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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 Most agencies don't have a marketing problem. They have a sameness problem. Their websites, their services, their "award-winning team" language. It's all the same. They even have the same promises that sound impressive but mean absolutely nothing to a prospect who's heard it 50 times this week. Today's featured guest has a pretty good idea of why agencies are blending into the background and how the ones that win are doing the opposite. He'll get into differentiation, AI, pricing confidence, RFPs, and why playing it safe is the fastest way to disappear. David Brier is the the branding expert CEOs call when their marketing hits a wall. He calls himself "rehab for brands" to help get them profitable. He is the author of Brand Intervention and Rich Brand, Poor Brand, and he's built a career around one core idea most agencies completely miss: branding isn't about looking better but about being different. After realizing there were more than 25,000 branding books and no agreed-upon definition, David distilled branding down to four words: the art of differentiation. That idea alone reframes how agencies should think about positioning, pricing, and growth, especially right now. In this episode, we'll discuss: Why Differentiation Isn't Optional in the Age of Lazy Thinking. Get Rid of the Agency Speak Saying 'No' as a Strategic Advantage Different is Better Than Better Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources This episode is brought to you by Wix Studio: If you're leveling up your team and your client experience, your site builder should keep up too. That's why successful agencies use Wix Studio — built to adapt the way your agency does: AI-powered site mapping, responsive design, flexible workflows, and scalable CMS tools so you spend less on plugins and more on growth. Ready to design faster and smarter? Go to wix.com/studio to get started. Why Branding and Differentiation Are No Longer Optional for Agencies David's definition of branding cuts through the noise because it mirrors how humans actually behave. We notice what's different. We ignore what feels familiar. If your agency sounds like a remix of every other agency, your prospects' brains will quietly check out. That's why brands like Apple feel predictable in a good way. As Seth Godin once said, you know what an Apple sneaker would be like. You don't know what a Marriott sneaker would be like—and that's the problem. One owns a point of view. The other plays it safe. For agencies, differentiation means making a choice and being willing to lose people who aren't a fit. That's uncomfortable, especially if you're used to trying to appeal to everyone. But the agencies that scale aren't trying to be a choice. They're working to become the choice for the right clients. How "Agency Speak" Is Killing Your Sales Ask most agency owners what makes them different and you'll hear the same three things: our people, our process, our portfolio. That language doesn't differentiate you, it only anesthetizes the conversation. You wouldn't advise your clients to use the language of the competition, so why would you? Additionally, David also believes that brands that take a stand and aren't afraid to be bold will automatically stand out from the many many agencies that are too timid and too afraid to offend. This doesn't mean you have to be divisive. You can be bold in a way that actually brings people together. This fear of being truly different comes from the way we're all wired to believe that an amazing portfolio will be enough to draw people in. But the portfolio isn't the most important thing in the room, is the person sitting across from you. Stop leading with your work and start leading with questions. When you ask better questions and actually listen, prospects feel seen. By the time you show your portfolio, if you even need to, they've already decided whether they trust you. That kind of confidence signals maturity—and it instantly separates you from the agencies still performing their pitch deck like a talent show. Why AI Is Fueling a Sea of Sameness in Agency Marketing AI isn't the enemy… but lazy thinking is. David sees it as everyone is now outsourcing their ingenuity to the same tools, using the same prompts, producing the same safe output. The result is, of course, a sea of indistinguishable brands with no soul and no pulse. What he calls "The Great Wall of Beige." The mistake agencies make is thinking AI replaces brilliance. It doesn't. It amplifies whatever you bring to it. If you don't have a point of view, AI will happily help you sound like everyone else faster. The agencies that win in this era will use AI as a tool, not a crutch. They'll still ask, "Why the hell not?" They'll still challenge assumptions. And they'll still bring conviction, creativity, and human judgment to the table, because that's the part clients can't automate. The Power of Saying No: Reclaiming Pricing and Positioning When a buying process is run by a committee, the goal isn't excellence, it's consensus. And consensus is where great ideas go to die. This is why David stopped participating in RFPs. The most powerful move an agency can make isn't trying harder to win bad deals. It's being willing to walk away. The ability to say no signals strength. It reframes the relationship. When you stop chasing every opportunity and start choosing your clients, pricing objections lose their power. As David put it, when prospects ask why he's so expensive, he flips the script: "Why is everyone else so cheap?" That mindset shift alone changes how clients perceive your value. What's Next for Agencies to Stay Profitable in a Changing Market The landscape is changing even from week to week with new technologies, which makes it harder to predict how the industry will change in years to come. For David, it all boils down to knowing what you're selling. Agencies that sell themselves as commodities will basically go out of business. As he points out, AI is accelerating output but not judgment, taste, or leadership. When everyone has access to the same tools and prompts, the middle ground disappears fast. Agencies that sell "deliverables" instead of thinking will find themselves racing to the bottom on price, competing with software instead of strategy. In a market flooded with instant, AI-generated work, the real differentiator becomes the ability to think on your feet, challenge assumptions, and connect dots in real time. The greatest athletes, actors, comedians, and entrepreneurs in the world were able to think for themselves and could take something unexpected and work with it and improvise. Can you give people something unexpected? That's something no tool can replicate, and it's why experience is becoming more valuable, not less. Why Different Beats Better: Escaping the Race to the Bottom David strongly believes that in these times of sameness and an abundance of content that lacks pulse and personality, different is better than better. Agencies that have completely given up trying to create something unique and have instead relegated the thinking to AI will try to stand out by repeatedly stating they're better, faster, or bigger. David, however, prefers to offer something different. This gives him the confidence to face clients that come to a meeting with rehearsed questions they got from other creators to assess him and counter with "actually, you're asking the wrong question. What you should be asking is…" No framework replaces conviction. The best leaders don't answer scripted questions—they redirect them. That's how you elevate the conversation. That's how you escape commodity pricing. And that's how you build a brand people remember. 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.
SEGMENT 13: SCOTUS HEARS WARTIME OIL EXTRACTION LIABILITY CASE Guest: Michael Toth (Civitas Institute) Toth reports from Supreme Court oral arguments on Louisiana's claim that World War II oil and gas extraction damaged coastlines and quality of life. Former Solicitor General Paul Clement defends energy companies, arguing wartime production faced no limits given the existential threat requiring maximum resource extraction for national survival.1875 MARDI GRAS
PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: SCOTUS HEARS OIL COMPANY WARTIME LIABILITY ARGUMENTSGuest: Michael Toth Toth analyzes Supreme Court arguments over whether oil and gas companies face liability for pumping operations conducted during World War II under presidential directive. Discussion examines the legal complexities of holding companies responsible for wartime production ordered by the government, historical context, and implications for energy industry litigation.1888 SCOTUS
Have you ever considered taking a sabbatical to practice Interventional Radiology in the Middle East? In this episode, Dr. Jamal AlKoteesh, the Chairman of Clinical Imaging at SEHA and the "Godfather of IR" in the United Arab Emirates, joins host Dr. Sabeen Dhand to discuss the rapid evolution and current state of IR in the Gulf region. --- SYNPOSIS Dr. AlKoteesh shares his journey from training in the UK to establishing the IR specialty in Abu Dhabi over the last 18 years. He details the unique practice environment in UAE government hospitals, where the lack of strict sub-specialization requires IRs to maintain a versatile skillset—handling everything from thyroid FNAs and UFE to complex neurovascular thrombectomies. The conversation highlights the significant government investment in healthcare technology, which allows physicians access to the latest tools—such as the Siemens Artis Icono with integrated RapidAI for stroke—often before they are widely available in other markets. Dr. AlKoteesh also provides a practical guide for US physicians interested in working abroad, covering the licensing timeline, tax-free income, and the high demand for Western-trained physicians. --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Introduction01:39 - Building IR in UAE05:23 - UAE Healthcare System Overview07:54 - IR Residency and Staffing13:15 - Access to Latest Devices15:15 - Compensation and Lifestyle17:58 - PAIRS Conference Overview20:45 - Licensing and Relocation Guide21:39 - Liability and Language Barriers26:33 - Launching Stroke Interventions
In this Friday edition of the Morning Minute, Isaiah Buchanan reports on a major legislative win for drivers as the House passes a spending bill that dedicates $200 million to truck parking. This first-of-its-kind line item now heads to the Senate, where lawmakers are racing against a January 30 government shutdown deadline. A Texas court has delivered a massive blow to Landstar System, ruling that the company must pay 100% of a $23 million accident verdict rather than the 15% originally assigned by a jury. The freight giant intends to vigorously appeal the judgment, which has already caused the company to lower its earnings expectations for the quarter. The episode also explores a pivotal upcoming Supreme Court case regarding whether federal law preempts state negligence claims against freight brokers. The Department of Justice argues that allowing these lawsuits would create a patchwork of liability standards, while advocates fear preemption leaves a dangerous gap in safety accountability. Finally, listeners are invited to catch a new episode of WHAT THE TRUCK?!? featuring Malcolm Harris, airing at noon on FreightWaves TV. If you miss the live broadcast, the full episode will be available for streaming on YouTube. Follow the FreightWaves NOW Podcast Other FreightWaves Shows Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
One on One Video Call W/George https://tidycal.com/georgepmonty/60-minute-meetingSupport the show:https://www.paypal.me/Truelifepodcast?locale.x=en_US“Follow me, and I'll make you governor of an island.”In Don Quixote, a poor farmer named Sancho Panza leaves his wife, his kids, and everything he knows to follow a lunatic into the wilderness. Why? Because he was promised an island.Sound familiar?“Work hard and you'll make partner.”“Grind now, equity later.”“We're a family here - your loyalty will be rewarded.”“Be your own boss - unlimited earning potential.”We're all Sancho Panza now. Following someone else's quest, enduring the chaos, waiting for an island that might never come - or worse, comes in a form we never actually wanted.This episode explores what happens when the everyman follows the madman's promise. What Cervantes understood about gig economy exploitation 400 years before Uber existed. And why Sancho's choice at the end might be the most radical thing you hear all year.Part 2 of “The Wisdom of Don Quixote” series. One on One Video call W/George https://tidycal.com/georgepmonty/60-minute-meetingSupport the show:https://www.paypal.me/Truelifepodcast?locale.x=en_US
One on One Video Call W/George https://tidycal.com/georgepmonty/60-minute-meetingSupport the show:https://www.paypal.me/Truelifepodcast?locale.x=en_USIs Your Vision Real or Are You Delusional?Don Quixote descended into a cave.He was down there for one hour.When they pulled him back up, he was pale, shaking, transformed. And he told them an impossible story:“I was in an enchanted palace. For three days. I met legendary knights. I saw magical maidens. I witnessed wonders I can barely describe.”Sancho looked at him. “Master, you were down there for an hour. Maybe less.”Don Quixote's voice wavered. For the first time in the entire novel, he seemed… uncertain.“I know what I saw,” he said. Then, quieter: “God knows the truth.”This is the Cave of Montesinos. The most mysterious, psychologically complex scene in all of Don Quixote.And it asks the question every visionary, creator, entrepreneur, and dreamer faces:How do you know if what you saw in the dark was real… or if you just made it all up?I've had 860 conversations on this podcast. And I keep coming back with the same vision: I see genius in people that the world doesn't validate. I see systems rigged against passion. I see the fight itself as what keeps us alive.But what if I'm just Don Quixote in the cave? What if I descended into the darkness with my own expectations and came back up with a beautiful story that isn't real?What if your calling is just a dream you had in the dark?What if the business idea that won't leave you alone is delusion dressed as vision?What if the injustice you see so clearly is just confirmation bias?You'll never know for sure.And that's the point.This episode is about what Don Quixote learned in that cave: Certainty is madness. Doubt is wisdom. And acting on your vision despite the doubt—that's the only courage that matters.“Time will tell,” Don Quixote said when asked if his vision was real.That's all any of us can say. One on One Video call W/George https://tidycal.com/georgepmonty/60-minute-meetingSupport the show:https://www.paypal.me/Truelifepodcast?locale.x=en_US
This week the boys break down the Crypto Clarity Act's dramatic Senate markup with Coin Center's Peter Van Valkenburgh, covering developer liability concerns, tokenized securities language controversy, the banking industry's war against stablecoin yield. Welcome to The Chopping Block — where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. Tarun's out this episode, but we're joined by Peter Van Valkenburgh, Principal of Policy at Coin Center and one of the sharpest legal minds in crypto. This week, we're diving deep into the Crypto Clarity Act drama that has DC in chaos mode. What started as crypto's best shot at comprehensive regulation just hit a major roadblock when Coinbase pulled their support hours before the Senate markup. We'll break down the developer liability questions around "control" definitions, the tokenized securities language that has Brian Armstrong fired up, and the stablecoin yield restrictions that have banks and crypto companies at each other's throats. Peter gives us the inside scoop on what's really in this 200-page bill, why Polymarket odds crashed from 80% to 40%, and whether this legislative train wreck can still get back on track. Let's get into it. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights
Lesley Logan and Brad Crowell unpack the conversation with Pav Lertjitbanjong, founder of Pavness Leadership Lab, and why job security is an illusion for most people. They explore what it really means to build career resilience so you feel less anxious about change and more confident in your options. The conversation also highlights the three key numbers Pav says everyone should know to create stability in uncertain times. If you've been waiting to feel secure before making a move, this episode is a reminder that security is something you build. If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:Understanding career resilience as knowing your value beyond a job title.How emotional clarity reduces fear during career uncertainty.Understanding the role financial numbers play in personal stability.How strategic debt can support long-term financial stability.Why maintaining client relationships protects income for entrepreneurs.Episode References/Links:Cambodia Retreat Waitlist - https://crowsnestretreats.comAgency Mini - https://prfit.biz/miniContrology Pilates Conference in Poland - https://xxll.co/polandContrology Pilates Conference in Brussels - https://xxll.co/brusselsPOT in London - https://xxll.co/potSpring Training: How To Get Overhead - https://opc.me/eventsPilates Posters - https://opc.me/postersSubmit your wins or questions - https://beitpod.com/questionsLayoff-Proof Your Life Emergency Checklist - https://www.layoffready.com/emergencykitPav Lertjitbanjong's Website - https://www.pavness.comEp. 352: Tess Waresmith - https://beitpod.com/tesswaresmith If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentCheck out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentBe in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlistBe It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-surveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gLesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQProfitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/Follow Us on Social Media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilatesLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses Episode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:00 People do need to know that their job security is an illusion, so that they can not only have career resilience, but also just be really aware of that they have a lot more power than they think. And I think sometimes people go, oh, my ability to stay in this job is their decision when it's actually your decision. Lesley Logan 0:18 Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. Brad Crowell 1:01 Take it away. Lesley Logan 1:03 Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co-host in life, Brad, and I are going to dig into the purposeful convo I had with Pav Lertjitbanjong in our last episode. If you haven't yet listened to that interview, feel free to pause us now, go back and listen to that one and then come back and join us. Yeah. Do both. You got time. You can also put it on a 1.5 speed. I mean, we talk fast, but you can still understand us.Brad Crowell 1:26 Yeah. I mean, it's gonna be awesome. It was actually a great, very transparent convo is the right way to say it.Lesley Logan 1:33 I would say so I actually really appreciate, like, having someone be so honest about the transition that they're on. I don't think enough people share that. And so I think that was a beautiful gift for everyone listening. Because otherwise you just listen, people got their shit together, and you're like, oh, they got it all together. And it's like, well, you know, they they have it looks that way, but it's a journey.Brad Crowell 1:53 Yeah. And I think, I think the idea of preparing to step away from a job is always a win, you know, to have it together on the inside. So that's good. Anyway. What is today?Lesley Logan 2:04 Yes, well, today is January 22nd. It's four days until my birthday, everyone. Brad Crowell 2:09 What? Lesley Logan 2:09 Yeah, but that's not what today is. Today is January 22nd 2026 and it's Roe Versus Wade Day. Roe Versus Wade Day is celebrated on January 22nd, the anniversary of the court case that gave women agency over their bodies. And here we go. The US Supreme Court made a ruling that legalized abortion throughout the country, with variations from state to state depending on the length of the pregnancy, no matter what your opinion is on the controversial abortion debat,e should not be fucking controversial, and it does matter what your opinion is. But here we go. Roe Versus Wade Day marked a pivotal turn in US history, the anniversary of landmark court decision celebrated by people everywhere, especially by women. Unfortunately, on Friday, June 24th 2022 the Supreme Court overturned Roe Versus Wade, the landmark piece of legislation that made access to abortion a federal right in the United States. The decision dismantled 50 years of legal protection paved the way for individual states to curtail or outright ban abortion rights. My loves. Brad Crowell 2:59 Which is happening. Lesley Logan 3:01 It's happening. It's happened. People, women are losing their ability to have have babies because they can't get what they need. The biggest thing if you, if you're like, uncomfortable with the word abortion, and I get that because if you were raised religious, you probably were raised and it's like, the worst thing anyone can do. And like all these women regret it. I can't speak for these people. What I can say is, men get to go to every fucking state in the country, and their rights don't change. But if I go to different states, my rights do change. And for the majority of the listeners, you go to a different state, your rights do change. And it's just really pisses me off that we don't have like that we're constantly fighting for equality in this capacity. And what this means is hospitals and doctors in the areas where there is not abortion available will have less experience and less understanding about what to do when a mother needs it. And if you try to tell me, in case of like, the healthcare of the mother, the doctors are so scared and they will have to answer questions. Brad Crowell 3:59 That they're not helping the mother.Lesley Logan 4:01 That they're that they're not so we have to wait till women go septic, yeah, which is the worst you you are lucky if you come back from that a normal person. So it just really pisses me off, because this is not a this should not be a fucking law. This is a health right.Brad Crowell 4:15 So as of November of this year, 2025, 12 states have near abortion bans, or for all intents and purposes, abortion bans in place. Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. Lesley Logan 4:32 Was Idaho on there? Brad Crowell 4:33 Idaho is on there. And addition, North Dakota has a near total ban that was recently revived in the state's Supreme Court, which makes it a felony to perform an abortion, except in limited medical emergency or cases of rape and incest. And that's the problem. The problem is the limited medical emergencies, and that's never clear. And so regardless of whether or not the doctor knows that that's what needs to happen, the hospital is basically saying, don't, don't do it because they're gonna get. Yeah or the doctors themselves are worried about it, because, you know, like, in Texas, they're like, going after doctors. It's nuts.Lesley Logan 5:09 There's okay. So I saw something recently, and I'm hopefully, as I as I say out loud, I'll get it right. So because some states are trying to grab doctors from other states that are helping women access abortion, right? Like some doctors from New York can send medications to people in different states and and allow them to safely, you know, have a decision over their body. And some of these states are trying to, poor women are going to different states, and then, you know, so the state that the woman is from is trying to do something to the doctors or the woman for doing that right in the place where they have a right. And someone explained it like, okay, Nevada has legalized gambling, right? But let's say you're from a state that doesn't have legalized gambling, and you go to Nevada and you gamble, and you win money, right? You gamble. It's proof you did it. That would be like the state you're from arresting you for gambling.Brad Crowell 6:06 So you didn't finish that. So then you go home to whatever state, yes, and they arrest you, yes. But you were in Nevada.Lesley Logan 6:12 Yes, where it's legal. Brad Crowell 6:14 Right. Lesley Logan 6:15 So if that, if you're like, oh, that doesn't make any sense. It's the same fucking thing when it comes to women's and abortions like this is and to be honest, like if you struggle with this, I really need you to do some extra research on what an abortion is, on what the Bible has even said. I need you to understand what, what, what week a baby is even viable on their own. And then I need you to look at how much it costs to be a parent, and you need to understand if you are also not voting for health care for children, for food at all of their schools and all these different things you do not care about life, you don't. If you are not, if you are also not voting for every single thing that makes it illegal to be poor in this country, you do you don't understand what being pro life actually means. And I know that sounds harsh, but that's how I feel. It's how I feel. I used to, used to think, okay, well, they can have a difference of opinion, not anymore, not when women are dying, not when women who are not able to have the babies that they want to have because something went wrong and that affects their ability to have babies in the future. No.Brad Crowell 7:21 Yeah, the laws that that are being passed are, I would argue that the terminology is confusing that I would not say it's fair to call them pro life. They're, in fact, pro birth. So they're, they're not looking out for the mother ever. They're looking out for what could hypothetically be a child someday, maybe. Right?Lesley Logan 7:43 Yeah, that they don't, that they're not going to care for once it's once it's born. Brad Crowell 7:48 Well, that's not necessarily the case but. Lesley Logan 7:50 I'm not talking about the parents. I'm talking about the law. I'm talking about the, the parents, oh, some of these people already have kids and they're like, I have enough. Some of them just are in the wrong time of their life. Some of them don't want to have them. Some of them, you know, it is with someone that they don't want to have a child with. This is all their rights to have. Brad Crowell 8:05 Yeah. I mean, the running joke is that the law cares before you're born, and then once you turn 18 and you can join the military, but between those times, good luck.Lesley Logan 8:15 Yeah, yeah. So anyways, I, I know, I know there's there's there's, I understand if you are someone who has a hard time with this topic, because I do remember being a child and a teenager and a young adult having a problem with this topic. And the more research I did, the more I realized how many, how, how hard it is for a for the woman in this country, specifically, and how, how much, how, in this country, we have women who will die giving birth because we do not do proper medical research, we do not care baby like we have a high mortality rate in this country that we should for a first world country, because of all, and because what I've seen what having a baby does with her body, it is her choice. She should be able to do what she wants, and there isn't judgment negatively around it.Brad Crowell 9:03 Yeah,we have a higher maternal mortality rate than most other high income countries. Whis is mind blowing.Lesley Logan 9:09 And then when you go deeper, when you go deeper, look at how high it is for black women versus white women.Brad Crowell 9:14 Yeah, significantly higher risk for black women and women over 40.Lesley Logan 9:17 And if you are worried, it's because, oh, maybe it's a different No, a high school educated white woman will have more likelihood of surviving over a medically educated black woman because of racism in this country and the stress it does on our bodies. My loves, like I will always, I will fight for women's rights, and one of those rights is having choice over what happens to your body, period, no matter what state you're in and if you don't want babies to be aborted, then you need to go to your congress people make sure that they're taken care of, because I think more women would even have a child if they had help and support. We don't do that here. So on this day, call your congress person, see what they're doing for people who have children and need help.Brad Crowell 10:00 Yeah, yeah. This is a tough this is a tough conversation. I think that. Lesley Logan 10:06 It's hard. Brad Crowell 10:06 Well, it's, what frustrates me is also that this is for 50 years the law was clear, yeah, and then three years ago now, we've got a bunch of Supreme Court justices who are like, just kidding, and they're just taking these kinds of rights away. And that frustrates me more than anything, is that that, that that's even an option. That shit, it was, it was the law of the land, you know. So that's, that's insane to me, and I, I think that the only way that stability gets created is if we are all paying attention to the things that are happening in our state and also in our federal government. But you know, right now, it's up to every single state to protect their women, you know, individually. And so it's important for you to participate in this and be educated and call the people who are making the decisions in your state.Lesley Logan 11:01 And also, it used to be, if you didn't like something for you personally, you just don't do it. So if you don't like abortion, don't get one. Brad Crowell 11:08 Right. Lesley Logan 11:09 But like, like, you know, it's just, it's really hard. It's just it get gets me really. I was just at the I was just at the women's clinic today. I love my women's clinic. If you do live in Las Vegas, the WHASN clinic. Shout out to the WHASNclinic. It is fucking phenomenal. At any rate, they have like, a sign on the wall, which is like, how to prevent pregnancy, right? And sterilization for a woman, or vasectomy for a man, are in are like, not going to have a baby, not going to happen, okay? And then they go through like, okay here are the birth controls. This is how we have to change them. This is how effective they are. So it starts to go from 99.9% to like 97% to 94% here effectiveness in preventing pregnancy. And here's what it said at the bottom of this. And this is like mind blowing that they do not teach people in school because they don't want you to know, because they want you. They want you dumb and pregnant. They if you are not doing anything to prevent pregnancy. So you aren't on a birth control, you don't have any protection going on birth like things like that. He doesn't have anything. You're 85% likely to have a baby if you are, if you have reproductive abilities and you don't, don't do any intervention, the chance of you getting pregnant annually will be 85% not in your lifetime, annually. So don't be shocked when people end up pregnant. People can, they can accidentally take not even accidentally. They could get sick and they need an antibiotic, and it it causes their their birth control to not work, literally, right? I have friends who had IUDs, and their parents got pregnant with them. So like all people can do all the right things and still have this pregnancy happen, and it might not be the right time for them, or it might not be the right thing for them, and they that is their fucking business. Period. I have no judgment towards people who do it or don't do it. It's up to you, but it should be up to you, and the fact that it's not in certain states pisses me off. Anyways, we do need to move on, yeah, but hope, hopefully you're off. I feel like people are fired up with us, but just pass it on to your friend.Brad Crowell 13:09 Yeah. Well, look, let's shift gears here. That's a heavy topic that we're obviously very passionate about. So thanks for following along. Here's what's coming up in our world here. So it's right now, today, January 22nd is the second to last day to get the early bird for joining us this year in Cambodia at a Pilates retreat at Crow's nest, right? So go to crowsnestretreats.com. Tomorrow is the last day to get the early bird. January 23rd is the last day to get the early bird. Go to crowsnestretreats.com or just DM us if you want the link, we'll send it over. Next week is Lesley's birthday, like she already said.Lesley Logan 13:44 I know, I'll be 43 I know, so good. Brad Crowell 13:48 We're just, we're just sharing that. We're probably gonna. Lesley Logan 13:51 No birthday sale. Brad Crowell 13:52 Go out to dinner or something here.Lesley Logan 13:54 Open a party, babe. We're having a party where you dress for the wrong party party.Brad Crowell 13:58 Oh yeah, yeah, we're doing that. That's right. Next month, February, Agency Mini is coming back. We're going to be doing Profitable Pilates is hosting Agency Mini. If you have ever felt like, what's the thing that sets me apart as a Pilates teacher from my my super close friend who's also a Pilates teacher, then you should come to Agency Mini. Lesley Logan 14:16 Yeah. Or if you're frustrated by the studios in town where they are lacking training their own. They're like, they're buying, like, cheap and cheerful $200 reformers and packing people. And you're like, come to Agency Mini because we will with you and also give you what you need to stand out, because that's what we do.Brad Crowell 14:33 Yeah, so go to prfit.biz/mini. Just make a noise over there. Lesley Logan 14:40 Just me making noise. Brad Crowell 14:41 prfit.biz/mini that's profit without the O dot biz. And then in March, we're going to be bopping around Europe and looking forward to that. We're going to be in Poland and then in Brussels. So if you are anywhere near either of those places, go to xxll.co/poland, or xxll.co/brussels. And then in April, we're going to be at POT in London. Lesley Logan 15:05 And by now it has announced. Brad Crowell 15:07 Yeah, it's announced. Tickets are available. So come join us. Come hang out. It's gonna be super fun. Go to xxll.co/pot. And then finally, this is new for those of you who listen every week, thank you for that. May. We are going to be doing spring training again, and this time, we have a really cool topic. We're going to be doing How to Get Overhead.Lesley Logan 15:25 Yeah, we're getting your butts upside down. Brad Crowell 15:27 Get your buns in the air. Lesley Logan 15:28 So if you struggle with overhead exercises, or you feel like it's not in your practice, or you want to be doing them, we're talking like back knives, headstands, control balance, all the ones upside down. Brad Crowell 15:39 Any of those. Lesley Logan 15:40 And you don't have to have to have equipment. We'll have mat classes, we'll have Reformer, we'll have everything. We'll have something for everybody. And if you're on the early bird wait list, for sure, you get a better access options all that good stuff. Brad Crowell 15:49 So go to opc.me/events that's opc.me/events plural, and sign up for the events waitlist. And you know, we'll let you know about the things that happen throughout the year, and then, yeah, so that's what's happening through May. And then this week, we actually had a question from one of our eLevate grads. Her name is Shannon Billings, and she pinged us on IG and she said, hey, I saw those, those posters that you guys made of all the exercises in a grid, and I want to hang them on my wall. Lesley Logan 16:20 Yeah, they're pretty. Brad Crowell 16:21 But I cannot find them. I don't know where I'm supposed to be looking. Where should I where can I find those posters?Lesley Logan 16:26 Yeah, so they're on the OPC site, and the quickest link is just opc.me/posters. And here's the coolest thing about these posters. You guys right now, we're not good at going to the post office, so these are print on demand posters. They're beautiful, so don't let that change. They don't. Doesn't change the quality. Quality is freaking awesome. Yeah, they're great. What it means is, when you, wherever you live in the world, they'll probably print it somewhere near you. So that means shipping to you is actually not astronomical.Brad Crowell 16:50 Yeah, it's pretty reasonable. We've had people order them in Europe or in Australia, and it's, it's not crazy, it's not an arm I'm gonna like to ship. So, yeah, go check that out opc.me/posters, and if you have any questions, just text us at 310-905-5534,Brad Crowell 17:03 Or beitpod.com/questions Brad Crowell 17:04 beitpod.com/questions where you can also leave a win. Lesley Logan 17:10 I just want to add to that, some people are putting two posters per poster frame. So like on one side, it's the mat, and the other side is the reformer or tower. And so if you have not a lot of space, but you want all the posters, order all of them, because you can get frames that have clear stuff on both sides, and you can just like, flip it. Brad Crowell 17:30 Flip it. Yeah. That's clever. Lesley Logan 17:31 I saw a girl who she has my posters, and then she has a different set of posters that are black and white. And so sometimes she wants color, sometimes she wants it to be not. So you can do that. Brad Crowell 17:41 Love that. Lesley Logan 17:42 I know people are so creative, you got to share that stuff.Brad Crowell 17:46 Well, stick around. We'll be right back. We're gonna talk about Pav Lertjitbanjong. Brad Crowell 17:53 All right, welcome back. Let's talk about your conversation with Pav. Pav Lertjitbanjong is the creator of Layoff Ready, the financial resilience program that she built before her work evolved into Pavness Leadership Lab. Lesley Logan 18:08 I love it. So cute. Brad Crowell 18:09 The Pavness Leadership Lab, I love it. She after a divorce that left her financially and emotionally depleted. She spent months avoiding the reality of her situation before finally facing her budget a single day of focus work that revealed nearly a half a million dollars in a forgotten 401(k), pretty crazy. From there, she paid off six figures in debt, rebuilt her stability and retired from corporate life at the age of 43. Today, through the pavness leadership lab, Pav studies how people build courage and make clear decisions under pressure, continuing her mission to empower others, to create long-lasting stability, confidence and options in your lives. Yeah. Lesley Logan 18:47 Yeah. I really enjoyed this conversation, because I think we talk a lot about strengths and knowing what your strengths are. And, you know, we even have a conversation about retirement coming up and things like that. But, like, I think people live in fear of different change, what if I lose my job, what if I lose this. But she's like, okay, so what if we've talked about career resilience and having a career resilience and so allowing yourself to really understand it's better, that it's more than just like, okay, I'm financially ready if I get laid off. It's like, no, like, how can you really understand who you are and what you do, what makes you amazing? So which I really love that she brought up, like, job security is an illusion. It fucking is. And it pisses me off that banks value a W2 when some of us are over here betting on ourselves and every year kicking ass. I'm just saying from personal experience, it's just me. But what don't you think? Brad Crowell 19:32 You're not wrong. It's really annoying. I mean, I don't know how else they would should do it, but like, just historically.Lesley Logan 19:39 Just look at my history. Just look at my taxes last look at what I'm doing. Brad Crowell 19:43 Yeah, there's that.Lesley Logan 19:46 But I but I appreciate that she brought that up. I think we I think people do need to know that their job security is an illusion, so that they can not only have career resilience, but also just be really aware of that they have a lot more power than they think. And I think sometimes people go, oh, my ability to stay in this job is their decision when it's actually your decision. You know, just like an interview, if you want a job, it's your decision, all that stuff. And she also brought up, and I thought this is really cool, the emotional clarity that gives you peace of mind. When you have career resilience, it