason explains how agency owners often aspire to more freedom and flexibility, sharing how he structures his own workweek and prioritizes experiences outside of work. 06:23 – 10:14 – Escaping the Operator Trap: Jason introduces an exercise that helps founders identify the tasks they dislike and begin designing their business around their strengths instead of remaining stuck in daily operations. 10:15 – 13:19 – The Manager Stage and Delegation Challenges: The conversation explores why many founders struggle after hiring employees and how poor delegation often creates more work rather than less. 13:20 – 16:50 – Building Trust and Better Decision-Making: Jason explains the 1-3-1 framework for problem solving and discusses how leaders can develop trust while allowing team members to learn through small mistakes. 16:51 – 19:41 – The CEO Identity Shift: The discussion focuses on how founders must evolve their role as the business grows, moving from execution toward vision, coaching, and strategic leadership. 19:42 – 22:17 – Becoming an Architect: Jason outlines the Architect stage, where leaders create systems, processes, and frameworks that allow teams to operate independently without constant oversight. 22:18 – 24:09 – AI as a Founder Knowledge System: The conversation explores how agency owners can use AI to capture expertise, document decision-making processes, and reduce dependency on the founder. 24:10 – 27:31 – Avoiding the Rubber Band Effect: Jason explains how founders often sabotage growth by reverting to old habits and stepping back into roles their team is capable of handling. 27:32 – 30:31 – The Difference Between CEO and Owner: The discussion examines the Owner stage, where the business no longer relies on the founder for day-to-day decisions and leadership functions. 30:32 – 34:30 – Growing Leaders Within the Organization: Jason shares insights on helping employees develop their own careers while recognizing that not everyone wants to move into leadership positions. 34:31 – 41:02 – Building a Business Around Your Goals: The episode concludes with Jason discussing his book, Operator to Owner, and emphasizing that agency owners should intentionally design businesses that align with their desired lifestyle and ambitions. Show Notes Agency Mastery Website Operator to Owner book details Smart Agency Masterclass Podcast The Seth Godin Episode Upcoming Events Epic Friday Jason Swenk on LinkedIn Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:00 – 01:00 – Introduction : Marcel welcomes Colin Hewitt, CEO and founder of Float, and frames cash flow as the lifeblood every agency depends on. 01:01 – 02:09 – The Origin of Float : Colin shares how running his own agency exposed the limits of spreadsheet-based forecasting and led him to build a cash flow product for service businesses. 02:10 – 05:24 – Direct vs Indirect Cash Flow Methods : A look at why traditional P&L-derived forecasts age the moment they are finished, and how a hybrid direct method delivers a forecast owners can trust day-to-day. 05:24 – 07:31 – Why Agency Cash Flow Is Uniquely Complex : Retainers, milestone billing, and time-and-materials projects each behave differently — modeling them well requires more nuance than most generic tools provide. 07:32 – 09:09 – The Trade-Offs of Outsourcing the Forecast : When forecasting is handed off entirely, owners often lose the context behind the numbers and end the month more confused than clear. 09:09 – 12:48 – Precision vs Accuracy in a Forecast : Colin and Marcel discuss the tension between infinitely precise forecasts and forecasts that owners will actually maintain — and how to find the right level for the business. 12:48 – 14:07 – Mapping Budgets to the Accounting System : A deliberate separation between transactional accounting detail and forward-looking budget categories keeps the forecast usable without doubling the work. 14:07 – 16:54 – Cash Flow Strategy When Things Get Tight : Visibility into the next 30, 60, and 90 days lets owners distinguish a temporary blip from a structural issue — and decide what to push, chase, or restructure. 16:54 – 18:47 – Pulling Cash Forward and Deferring Expenses : A short walk-through of practical levers — invoice financing, payment timing, expense sequencing — and a pointer to a deeper episode on the topic. 18:47 – 21:10 – AI's Impact on Software and Agencies : Colin reflects on what is changing for SaaS founders and what is opening up for agencies as the cost of building software falls. 21:10 – 23:43 – Where Software Moats Hold Up in an AI World : A candid view on which products remain defensible — auditability, trust, collaboration — and which become commoditized prompts. 