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Smart Agency Masterclass with Jason Swenk: Podcast for Digital Marketing Agencies
Would you like access to our advanced agency training for FREE? https://www.agencymastery360.com/training Do you feel along or isolated in your agency leadership journey? Wonder how it feels to have people who ‘get you' and understand the unique challenges of owning an agency? Today's featured guest faced numerous insecurities and challenges on her growth journey. Ultimately, the pivotal moment came when she joined a peer community, which encouraged her to adopt a new mindset and explore various solutions and strategies. Discover her unexpected journey into entrepreneurship and how the support of her peer community empowered her to confidently remove misaligned talent and pursue strategic partnerships, alleviating the burdens of ownership. Andi Graham is the CEO and founder of Big Sea, a marketing agency that began its journey as a web development firm in 2005. She shares her unique educational background, her interest in the intersection of communication and behavior change, and discusses her self-taught journey into graphic design and how realizing her vision was bigger than her skills paved the way for starting to build a team and eventually starting an agency. In this episode, we'll discuss: The role of community in embracing a different approach to agency challenges. Learning the importance of due diligence in an agency merger. Lessons on the high price of misaligned talent. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources Join us in Feb 2025 to ELEVATE YOUR AGENCY! You don't know what you don't know. But you can learn a ton and get connected with a small group of like-minded agency owners plus me and some game-changing speakers at our exclusive event. We're meeting in Phoenix, AZ for two days of transformative insights where you'll make meaningful connections with top-tier leaders, master inbound and outbound strategies, and elevate your agency to achieve 10x growth. Check out ElevateMyAgency.com and grab your spot! Accidental Agency Owners: Embraces Your Strengths and Delegate Weaknesses Although Andi graduated with a bachelor's degree in Sociology, her true passion was advertising and understanding the connection between communication and behavior change. She also taught herself design and had fun creating menus for the pizza shop where she was working at the time. Later on, in her first professional role, she got to dive into other marketing activities like starting the company's first email newsletter. To enhance her skills, she learned coding to implement more visual modifications than the newsletter platform could offer. Eventually, she started building websites and taking freelance clients and realized she had built something more lucrative than her full-time job. When the time came to intentionally start growing her business, Andi knew her strengths are copywriting and project organization but lacked in design and web development skills. It was time to start hiring people with expertise in these areas to improve the quality of her services. She recognized she was more of a jack of all trades but lacked the patience to get really good in a particular area. It was the right combination of skills to become a business owner, as running a business requires learning a little bit about every part of the business. The Importance of Community in Agency Leadership One of the most significant challenges Andi faced while launching her own business was the struggle to balance financial realities with her desire to cultivate a positive workplace culture. Yes, she wanted her team to have fun and like her but she also needed to run a profitable business. However, finding a community of peers who understood the unique difficulties of agency ownership proved to be a game-changer for her. She quickly learned that, although her peers faced the same challenges, they were approaching them with a different mindset. This highlighted the importance of perspective in business and the need for a supportive community that encourages open dialogue and shared learning. This camaraderie was not just about commiserating over shared challenges; it became a platform for exchanging solutions and strategies and helped Andi appreciate the value of having a “tribe” who not only validate your experiences but also inspire you to adopt new approaches to your work. The Significance of Due Diligence in an Agency Merger By 2016, Andi found herself feeling overwhelmed by the demands of running her agency alone and yearned for more quality time with her daughter. She had connected with various agency owners, which enabled her to build relationships with peers whose skills complemented her own. This collaboration led to a partnership that resonated with both her personal and professional goals. Each partner brought unique strengths to the table, whether in sales, operations, technology, or marketing and creative projects. This division of labor allowed everyone to concentrate on their passions, ultimately enhancing job satisfaction and productivity. However, the journey was not without