gives you a lot more clarity. So I think it means, like, less anxiety about, I'm going to lose my job. What am I going to do? Like you just feel a lot better about it, you know? And it's critical, because we are going into a weird world of AI, and I don't even know what that means for a lot of people's jobs, because I teach Pilates, and luckily, right now, AI kind of sucks at doing that.Brad Crowell 20:35 Yeah. I mean, so the conversation that y'all had was more focused on not necessarily walking away from a job that you might currently have, but what if, right, being prepared for worst case scenario? Because who knows, you know, who knows? Like nothing is especially now, things feel very unstable, economically, I think it's more of a feeling than it is a numbers thing. But it doesn't change the fact that it's a feeling still, and people are feeling weird about it.Lesley Logan 21:04 Yeah, and weird feelings have changed economies many times in history. And so, yeah, I also think I just want to bring up.Brad Crowell 21:12 But the point the point is, then that, you know, not necessarily wanting to leave a job, but how do you be prepared for it? And this is the kind of thing that she digs into. Like, she, she talked about layoff being layoff proof.Lesley Logan 21:25 She even has a checklist for you guys, and I think that that is, if that's something you are, like, I want to be layoff proof. Like, I might as well start now. You know, you don't want to start it after. So it's layoff ready.com/emergencykit.Brad Crowell 21:39 Yeah, look, and here's the thing, for those of you who are entrepreneurs like us, you're clearly not laying yourself off. The best thing, the biggest thing you could possibly be doing is conveying to your clients how you are adding value into their life, and not necessarily you are, although inadvertently you are. Pilates is how is your teaching? How? What is it that is benefiting them? How is their life changing? And I'm working on a series right now with our Agency members, where I'm helping walk them through not only how to identify the benefits the changes that they're seeing, but also how to communicate those to their clients without feeling weird about it and not being overly like salesy, because if you can continue to reinforce the why that they initially told you that they were coming and then reminding them about the changes that you're seeing as a teacher in their world, right, it's going to change the way that they value their practice with you. So especially for y'all you know, entrepreneurs out there who laying layoff proof, like, what am I supposed to do for that? I'm not, I'm not firing myself. So how do we make sure that we are maintaining our income? We really have to continue to build relationships with our clients. You have to continue to do that.Lesley Logan 22:59 Yeah, I think that's and we actually have a relationship, like authentic relationship episode coming out soon, like, and they'll be in April. Brad Crowell 23:07 Amazing. I love that. Yeah. Well, one of the things I really dug that she mentioned was she said, how can you really design a life that you wanted to live? It could give you the freedom to walk away, whether that means leaving the job or retiring early. And she said, if you are waiting for security, if you're waiting to feel security, you should be building it, not waiting for it. So whether that is maybe you're learning how to do another skill, or maybe you're learning how to manage money, you know, we've had a bunch of people over the years in the pod about this, like Tess Waresmith is one that comes back to me here and talking about financial stability and literacy, financial literacy. So these are things that you could be learning how to just think through. Lesley Logan 23:51 We have Tess Waresmith coming back. Brad Crowell 23:53 Oh, that's even better. Lesley Logan 23:53 I just oh, it's a great interview, guys. It's gonna be so good. I was just like, girl, I need you to tell me how I'm supposed to do when it's like this, and it's crazy like now, when it feels crazy. I also just want to highlight the don't wait for security created. This is everything this is, this is be it till you see it right here, because I was listening to a phone call conversation in a book club I'm in, and some people were complaining that the situation they're in, they can't create a culture. They have all these other outside things. It's affecting the culture they're creating, and I'm listening to them and like, I get that right? And I was like, I waited a second. I was just like, well, I am in a different studio all the time. Like, I'm in a I don't have a studio, right? And so what do I do? And I'm like, oh, in every space that I go, I own the space that I am, and I create the intention that I want. I create the culture I want them to experience, and I set the stage and I shared that with them. I said, instead of waiting until you can, like, move studios or move this, what if you just acted the culture you want to create in the space right now? Because then, if you do get to change a situation, you'll already have practiced it. It'll be really easy for you to do, or you might not even have to leave. Maybe the culture just changes around you. And so it goes back to like, don't wait to feel secure. Create security. What is the be it till you see it? What does security for you in your job or something else look like? And how can you create it in the space that you're in and wait, instead of waiting for someone to wait for someone to come, put a fence up, you know, you know what I mean, like, you're gonna wait for someone to, like, hand you a lottery tickets you have extra money. Like, what are you gonna do? I think that I like the action step that she's providing here.Brad Crowell 25:29 Yeah, one thing that she was talking about, which might sound a little scary, she actively leveraged debt to to consolidate and then pay off her debt, right? I mean, I've done that too, where I took out a credit card with a balance. I transferred one or two or three credit cards to that one, right? It had something like, if you transfer it in, you get 12 months of, no, you know, no fees, yeah. And so, you know, took those 12 months to pay it down, yeah? So, you know, it just something that seems straightforward, but also might feel you might feel hesitant to get started on that, but you know that stuff's worth, worth thinking through. I think so.Lesley Logan 26:12 I think it's worth talking to people who who understand it too, like a wealth manager or things like that. But like to be honest, that is how the rich get richer, right? Like credit score is, if you're in the States, your credit score is pretty much just like, how do you manage debt? So if you're debt free, and you've always been debt free, and you don't get any cards, you actually don't have a perfect credit score, because you don't have credit for them to like, see how you do. So it is all about strategically leveraging debt to, like, increase that score. You can strategically leverage it to allow you to have the security you need for in case something negative happens in your career or in the journey that you're on.Brad Crowell 26:47 Yeah, well, stick around. We'll be right back. We're gonna cover those Be It Action Items that you had with Pav. Brad Crowell 26:53 Okay, welcome back. Let's talk about those Be It Action Items. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your convo with Pav Lertjitbanjong.Lesley Logan 27:07 Pav let us know if, after the four attempts, any of us got close on that.Brad Crowell 27:11 She said, Know your numbers, which is so funny, because this is like, I never stopped saying this to our coaching clients. It's so easy to know your numbers, but it seems so hard, right? It seems like this scary black hole of like, oh my God, I don't even know what I need to know. So it just seems like this amorphous, like blob of unknown. And when we dig into the things that most people need to really know is, what are your expenses and what are your income? Those are the things. That's where you want to start, right? What are your expenses and what are your income? Yeah, so she said, for her, it's, she said there's three numbers that truly matter. One is your net worth, right? So she's, she said, assets minus liability. What does that mean? An asset would be, maybe you have a house, right? Liability would be, I have a credit card debt and it has, you know, $10,000 on it. Okay, great. So you have a house that has, you know, or actually, you could say the house is worth $250,000 I still have a loan of $150,000 against the house. So I have equity of $100,000 right? So that's net that's your net worth, right? So that's an easier way to think about that. She also said the second number is something she calls an FU fund, what she describes as that six month cushion that lets you walk away from anything you have to, you know. And today we were talking about it. Maybe it's a little more than six, maybe it's six to nine months, or something like that, where you know, okay, because you know your expenses, and let's just hypothetically say your expenses are 10,000 a month, you know, how do we what's the quickest way that we can get to setting aside $60,000 that's a scary number to be honest. That's a lot, you know, but we got to get started. You have to start sometime, right? And that that kind of buffer will certainly protect you were something bad to happen at an employment situation, and then you feel like, stuck, and you're like, Oh my God, but at least you have a buffer, right? So that's what that that's for. And then finally, she said, your firing number, your fire number, how much money would you need to invest in the market so you can make smaller amount each year on 4% and still have money left to reinvest, right? So what does that mean? That's your like retirement number, right? So for anyone who's who's like financial planner, they'll ask you the question of, all right, how much money do you want to live on a month? Again, let's just say $10,000 and then they'll, what they'll do is they'll work backwards based on your your retirement portfolio, and they're going to assume that you'll be able to live if $10,000 a month is the 4% number, then they'll be able to reverse engineer the number and be like, great. You need to have $2 million or, I think it's more than that, but you'll need to, need to have X amount of dollars in your portfolio so that you can live comfortably on $10,000 a month and never have to worry about it again, because it's in the market, right? So, and the reason that she said 4% is because the average market return is eight, like seven to 8% or maybe even it's eight to nine, I don't remember, but if you can live on half of that, that gives you the other half of what you hypothetically are earning to reinvest back into the market again, right? So that's, that's where the numbers, that's how that kind of breaks down. It's a bit in the weeds. So thanks for following me there.Lesley Logan 30:25 I love that she has those and that you did those ones, because the other one is pretty amazing. And this is simple, but true. Bold doesn't have to be loud, but it has to be true. And so you don't have to have this, like, law, the way I interpret this, like you don't have to make this bold move where you're like, what was that Tom Cruise movie, where he just, like, was like, goodbye, fuck you. I'm out of here. Like, who's coming with me? And like, Renee's. What was that movie? It's the one that everyone quotes, and it's the worst one. Jerry Maguire.Brad Crowell 30:55 Jerry Maguire. Lesley Logan 30:55 Jerry Maguire. Brad Crowell 30:56 Show me the money. Lesley Logan 30:57 Show me the money. And like, but it doesn't have to be like that, but it but, but whatever you do needs to be true to you. And I think that's where a lot of people don't take time, is to, like, really understand, like, what do you want? What do you need, you know, and, and that's scary, because maybe what you want and need is different than what you've been doing, you know, or maybe you've been letting yourself realize, like, how strong you are. And we have a couple great episodes coming up about, like, getting to know yourself and like, also being kind yourself if you haven't lived in that way. But truly, I think that's one of the best be it action items, if you if you can do that, if you could live authentically to you, and you can know your numbers, you are resilient, and you could probably kick some ass. Brad Crowell 31:39 Kicks some ass.Lesley Logan 31:40 Yeah, yeah. So the other thing is, is that Pav has actually been, recently, been doing more coaching in a focused position on the science of making courageous decisions under pressure. And so if you are needing more help with like, making great decisions under pressure, things like that, you can also coach with her. And I think that'll be really if you liked how she sounds and how she coaches and her insight on things. I think that's a really great thing that she's doing. You know, because making courageous decisions are really hard, and also, like, she understands how to, like, take imperfect action, even your nervous system resists. And a lot of people, you know, when you have to make big decisions, sometimes your nervous system does have anxiety. And so of course, it does. Why wouldn't it? It it would be so against what our brain does to go into the fear. So I highly recommend reaching out to her. Brad Crowell 32:25 Awesome. Yeah, that's great. Lesley Logan 32:27 Well, I'm Lesley Logan. Brad Crowell 32:28 And I'm Brad Crowell. Lesley Logan 32:29 Thanks so much for being here, and thanks for listening to our rants. I do happen to know that people like them and someone reach out after our Transgender Day, and they were so glad that they found us. They found our Pilates stuff, and they like our little rants there. So thank you for that. Send this to a friend who needs to hear it, especially one who needs some career resilience or some support, support under making decisions under pressure and until next time, Be It Till You See It. Brad Crowell 32:53 Bye for now. Lesley Logan 32:54 That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.Brad Crowell 33:37 It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 33:42 It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 33:46 Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 33:53 Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 33:57 Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Transcribed by https://otter.aiSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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 Have you ever questioned whether you're actually built for the hard seasons of agency life? When things get messy, unpredictable, or overwhelming, do you wonder if you have what it takes to keep going or if everyone else somehow got a playbook you missed? Most agency owners don't wake up one day and decide, "I'm going to build an agency." They trip into it. One project turns into two, side work turns into real revenue, and suddenly you're invoicing clients without knowing what an invoice number is supposed to look like. Today's featured guest unpacks what it really looks like to build an agency without a roadmap. Through failed partnerships, stalled careers, and moments where quitting felt easier than continuing, he developed the resilience and mindset required to keep moving. Cliff Skelliter is a serial entrepreneur and owner of Launchpad Creative, a design-thinking agency, working across brand identity, video production, and strategy. They blend artistry, functionality, and brand communication to create captivating digital and physical spaces that not only engage and inspire but also reflect the essence and values of the organizations they work with. In this episode, we'll discuss: The Easiest Choice: Leaving his Career and Going All-In on the Agency What He Learned from His Partnership Experiences Self-Belief as the Most Important Lesson for Agency Owners Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources E2M Solutions: Today's episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass is sponsored by E2M Solutions, a web design, and development agency that has provided white-label services for the past 10 years to agencies all over the world. Check out e2msolutions.com/smartagency and get 10% off for the first three months of service. When Going All-In on the Side Hustle is as Easy Yes Cliff didn't grow up in a family of entrepreneurs, and never set out to "start a business." His entry into agency life wasn't strategic, it was reactive. While working an internship at Canadian news station CTV, he saw the ceiling in broadcast media and realized that no matter how talented or ambitious he was, there was a limit to how far that career could go. Meanwhile, he was already getting requests to work on some projects outside of the station. Eventually, the projects kept getting bigger and the people at the station complained Cliff was creating a conflict of interests with his side hustle, as clients chose him, instead of the station, to produce their commercials. It was an ultimatum, and the choice was clear. By then, that "side hustle" was more lucrative and offered more creative control. Plus, it was just more fun. What's important here isn't just how Cliff started—it's what he didn't have. No business background. No sales training. No master plan. Like many agency owners, he learned by doing, Googling, guessing, and occasionally getting it wrong, which is mostly the default path. The danger is assuming everyone else has it figured out, while you're making it up as you go. Agency Partnerships: When They Work and When They Break You Cliff's first business partnership was both formative and brutal. His partner helped get the business off the ground but was dishonest, reckless, and ultimately destructive. While Cliff focused on creative work, his partner handled sales and accounts… and quietly created financial chaos. When the partner disappeared, Cliff was left holding the debt and the consequences. Many agency owners bring on partners not because it's strategic, but because it feels safer. Someone else handles sales. Someone else deals with money. Someone else shares the weight. But if values, ethics, and accountability aren't aligned, the cost can be enormous. Thankfully, Cliff was able to recover from the blows to both the agency's finances and its reputation. He also gave partnerships another chance. The second partnership was different and far more successful. Cliff partnered with someone who combined complementary skills to build a business that lasted nine years. It worked because each person did what they were good at and didn't want to do the rest. Even then, the partnership eventually ended, not because of business failure, but personal life complications. Partnerships aren't good or bad by default; they amplify whatever already exists. Clear roles, boundaries, and shared values make them powerful. Avoidance, people-pleasing, and lack of communication make them fragile. Resilience, Self-Belief, and the Placebo Effect of Entrepreneurship Cliff got important lessons from both experiences, mainly that he's much more capable than he thought. He could handle sales, which is something he doubted for years. Like many agency owners, he assumed you had to be a certain "type" of salesperson or personality to run a business. In reality, you just need to ask better questions and not be afraid of uncomfortable conversations. He also learned he's far more resilient than he gave himself credit for. Most agency owners would testify to the fact that the universe constantly gives you outs. Jobs. Acquisitions. Easier paths. And yet, something in your gut says, "I'm not done." That resilience isn't logical. It's identity-level. Entrepreneurship stops being something you do and becomes something you are. He now understands the importance of believing in himself, even when it seems absurd. Your mind alone can trigger real physical outcomes. When doubt creeps in, remind yourself that belief itself is a lever. Not hype and not manifesting nonsense; just the willingness to keep going when the story in your head tells you to quit. 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.