23:43 – 27:23 – When Conversational Interfaces Replace UIs : A near-future where owners interact with agents instead of dashboards, and the underlying systems quietly stay in sync. 27:23 – 30:43 – Sustainability and Boundaries Around AI Work : A frank conversation about the pull of constant tinkering, the risk of AI-driven bloat, and the case for considered, well-crafted decisions. 30:43 – 35:20 – Speed vs Velocity, and Closing Thoughts : When everything can be built, the discipline shifts to choosing what to build — and Colin shares where listeners can follow along with Float. Show Notes Float Website Colin Hewitt on LinkedIn The Definitive Guide to Improving Your Agency's Cash Flow with Carson Pierce – Ep.210 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:01 – 00:38 – Introduction : Marcel introduces Sei-Wook Kim, co-founder of Barrel and Barrel Holdings, highlighting his experience building and scaling multiple agencies. 00:38 – 01:31 – What Barrel Holdings Does : Sei-Wook explains their holdco structure, managing a portfolio of independent, specialized marketing agencies with a long-term acquisition strategy. 01:31 – 03:31 – Origin of the Holdco Model : The conversation explores how Barrel evolved from a single agency into multiple businesses through spin-offs and organic opportunities. 03:31 – 04:56 – Shift from Incubation to Acquisition : Sei-Wook shares why they moved from building agencies from scratch to acquiring established firms to accelerate growth. 04:56 – 06:07 – Independent Portfolio vs Roll-Up Strategy : They discuss why Barrel Holdings avoids the traditional roll-up model in favor of independently operated agencies with separate P&Ls. 06:07 – 07:31 – Long-Term Investment Philosophy : Sei-Wook explains their long-term hold strategy, focusing on durability, adaptability, and avoiding short-term exit pressure. 07:31 – 09:09 – Capital Strategy and Self-Funding : The discussion covers their decision to fund acquisitions through internal capital and debt rather than external investors. 09:09 – 12:52 – What Makes an Agency Attractive : Sei-Wook outlines key acquisition criteria, including specialization, recurring revenue, and strong leadership teams. 12:52 – 15:06 – Challenges in Financial Diligence : They break down common issues in agency financials, including inconsistent revenue tracking and unclear cost structures. 15:06 – 17:29 – Understanding True Profitability : The conversation highlights how to normalize owner compensation and adjust financials to reflect true EBITDA. 17:29 – 21:01 – Operating Model and Performance Metrics : Sei-Wook explains their weekly and quarterly cadence, including key metrics like revenue, expenses, and pipeline forecasting. 21:01 – 35:43 – Forecasting, Scaling, and the Impact of AI : The episode closes with insights on forecasting discipline, scaling leadership across multiple agencies, and how AI may reshape agency value and delivery. Show Notes Sei-Wook Kim on LinkedIn Peter Kang on LinkedIn Agency Habits Website Barrel Holdings Website Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:01 – 02:30 – The Cost of Poor Sequencing: Marcel and Kristen introduce the core issue—agencies often apply the right tactics in the wrong order, leading to wasted effort and stalled profitability. 02:30 – 05:00 – The Insight Formula: They explain that data alone is meaningless without context, introducing the key concept that insight comes from comparing expectations to reality. 05:00 – 06:30 – Start with a Business Model: Agencies should begin by building a model of their business to define what success should look like before measuring performance. 06:30 – 08:30 – The Danger of Starting with Data: Many firms overinvest in tracking actuals first, only to realize they lack the benchmarks needed to interpret the data effectively. 08:30 – 10:30 – Why Expectations Come First: Establishing expectations is faster, requires no new data, and is essential for designing meaningful feedback loops. 10:30 – 12:30 – Misguided Pricing and Benchmarking: Agencies often rely on market benchmarks instead of internal cost structures, leading to misaligned pricing and profitability issues. 12:30 – 14:30 – Framework vs. Frankenstein Metrics: Combining disconnected industry formulas creates inconsistent and unreliable financial insights, highlighting the need for a unified framework. 14:30 – 17:00 – Forecasting as the Next Step: Once a model is established, agencies must forecast workload and capacity, starting with clear scope and effort assumptions. 17:00 – 20:00 – The Precision Trap in Forecasting: Overly detailed planning creates friction and reduces adaptability; executive-level forecasting should prioritize accuracy over precision. 20:00 – 22:30 – The Power of Forecasting Without Time Tracking: A strong forecast can provide meaningful insight even without detailed time-tracking data. 22:30 – 25:30 – Installing Feedback Loops: Feedback loops help refine assumptions and uncover operational issues by comparing planned vs. actual performance. 