its challenges and Andi regrets not conducting thorough due diligence on her partners prior to the merger. As a result, she encountered unexpected friction due to undisclosed ownership stakes that created tension in decision-making processes. Fortunately, there was a positive outcome, with a successful buyout of the problematic partner handled with care and mutual respect. Collaborative partnerships are not merely transactional; they are rooted in shared values, trust, and open communication. As Andi learned, prioritizing alignment in partnerships is essential for fostering a healthy, productive, and fulfilling business environment. Lessons on the Hidden Cost of Misaligned Talent Another significant challenge Andi encountered was the difficulty small agencies face in attracting and retaining talent that not only possesses the necessary skills but also aligns with the team's dynamics and values. At one point, she struggled to let go of a highly skilled developer whose negative attitude was detrimental to the work environment. This is a common pitfall for agency owners who often become overly reliant on individuals with specialized skills, overlooking the importance of interpersonal dynamics and team cohesion. Recognizing that technical expertise does not automatically translate to a good cultural fit is a vital lesson for leaders. Ultimately, Andi faced several situations that taught her the importance of recognizing early signs of misalignment and getting over the fear of disruption and the perceived challenge of replacing a key player can lead to prolonged periods of dissatisfaction within the team. She is now much more confident in her team's potential for resilience and adaptability in the face of personnel changes. Embracing the Long Game in Agency Growth Having run her agency for almost twenty years, Andi has learned the value of patience as it become clear that success is not merely a product of quick actions or rapid changes, but rather the result of sustained effort and the ability to endure challenges over time. Although agency owners are usually fast-movers and very action-oriented, her recent agency rebrand has taught her the importance of building momentum through consistent actions and understanding that the efforts put forth today will yield results in the future, sometimes months or even years later. This long-term perspective is essential for entrepreneurs who may feel disheartened by the slow pace of progress. Do You Want to Transform Your Agency from a Liability to an Asset? Looking to dig deeper into your agency's potential? Check out our Agency Blueprint. Designed for agency owners like you, our Agency Blueprint helps you uncover growth opportunities, tackle obstacles, and craft a customized blueprint for your agency's success.
LinksTry Benchmarks ExplorerLearn More About DataboxSubscribe to our newsletter for episode summaries, benchmark data, and moreIn this episode of "Metrics & Chill," host Pete Caputa, CEO of Databox, chats with Andi Graham, CEO and Founder of Big Sea, about scaling a marketing agency and success in the purpose-driven space. Find out:How Andi transformed Big Sea from a local web design agency to a specialized marketing company for nonprofits, healthcare, and human servicesLead generation tactics, including a unique grant program for nonprofits and robust email marketingThe importance of metrics and benchmarking for data-driven growth, alongside effective content strategies like SEO and landing pages
If you're curious about digital marketing that is grounded in purpose, this episode is for you. We sat down with Andi Graham, the CEO & Managing Partner of Big Sea, a Digital Marketing Agency based in St. Pete, FL and Asheville, North Carolina, to discuss their expertise in digital marketing in the B2B and nonprofit industries. Whether it's building a positive company culture or creating successful content driven campaigns and stunning websites, Big Sea approaches everything they do with purpose and connection in mind. Tune in every week for new episodes where we help marketers and business owners stay in the know! About the Brick Media Podcast: This is the official podcast for Brick Media, an award-winning social media agency in Tampa, FL. We help marketers and business owners stay in the know. We do that by interviewing professionals in the marketing industry about current trends, career paths in marketing, social media strategies and much more! Thanks for being here. Get In Touch With Us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brick_media Website: https://www.brickmediagroup.com Share with a friend or colleague. We appreciate you! - Produced by Brick Media Group LLC Recorded in sunny Tampa, FL - Check out our CEO's podcast, Brick By Brick with Jake Kurtz
Andi Graham, CEO of Big Sea, joins our host, Camela Thompson, in this episode of the Revenue Marketing Report. Andi shares her insights on the things that feed into determining a persona profile, why persona is so important in developing messaging that works, and the dangers of relying only on data in understanding your customers. For more great content like this, check out calibermind.com.