Summary:In this episode, Jasmine Womack discusses the critical aspects of selecting the right coaching programs to ensure they serve as assets rather than liabilities. She emphasizes the importance of understanding what to look for in a coach, the traits that make a coach effective, and the red flags to avoid. Jasmine also highlights the necessity of discernment in making coaching choices, encouraging listeners to do their due diligence before investing in coaching programs.Takeaways:- Investing in coaching can lead to a higher ROI.- Choosing the right coach is crucial for self-confidence.- Avoid unrealistic expectations when selecting a coach.- A good coach should have a proven track record.- Communication skills are essential for effective coaching.- Aligning values with your coach is important for success.- Inspect potential coaches thoroughly before committing.- Discernment is key in the coaching selection process.- Be aware of red flags that indicate a coach may be a liability.- Take ownership of your investment and responsibilities in coaching.Sound bites:"People who have a coach get better ROI.""A good coach leads by example.""You have to sharpen your discernment."Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Coaching Selections02:46 The Importance of Choosing the Right Coach12:07 Key Traits of an Effective Coach22:09 Red Flags to Avoid in Coaching26:31 The Role of Discernment in Coaching ChoicesGrab your Free Download: 100+ Ways to Monetize Your Brand Building Book: https://www.jasminewomack.com/100-waysGrab Your VIP Seat to the next Monetize Your Book Challenge: https://www.jasminewomack.com/monetize
One on One Video Call W/George https://tidycal.com/georgepmonty/60-minute-meetingSupport the show:https://www.paypal.me/Truelifepodcast?locale.x=en_USIn a world besieged by the relentless march of AI, where algorithms whisper promises of utopia or apocalypse, one timeless tale rises from the dust of centuries to mirror our chaotic present: Don Quixote. Join host [Your Name] in the premiere episode of [Podcast Name], “The Knight of the Sorrowful Algorithm,” as we embark on a quixotic quest through Cervantes' masterpiece—a story of a man whose brain “dried up” from devouring too many fantastical romances, only to armor up and charge into a reality that mocked his dreams.But this isn't just dusty literature. It's us. Right now. Scrolling through endless feeds of AI doomsayers and saviors: “Your job is obsolete!” “Embrace the disruption!” “AGI will save—or end—humanity!” We're all Don Quixote, lost in a whirlwind of narratives that blur truth and fiction, leaving us paralyzed by questions: Is adaptation surrender? Is optimism naivety? And who are the true mad knights of our age—the artists defying generative machines, the workers reclaiming their humanity, or those daring to pursue passion in a profit-obsessed empire?Delve into the heart of the madness: Why Don Quixote chose delusion over despair, and why “sanity”—accepting a world ruled by efficiency, oligarchs, and obsolescence—might be the deadliest illusion of all. In a finale that shatters illusions, discover how renouncing the quest led to his demise… and what that means for us tilting at digital windmills.Epic, introspective, and urgently relevant, this episode challenges you to ask: In the AI era, is going a little mad the only way to stay truly alive? Tune in, saddle up your Rocinante, and ride into the fray. Next up: “Sancho Panza and the Gig Economy”—the everyman's gamble on a madman's promise. One on One Video call W/George https://tidycal.com/georgepmonty/60-minute-meetingSupport the show:https://www.paypal.me/Truelifepodcast?locale.x=en_US
Remember when the Seahawks had two first-round picks and we talked about the idea of them moving up to take Stroud or Young… boy are we glad they didn't! What do the National guys need to see from Sam Darnold to recognize he is not a liability at quarterback? Yes, at one point he looked like a bust, but he's put together 2 back-to-back 14-win seasons, what more do you need? He is not a liability for this Seahawks team, he is a strength and he's playing his role in this team's success. :30- AL KINISKY (Kraken Audio Network color analyst) The Kraken need a win! From winning nonstop and climbing up the standings to this current skid, what is causing the inconsistencies? :45- We wrap up the humpday show with one last thing! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Is buying a house still a good investment—or has the market pulled too much future return forward? Lance Roberts & Jonathan Penn break down the housing investment debate through a time-horizon lens, comparing housing to stocks, examining historical “win rates,” and explaining why transaction costs, leverage, and holding period matter far more in real estate than most buyers realize. 0:00 INTRO 0:19 - Moving into the Heart of Earnings Season 5:36 - Markets' Price Consolidation Breaks to the Downside 9:51 - Lance & Jonathan's Weekend Recap 11:36 - Collegiate Investors - Be Careful of Risk 16:35 - Don't Invest Your Student Loan Money! 18:40 - Buying a House for Rental or Residence? 21:13 - It's Always Something 23:32 - Housing - Net Worth or Liability? 26:34 - Fitting a House into a Financial Plan 27:48 - HELOC & Reverse Mortgages 28:53 - Do You Really Need to Own a Home? 30:25 - The Housing Supply - Demand Paradox 34:11 - Beware Creative Financing 38:33 - The Peace of Mind in Renting 40:10 - The True Cost of Home Ownership 42:38 - Proper Planning for Home Purchase 46:31 - Yard Plants & Money Trees Hosted by RIA Advisors Chief Investment Strategist, Lance Roberts, CIO, w Senior Financial Advisor, Jonathan Penn, CFP Produced by Brent Clanton, Executive Producer ------- You can read Michael Green's blog, "Yes...I Give a Fig," here: https://www.yesigiveafig.com/ ------- Watch Today's Full Video on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su5euJk8tsc&list=PLVT8LcWPeAugpcGzM8hHyEP11lE87RYPe&index=1 ------- Watch our previous show, "The Metric that Matters - The Michael Green Interview" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQSiR6fxLGg&list=PLVT8LcWPeAuhi47sn298HrsWYwmg8MV7d&index=1 -------- The latest installment of our new feature, Before the Bell, "Short-term Volatility Ahead," is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS2mSWm16qg&list=PLwNgo56zE4RAbkqxgdj-8GOvjZTp9_Zlz&index=1 ------- Get more info & commentary: https://realinvestm entadvice.com/newsletter/ -------- SUBSCRIBE to The Real Investment Show here: http://www.youtube.com/c/TheRealInvestmentShow -------- Visit our Site: https://www.realinvestmentadvice.com Contact Us: 1-855-RIA-PLAN -------- Subscribe to SimpleVisor: https://www.simplevisor.com/register-new -------- Connect with us on social: https://twitter.com/RealInvAdvice https://twitter.com/LanceRoberts https://www.facebook.com/RealInvestmentAdvice/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/realinvestmentadvice/ #MarketVolatility #StockMarketUpdate #RiskManagement #MarketPullback #InvestorDiscipline #HousingMarket #RealEstateInvesting #HomeBuying #FinancialPlanning #InvestmentRisk
Sergey Litvinenko, Co-Founder & CEO of Koop, joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss the financial and operational structures required to insure fleets of personally owned autonomous vehicles.As Tesla prepares to scale the Cybercab in 2026, the conversation explores the shift from personal ownership to personally owned fleets, where individuals form companies to own and operate commercial robotaxi businesses.During the episode, Sergey explains how the insurance P&L for a fleet owner is transformed by real-world behavior data, which serves as a more accurate risk predictor than traditional human-centric metrics. By leveraging high-fidelity data and specialized subrogation models, Koop is developing a framework that manages liability between the fleet owner and the vehicle manufacturer, clearing the path for the Autonomy Economy to scale through third-party ownership.Episode Chapters0:00 The Emergence of the Tesla Network 3:07 Insuring Cybercab and Personally-Owned Teslas8:59 Insuring and Deploying Personally-Owned Autonomous Vehicle Fleets22:50 Insurance Underwriting Capacity 25:22 Insurance Products 27:50 Changing Driving Habits31:14 Reinsurance32:30 Liability with No Pedals and Steering Wheel 38:38 Fleet Management 41:55 Future of Insuring Autonomous Vehicle Fleet OperationsRecorded on Friday, January 16, 2026--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy provides market intelligence and strategic advisory services to institutional investors and companies, delivering insights needed to stay ahead of emerging trends in the autonomy economy™. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Is buying a house still a good investment—or has the market pulled too much future return forward? Lance Roberts & Jonathan Penn break down the housing investment debate through a time-horizon lens, comparing housing to stocks, examining historical "win rates," and explaining why transaction costs, leverage, and holding period matter far more in real estate than most buyers realize. 0:00 INTRO 0:19 - Moving into the Heart of Earnings Season 5:36 - Markets' Price Consolidation Breaks to the Downside 9:51 - Lance & Jonathan's Weekend Recap 11:36 - Collegiate Investors - Be Careful of Risk 16:35 - Don't Invest Your Student Loan Money! 18:40 - Buying a House for Rental or Residence? 21:13 - It's Always Something 23:32 - Housing - Net Worth or Liability? 26:34 - Fitting a House into a Financial Plan 27:48 - HELOC & Reverse Mortgages 28:53 - Do You Really Need to Own a Home? 30:25 - The Housing Supply - Demand Paradox 34:11 - Beware Creative Financing 38:33 - The Peace of Mind in Renting 40:10 - The True Cost of Home Ownership 42:38 - Proper Planning for Home Purchase 46:31 - Yard Plants & Money Trees Hosted by RIA Advisors Chief Investment Strategist, Lance Roberts, CIO, w Senior Financial Advisor, Jonathan Penn, CFP Produced by Brent Clanton, Executive Producer ------- You can read Michael Green's blog, "Yes...I Give a Fig," here: https://www.yesigiveafig.com/ ------- Watch Today's Full Video on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su5euJk8tsc&list=PLVT8LcWPeAugpcGzM8hHyEP11lE87RYPe&index=1 ------- Watch our previous show, "The Metric that Matters - The Michael Green Interview" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQSiR6fxLGg&list=PLVT8LcWPeAuhi47sn298HrsWYwmg8MV7d&index=1 -------- The latest installment of our new feature, Before the Bell, "Short-term Volatility Ahead," is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS2mSWm16qg&list=PLwNgo56zE4RAbkqxgdj-8GOvjZTp9_Zlz&index=1 ------- Get more info & commentary: https://realinvestm entadvice.com/newsletter/ -------- SUBSCRIBE to The Real Investment Show here: http://www.youtube.com/c/TheRealInvestmentShow -------- Visit our Site: https://www.realinvestmentadvice.com Contact Us: 1-855-RIA-PLAN -------- Subscribe to SimpleVisor: https://www.simplevisor.com/register-new -------- Connect with us on social: https://twitter.com/RealInvAdvice https://twitter.com/LanceRoberts https://www.facebook.com/RealInvestmentAdvice/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/realinvestmentadvice/ #MarketVolatility #StockMarketUpdate #RiskManagement #MarketPullback #InvestorDiscipline #HousingMarket #RealEstateInvesting #HomeBuying #FinancialPlanning #InvestmentRisk
New series for 2026!LinkedIn's CEO recently stated that having a five-year career plan is now outdated even foolish given how quickly AI is reshaping the workplace. For female leaders and corporate high achievers, this isn't theory.It's already unfolding. In this episode, I speak to women in senior roles who can sense the shift coming and want to move from dependency on a single career path to choice, leverage, and control. We explore why building a business while still employed is no longer risky but strategic and how your existing experience, CV, and institutional credibility already position you for premium B2B opportunities. You'll learn: Why AI is accelerating disruption even at senior levelsHow to translate high-level corporate expertise into premium service-based offersWhy starting with premium positioning from day one mattersHow to learn and earn simultaneously without pressure to replace your salaryThe mindset and identity shifts required to move from employee to entrepreneurHow to build calmly, strategically, and proactively before something forces changeRecent Article with Linked in CEO: https://fortune.com/2025/12/18/linkedin-ceo-ryan-roslansky-career-advice-5-year-plan-ai/I also share my own journey building my business while still working on the sales and trading floor at Bank of America and why timing, strategy, and support made the difference. This episode is for women who refuse to wait for disruption to decide for them — and instead choose to build freedom early. Ready to explore what this could look like for you? → Book a discovery call to discuss building a premium side business aligned to your strengths. → Download The Inner CEO Blueprint to begin shifting from employee identity to owner-level thinking. The most powerful moves are made from calm confidence not crisis.Allera DawnBusiness & Money Expansion Mentor FOR FEMALE LEADERS & CORPORATE HIGH ACHIEVERS PIVOTING TO ENTREPRENEURSHIPHelping You Build Profitable & Purpose Led Businesses with Soul Lets connect:https://www.alleradawn.com/home-pageBook A Business Exploration Call: https://calendly.com/alleradawn/15minDownload Free: Inner CEO Blueprinthttps://www.alleradawn.com/the-inner-ceo-blueprint
Are Midwest reefer lanes really more stable than the headlines say, and where are the real profit opportunities hiding right now? In this episode, we break down the following topics: Why long-term freight market stability still exists in key Midwest reefer lanes Why predictable, Monday-through-Thursday lane pricing beats chasing volatile spot spikes and regional freight lanes are outperforming national averages How accepting short-term losses can build long-term carrier and customer trust The new FMCSA broker bond rule requiring a $75,000 bond with a strict seven-day compliance window and its impact on carrier protection, double brokering, and freight fraud What the C.H. Robinson Supreme Court broker liability case could mean for broker risk, federal preemption, and future litigation Links for the Articles: https://www.overdriveonline.com/regulations/article/15814887/fmcsa-rule-cracking-down-on-brokers-takes-effect?utm_term=VersionB&utm_medium=email&utm_content=01-16-2026&utm_campaign=OV_NL_Overdrive+Daily&utm_source=OV_NL_Overdrive+Daily&ust_id=54d6706648435fb9e1036ef191e8654ced2027fa https://www.freightwaves.com/news/c-h-robinson-makes-its-legal-written-case-before-scotus-on-broker-liability
This week on my podcast, I read “Code is a liability (not an asset),” a recent post from my Pluralistic.net blog, about the bad ideas behind the drive to replace programmers with chatbots. Code is a liability. Code’s capabilities are assets. The goal of a tech shop is to have code whose capabilities generate more... more
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 Running an agency today looks nothing like it did even a few years ago. What used to work: SEO-driven inbound leads, tight vertical niches, and predictable platforms, has shifted fast. Today's featured guest has learned to adapt to these changes and went from having a clear and defined niche to letting clients' needs guide the next steps for her business. She'll talk about navigating those changes, evolving your positioning, and deciding whether you're actually willing to do what adaptation requires. Laryssa Wirstiuk is the owner of Joy Joya, a boutique email and SMS marketing agency that serves women-focused, product-based e-commerce brands. With more than 15 years in marketing and over a decade running her own agency, Laryssa has lived through multiple shifts in platforms, buyer behavior, and agency models. Her background as a marketing generalist, working across SEO, social, and email, gave her the flexibility to adapt as the market changed. That adaptability, combined with a strong point of view on branding, inbound marketing, and outbound growth, made her a great guest for agency owners questioning what's next for their own businesses. In this episode, we'll discuss: Starting out with a clear niche and evolving along the way. Adopting a hybrid growth strategy. Personal brand vs. clear offers. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources This episode is brought to you by Wix Studio: If you're leveling up your team and your client experience, your site builder should keep up too. That's why successful agencies use Wix Studio — built to adapt the way your agency does: AI-powered site mapping, responsive design, flexible workflows, and scalable CMS tools so you spend less on plugins and more on growth. Ready to design faster and smarter? Go to wix.com/studio to get started. How to Choose a Niche Without Getting Stuck In It Laryssa didn't stumble into her original niche by accident. After working across industries like tech, education, and healthcare, she realized none of them truly excited her. Jewelry stood out because of its mix of fashion, storytelling, and creativity. Rather than guessing, she intentionally took in-house and freelance roles in the jewelry industry to build credibility before going all in. That vertical focus paid off. By committing to a specific industry, Laryssa was able to build a strong referral network, speak at trade shows, and create highly targeted content that drove inbound leads. But after nine years in the jewelry space, she noticed that the biggest results she delivered for clients consistently came from email marketing. What started as one service among many became the clear driver of ROI. The shift from a vertical niche (jewelry) to a horizontal specialization (email and SMS marketing) wasn't a sudden pivot. It was a response to real performance data. Stronger results, clearer processes, and deeper expertise made the decision feel natural. Your niche should serve your strengths, not trap you in yesterday's model. Why Inbound Alone Is No Longer Enough For most of Joy Joya's history, inbound marketing did the heavy lifting. Content, SEO, YouTube, and a podcast tailored to the jewelry industry created steady deal flow without much outbound effort. That's one of the biggest benefits of vertical focus: you can dominate a small pond with the right content and relationships. But the market shifted. Search behavior changed. Social algorithms changed and AI entered the picture. Laryssa realized that relying solely on inbound was no longer enough. Over the past year or two, she intentionally started building outbound muscles: cold email, cold calling, LinkedIn outreach, and systems that allowed her team to support those efforts. The key insight here isn't that inbound is dead, it's that inbound alone is risky. Agencies that survived and grew were willing to adapt their acquisition mix, even when it meant doing uncomfortable things. The Hard Question Every Agency Owner Faces Adapting isn't just about strategy. You should also ask yourself whether you want to do what's required next. New platforms, new sales motions, and new expectations can trigger an existential crisis for long-time owners. You don't have to love every part of running an agency, but you do need the discipline to face the things you'd rather avoid. The solution isn't grinding forever but rather identifying what you don't enjoy, systemizing it, delegating it, or removing it altogether. Agency owners should get comfortable with change as a necessary part of running an agency. The hard part is that change often targets the things you already tolerate but don't love. That's why many agencies stall. The owners don't hate their situation enough to change it but they don't love it enough to stay fully committed either. When Personal Brand Creates Attention But Not Conversions As AI and recommendation engines influence buying decisions, developing a personal brand becomes vital when it comes to being recommended by these tools. People want to work with leaders whose beliefs, values, and perspectives they understand. That's why podcasts, long-form content, and consistent points of view matter more than ever. In her case, Laryssa shared an unexpected challenge after developing her personal brand. She had built such a strong personal and brand identity that many people understood her perspective but didn't fully understand what her agency actually did. In some cases, prospects were more familiar with the brand name than the services behind it. The lesson for agency owners is balance. Thought leadership without clear offers creates attention without conversion. As platforms evolve, it's not enough to educate—you need to connect that education to the right services, for the right audience, at the right time. 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.