25:30 – 30:00 – Prioritizing Profitability Levers: Marcel outlines the correct order for improving profitability—starting with overhead (if needed), then utilization, followed by pricing (effective rate), and finally cost structure. Show Notes Connect with Kristen via LinkedIn Free Agency Toolkit Parakeeto Foundations Course Free access to our Model Platform Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:01 – 00:38 – Introduction : Marcel opens the episode by introducing Peter Lang as an entrepreneur, investor, and operator deeply focused on mergers and acquisitions. 01:00 – 02:13 – From Holding Company to Teaching M&A : Peter explains that he now runs a holding company, invests in assets including agencies, and is focused on teaching other founders how to acquire and grow businesses. 02:41 – 06:09 – How an Agency Owner Became Obsessed with Acquisitions : Peter shares how an early interest in corporate finance, investing, and business ownership evolved alongside accidentally building a digital agency. 06:34 – 09:23 – The First Deal and the Power of a Motivated Seller : Peter recounts the unusual acquisition that pulled him into M&A, showing how urgency, creative deal structure, and downside protection shaped his first major transaction. 09:44 – 12:25 – Why Buying Can Be Faster Than Building : Peter reflects on completing 21 transactions and argues that acquiring existing cash flow is often easier than spending years building the same result organically. 12:34 – 15:13 – Why More Founders Still Do Not Pursue Acquisitions : Marcel and Peter discuss the real barriers to M&A, including fear, lack of information, false beliefs, and the failure to consistently make time for acquisition work. 15:20 – 18:28 – Risk Versus Risky Behavior in M&A : Peter explains the difference between unavoidable business risk and reckless decision-making, emphasizing that preparation, education, and structure are what reduce exposure. 19:07 – 23:19 – Diligence, Integration, and What Buyers Are Really Acquiring : The conversation shifts to best practices in deals, with Peter stressing that due diligence and post-close integration matter more than the excitement of signing the deal itself. 23:19 – 28:12 – How to Evaluate Culture Before an Acquisition : Peter outlines why cultural fit must be measured, not guessed, using tools like NPS, eNPS, personality frameworks, and manager-role alignment to avoid poor integrations. 28:12 – 32:00 – The Great Wealth Transfer Creates a Major Opportunity : Marcel and Peter discuss how retiring owners and succession gaps are creating a historic supply of businesses that need buyers over the next two decades. 32:00 – 36:21 – How AI Is Changing Seller Behavior and Buyer Strategy : Peter explains that AI is accelerating uncertainty for agency owners, which may push more founders to sell while also reshaping what makes a business attractive to buyers. 36:38 – 45:45 – Why AI-Forward Agencies and Programmatic Buyers Will Win : Marcel and Peter close by exploring why service businesses remain resilient, why agencies still have a future, and why buyers who combine acquisitions with AI adaptation will likely outperform. Show Notes Connect with Peter via LinkedIn Website: Scale your agency with Mergers & Acquisitions Love the Podcast Leave us a review here Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:01 – 00:37 – Introduction : Marcel and Kristen open the episode by introducing a more philosophical discussion about why Parakeeto’s work matters beyond the surface-level goal of improving profitability. 00:37 – 02:01 – The provocative reframe : Kristen references Marcel’s recent message, “you don’t actually care about profitability,” and frames the conversation around why that idea sits at the center of a broader positioning shift. 02:01 – 03:59 – Profit is not the full story : Marcel explains that Parakeeto has become very good at talking about profitability tactically, but has not spent enough time explaining why profitability matters in the first place. 04:17 – 07:05 – The ‘Dig’ process and brand clarity : Marcel shares how a day spent with his friend Rich, using a branding exercise called the Dig, helped reveal that Parakeeto’s messaging had been missing the emotional and philosophical “why.” 07:17 – 10:13 – Business as a vehicle for social change : Marcel outlines his belief that well-run, for-profit businesses are one of the most powerful tools for creating positive change because they solve problems, create jobs, and enable founders to do more good. 10:13 – 11:31 – Profitability as the ‘so that’ : The conversation reframes profitability as an enabling condition rather than the end goal, since most agency owners ultimately want freedom, creative fulfillment, stability, and a healthy team. 11:31 – 14:43 – Escaping agency trauma : Marcel explains that many agency founders are not chasing profit obsessively, but are trying to avoid repeating the burnout-driven, exploitative culture they experienced in traditional agency environments. 