Episodes
Monday Nov 29, 2021
How to spend time on your own brand? - Marc Acton - Episode #29
Monday Nov 29, 2021
Monday Nov 29, 2021
Founder, CEO, and Chief Strategist for Alpha/Echo Agency, is a boutique marketing firm that helps exceptional companies grow, launch, and build. Alpha/Echo Agency is a group of smartisans—an unagency, fighting the good fight against unawesome work.
Discussion Points:
What myth or bogus strategy do you want to bust? 1:39
What type of work agencies don't think that they can do for themselves? 4:19
How do you spend time on your own brand? 7:33 and 48:19
Tell us about how you got into this business. 28:16
What was the idea behind going after startups? How did that go? And where are you now? 30:00
How have things changed w/COVID? 37:25
How do you do your pricing with your customers? 41:30
What frustrates you the most with the clients? 49:52
What is one of the biggest mistakes that you've ever made? 54:40
What keeps you up at night? 58: 22
Takeaways
There are two ways to be a product based agency; one is to create your own product and the other is to have a revenue share or partner based model.
The problem with applying yourself to your own marketing is there's a farther distance between revenue generation.
If your efforts aren't tied to compensation, or employee success metrics, then they're going to fail miserably.
The success metrics are really tied to two things: 1: Manageable, achievable goals that you're setting for yourself.2: The overall success of the company (in each budget).
The system is only as good as the execution. - Marc Acton
There's two things that make a system successful:1: Are people actually looking at it like that's the value of the system?2: If you make it punitive, you're almost assured of not having success.
The Great work would speak for itself.- Marc Acton
One of the tricks with clients is giving them two options, give them the one you like, and give them the one they asked for. - Jessie
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fastacton/
Company website: https://alphaechoagency.com/
Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alpha-echo-agency/
Largest independent RV magazine by Marc Acton: https://iheartrving.com/
Busted Myths:
Agencies can't work for themselves.
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Michael Lavista is the Founder and CEO of Caxy Interactive, a web design and development firm in Chicago specializing in User Experience and Agile-driven software and technology development. Caxy Interactive loves helping clients break new ground, find new customers, and engage the ones they already have in unexpected ways.
Takeaways
A proposal should not be to convince, it should be to confirm.
Positioning yourself as an expert, and being very selective about your prospects can save us a lot of time and money.
If you narrow your focus, you broaden your market.
I can market anything to anybody, but if I don't know who I'm talking to, there's no point
Hire them on the basis of how the person operates, how they work, the integrity and humor, and all these other kinds of things, not just the programming skills.
The number one job of the CEO and kind of how they ultimately get judged and their outcomes are evaluated, is their ability to make decisions about the priority of things they are working on. - Michael Lavista
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaellavista/
Company Website: https://www.caxy.com/
Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/caxy-inc-/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichaelLavista
Busted Myths:
The most important thing to do with the client on the front end is find out the Budget.
Monday Nov 08, 2021
Does agency size matter? - Ran Craycraft - Episode #027
Monday Nov 08, 2021
Monday Nov 08, 2021
Ran Craycraft is the managing partner at Wildebeest, Wildebeest is a boutique tech & innovation partner for the world's most innovative brands. Wildebeest specializes in innovation, idea generation, and rapid prototyping.
Takeaways
Having a large firm does not imply that you will do more creative work or devote more time to your clients.
When you are trying to address problems with clients, make sure that creative technology and strategy all have a place at the table.
“I think it's really important to distinguish between when you're doing campaign work, or when you're building a platform, or product.” - Ran
When creating products and platforms, keep in mind that your client's success necessitates a holistic strategy.
You must look for ways to enhance the concepts and whatever it is you're building by taking a creative concept and bringing it all together in a truly unique way.
We want to stand for empathy, we want something that feels alive, we also want something that feels timeless.
What is discovery? For us, it often means research. It means analysis of the data that we bring in. It means being creative.
When we're thinking about discovery, we're trying to come up with as many different ideas as possible. This is an additive process, we're pulling everything on the table
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craycraft/
Company Website: https://wildebee.st/
Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wildebee-st/
Busted Myths:
A bigger agency is a better agency.