Guest: Andi Graham Guest Bio: Andi Graham is CEO at Big Sea, a 40-person remote digital marketing agency she founded in 2005. Andi's team provide marketing strategy and consulting, web design and development, SEO and media buying for mid-market organizations across the country. Andi currently lives in Asheville, NC with her husband, teen daughter, and 3 dogs and spends her weekends hiking, traveling, and skiing. Guest Links: https://bigsea.co/ About Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders Download your free gift, The Salesology® Vault. The vault is packed full of free gifts from sales leaders, sales experts, marketing gurus and revenue generation experts. Download your free gift, 81 Tools to Grow Your Sales & Your Business Faster, More Easily & More Profitably. Save hours of work tracking down the right prospecting and sales resources and/or digital tools that every business owner and salesperson needs. Watch the demo of the Salesology® Prospecting Method, A Simple, 3-Step Method That, On Average, Increases Qualified Appointments & Sales By 73%. If you are a business owner or sales manager with an under-performing sales team, let's talk. Click here to schedule a time. Please, subscribe to Salesology®: Conversations with Sales Leaders so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated! To learn more about our previous guests, listen to past episodes, and get to know your host, go to https://podcast.gosalesology.com/ and connect on LinkedIn and follow us on Facebook and Twitter and checkout our website at http://www.gosalesology.com
Steph & Ash talk to Big Sea CEO, Andi Graham and talk about her journey of starting her own company and how she organically got there. Everything that happens starts with a conversation. An agreement or an idea. A connection. That conversation can take place almost anywhere, at any time, through the digital devices always […] The post Live Bold & Boss Up: How To Create A Great Company Culture with Andi Graham, CEO of Big Sea appeared first on Radio Influence.
Steph & Ash talk to Big Sea CEO, Andi Graham and talk about her journey of starting her own company and how she organically got there. Everything that happens starts with a conversation. An agreement or an idea. A connection. That conversation can take place almost anywhere, at any time, through the digital devices always […] The post Live Bold & Boss Up: How To Create A Great Company Culture with Andi Graham, CEO of Big Sea appeared first on Radio Influence.
Starting with this episode, I am going to use episodes (On Saturday) to spotlight other compelling and interesting podcasts for entrepreneurs. I'm starting with "Walk The Walk", a podcast hosted by Andi Graham, CEO of Big Sea Marketing. This is a podcast for entrepreneurs running a values-based business. "Walk the Walk" is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all podcast apps. Thanks for listening and subscribing!
Painful experiences. We’ve all done things (or had things done to us) that we’re not proud of. And yet, we’re here today to tell the story. Andi shares her stories that almost knocked her down, but didn't.
Andi Graham has spent the past 15 years building a successful nationally-recognized marketing agency built on integrity, transparency, and strong core values. In this podcast, Andi will talk to entrepreneurs and experts about what it takes to run a true values-based organization, the difficult decisions necessary, and how to use those values to find and grow your business.
The creative agency industry is constantly evolving. For this reason, it's good to keep your agency's strategy fresh. Founder and CEO of Big Sea, Andi Graham, fills us in on why the agile approach isn't just a software development strategy anymore. We also cover: Educating your team about agile Embracing the discomfort of change Developing a feedback loop Real-time collaboration Resources mentioned in this episode include: "Manifesto for Agile" Scrum Methodology “Transforming to Agile: How We're Doing It” This blogpost is based on an interview with Andi Graham from Big Sea. To hear this episode, and many more like it, you can subscribe to The Innovative Agency Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on our website.
The post EP 38: Agile Agencies and the Importance of Culture, with Andi Graham appeared first on Kelly Campbell.
Big Sea is leading with goals, not inbound deliverables. Here’s how they do it and why it’s working.