15:19 – 19:08 – Why profitability is hard to own : Marcel breaks down the structural challenge that profitability touches finance, operations, sales, and leadership, yet rarely belongs clearly to any one role inside the agency. 19:11 – 21:38 – Empowered, fearless, and abundant : Marcel shares that the word he landed on for how he wants clients to feel is “empowered,” along with “fearless” and “abundant,” reflecting the confidence that comes from financial clarity. 22:44 – 26:13 – A more complete solution for the money side : Marcel describes how this reframe is pushing Parakeeto toward a more holistic offering, including the possibility of integrating accounting and bookkeeping more directly. 26:31 – 28:09 – Removing title confusion for clients : The discussion highlights how confusing the financial services landscape can be for founders, who are often left trying to decode titles like CFO, accountant, consultant, and ops lead just to solve one problem. 28:41 – 30:11 – The closing takeaway : Marcel closes by reinforcing that the goal is not money for money’s sake, but getting money out of the way so agency owners can build the business, team, and impact they originally set out to create. Show Notes Connect with Kristen via LinkedIn Free Agency Toolkit Parakeeto Foundations Course Free access to our Model Platform Love the Podcast Leave us a review here Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:00 – 03:21 – From UGURUS to E2M: Brent Weaver shares how he went from coaching thousands of agencies at UGURUS to becoming CEO of E2M Solutions after the DigitalOcean chapter ended. 03:35 – 04:51 – What makes E2M different: Marcel frames E2M as a standout white-label partner, and Brent explains why serving only agencies creates sharper focus on partner success. 04:51 – 08:16 – Process flexibility as a moat: Brent contrasts “one standardized process” versus adapting to each agency partner’s SOPs and tools and why fitting into the partner’s workflow improves outcomes. 08:27 – 10:08 – Why anti-fragility matters right now: Marcel connects E2M’s adaptability to the broader need for agencies to stay resilient through another major disruption cycle. 10:08 – 12:01 – Defining anti-fragility in business terms: Brent explains anti-fragility as building a business that can withstand shocks by avoiding fragility drivers like thin margins and operational vulnerabilities. 12:01 – 15:53 – Practical fragility reducers: Brent outlines concrete levers, higher margins as a buffer, less debt, fewer single points of failure, and building teams and systems that scale. 13:29 – 15:53 – Perennial value drivers: Brent argues agencies should anchor decisions to what clients always want, faster delivery, lower cost, and higher quality and certainty, regardless of the economy. 15:53 – 18:01 – Investing under uncertainty: Marcel reframes strategy as betting on what will not change and asks how agencies can choose investments that will keep paying dividends. 18:01 – 22:44 – AI audits, not shiny tools: Brent describes E2M’s AI assessment approach as constraint-hunting, then using automation and process optimization to reduce friction and accelerate results. 23:08 – 25:02 – High-impact AI use cases: Brent lists repeatable agency wins, lead research and sales prep, proposal and scope automation, and workflow-friendly tooling like Slack-based automations. 25:02 – 26:45 – Client reporting as a force multiplier: Brent highlights AI-driven reporting and analysis, using chat interfaces connected to analytics data to produce consistent client insights faster. 39:51 – 41:13 – Where to learn more: Brent shares where to find E2M Solutions and the Vistara AI event, including the May 11–13 Austin dates and the waitlist link. Show Notes List Agentic workflows - AI workflows E2M actively run for 50+ agencies - ready to plug into your delivery, sales, and operations E2Msolutions.com Vistara AI Event @ Austin, Texas on May 11-13, 2026 Brent’s LinkedIn Love the Podcast Leave us a review here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:01 – 01:36 – Introduction: Marcel introduces the episode as a public reflection on Parakeeto’s positioning, prompted by feedback from LinkedIn and client conversations. 01:36 – 02:43 – The Identity Problem: Carson shares the internal confusion many consultants feel when their role spans finance, operations, delivery, and strategy. 