Friday Sep 17, 2021
Embracing Agile Culture for Business Success - Mike Stone - Episode #26
Friday Sep 17, 2021
Friday Sep 17, 2021
Mike Stone is the Co Founder at The Gnar Company, a development company that builds robust products designed for the long haul. They try to turn wild ideas into incredible digital experiences.
Takeaways
Working with offshore agencies has a number of advantages, the most important of which is cost.
Using clickable prototypes to allow clients to experience the application can be really beneficial.
“We really can't just start swinging hammers, we need to provide the engineering team with a blueprint and a sense of what they're going to build.” - Mike
It's a good idea to create a repeatable process that allows you to move swiftly while still delivering a high-quality output.
Code audits assist you in determining whether or not to work for a particular client.
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelvstone/#
Company Website: https://www.thegnar.com/
Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-gnar-company-inc-/about/
Busted Myths:
Focus on the ‘Now’.
Monday Aug 23, 2021
Monday Aug 23, 2021
Ross Patrick is the Creative Director and Founder of XtraBold Agency. XtraBold is a digital marketing and strategy agency that helps brands create exceptional customer experiences, from branding and packaging to digital moments that connect with people on an emotional level.
Takeaways
Cultural references and knowledge are probably more important than book smarts to do the right thing for the client.
To make things work, you just have to be willing to trust and to take the failure which is a part of the process.
You need to be willing to be flexible and change, do your jobs differently, trust your instincts, your experience, and your willingness to take chances. And maybe fail a little bit, that's what's gonna get you through this.
Make sure you're clear, and that the team is transparent; transparent about who, what, where, when, and how.
Links:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosspatrick/
Company website - https://xtrabold.agency/
Ross’s twitter - https://twitter.com/brandman3000
Busted Myths:
You have to be an expert to do things that you want to do.
Thursday Aug 12, 2021
Fostering a Design Culture - Agencies That Build #24
Thursday Aug 12, 2021
Thursday Aug 12, 2021
Anthony Armendariz is the Partner, Head of Design at Funsize. Funsize is a digital service and product design agency that works with inspiring design and engineering teams to uncover opportunities, evolve popular products, bring new businesses to market, and prepare for the future.
Takeaways
Enterprise design work is more about understanding people and maturity levels and way less about the actual design work.
“A good client is one with whom you can work for three years or more, with several workstreams in each account and sustain that.” - Anthony
Protecting what you consider is vital, such as cultural management decisions, which are made to ensure that the company's workforce number remains constant rather than to make money.
It's beneficial for designers working in agencies to have the experience of knowing what it's like to work at their clients' companies.
Links:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyarmendariz/
Company website - https://www.funsize.co
Busted Myths:
Investing in junior designers is too demanding, difficult, or risky.
Friday Jul 23, 2021
Discipline: Key to Agency Growth - Jeremy Durant - Agencies That Build #023
Friday Jul 23, 2021
Friday Jul 23, 2021
Jeremy Durant is the Business Principal at Bop Design, a marketing communications agency dedicated to assisting companies and organizations in developing their brand through effective design and integrated marketing systems.
Takeaways
In terms of development, cost, and quality, working with outsourced companies is beneficial. It's as simple as taking those cost savings and passing them along to your customer.
It is simpler to retain employees when you are not overly aggressive in terms of growth; it is preferable to keep things moderate, steady, and disciplined.
“There's a perception. If you have an office, that means you're more established.” - Jeremy
When you’re starting out as an agency it's crucial to concentrate on variable costs as much as possible.
From a growth perspective, an average of 150,000 to 200,000 in revenue per employee is a good starting point for a web design agency.
While working with an outsourced or an offshore company, any task or skill that you're outsourcing requires you to have employees on your team that have the same skills.
Links:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremydurant/
Bop Design - https://www.linkedin.com/company/bop-design/
Busted Myths:
Entering a saturated market is bad news, especially when you're coming from a different background.