The discussion centers on the rapidly evolving landscape of AI adoption within businesses, highlighting a significant gap between individual user experimentation and formal organizational strategies. While employees across various departments are actively using AI tools for productivity gains, many executive leaders remain hesitant to formally adopt or fund these technologies due to concerns about governance and risk. This creates a "skunk works" environment where individual adoption outpaces official oversight, leading to a potential shadow IT problem for organizations. For MSPs, this presents an opportunity to offer AI governance and risk assessment services, helping clients navigate the complexities of safe and effective AI integration.The episode underscores the compressed adoption cycle of AI compared to previous technology waves like cloud and cybersecurity. While those technologies took years to move from early adopters to mainstream paid engagements, AI has accelerated this process into months. However, this rapid adoption has also exposed new pitfalls, particularly concerning the unknown risks of AI, such as intellectual property disclosure or compliance breaches. The conversation emphasizes that the focus for businesses is shifting from the capabilities of AI to the potential consequences of its misuse, making risk assessment a critical concern for IT service providers looking to guide their clients.A significant portion of the discussion addresses the growing concerns around delegated responsibility and the potential for autonomous systems to make decisions without human oversight. As AI-driven automation expands, the liability for errors or unintended consequences will increasingly fall on IT service providers who implement these systems, rather than solely on the software vendors. This is expected to lead to a "contract lag" as existing agreements fail to account for new AI-related liabilities, prompting a need for updated contractual language and risk allocation frameworks. MSPs will need to proactively address these emerging liabilities to build trust and secure new business in the AI-driven IT services market.The episode concludes by examining the dichotomy between highly technical users who approach AI with incremental caution within existing compliance frameworks, and business users who are adopting AI more rapidly, sometimes without fully considering regulatory or security implications. This necessitates tailored governance strategies for different user groups. For MSPs, the immediate opportunity lies in offering risk assessment and advisory services to help organizations understand their AI exposure. Furthermore, the industry faces a crucial challenge in evolving from rigid standardization to adaptable service models that can accommodate the unique risks and opportunities presented by AI, ultimately determining relevance and avoiding obsolescence in the rapidly changing tech landscape.
BachelorClues breaks down The Traitors Season 4, Episode 4 as strategy, confidence, and bad math collide in one of the messiest games yet. With Faithfuls taking big swings based on vibes instead of evidence, alliances forming and fracturing mid-episode, and a Roundtable defined by overconfidence and emotional gameplay, this hour becomes a case study in how quickly control can slip away. Plus: questionable mission reads, dangerous theories, and a growing sense that the Traitors may be letting the Faithful do the work for them.
Thinking about forming an LLC in 2026? In this episode, Mike breaks down how to set up an LLC step by step, what “free” really means, state filing costs, common mistakes to avoid, and why an LLC can act as an insurance policy for future S Corp tax savings. Perfect for new and growing business owners who want clarity without the confusion.If you want a clean, simple business setup that protects you now and gives you flexibility later, this episode gives you the roadmap without the legal confusion.
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 If AI can now write, design, and build faster than your team, what does a profitable agency actually sell next? Most agency owners have experienced a weird mix of excitement and anxiety about AI. On the surface, it feels like everything is changing overnight, including websites, content, search, development, and even how clients perceive value. Underneath that panic, though, there's a calmer truth: the fundamentals of running a great agency haven't changed at all. The tools have. Today's featured guest talks candidly about where AI actually helps agencies, where it's wildly overhyped, and why agency owners who focus on systems, relationships, and leverage will win while everyone else burns out chasing shiny tools. Eric Weidner is the founder of Workbox, a digital agency specializing in websites and custom applications for pharmaceutical companies and pharma marketing agencies. With a background that stretches back to the early days of the web, Eric has built, rebuilt, and adapted his agency multiple times, and today he's deep in the practical application of AI for real agency work, not just demos and hype. In this episode, we'll discuss: How agencies are positioned to win with AI. Avoid creating client disappointment with incorrect use of AI. The brutal reality for agencies that rely on "set it and forget it" marketing. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources E2M Solutions: Today's episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass is sponsored by E2M Solutions, a web design, and development agency that has provided white-label services for the past 10 years to agencies all over the world. Check out e2msolutions.com/smartagency and get 10% off for the first three months of service. The Road to Becoming a Long-Term Agency Operator Eric fell into web development in the mid-90s while working as a secretary administrator at a law firm in San Francisco. Exposure to early tech including computer networks, WordPerfect, XML, and eventually HTML turned into freelance work. That freelance work led to clients and eventually an agency. His story mirrors how most agencies actually begin, with skill, opportunity, and momentum. The problem is that what gets you started is rarely what helps you scale. Eric's longevity comes from his willingness to evolve without abandoning the fundamentals that keep agencies profitable. And that's the trap many agency owners fall into today: assuming AI is a complete reset instead of a force multiplier for the right business model. Why AI Feels Like a Career Defining Moment for Agencies When ChatGPT first came out, Eric didn't treat it like a novelty. He went all in because, for the first time in years, the intellectual challenge of building and running an agency felt exciting again. For a lot of seasoned agency owners, the business had become… static. Same services. Same delivery challenges. Same team bottlenecks. AI cracked that open. Suddenly, there were new problems to solve, new efficiencies to unlock, and new ways to multiply output without multiplying headcount. Ai introduced a chance to rethink how work gets done, how fast ideas move, and how agencies create leverage, not just more work. Eric has no blind optimism when it comes to AI. It isn't magic, and it's not ready to replace strategic thinking. But it is a force multiplier for agencies that understand systems. That's the opportunity most agencies are missing. Instead of asking, "How do we sell AI to clients?" the smarter question is: "How do we use AI to reduce friction, speed up delivery, and improve results—then package that advantage?" Agencies that do this become faster, leaner, and more profitable. Agencies that don't end up stuck in fulfillment, competing on price, and drowning in tools they don't fully understand. AI Is Powerful But It Still Needs a Human Brain AI tools can feel like a superpower, especially if you've never loved certain parts of your job. Writing, development, ideation, and prototyping are faster than ever. But there's a catch. AI works best at the first pass. Ask it to build a landing page, mock up a system, or outline functionality, and it shines. Ask it to make nuanced, detailed changes across a complex system, and it starts to fall apart. In a sense, AI is like a drunk intern—brilliant on the first assignment, frustrating when you ask for revisions. For agency owners, this matters because selling AI as a silver bullet is a fast way to create client disappointment. The agencies that win will be the ones who understand where AI increases leverage and where human judgment still matters. Websites, Search, and the Shift Nobody's Talking About One of the most important things to understand if you're building a website nowadays is that we're not building websites just for humans anymore. As AI-driven search becomes more dominant, users don't always need to click through to a site to get answers. That changes how content, SEO, and authority work. Eric points to GEO—Generative Engine Optimization—as the next evolution of SEO, where freshness, clarity, and structured authority matter more than volume. This creates a brutal reality for agencies that rely on "set it and forget it" marketing. To stay visible, brands must publish consistently. Content often needs to be less than 90 days old to stay relevant in AI-driven systems. For agency owners already stuck in fulfillment, this is a warning sign. More services, more content, more tools without better systems just equals faster burnout. Content Alone Isn't Enough. Your Voice Builds Trust With AI flooding the internet with content, differentiation matters more—not less. People don't just consume content, they build relationships with voices they trust. That's why podcasts, communities, and consistent thought leadership outperform random marketing tactics. When people hear you think out loud for years, trust compounds. In an AI-saturated world, that human connection becomes the advantage. Or as Jason puts it: when agency owners say they need more leads, the answer is often boring but effective. Build a platform. Build trust. Stay visible. 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.
One on One Video Call W/George https://tidycal.com/georgepmonty/60-minute-meetingSupport the show:https://www.paypal.me/Truelifepodcast?locale.x=en_USKeywordsbeauty, health, SOD, immune system, dermatology, Francois Vix, beauty industry, skincare, natural products, holistic healthSummaryIn this enlightening conversation, George and Francois Vix delve into the intricate relationship between beauty, health, and the immune system. Francois shares his extensive experience in the beauty industry, emphasizing that true beauty transcends mere decoration and is deeply rooted in health and well-being. The discussion highlights the significance of superoxide dismutase (SOD) as a critical enzyme that plays a vital role in maintaining cellular health and beauty. They explore various applications of SOD, from dermatology to athletic performance, and address the importance of a holistic approach to beauty that combines science with human experience.TakeawaysBeauty is not just decoration; it's a negotiation with time.Health is more important than beauty, as true beauty stems from health.SOD (superoxide dismutase) is a critical enzyme for cellular health.The immune system plays a foundational role in achieving beauty.Beauty is a reflection of a life well lived, not just physical appearance.SOD can help with various health issues, including skin conditions and athletic recovery.Combination therapy, including nutraceuticals and topical treatments, is essential for optimal results.Generosity and love are among the most beautiful aspects of life.The mirror reflects honesty, prompting self-reflection and growth.Clinical trials and scientific research are crucial for validating health products. TitlesThe Essence of Beauty: A Deeper ConversationFrancois Vix: A Journey Through the Beauty IndustrySound bites"Beauty is biology in motion.""SOD is the enzyme of life.""We can help with recovery."Chapters00:00 The Essence of Beauty: A Negotiation with Time02:28 Francois Vix: A Journey Through the Beauty Industry10:22 Beauty Beyond Decoration: Health and Radiance14:31 The Science of SOD: A Breakthrough in Beauty and Health38:17 The Immune System: The Foundation of True Beauty45:31 Vitiligo and Melasma: The Duality of Skin Conditions52:24 The Impact of Vitiligo on Life and Identity53:42 Combining Ingredients for Optimal Skin Health55:35 The Role of SOD in Dermatology and Aesthetic Treatments57:12 SOD and Its Potential in Cancer Treatment01:01:17 Reconstructive Surgery and Recovery Enhancements01:06:30 SOD in Sports Medicine and Athletic Recovery01:09:42 The Focus on Dermatology and Aesthetic Medicine01:11:00 Philosophical Perspectives on Aging and Beauty01:17:40 The Changing Landscape of Beauty in the Digital Age01:19:35 The Importance of Patience in Nutraceuticals01:20:19 Oral vs. Topical Products in Beauty01:21:18 Ethics in the Beauty Industry01:24:29 The Intersection of Science and Human Experience01:27:45 Finding Beauty Beyond Appearancehttps://www.glisodin.com/ One on One Video call W/George https://tidycal.com/georgepmonty/60-minute-meetingSupport the show:https://www.paypal.me/Truelifepodcast?locale.x=en_US
The ABMP Podcast | Speaking With the Massage & Bodywork Profession
Does more experience always lead to better outcomes? In this episode of The ABMP Podcast, Doug Nelson explores both sides of the experience debate—when years in practice enhance clinical insight, and when they can quietly become a limitation. Doug also digs into the concept of therapeutic drift, how habits form over time, and why even well-intentioned clinicians can stray from best practices. Host: Douglas Nelson is Board Certified in Massage Therapy and Therapeutic Bodywork, beginning his career in massage therapy in 1977. Seeing over 1,200 client visits annually for decades, he is also the owner of BodyWork Associates, a massage therapy clinic in Champaign, IL. with 21 therapists that was established in 1982. He is the founder of NMT MidWest, Inc., providing training in Precision Neuromuscular Therapy™ across the USA. He has personally taught more than 13,000 hours of continuing education and is the author of three books. Doug is a past president of the Massage Therapy Foundation. Sponsors: Anatomy Trains is a global leader in online anatomy education and also provides in-classroom certification programs for structural integration in the US, Canada, Australia, Europe, Japan, and China, as well as fresh-tissue cadaver dissection labs and weekend courses. The work of Anatomy Trains originated with founder Tom Myers, who mapped the human body into 13 myofascial meridians in his original book, currently in its fourth edition and translated into 12 languages. The principles of Anatomy Trains are used by osteopaths, physical therapists, bodyworkers, massage therapists, personal trainers, yoga, Pilates, Gyrotonics, and other body-minded manual therapists and movement professionals. Anatomy Trains inspires these practitioners to work with holistic anatomy in treating system-wide patterns to provide improved client outcomes in terms of structure and function. Website: anatomytrains.com Email: info@anatomytrains.com Facebook: facebook.com/AnatomyTrains Instagram: www.instagram.com/anatomytrainsofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2g6TOEFrX4b-CigknssKHA Precision Neuromuscular Therapy seminars (www.pnmt.org) have been teaching high-quality seminars for more than 20 years. Doug Nelson and the PNMT teaching staff help you to practice with the confidence and creativity that comes from deep understanding, rather than the adherence to one treatment approach or technique. Find our seminar schedule at pnmt.org/seminar-schedule with over 60 weekends of seminars across the country. Or meet us online in the PNMT Portal, our online gateway with access to over 500 videos, 37 NCBTMB CEs, our Discovery Series webinars, one-on-one mentoring, and much, much more! All for the low yearly cost of $167.50. Learn more at pnmt.thinkific.com/courses/pnmtportal! Follow us on social media: @precisionnmt on Instagram or at Precision Neuromuscular Therapy Seminars on Facebook.
TODAY ON THE ROBERT SCOTT BELL SHOW: Revolutionary Resolve Rising, Vaccine Liability Shift, Pro-Parent CDC Policy, Tellurium Metallicum, Merit Over Credentials, Weight Regain Reality, Drug Faith Fading, Fluoride Labels Changed, Hidden Household Toxins and MORE! https://robertscottbell.com/revolutionary-resolve-rising-vaccine-liability-shift-pro-parent-cdc-policy-tellurium-metallicum-merit-over-credentials-weight-regain-reality-drug-faith-fading-fluoride-labels-changed-hidden-ho/https://boxcast.tv/view/revolutionary-resolve-rising-vaccine-liability-shift-pro-parent-cdc-policy-merit-over-credentials---the-rsb-show-1-12-26-y1mnmq0rcn06hrgrovfl Purpose and Character The use of copyrighted material on the website is for non-commercial, educational purposes, and is intended to provide benefit to the public through information, critique, teaching, scholarship, or research. Nature of Copyrighted Material Weensure that the copyrighted material used is for supplementary and illustrative purposes and that it contributes significantly to the user's understanding of the content in a non-detrimental way to the commercial value of the original content. Amount and Substantiality Our website uses only the necessary amount of copyrighted material to achieve the intended purpose and does not substitute for the original market of the copyrighted works. Effect on Market Value The use of copyrighted material on our website does not in any way diminish or affect the market value of the original work. We believe that our use constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you believe that any content on the website violates your copyright, please contact us providing the necessary information, and we will take appropriate action to address your concern.