02:43 – 04:52 – Clear Problem, Fuzzy Solution: Marcel explains that while Parakeeto has always been clear about solving profitability, clients still struggle to understand how that actually happens. 04:52 – 05:44 – Profitability Touches Everything: The discussion highlights why profitability work inevitably spans finance, delivery, ops, leadership, and new business. 05:44 – 08:12 – Category Creation vs. Familiar Labels: Marcel reflects on the challenge of inventing “profit management” as a category versus borrowing understanding from CFO and COO roles. 08:12 – 10:17 – Why Titles Don’t Really Help: Carson points out that many agencies don’t think in executive titles at all—they just need someone to make the whole system work. 10:17 – 14:18 – The Real Founder Frustration: Marcel describes the pain of having too many specialists, unclear ownership, and no one quarterbacking profitability end-to-end. 14:18 – 18:05 – Agency Context as a Force Multiplier: Carson explains why Parakeeto’s deep agency experience eliminates the long ramp-up most external hires require. 18:05 – 22:23 – CFO vs. COO (and Why Both Fall Short): Marcel breaks down the limitations of finance-only or ops-only approaches and why profitability lives at their intersection. 22:23 – 26:49 – The Assessment Explained: Marcel walks through Parakeeto’s assessment process—modeling, interviews, and workshops that create clarity and a focused roadmap. 26:49 – 30:44 – Ongoing Profit Management in Practice: The conversation details how recurring reporting, forecasting, and advisory support keep teams focused on the right levers. 30:44 – 40:56 – What Actually Creates ROI: Marcel and Carson emphasize that alignment, confidence, and decisive action—supported by numbers—are the true outcomes clients pay for. Show Notes Connect with Carson via LinkedIn Free Agency Toolkit Parakeeto Foundations Course Free access to our Model Platform Love the Podcast Leave us a review here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:00 – 02:00 – Why Agencies Avoid Talking About Money: Drew reflects on why financial transparency was rare in agencies historically and why that silence created widespread confusion about profitability. 02:00 – 05:00 – The Myth of “Impossible” Profitability: Drew explains why claims that an agency “can’t be profitable” usually stem from avoided decisions, misunderstood agency math, or intentional lifestyle choices. 05:00 – 07:30 – Agency Growth Breaking Points: Drew outlines common headcount thresholds where systems, processes, and structure begin to break down as agencies grow. 07:30 – 10:00 – Challenges of Very Small Agencies: The conversation explores why sub-10-person agencies struggle with inefficiency, tribal knowledge, and inconsistent delivery. 10:00 – 13:00 – Generalists vs. Specialists: Drew explains why early-stage generalists often struggle as agencies scale and why specialization becomes essential for profitability. 13:00 – 15:30 – Management Layers and Cost Pressure: Marcel and Drew discuss how introducing management roles adds financial strain and operational complexity. 15:30 – 17:30 – The Most Profitable Agency Size Range: Drew shares data showing agencies with 15–40 employees consistently outperform others on profitability. 17:30 – 19:30 – Why Growing Up Improves Margins: The episode breaks down how systems, niching, and client selection drive efficiency and longer tenure at mid-size agencies. 19:30 – 22:00 – Bigger Agencies, Bigger Expectations: Drew explains how larger clients demand higher sophistication, better talent, and increased operational investment. 22:00 – 25:00 – Lifestyle Businesses vs. Scalable Agencies: The conversation reframes success, validating highly profitable small agencies that are never intended to be sold. 25:00 – 28:00 – Running the Business by the Numbers: Drew and Marcel align on first principles like AGI and the 55-25-20 model as the foundation for healthy decision-making. 28:00 – 37:00 – AI, Commoditization, and the Future of Agencies: Drew connects decades of industry evolution to today’s AI shift, arguing that strategy, thinking, and leadership—not production—are the true sources of agency value. Show Notes Connect with Drew via LinkedIn AMI Website Newsletter Podcast Love the Podcast Leave us a review here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:01 – 01:04 – Framing the PM/AM Pricing Question: Marcel welcomes listeners, introduces Carson Pierce, and frames the central question agencies face around whether and how to charge for account and project management time. 01:04 – 02:14 – Why This Issue Persists: Carson explains why underpricing project and account management work continues to surface across agencies despite increased industry maturity. 02:14 – 03:28 – The Myth That Clients Won’t Pay: Carson challenges the belief that clients resist paying for PM and AM work and reframes these roles as valuable parts of delivery. 