Tuesday Jun 29, 2021
Rethinking the American Dream - Nancy Lyons- Agencies That Build #022
Tuesday Jun 29, 2021
Tuesday Jun 29, 2021
Nancy Lyons is the Co-founder and CEO of Clockwork, a Minneapolis-based design and development agency of thinkers and doers. They transform businesses by uniting people, processes, and technology around business solutions.
Takeaways
Starting as an agency at present, data is your best friend. With Market analysis and research, you can accurately determine your strengths by figuring out where you fit? Who you are talking to and what do they want?
Be mindful of your strategy and revisit it in a timely manner. Regular conversations about strategy will help you formulate a roadmap to follow.
“I often tell people that sometimes we're limited by the limitations of our prospects or our clients' understandings, because they call us when they need what they think we do.” - Nancy
“When you're able to clearly articulate absolutely what you do, and the value that your prospects can expect from that absolute thing. I think it makes it much easier to drive interest in your brand and your offering.” - Nancy
When you’re building a business plan start by figuring out what is it that you’re trying to accomplish? What do you want? What is your business focus? How do you expect to scale?
Links:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancylyons/
Clockwork - https://www.clockwork.com/
Nancy - https://www.nancylyons.com/
Busted Myths:
The American dream that hard work and perseverance are a sure-shot way of making it big in the country and it’s never about the privileges.
Monday Jun 21, 2021
UX in a Remote Culture - Erin Young - Agencies That Build #021
Monday Jun 21, 2021
Monday Jun 21, 2021
Erin Young is the Founder & Principal Consultant at Slide UX, a family-run business that specializes in UX. They help clients establish great user experiences, utilizing the best UX design practices that include integrated business strategy, user research, UI design, and cross-functional collaboration. They’ve been named one of the best UX agencies five years in a row.
Takeaways
The real value of UX research is understood through opportunity cost. Try asking “What would it cost if you got on the wrong foot with wrong assumptions?” User Research might help you choose the right options from the get-go.
Competitive research can provide deep insights but it's not user research.
Now that the companies are recognizing that digital is imperative and carries more weight than ever before, it has changed the way they are distributing their budget.
"Every company reaches that point where they have to delegate, or they have to divide decision-making to make all of the decisions they have to make" - Erin
To facilitate the free flow of communication and humanize remote culture, organize weekly meetings as a senior leadership team, prepare an agenda ahead of time with space for comments, and most importantly take notes.
Links:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinlynnyoung/
Slide UX - https://slideux.com/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/slideux?lang=en
Busted Myths:
You can save time by skipping user research.
Tuesday Jun 15, 2021
Acquisition 101 - Jeff Archibald - Agencies That Build #020
Tuesday Jun 15, 2021
Tuesday Jun 15, 2021
Jeff Archibald is the Managing Director of Paper Leaf, a full-stack website, app, and software development firm. Their products have received awards and accolades, and they are also recognized as one of Canada’s top firms by Strategy Magazine and Clutch.
Takeaways
As an Agency Owner, you need to step out of roles that are not strategic and uses your time productively. It is difficult, but you have to make that shift from a tactical to a strategic mindset. This is quite crucial for the early growth phase.
Organize your processes, divest the skill sets amongst the group, and become a profitable company. This is the right way to structure a business vis-a-vis someone simply showing an interest in acquiring your business. In case someone does show up, be a willing participant in those conversations
When considering an acquisition offer, do your due diligence, identify the financial red flags and ensure that any risks that you’re taking are mutually shared.
“You need to understand that you're going to have to take on some risk, and the acquiring party is going to have to take on some risk. But if those balances ever get out of whack, then you need to be willing to walk away.” - Jeff
To make your life easier, hire an attorney and an accountant, even if you happen to be familiar with the legalities of an acquisition.
Links:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-archibald-b6904243
Paper Leaf - https://paper-leaf.com/
Busted Myths:
Hustle glorification. The correlation that if you're working 60 or 80 hour weeks, you're somehow doing a better job than everybody else, or you're more deserving than somebody else.