While meticulousness may have earned you early success, it eventually becomes a liability that fuels anxiety and drains your energy.In this episode, Gary Miles addresses the cost of the perfectionism that many attorneys rely on to build their careers. He breaks down the critical distinction between excellence, which stems from competence, and perfectionism, which is rooted in fear and the need to manage uncertainty. Learn a practical five-step framework to transition from being a perfectionist to a powerful practitioner who operates with confidence. Plus, three immediate practices to help you set strategic standards and stop the cycle of endless document revisions. Get the Values Alignment Guide https://upbeat-trailblazer-9238.kit.com/1604bbf4cbTake the Free Lawyer Assessment garymiles.net/the-free-lawyer-assessment Learn more about Breaking Free or order your copy https://www.garymiles.net/break-freeSchedule a complimentary discovery call: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqcfaTWo17uxmYS9hfAdiaQ
Check out host Bidemi Ologunde's new show: The Work Ethic Podcast, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde unpacks OpenAI's newly released ChatGPT Health and what it signals about the future of consumer-facing healthcare AI. What exactly is "ChatGPT Health," and why is OpenAI moving from general chat to a dedicated health experience? When an AI gives the wrong answer in a high-stakes setting—medical advice, airline refunds, legal citations—who owns the liability: the user, the company deploying the chatbot, or the model-maker? How are regulators in the U.S., Europe, and beyond approaching AI in healthcare—and what counts as "wellness" versus "medical" software? Bidemi also explores the realities of AI error, hallucinations, and bias, and asks what these tools could mean for underserved and minority populations worldwide— including Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, and communities in low-resource health systems.Email: bidemiologunde@gmail.comSupport for The Bid Picture Podcast comes from Intuit QuickBooks. If you're running a business, a side hustle, or just trying to stay on top of your money, QuickBooks helps you track income and expenses, send invoices, and see where things stand—without living in spreadsheets. It's tech that's meant to give you time back, so you can spend more of your attention on your life, not your tabs. If you're asked how you heard about QuickBooks, please mention The Bid Picture Podcast. Learn more at quickbooks.intuit.com.Support for The Bid Picture Podcast comes from VIZZ. If age-related blurry near vision—also called presbyopia—has you holding your phone farther away or avoiding the small print, ask your eye doctor about VIZZ, a once-daily prescription eye drop for adults that treats blurry near vision. Do not use VIZZ if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. The most common side effects are eye irritation, temporary dim or dark vision, headache, and eye redness. Be careful driving at night or doing activities that require clear vision until your vision returns to normal. If you're asked how you heard about VIZZ, please mention The Bid Picture Podcast. Learn more at vizz.com.Support for The Bid Picture Podcast comes from Rula. If you're trying to build a healthier relationship with tech—setting boundaries, breaking burnout patterns, or feeling more present—therapy can help, and Rula makes it easier to find licensed mental health providers and meet by video on a schedule that fits your life. If you're asked how you heard about Rula, please mention The Bid Picture Podcast. Learn more at rula.com.Support the show
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 How big do you actually want your agency to become? Does the idea of running a massive team sound exciting or completely exhausting? For many agency owners, scaling feels less like growth and more like trading freedom for complexity. Scaling an agency isn't about hustle. It's about surviving the moments that almost break you, building systems that actually work, and accepting that what got you here won't get you there. Today's featured guest understands that running a big agency is about structure and leadership. He's grown a global agency to 700 people without losing profitability, sanity, or culture and now he'll unpack the hard-earned lessons that most agency owners don't think about until it's too late. Nital Shah is the co-founder of Mavlers, a full-service, lifecycle digital agency headquartered in India, with operations supporting global brands and agencies across multiple geographies. Today, Nital leads a 700-person organization focused on marketing operations, delivery excellence, and scalable systems for agencies around the world. Having experienced both sides of the agency equation, client-side pressure and operational scale, Nital brings a grounded, operator-first perspective to growth, profitability, and leadership. In this episode, we'll discuss: An early principle: Profit should be intentional. Achieving operational excellence at scale. Structuring scale to make it manageable. Why alignment beats micromanagement. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources This episode is brought to you by Wix Studio: If you're leveling up your team and your client experience, your site builder should keep up too. That's why successful agencies use Wix Studio — built to adapt the way your agency does: AI-powered site mapping, responsive design, flexible workflows, and scalable CMS tools so you spend less on plugins and more on growth. Ready to design faster and smarter? Go to wix.com/studio to get started. The Wake-Up Call: COVID, Cash Flow, and Retainers Like many agencies, Nital's biggest inflection point came during COVID. Before the disruption, the agency was focused heavily on top-line revenue rather than predictable recurring income. When 40 percent of revenue disappeared almost overnight, the weakness in that model became painfully obvious. Luckily, the agency's consistent focus on profit from day one helped them overcome this ordeal. However, it changed Nital's perspective on retainers and helped him understand that, without retainers, any similar unexpected bump in the road could destroy the agency. The agency had enough cash flow to survive the shock and rebuild and the lesson was clear: at scale, a large team without consistent recurring revenue is fragile. Retainers aren't just about stability; they are about survival. The other advantage that helped soften the blow was diversification. By spreading clients across industries and geographies, the agency avoided being wiped out by a single market downturn. When one region slowed, others carried the load. That balance didn't eliminate pain, but it reduced risk in a way most agencies underestimate until they feel it firsthand. Profit Is Not an Afterthought One of the most important principles Nital and his co-founder agreed on early was: profit must be intentional. It's not something you hope shows up at the end of the year. It's something you design into the business. That mindset shapes everything from service selection to client qualification. The agency actively avoids hyper-competitive, race-to-the-bottom services and continually evolves its offerings as markets become saturated. When a service becomes unprofitable, they pivot. When a client isn't aligned or drains margin, they say no. Profit isn't just about owner income. It funds experimentation, innovation, and future growth. Without margin, you can't test new services, pivot when the market shifts, or invest in better systems. You just stay busy. And busy is often the enemy of profitable. Operational Excellence at Scale Running a 700-person agency isn't about heroics but about process. Nital is clear that consistent, documented, and enforced workflows are what reduce mistakes, rework, and delivery friction. The agency is structured into service-based business units, each with its own leadership and accountability. On top of that sits a customer success layer that ensures delivery stays aligned with expectations. Everyone is trained on defined protocols, and those protocols exist to protect quality, not bureaucracy. When processes are clear and followed, the probability of hitting client outcomes increases. That reduces rework, lowers internal stress, and improves margins. In a people-driven business, operational discipline is what turns chaos into leverage. Alignment Beats Micromanagement One of the hardest challenges for Nital's agency came after rapid post-COVID growth, when the team doubled in size and remote work became the norm. Processes broke, alignment slipped, and as a result, communication suffered. The turning point came with adopting the Scaling Up framework by Vern Harnish. This framework, aimed at businesses ready to scale in a more structured manner, forced clarity across four areas: people, strategy, execution, and cash. More importantly, it created alignment from leadership all the way down to individual contributors. Every team member understands how their work connects to departmental goals, quarterly priorities, and long-term vision. When people understand the why behind the process, ownership replaces micromanagement. Accountability becomes cultural, not enforced. Leadership, Tough Calls, and A-Players When it comes to mistakes in team alignment, Nital openly acknowledges that the team that gets you to one stage may not be the team that gets you to the next. That realization isn't easy, especially when loyalty and shared history are involved. But over the last two years Nital has embraced the fact that growth demands adaptability. The agency now prioritizes agility, learning speed, and ownership. When someone can't evolve with the business, they are given time, feedback, and support, but the standard doesn't change. You don't win championships by protecting weak links. You win by putting the best players on the field while still treating people with respect and empathy. It's not cold. It's responsible leadership. Structuring Scale So It's Manageable When Nital decided to go back to India and start an agency, his mentor back in Australia offered him the chance to run their offshore center. From there, he started supporting other agencies in several countries and expanded his team to where they are now. Seven hundred people sounds overwhelming until you understand the structure. Instead of one massive organization, the agency operates as multiple business units, each capped around 100 to 150 people and run as its own P&L. This turns an impossible leadership problem into a manageable one. Leaders focus on coaching their direct reports, not managing hundreds of individuals. Each layer carries responsibility downward, creating clarity instead of bottlenecks. As Nital points out, no founder manages 700 people directly. You manage your leadership team. And if that team is strong, aligned, and accountable, scale becomes less scary and far more sustainable. The Future: AI, Change, and Opportunity Despite the uncertainty surrounding AI and marketing technology, Nital is optimistic. The pace of change has leveled the playing field. Years of experience no longer guarantee an advantage. Everyone is adapting at the same time. For smaller agencies, this creates opportunity. They can adopt tools and workflows faster than large organizations. For larger agencies, the challenge is moving faster without breaking structure. Either way, the shift toward complex marketing technology orchestration opens doors for agencies willing to master it. For him, the future belongs to agencies that can adapt, systemize, and evolve without clinging to what used to work. 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.
One on One Video Call W/George https://tidycal.com/georgepmonty/60-minute-meetingSupport the show:https://www.paypal.me/Truelifepodcast?locale.x=en_US
Google has introduced an AI-powered inbox view for Gmail, designed to enhance user experience by transforming the traditional email interface into a personalized platform that includes to-do items and topic summaries. This feature, currently available to trusted testers in the U.S. for consumer Gmail accounts, aims to help users manage their emails more effectively. However, concerns have been raised about the potential for users to feel overwhelmed by excessive to-do suggestions, and Google has stated that users can opt out of these AI features. The company also reassured users that their Gmail content is not utilized for training AI models.OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Health, a tool that allows users to ask health-related questions in a secure environment while connecting their medical records and wellness apps. Although the tool is not intended for diagnosis or treatment, it raises significant concerns regarding safety and privacy, particularly in sensitive areas like mental health. OpenAI has collaborated with over 260 physicians to refine the model, but the lack of full compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has led to calls for caution, especially for users with health anxiety. The implications of these tools extend beyond user convenience, as they redefine the nature of work and authority in digital environments.The episode also discusses the growing backlash against AI infrastructure, particularly in local communities where data centers are being proposed. Reports indicate that opposition is rising across the political spectrum, with residents voicing concerns about the environmental and economic impacts of these developments. Additionally, polling data shows that 80% of American adults believe the government should regulate AI, reflecting a significant political opportunity for the Democratic Party. This sentiment is prompting leaders to adopt more vocal stances against AI, as many voters feel threatened by its rapid advancement.For Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and IT service leaders, these developments underscore the importance of understanding the evolving regulatory landscape surrounding AI technologies. As states implement new laws addressing AI safety and consumer rights, MSPs must navigate the complexities of compliance and governance. The episode highlights the necessity for providers to establish clear boundaries regarding AI's influence in client environments, ensuring accountability and minimizing liability risks. As AI continues to integrate into various aspects of technology, the need for informed decision-making and proactive engagement with regulatory changes becomes increasingly critical. Four things to know today 00:00 Google and OpenAI Recast AI as an Authority Layer Over Email and Health Data05:03 From Data Centers to Regulation, AI Expansion Encounters Political and Community Limits08:18 AI, Privacy, and Liability Converge as States Fill the Regulatory Vacuum Left by Washington14:07 Dell Says Consumers Aren't Buying PCs for AI Features, Despite NPU Push This is the Business of Tech. Supported by:
Calibration has quickly shifted from a “nice to have” to a critical safety requirement in today's collision industry, but many shop owners still underestimate what it truly demands. How much space does it really take? What are the real costs? And where does liability begin and end?In this episode, Matt Di Francesco sits down with Frank Phillips, a 35-year collision industry veteran with experience at Caliber, Rivian, and ADAS-focused operations, to break down the realities of ADAS calibration. Frank explains why calibration is as much a business decision as it is a technical one, sharing real-world examples of space requirements, production efficiency, and equipment investment. Matt and Frank also talk about:(04:13) Why increasing business value is a long-term process, not a short-term decision(05:06) How documenting SOPs ahead of time protects value in any transition(06:43) Why exit planning becomes emotional and requires a true leap of faith(09:43) How acting as a trusted partner helps owners gain confidence in their transition(11:00) Why helping owners grow value over time is the most rewarding part of the workConnect With Frank PhillipsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-phillips-17b33341/Email: frank.phillips72@gmail.comConnect With Matt DiFrancesco:matt@highliftfin.com(814)201-5855LinkedIn: Matt DiFrancescoLinkedIn: High Lift FinancialFacebook: High Lift Financial Instagram: @high_lift_financialYouTube: @highliftfinancialAbout the guest:Frank Phillips brings more than three decades of experience in the automotive collision industry, shaped by years of working alongside some of the most respected organizations and professionals in the field. His career has given him a deep understanding of how the industry has evolved, from traditional repair methods to today's highly technical, safety-driven environment.At this stage of his career, Frank is dedicated to helping others navigate that complexity. He is passionate about education, accountability, and raising awareness around the responsibilities that come with modern vehicle repair. By mentoring shop owners and technicians and advocating for higher standards, Frank aims to strengthen the credibility of the collision industry and support those who will carry it forward in an increasingly advanced and demanding landscape.Disclaimer:All information is obtained from sources deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. No tax or legal advice is given nor intended. Content provided herein or on our website should not be construed as an offer for investment advice or for securities, insurance, or other investment products. Investments involve the risk of loss and are not guaranteed. Consult a qualified legal, tax, accounting, or financial professional before implementing any investments or strategies discussed here.High Lift Financial is a DBA for DiFrancesco Financial Concierge, LLC. Investment advisory services are provided through Cornerstone Planning Group, LLC, an independent advisory firm registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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 constantly worried about shrinking organic visibility, heavier ad pressure, and constant change? Running an agency has never been a straight line. Platforms change, algorithms shift, and what worked five years ago can quietly stop working overnight. Organic visibility is shrinking, ads are getting more expensive, and uncertainty feels constant. Today's featured guest knows that reality and will share her journey from agency employee to founder of a 43-person local SEO agency, along with her honest perspective on Google, AI, remote teams, and why growing bigger can actually create more freedom and impact when done for the right reasons. Joy Hawkins is the founder and owner of Sterling Sky, a specialized local SEO agency focused on helping businesses rank on Google Maps and local search results. She has been working in the SEO industry since 2006 and is widely known for her deep understanding of how Google's algorithm works, especially in local search. Sterling Sky is a fully remote agency with team members spread across Canada and the United States. What started as a small consulting experiment has grown into a 43-person team over eight years. In this episode, we'll discuss: Google, AI, and the future of local SEO Why SEO agencies must diversify to survive Building a fully remote team. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources E2M Solutions: Today's episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass is sponsored by E2M Solutions, a web design, and development agency that has provided white-label services for the past 10 years to agencies all over the world. Check out e2msolutions.com/smartagency and get 10% off for the first three months of service. From Agency Employee to Founder of a Local SEO Agency After more than a decade inside agencies, Joy realized she was more interested in how systems worked than in selling them. When disagreements about services and sales responsibilities reached a breaking point, she decided to try consulting (fully prepared to dip into savings and return to a job if needed). Clients came faster than expected. Eight years later, that experiment has grown into a 43-person remote agency. Google, AI, and the Future of Local SEO One of the biggest challenges Joy sees in the industry right now is the pace of change inside Google's ecosystem. Features are constantly being swapped out, organic real estate is shrinking, and small businesses are feeling the impact more than ever. While agencies can usually adapt, clients often struggle because Google still represents such a large percentage of their lead flow. A major concern Joy sees is how Google is pushing more ads and limiting organic exposure, especially in local results. On mobile devices, users are now seeing local service ads dominate the top of the screen, followed by AI-driven local results that are shrinking from three listings down to one in some cases. For businesses that used to rely on being second or third in the map pack, this shift can mean a dramatic drop in calls almost overnight. Despite the fear around AI, Joy does not believe Google is going anywhere. As she points out, Google's real advantage is data. Reviews, location history, calls, visits, and behavior all live inside Google Maps. That depth of information is something other platforms struggle to match. Local SEO is still viable, but it is no longer free traffic in the way many business owners became used to. The bigger lesson is not about Google itself, but about dependency. When an agency or a business relies too heavily on one channel, any change can feel catastrophic. The agencies that struggle the most right now tend to be those built around rigid, cookie-cutter systems that cannot flex with the landscape. Why SEO Agencies Must Diversify to Survive Agency owners who want time to adapt should keep in mind it's always better to have an outbound strategy, an inbound strategy, and partnerships that you can rely on. If all your business comes from one channel and that channel changes, you are forced into reaction mode. The opportunity here is for agencies to guide clients toward broader strategies. That might include paid ads, partnerships, or even old school tactics like direct mail and local sponsorships. The exact tactic matters less than the mindset. Businesses need multiple levers to pull so they are not held hostage by one platform's decisions. For instance, right now everyone's scrambling to adopt AI in their processes, services, and more. But you should also try to understand the economics behind AI and advertising. The massive data centers, energy consumption, and infrastructure costs mean that today's low prices will not last forever. Platforms are investing heavily now with the expectation that monetization will follow. For agency owners, this reinforces the importance of pricing correctly, setting expectations with clients, and building offers that account for rising costs and shrinking organic margins. Building a Fully Remote Agency Joy's agency started more as a practical decision than a remote-first experiment. After years of working from home she saw no reason to take on the overhead of an office. The cost savings mattered early on, but the flexibility mattered even more. Without a commute, Joy could better balance work and family life. That same benefit extended to her team. Many of her early hires were former coworkers from an agency that later shut down, people she already trusted and respected. Since they were geographically spread out, an office would have created unnecessary friction. Expanding into the United States was also a strategic move. Joy wanted access to a larger talent pool so she could be extremely selective about who she hired. Being remote made it possible to hire people who were already passionate about local SEO instead of settling for whoever happened to live nearby. Culture, Connection, and Team Building at Scale One of the risks of running a remote agency is losing human connection. Joy is very intentional about avoiding that. While informal meetups happen more often in Canada, the entire team gets together once a year for an in person retreat. The goal of these retreats is mostly relationship building. Joy genuinely likes the people she works with and considers many of them friends. She believes that strong relationships create trust, better communication, and a healthier work environment overall. Joy sees firsthand how flexible work, reasonable boundaries, and a supportive environment can be life changing for employees who came from toxic workplaces. That impact has become a meaningful part of why she continues to grow the agency. Why Scaling the Agency Became a Mission When she first started her agency, Joy wanted a small team. Ten people or fewer. Highly experienced. Minimal management. That vision changed a few years in, and the reason surprised her. Around two years in, her agency began supporting a charity in Uganda, and the more she built that relationship, the more Joy saw how far a single dollar could stretch there compared to North America. Visiting in person made the impact real. She realized that by growing the agency, she could dramatically increase the good they could do through that partnership. The same realization applied to her team. As the agency grew, Joy saw how stable, flexible work improved her employees' lives. That sense of responsibility and opportunity shifted her perspective as she figured out her purpose. Now growth was no longer about ego or scale for its own sake. It became a way to create more impact both inside and outside the business. Leadership, Delegation, and Hiring for Your Weaknesses Agency owners who wish to keep their businesses small are often thinking about the nightmare that running a big agency can be. They imagine that the headaches they deal with at ten employees will just double if the team doubles. However, this was never the case for Joy. When she thinks about overworking she thinks about her time working for others. This is probably because Joy has always been very clear about what she does not enjoy. Accounting, taxes, and people management are high on the list, and instead of forcing herself to become good at everything, she hired people who genuinely enjoy those areas. A strong accountant removed massive mental load early on and hiring leadership team members who thrive on managing people allowed Joy to focus on strategy and innovation. She believes this is one of the biggest unlocks for agency owners who feel trapped. Delegation is not about offloading busywork. It is about trusting capable people to own outcomes. Joy prefers hiring experienced professionals over entry level talent because she does not want to micromanage. Her expectations are high, but so is her respect for her team's autonomy. 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.