03:30 – 04:32 – Why PM and AM Time Is Hard to Track: Carson outlines how fragmented tasks, short work intervals, and multi-client meetings make accurate time tracking impractical. 04:33 – 06:20 – Pricing Model Confusion as the Root Cause: Marcel connects PM/AM underpricing to weak separation between price, scope, and cost, especially in time-based billing models. 06:21 – 07:25 – The ABR Distortion Effect: Carson explains how excluding PM time inflates average billable rate and hides true delivery economics. 07:25 – 08:24 – Two Ways to Price PM and AM Work: Marcel introduces the two viable approaches—pricing PM/AM directly in scope or absorbing the cost through margin targets. 08:24 – 09:50 – When Client Pushback Actually Appears: Carson explains why most clients accept reasonable PM allocations and why resistance typically signals excessive or poorly designed PM effort. 09:51 – 14:02 – Why Time-Tracking Fixes Often Fail: Carson reviews common PM tracking approaches and explains why they frequently add overhead without producing actionable insight. 14:03 – 19:59 – Building PM Costs Into Margin Targets: Marcel explains how agencies can model PM and AM costs directly or indirectly based on tracking feasibility and role structure. 20:00 – 29:00 – Structuring Account and Project Management Roles: Marcel and Carson discuss when to separate AM and PM roles, referencing Brett Harned’s perspective and tying structure to work complexity. 29:01 – 36:13 – Sales Allocation, Overhead Clarity, and Wrap-Up: The episode concludes with guidance on allocating AM time to sales only when explicit, avoiding circumstantial overhead, and reinforcing intentional PM pricing. Show Notes Brett Harned - Agency consultant and advocate for separating account and project management roles. Related Episode: Casey Brown on pricing increases and margin correction. Love the Podcast Leave us a review here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:01 – Introduction: Marcel introduces Skye Waterson and frames the conversation around SOPs, documentation, and building operational “rails” that teams can actually use. 01:07 – Skye’s background and motivation: Skye shares her journey from academic burnout to discovering adult ADHD and building a business focused on helping founders work with their brains, not against them. 03:04 – Why ADHD frameworks help everyone: Skye explains how ADHD-friendly systems emphasize flexibility and challenge outdated assumptions about productivity and work structure. 05:05 – First principles for ADHD productivity: The discussion covers practical strategies like rewarding task initiation and reducing reliance on working memory through better capture systems. 06:56 – The core problem with traditional SOPs: Skye and Marcel outline why most SOPs go stale—delegated, filed away, and only referenced during onboarding or emergencies. 09:18 – SOP neglect as a hidden operational risk: The conversation highlights how disconnected SOPs undermine dashboards, metrics, and leadership visibility. 11:32 – Visualizing the business as a flow: Skye introduces her core framework: mapping the business end-to-end (acquisition through expansion) using a visual tool like Miro. 14:02 – Why digital visual tools matter: Skye explains why paper-based process mapping fails and why digital tools enable iteration, ownership, and follow-through. 15:52 – Assigning a single DRI per process: Each node in the business flow is assigned a Directly Responsible Individual to eliminate ambiguity and improve accountability. 16:40 – Red, orange, green process health: Processes are color-coded to show whether they are broken, manual and CEO-dependent, or documented and team-run. 18:09 – Tying SOPs to weekly cadence and metrics: Skye explains how reviewing SOP health alongside performance metrics turns documentation into an operational diagnostic tool. 24:41 – AI and living SOPs: The episode closes with best practices for using AI to bootstrap SOPs, delegate ownership, and treat documentation as a living draft rather than a finished artifact. Show Notes Connect with Skye via LinkedIn Unconventional Organization Skye’s Podcast ADHD Skills Lab AI Chatbot: Message Skye on Instagram with the word “Marcel” and she’ll send you the chatbot Software as a Science Book Matt Verlaque Love the Podcast Leave us a review here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:00 – 01:31 – Introduction: Marcel and Kristen open with a relatable riff on Notion and AI features before framing the core issue of the episode: messy handoffs between sales, account management, and delivery in service businesses. 