Andi Graham is the founder, CMO and managing partner of Big Sea, a digital marketing agency started in 2005 in St. Petersburg, FL. Big Sea works with clients of all types, helping entrepreneurs and organizations build and grow their businesses. We navigate through her entrepreneurial journey, from Big Sea’s early stages to running one of the most successful marketing companies in Florida. Like me, she was encouraged to go outside her comfort zone and leave her old job to start running her own business full-time. Support the show (http://buildingabusinessthatlasts.com)
When you run a content-focused digital agency, Agile (yes, with a capital A) can be a little hard to figure out. Most of us started with no real concept of how things would get done. But we understood the design process part of digital products. Then as we got traction, we realized we'd need other people to build the projects. Waterfall works really well with these types of hand-offs. But forecasting difficulties arise making it tough to know when you can take on more work. Well, you're welcome. Here is a conversation all about making the move to Agile when you're focused on the marketing side of digital development. Oh, and there's a whole lot of honesty too, courtesy of Andi Graham.
http://BizWomenRock.com/252-2 Biz Women on the Move The Biz Women on the Move segment features the amazing accomplishments of the members of the Biz Women Rock community! Today, we're featuring... Stephanie Bennett of Stephanie Bennett Makeup. Stephanie was the first listener I ever heard from when I launched the Biz Women Rock podcast! She sent me an email telling me what an impact my very first episode (an interview with the great Joy Gendusa of PostcardMania) had on her. In this Biz Women on the Move segment, Stephanie shares where she's come in the past 2.5 years, the evolution her business(es) have had and how she's happy and living out her dreams within her makeup company! Congratulations, Stephanie! You are rockin' it! The Main Event The Main Event is our main feature of the show. Sometimes a deep dive interview with a kick ass business woman, sometimes a case study digging into a phenomenal business strategy, sometimes a diatribe from me about some cool lesson learned in business...whatever it is, its always chalk full of wisdom for you. Today on our Main Event... We're featuring a pointed interview with Andi Graham of Big Sea, a Digital Marketing agency in the heart of St. Petersburg, Florida. Andi is brilliant and shares how and why she merged her company with a "competitor," how she created recurring revenue with clients in her service-based business and what personal work she does to make sure SHE shows up as her best self every single day. Money Moxie The Money Moxie segment was created so we can KNOW OUR DOUGH! Savvy business women know their money, and Money Moxie will ensure you have the best information to grow your company intelligently! Today, our topic is... Getting Outside Funding For Your Business. It's not as scary or as complicated as you might think. I spend 20 minutes talking about the most common types of financing for small businesses with my good friends, Naim Hamdar and Keyur Patel of Synergistic Funding. If you've ever thought about acquiring funds for your business, whether it's a line of credit, purchase order financing, SBA loans or anything else, these guys are your best source of information! http://synergisticfunding.com Product Review I'm reviewing the latest and greatest business tools and products so YOU can get your business running more efficiently and effectively! Today, I'm reviewing... Google Keep. This Google application is fantastic for creating priority lists, taking notes and taking ideas that pop up in your head and putting them somewhere so you don't lose them! It has great features like reminders, sharing options and labeling so you can organize. Best part? It has a great phone app that makes this a must-have app for anyone who is on-the-go! I love it so much, I created a video tutorial of Google Keep just for you! http://bizwomenrock.com/keep Looking for a way to start and grow your own community? Check out Facebook Groups Rock! Your complete online course to help you start, grow and monetize your own Facebook Group! http://bizwomenrock.com/facebookgroupsrock
In today's episode, I interview Andi Graham, CMO and managing partner at Big Sea Design. Today's episode is sponsored by Rollbar. With Rollbar, you get the context, insights and control you need to find and fix bugs faster. Rollbar is offering Developer Tea listeners the Bootstrap Plan, free for 90 days (300,000 errors tracked for free)! Head over to https://rollbar.com/developertea now for the free 90 day offer!
For this Snippet, we discuss Reinventing The Client-agency Relationship by Andi Graham at Big Sea Design. (http://www.pagebreakpodcast.com/snippets/client-agency-relationship)