In this episode, we unpack a confusing market paradox where transportation capacity has hit a four-year low even as fleets place massive orders for new equipment. Analysts attribute the surge of over 42,000 Class 8 truck orders to a regulatory pre-buy ahead of 2027 emissions rules rather than a true recovery in freight demand. We also explore how C.H. Robinson is utilizing 30 agentic AI tools to execute "gross margin arbitrage" and respond to quote requests in just 32 seconds. This strategy allows the brokerage to dynamically adjust pricing hundreds of times a day, turning speed directly into expanded margins. The conversation then shifts to the legal hurdles facing autonomous trucking, where liability often hinges on whether a "safer alternative design" existed rather than a comparison to human drivers. Experts warn that this unique product liability standard exposes manufacturers to nuclear verdicts even if their vehicles perform safer than people. Finally, we discuss the push by safety advocates to end the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot for under-21 truckers. Opponents argue the program is dangerous, citing data that drivers aged 19 to 20 are six times more likely to be involved in fatal crashes. Follow the FreightWaves NOW Podcast Other FreightWaves Shows Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fraudology is presented by Sardine. Request a 1:1 product demo at sardine.ai In this episode of Fraudology, host Karisse Hendrick sits down with Robbie MacDiarmid to explore the rise of agentic AI and its implications for fraud prevention, payments, and liability in e-commerce. They break agentic commerce into its core layers: search, merchant interaction, and payment, then explain why fraud and payments are often treated as an afterthought as new AI-driven commerce experiences roll out.They also unpack emerging risks, such as first-party fraud, account takeover, chargebacks tied to “I don't recognize this transaction,” and the industry's biggest unresolved issue: who owns liability when autonomous agents act on a consumer's behalf. This episode equips listeners with the concepts—and the right questions—to navigate the next evolution of online commerce.Robbie MacDiarmidFraudology is hosted by Karisse Hendrick, a fraud fighter with decades of experience advising hundreds of the biggest ecommerce companies in the world on fraud, chargebacks, and other forms of abuse impacting a company's bottom line. Connect with her on LinkedIn She brings her experience, expertise, and extensive network of experts to this podcast weekly, on Tuesdays.
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 Starting with a clearly defined niche can make all the difference when you're landing your first clients and deeply understanding that niche can carry you through the toughest seasons of agency life. Today's featured guest built his agency on exactly that foundation. Before launching his firm, he spent years working as a consultant for governments, UN agencies, and the European Commission. Along the way, he identified a clear gap in the market. That expertise proved invaluable during the pandemic. While uncertainty hit many agencies hard, he trusted his understanding of the space and chose to weather the slow months, confident the work would return. His patience paid off as demand surged later in the year. He'll share the lessons learned from more than 20 years of building and running a thriving niche agency in one of the most political and complex markets in the world—and why focus, patience, and deep domain knowledge remain his greatest competitive advantages. Filip Lugovic is the co-founder and CEO of The Right Street, an EU-focused digital communications agency based in Brussels. For the last 20 years, he's lived in the middle of the "Brussels bubble," where organizations, trade groups, and companies fight for attention from the European Commission, Parliament, and Council. His agency sits at the intersection of public affairs + digital communications, serving organizations trying to influence policies that impact nearly half a billion people across Europe. In this episode, we'll discuss: Identifying and owning a highly specific niche. Building a client list with the power of low-hanging fruit. Getting their best quarter during COVID. Keeping a creative team inspired during slow cycles. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources This episode is brought to you by Wix Studio: If you're leveling up your team and your client experience, your site builder should keep up too. That's why successful agencies use Wix Studio — built to adapt the way your agency does: AI-powered site mapping, responsive design, flexible workflows, and scalable CMS tools so you spend less on plugins and more on growth. Ready to design faster and smarter? Go to wix.com/studio to get started. From Door-to-Door Sales to the EU Policy Bubble Before he ever pitched a digital campaign, Filip was strangers' knocking on doors in Southern California selling heart-shaped pillows and screwdrivers with built-in flashlights. Not exactly glamorous, but it taught him the skill most agency owners run from: sales. When he landed in Brussels in 2005, he fell into a job selling ads for EU Observer, one of the leading political publications at the time. His clients were the same organizations trying to get in front of policymakers. Over the next decade, he built a deep network and a knack for relationship-based selling. Eventually, he left to consult on his own, but by 2017, he hit the same wall most consultants do: "I'm making money… but it all goes to someone else." A lunch with his current business partner (a seasoned communicator who had served as spokesperson for governments, UN agencies, and the European Commission) led to a plan to build something together. Building a Niche Agency: Where Marketing Meets Lobbying Once they figured out their roles and what they brought to the partnership, Filip and his partner started making plans and realized something: Most agencies in Brussels fell into one of two buckets: Lobbying firms who knew politics but didn't understand digital. Marketing agencies who knew digital but didn't understand politics. No one sat in the middle. So they built an agency that merged both worlds, pairing policy context with high-quality digital production. At the time, it was a hypothesis, and a risky one. Only a couple of competitors existed. But they saw the gap and took it. Landing the First Clients by Leveraging Existing Relationships Filip is no stranger to knocking on doors to sell a product, and he would have for his agency. However, this wasn't the right environment for that, so when it came time to start looking for clients, he relied on his network. Filip's approach to sales was never transactional and he very much enjoyed building lasting relationships. This is something many agency owners overcomplicate. Filip's first step wasn't SEO, funnels, or paid ads. It was: "Let me call every single person I already know and ask them to grab a coffee." That alone got him his first tiny clients. It wasn't a big account. Five hundred euros for hours of work, and zero profit. But it built the early case studies they needed. Most agencies try to skip this part. They want the big brand logo first. But every agency you admire started by leveraging relationships and building proof. Pro tip: You should always continue to revisit these relationships. Reach out to that client and buy them a coffee. This is the low-hanging fruit that can get your agency out of a tough spot. If you're not doing this, you're leaving money on the table. How Deep Market Knowledge Helps in Hard Times By January 2020, Filip's agency was growing at a healthy pace, had a new office and a seven-person team. Then we experience COVID shut downs. Their contracts froze, clients stopped paying, and their pipeline evaporated. Meanwhile, the agency had fixed expenses and a growing team relying on them. Most agencies would've cut staff and hoped to survive. Filip didn't. Luckily, he understood his market: EU organizations operate on annual budgets. If they don't spend it, they lose it the following year. So he and his partner made the hard call: No salaries for themselves (they relied on their wives for a while). Keep the team. Use that time to aggressively market. Their bet paid off and by Q4, every organization that couldn't run events was suddenly scrambling for digital support. Their best quarter ever happened during one of the scariest years on record. It was the foundation of everything that came afterwards. Keeping the Team Inspired During Slow Cycles How do you keep a creative team motivated when client work stops? Filip's answer: "Let them create whatever they want." There were no clients nitpicking colors or people demanding designers to make the logo bigger. It was a rare opportunity for pure, unfiltered creative expression. The team remembers that period as one of the most enjoyable times in the agency's history, despite the financial uncertainty. Why Big Name Clients Don't Always Make the Best Case Studies Most agency owners are probably familiar with this scenario: A famous brand comes in with big expectations and a big budget, and you brush off early concerns thinking their reputation would suffice to make the use of their case story all worthwhile. It happened to Filip and, unfortunately, after dismissing those concerns, the client rewrote everything and destroyed the design. Now they couldn't even put it on their website. Filip laughs about this now, because it still happens. Sometimes the smallest project gives you the best case study. Sometimes the biggest one becomes a "please-don't-put-our-name-on-that" situation. Just show the work you're proud of, not just the work you were paid for. 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.
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 What a year. I sat down with over 100 incredible agency owners—and the insights were unreal. From million-dollar breakthroughs to hard-earned lessons, these founders brought the real talk. In this special year-end episode, I'm sharing the top 5 interviews that stood out most. To everyone who tuned in, shared an episode, or took action from something they heard—thank you. This show is for you, and because of you. Here's to a smarter, stronger, more scalable 2026. Let's go. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources E2M Solutions: Today's episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass is sponsored by E2M Solutions, a web design, and development agency that has provided white-label services for the past 10 years to agencies all over the world. Check out e2msolutions.com/smartagency and get 10% off for the first three months of service. AI, Efficiency & the Future of Digital Agencies | with Manish Dudharejia (E2M Solutions) If you're running a digital agency and wondering how the hell you're supposed to keep up with AI, automation, and shifting client expectations—this one's for you. Jason sits down with Manish Dudharejia, founder of E2M Solutions, one of the largest white-label partners for agencies, to break down where the real opportunities are—and what's about to get wiped out. Spoiler: Agencies that don't embrace efficiency will get eaten alive. Whether you're stuck in fulfillment hell or just trying to stay 3 steps ahead, this is a must-watch if you want to grow smarter, not grind harder. From Freelancer to CEO: How Kriston Sellier Built a Scalable, Human-Centered Agency Kriston Sellier, Founder of Id8, shares how she broke free from the freelancer grind, stopped being held hostage by a single client, and transformed into a confident CEO with systems, a team, and a business that no longer revolved around her. We dig into the moment she realized she wasn't really running a business and how hiring a consultant changed everything (and brought in 25 new clients) This isn't fluff. It's the real path from chaos to clarity—one that too many agency owners skip because they're stuck reacting. From $1M to $40M: How Chris Dreyer Scaled His SEO Agency with One Counterintuitive Strategy If you're an agency owner stuck managing chaos, wondering how the hell to grow without everything breaking—this is your blueprint. I sat down with Chris Dreyer, CEO of Rankings.io, who scaled his agency from barely breaking 7 figures to nearing $40 million in pure service revenue. And no, it wasn't because of some sexy funnel or overnight hack. It was because he doubled down on relationships. Favorite line from Chris: "You mean to tell me it's not worth $500 to go shake hands with a $125K client?" This isn't theory. It's what the top 1% of agencies are actually doing—and it's probably not what you're doing right now. How to Build an Agency Team That Sticks & Clients Who Actually Respect You | Colin Hetherington I sat down with Colin Hetherington, founder of Dublin's Common Good and co-founder of Zoo Digital (which scaled to $3M+ with less than 5% turnover). Colin's the real deal—he's built agencies people love working at and clients want to stay with. You'll hear how Colin combined strategy, creativity, and technical execution to create an agency that stood out—and why focusing on team trust and clarity made all the difference. Whether you're scaling or starting fresh, there's gold in this conversation on how to lead without burning out. 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.
“All alpha is excess return, not all excess return is alpha,” says NISA CEO and Head of Investment Strategies David Eichhorn when discussing the use of appropriate benchmarks to measure performance and beta masking as alpha. Eichhorn joins Bloomberg Intelligence's Noel Hebert on the latest episode of Credit Crunch to talk about hedging liabilities and utilizing derivative overlays, targeting high information ratios and being a liquidity provider, and the evolution in liability management. The current rate backdrop and funded status for defined benefit plans, as well as leverage costs for BDCs are also discussed. Pensions & Investments (P&I) rankings were based on U.S. institutional,tax-exempt assets managed internally (covered for overlay) as of December 31, 2024; published on June 16, 2025. NISA paid a standard fee to access the full set of data published by P&I. Other survey participants may have reported overlay strategies on a basis other than notional values and, as such, direct comparison and rankings may not be appropriate. Visit www.pionline.com for more details, including past rankings and methodology.