01:31 – 03:14 – Why Handoffs Are a Universal Agency Problem: Kristen explains why sales-to-delivery handoff issues show up in agencies of every size and maturity and highlights their downstream impact on profitability and operational sanity. 03:14 – 05:34 – Common Symptoms of Broken Handoffs: Kristen outlines key symptoms such as work starting in a vacuum after the contract is signed, deliverable-only briefs, and delivery teams missing the strategic goals and context from sales conversations. 05:34 – 07:28 – Client Game of Telephone and Disjointed Data: Marcel describes how clients end up repeating themselves to every new team member and how poor internal communication leads to scattered information, inconsistent naming, and misaligned expectations across tools. 07:28 – 10:34 – Incentive Misalignment Between Sales and Delivery: Kristen breaks down how quota driven sales teams and risk conscious project managers operate with different goals, creating tension when there is no shared understanding of scope, clarity, or repeatability. 10:34 – 13:35 – Consequences for Client Trust and Profitability: They explore how early missteps fuel buyer’s remorse, create invisible client scorecards on trust, and generate internal gaps between what was promised, what is being delivered, and how profitable work actually is. 13:35 – 17:29 – Ingredients of a Strong Handoff: Kristen shares practical tactics such as transferring rich context, sharing sales call recordings with the full delivery team, and having the future account lead sit in on the final sales call to align expectations before the handoff. 17:29 – 20:20 – Separating Scope From Price and Avoiding Bad Math: Marcel goes on a rant about the dangerous habit of turning project price into hours by dividing it by an arbitrary rate and explains why scope, time, cost, and margin must be defined separately from the client facing price. 20:20 – 24:40 – Structural Alignment Across CRM, PM, and Accounting: Marcel highlights the need for a consistent schema for how projects are represented across contracts, invoicing, project management, and time tracking so that reporting can tie expectations back to actual performance. 24:40 – 27:16 – Kickoffs, Assets, and Tools That Improve Handoffs: Kristen covers how internal kickoffs, sales call recordings, and structured client intake tools can give creative and delivery teams the context they need while keeping meetings focused and efficient. 27:16 – 31:18 – Using Reporting as a Forcing Function for Alignment: They introduce the idea of expectations versus actuals reporting and the agency profitability flywheel as a way to expose process gaps, bring sales and delivery into the same conversations, and drive better decision making. 31:18 – 36:24 – Q4 Planning, Cross Team Empathy, and Next Steps: Kristen and Marcel close with advice to use annual planning cycles to realign services, pricing, and scope and encourage leaders to create empathy between sales and delivery by having teams observe each other’s work and “watch game tape” together. Show Notes Connect with Kristen via LinkedIn Free Agency Toolkit Parakeeto Foundations Course Free access to our Model Platform Love the Podcast Leave us a review here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:00 – 01:38 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes agency legal specialist Sharon Toerek, highlighting her long track record in the industry and setting the stage with a discussion about how quickly the agency world is changing. 01:38 – 02:45 – Framing the AI Legal Conversation for Agencies: They position the core topic of the episode as the legal implications of AI adoption inside agencies, especially when serving enterprise clients with sensitive data and heightened risk concerns. 02:45 – 05:03 – The Two Biggest AI Risk Buckets: IP and Data Privacy: Sharon identifies intellectual property and data privacy as the top two legal risk areas agencies must consider when using generative AI in strategy, creation, and data manipulation. 05:03 – 08:11 – IP Infringement, Ownership, and Contract Clarity: She explains how generative AI can inadvertently infringe on others’ IP, complicate ownership of deliverables, and increase the need for explicit AI usage and ownership language in MSAs and SOWs. 08:11 – 10:23 – Agency-Created IP and Contractor Use of AI: Sharon explores the risks of building agency-owned IP with AI when ownership is uncertain, and stresses the importance of knowing how contractors use AI so their work aligns with promises made to clients. 10:23 – 15:11 – The State of Case Law and Fair Use Signals: They discuss how little case law exists around AI, what early decisions suggest about training data and fair use, and why we still do not know how much human contribution is needed to secure protectable IP. 15:11 – 18:26 – Blurring Lines Between Human and Machine-Created Work: Marcel and Sharon reflect on how modern creative tools embed AI in everyday workflows, making it harder to distinguish human-made from machine-generated content for legal and practical purposes. 18:26 – 22:40 – A Practical Playbook for Reducing AI Legal Risk: Sharon outlines concrete steps agencies can take now: have AI conversations with clients, update contracts, understand tool terms, set internal and external AI policies, and right-size risk based on audience scale. 22:40 – 26:05 – Where Insurance Fits in the AI Risk Equation: They examine how general liability, E&O, and cyber policies currently treat AI-related issues, and why insurers are likely to carve out or slowly add AI-specific coverage as risks and profits emerge. 26:05 – 30:31 – Market Volatility, AI Shock, and Rising Agency M&A: Sharon connects AI disruption, economic uncertainty, and geopolitical tension to a surge in small and mid-size agency deals, noting many founders are simply tired of reinventing their businesses again. 30:31 – 35:40 – IP as a Lever in Exits and Next Career Moves: She makes the case that agencies who develop and package their own IP create more options in M&A, whether selling IP separately, splitting the business, or using it to launch the next chapter of their careers. Show Notes Innovative Agency Podcast Website: legalandcreative.com LinkedIn - Sharon Toerek M&A Webinar Replay with Sharon Love the Podcast Leave us a review here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:02 – 01:49 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes Kristen back to the show and sets up another practical client case study focused on a real agency engagement. 01:50 – 04:00 – The flex-labor, video production agency profile: Kristen outlines the agency’s model: a small FTE core, 10–20 contractors, just under $2M in revenue, and constant cash flow stress tied to contractor payments. 04:01 – 06:21 – Why video production and events are so punishing for cash flow: Marcel explains how big production days and lumpy project work make earned revenue, contractor management, and cash flow especially tricky for this type of agency. 05:05 – 07:16 – Growth, service-line complexity, and early unprofitability signals: Kristen describes how larger clients, new service lines with tight price ceilings, shifting deadlines, and creeping unprofitability pushed the founders to hit pause and seek help. 06:22 – 07:25 – Becoming “exit curious” changes the stakes: Marcel notes that the owners had started thinking about selling, and viewing the business through an enterprise value lens made their efficiency and profitability issues feel more urgent. 07:26 – 11:05 – Spreadsheets, PM tools, and the stalled silver-bullet implementation: Kristen walks through the spreadsheets they built, the expensive all-in-one PM platform they bought, and how personnel changes left the implementation half-done and overwhelming. 09:06 – 13:58 – Why PM tools fail without a profitability framework: Marcel unpacks the gap between the tool’s promises and reality, highlighting how unclear definitions of cost rates, pass-through expenses, margins, and scope make it impossible to configure a PM system effectively. 14:52 – 18:52 – The client’s original thesis vs. the real problem: Kristen shares that the client blamed headcount, tools, and “project management issues,” while Marcel points out their weak time-tracking culture and the failure to treat producers as true delivery costs. 19:05 – 22:12 – Diagnosis: a business model and unit economics problem: Kristen explains how reviewing the cash-basis P&L, time data, spreadsheets, and contracts revealed that the core issue was delivery margin and pricing, not execution quality or PM discipline. 24:52 – 27:42 – Fixing the data: contractor classification and cash-basis adjustments: Kristen describes using Parakeeto’s decision tree to classify contractors as delivery expenses, annualizing their cost and hours, and reverse-engineering hours from invoices, while Marcel adds tips for reducing noise in cash-based books. 28:18 – 35:57 – Rebuilding the model: estimator tool, 70% margin, and hire-vs-contractor math: Kristen shows how the estimator tool exposed project-level unit economics and ABR targets, then explains how they improved time tracking, pricing strategy, contracts, and PM tool setup, plus modeled when it actually made sense to hire FTEs instead of using contractors. 36:43 – 39:01 – Key lessons and reassurance for nuanced agency models: Kristen closes by emphasizing that every agency has quirks, but a clear framework can still make it profitable, while Marcel underscores the value of external support in untangling model vs. execution problems. Show Notes Agency Fee Calculator Love the Podcast Leave us a review here . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.