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 Are you thinking about expanding your agency through acquisitions? Buying another firm can be one of the fastest ways to scale, but only if you choose the right partners and nail the cultural fit. Otherwise, growth can quickly turn into chaos. Today's featured guest has been through five acquisitions, each one teaching her a different (and sometimes painful) lesson about what truly makes a merger succeed. In this episode, she opens up about her biggest acquisition missteps, the cultural mismatches that nearly derailed integrations, forecasting errors she didn't see coming, and the identity challenges that arise when two teams collide. Kimberly Eberl is the Founder and CEO of The Motion Agency, a full service marketing and communications shop with offices in Chicago, Cincinnati, and Nashville. While the agency offers everything from creative to content, it is unusually strong in public relations with roughly 20 PR pros on staff. Kimberly has completed five acquisitions, navigated the cultural and financial highs and lows of M&A, and grown Motion into one of the most respected independent agencies in the Chicago market. In this episode, we'll discuss: When acquisitions help agencies scale—and when they backfire. Lessons learned from five agency acquisitions. Why agency owners often misjudge valuation and earnouts. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources This episode is brought to you by Wix Studio: If you're leveling up your team and your client experience, your site builder should keep up too. That's why successful agencies use Wix Studio — built to adapt the way your agency does: AI-powered site mapping, responsive design, flexible workflows, and scalable CMS tools so you spend less on plugins and more on growth. Ready to design faster and smarter? Go to wix.com/studio to get started. From Fired Account Director to Agency Founder Kimberly jokes that she is one of those founders who got fired into entrepreneurship. At her previous agency, the account director role was undefined and impossible to succeed in. The revolving door should have been a clue. She lasted a year before being let go and scrambling to figure out her next move. With no grand plan, she fell into freelancing in 2006. The economy was healthy. The demand came fast. And pretty quickly she reached that moment every accidental agency owner hits. Either say no to work or hire help. She chose to hire. That early decision set the tone for the next decade. Instead of trying to do it all herself, she leaned into building a team and letting the business grow past her personal capacity. Outgrowing a Single-Service Model: Moving Beyond One Specialty Kimberly started as a PR pro. That focus worked for a while, but eventually she noticed how much money she was leaving on the table. Clients wanted websites, creative, content, and she was constantly referring the work away. The big shift happened when she decided to expand beyond PR and bring more capabilities in-house. This meant hiring outside her comfort zone and learning how to oversee work she could not personally do. That decision opened the door to real growth. Many agency owners get stuck right there. They stay in their one specialty because it is safe. Kimberly pushed through that discomfort and built a service mix clients actually wanted. The Reality of Acquiring Another Agency: Lessons from 5 Acquisitions Kimberly opted to add these new services through acquisitions. So far, she has completed five and every one had a different lesson. Her first major acquisition was bold. She bought an agency twice the size of her own. Financially and emotionally, it was a lot. Looking back, she admits she may not do a deal that large again, especially in a specialty she did not personally understand. But she also learned that size does not determine complexity. A one-person agency with contractors had just as many integration headaches as a larger shop. What mattered most was agency culture. Some deals looked perfect on paper but fell apart because the values, expectations, and behaviors did not align. One deal in particular was financially great and culturally awful. She kept one client from that acquisition. Another deal was financially terrible but culturally perfect. Years later, most of those staff members are still with her. Her biggest warning: never ignore cultural red flags during the courting phase. Take time to hang out with the sellers, how they operate, and experience their company's culture. Go to dinner, Travel together. You'll notice small behaviors (snapping over minor problems, chronic lateness, lack of transparency) that won't disappear after the contract is signed. Valuation Mistakes That Kill Good Deals Kimberly also dove into how she approaches valuations and why so many sellers get this part wrong. She focuses on future performance, realistic forecasts, and removing costs that will not continue after the sale. She also pushes back on inflated projections. If an owner claims revenue will double, the earnout should reflect that. Big promises are fine, but they should come with big accountability. One agency she walked away from wanted a valuation equal to twice their gross revenue. They were using cash-based accounting and ignoring profitability. It was an immediate red flag. Kimberly's advice to owners is simple. Build a business that is sellable even if you never plan to sell. Get your financials clean. Use accrual accounting. And be realistic about your numbers. Leadership, Loyalty, and the Hardest Skill — Letting Go As the agency scaled, leadership challenges became just as complex as financial ones. Kimberly admits she is confused about why she is the largest woman-owned agency in Chicago at only seventy people. She is proud of the title, but she wonders why more women are not reaching similar scale. There are no differences in capability, but many female founders still hit a ceiling often tied to loyalty, delegation, or difficulty letting people go. Some owners, especially women, treat their team like family and struggle to make hard decisions around performance. She admitted she has been loyal to a fault at times and is working on finding a healthy balance. Agencies function more like all star sports teams. The roster changes every year. People get promoted, moved, or sometimes released. That does not mean you failed. It means you are adapting so the team as a whole can win. Kimberly is even working on building hobbies outside her agency because she noticed how much of her identity was tied to work. It is a relatable struggle for founders who have poured years into their companies. AI Changes the Work, Not the Need for Agencies Let's be clear, agencies are not going away because of AI. Kimberly certainly doesn't believe that. She treats AI like an intern. Helpful. Fast. But still needing quality control, creativity, and leadership. Clients still want real relationships. They want someone who understands context and nuance. Agencies serving tech-savvy individuals will feel churn from AI, but agencies serving plumbers, service-based businesses, and non marketers will be fine. These clients want to stay in their lane and hire experts for everything else. Marketing evolves, but agencies survive because the business model adapts. 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.
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 What do you do when a business partnership fails? Do you try to engineer the perfect agreement so the exit is clean, or focus on alignment long before anyone signs anything? The truth is, most agency partnerships fail because owners rush into them without slowing down to see the cracks. Preparing for the worst is not pessimistic. It is how you protect the business you are trying to build. Today's featured guest has gone through failed starts, broken agency partnerships, and overcommitting his time as the owner for fear of losing opportunities. He'll unpack 25 years of wins, mistakes, and hard earned clarity, from building his agency and how the biggest breakthroughs came from leadership shifts rather than marketing tactics. Andy Crestodina is the co founder of Orbit Media, a Chicago based web development and optimization agency approaching its 25th year in business. Orbit has grown to a team of fifty five and more than eight million in annual revenue. Andy is also one of the most respected voices in content marketing, with millions of readers, hundreds of speaking engagements each year, and a reputation for teaching real strategy instead of recycled tactics. In this episode, we'll discuss: Slow, organic for consistent agency growth. What a failed agency partnership can cost you. The hire that gives an agency founder their time back. Learning when "yes" becomes the problem. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources E2M Solutions: Today's episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass is sponsored by E2M Solutions, a web design, and development agency that has provided white-label services for the past 10 years to agencies all over the world. Check out e2msolutions.com/smartagency and get 10% off for the first three months of service. How Slow, Organic Growth Built a 25-Year Agency Andy was working as an IT recruiter in the nineties and found himself bored at his day job. He didn't get to build anything in that position and he had a lot of ideation urging him to do something else. Luckily, the internet offered him that chance. He could build a website and channel his creative energy through that side project. But could he do it full time? He had no resume and no portfolio to present to a potential employer. He realized it was easier to get a client to take a chance on him than it was to convince an employer to hire him. So he and a high school friend started building sites. The first partnership failed fast and then the second attempt grew slowly, quietly, and steadily for 25 years. The secret was not paid ads or cold outreach. It was content. Consistent publishing, useful insights, and a commitment to organic channels long before that became mainstream advice. When Agency Partnerships Go Wrong and What It Really Costs There are many stories of successful partnerships in the agency world, but overall the disaster stories are much more common. As Jason says, you either know the bad partner or you are the bad partner. Andy lived through one of the toughest versions of that story. He had three partners for a while. One of them ran an unprofitable department. Responsibilities were unclear. Values were not aligned. And when it came time to clean up the mess, a poorly written shareholder agreement became a bigger problem than the partner himself. Andy had to mortgage his home and personally lend the company money to buy out the partner. The agreement used the wrong valuation formula. The partner dragged his feet and what should have been a difficult but clean process turned into a long, expensive, emotionally draining separation. Looking back, Andy says something most founders never admit. A handshake would have been better than the shareholder agreement they had. The real mistakes came earlier: saying yes to a partner who did not share the same values, not slowing down long enough to evaluate the deal, and being hungry for growth and ignoring misalignment. The Leadership Hire That Gave the Founder His Time Back Around this time of misalignment between partners was when a long time client turned management consultant stepped in. He saw tension inside the partner group, so he moved to do a 360 review and surfaced the problems that no one wanted to say out loud. Andy was quick to spot that he would be a great addition to the agency, and so eventually, he became the CEO. That single hire changed everything. Andy was doing all the sales and marketing. Meetings all day. Proposals all night. Burning energy on tasks someone else should have owned years earlier. Once his new CEO came on board, he built systems, built a sales process, hired strategists to handle qualification and scoping. Suddenly Andy had 20 hours a week of his life back. He poured that time into content and went right into work. He doubled publishing frequency, launched a conference, wrote a book, held monthly live events, shot videos. The brand exploded. Their reach multiplied. The inbound engine went from effective to unstoppable. This is the founder shift so many agency owners avoid. Letting go. Delegating the work that drains you. Investing your best energy into the work that grows the company, not the work that maintains it. Saying Yes, Saying No, and Protecting Your Energy Andy admits he still overcommits. He still says yes to speaking engagements because he loves the stage and it generates leads, even though the constant travel wears him down. This is something many agency owners have to face. You may want the brand, speaking gigs and reach. But you also want to protect your energy so you do not turn into the hero who disappoints people when they finally meet you. At some point, you have to choose where your yes goes. Andy chose articles, newsletters, LinkedIn, webinars, a conference, and in person events. He let go of podcasting. He narrowed his focus so he could go deeper. That discipline, more than any tactic, is what keeps his inbound engine healthy 25 years later. The Tension Between Culture and Profit How do you balance loyalty to your team with the need for profit and EBITDA? Andy is still trying to figure this out. His team has an average tenure of eight years. Some team members have been there twenty. Andy cares deeply about them and their families. But agencies face moments when bonuses, salaries, utilization, and capacity collide. Where doing right by people and doing right for the business feel like competing priorities. There is no perfect answer. But there is a direction. Take care of your people first. Trust them to help you solve the profit problems. Fix leaks. Raise rates. Tighten scope. Operate like owners. And when the agency wins, let your team win with you. Culture breaks agencies faster than anything else. Profit can be fixed. Culture cannot be patched over. 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.
In this episode, Michael dives deep into the chaos at Turning Point USA's America Fest. With more than 30,000 attendees, the event revealed a growing rift within the GOP. From Ben Shapiro's scathing critique of fellow conservatives to the controversial presence of rapper Nicki Minaj, the conference exposed the future direction of the Republican Party. Is Turning Point USA a political asset or a liability for the GOP? Listen here then vote at Smerconish.com, and please rate, review and share this podcast! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
This episode I explain the difference between these 2 coverages
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 What would you do if the merger you believed would change everything suddenly collapsed? Agency owners often dream of the big exit: the acquisition, the payday, the validation. But if you've been in this industry long enough, you know the story rarely goes as planned. Today's guest lived through the dot-com boom, a merger gone sideways, a rare "un-merger," and multiple reinventions across three decades. Today's featured guest is an agency owner who lived through the dot com boom, a merger gone sideways, an unmerger (a rare event), and multiple reinventions over three decades. He'll talk about his journey and the lessons he's gained in resilience, clarity, and what it means to build a business that lasts. Tom Snyder is the founder and CEO of Trivera, a Milwaukee-based agency that originally launched in 1996 under the name Website Solutions. He got his start back when tables ruled the web, Netscape Navigator was leading the browser war, and you had to explain to clients what the internet even was. Tom's agency grew quickly through the dot com boom, became part of an early multi-agency rollup, unmerged after the dot com crash, and later rebuilt itself around strategic services, recurring revenue, and emerging technologies. Thirty years later, he has seen nearly every high and low this industry can deliver and has the scars and wisdom to match. In this episode, we'll discuss: The roll up that seemed like a dream and the subsequent meltdown. The rare chance to unmerger. Learning to adapt to new technologies. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources This episode is brought to you by Wix Studio: If you're leveling up your team and your client experience, your site builder should keep up too. That's why successful agencies use Wix Studio — built to adapt the way your agency does: AI-powered site mapping, responsive design, flexible workflows, and scalable CMS tools so you spend less on plugins and more on growth. Ready to design faster and smarter? Go to wix.com/studio to get started. The Early Days of the Web: A Front Row Seat to Digital History Tom got into websites before most people even understood what a web browser was. He recalls visiting a friend in 1995 who showed him a website for a local jeweler. The fact that someone in Milwaukee could suddenly sell jewelry to anyone in the world blew his mind. That spark soon became Website Solutions, a one-man shop in his duplex basement that grew into a million-dollar agency within three years. These early days were defined by scrappiness. There were no WordPress installs, no Mailchimp, no Shopify. Agencies wrote their own CMS platforms, email tools, and ecommerce systems. For years, Trivera worked on project-based engagements. Sell a website. Build it. Launch it. Then hunt for the next one. It created a revenue roller coaster that made it hard to grow. Then the breakthrough came when someone asked a simple question: Why are you not offering annual retained services? Once they shifted the model, everything changed. Retainers gave them predictable cash flow, stability during downturns, and the ability to build deeper, longer-term partnerships. Inside the Dot-Com Boom and the Rollup That Promised Millions By the late nineties, agency rollups were happening everywhere. Big groups on the West Coast were buying smaller shops at high valuations, promising stock payouts that would multiply as the group grew. Tom's agency was acquired by one of these rollups. The offer was attractive: $1 million in stock with the expectation that it could balloon into ten million within a couple of years. For Tom, this was more than a payday. It felt like a way to secure better opportunities for his team. Higher salaries, better benefits, more resources. All the things agency owners often think a larger parent company can provide. But as the ink dried on the deal, the dot com crash hit. Internal battles erupted among the agency owners inside the rollup. Some wanted to scale fast and sell. Others were emotionally attached to their agencies and resisted change. As the economy collapsed, so did the plan. When an Agency Merger Falls Apart Tom describes the internal environment as chaos. Agencies within the rollup started blaming one another for the downturn. Some owners viewed Tom's Midwest operation as a weak link and argued it was a mistake to acquire them. Then came the breaking point. At a Las Vegas meeting that was supposed to chart a path forward, Tom learned that he would lose control of his agency. His wife, who served as CFO, would be dismissed. His team would report to another agency owner. This happened on September 10th. The next morning, as they sat in their hotel room trying to process what to do, the news broke that planes had hit the World Trade Center. The world changed, and so did their priorities. In that moment of clarity, they made the decision to walk away and unmerge. How a Rare Un-Merge Saved the Agency Unmerging from an agency rollup almost never happens. But because the rollup was already fracturing, the leadership was surprisingly open to it. They returned most of the shares, let Tom keep a small portion, and released the original agency name. From there, Tom and his wife rebuilt everything from scratch under a new identity. Although it felt like the right decision to make, they were still exiting what was still a financially stable operation to start from scratch, which was a scary but necessary step to take. They brainstormed names that felt Greek or Latin until they arrived at Trivera. The name itself was available only because the previous owner had just let the domain lapse. It felt like a small sign that starting over was the right move. This reset allowed Tom to build the agency the right way. No irrational exuberance, burn rates, or pressure to sell. Just strong culture, smart financial discipline, and an eye on durable business fundamentals. How Adapting to New Technology Helped Survive in Crisis After the dot com crash, new technologies created fresh opportunities. SEO, email marketing, mobile, and social opened new revenue streams that helped Trivera rebound each time the economy dipped. Tom noticed a pattern. Every downturn was followed by a brand new marketing wave that rewarded the agencies willing to embrace it early. One of the most pivotal moments came during the 2009 recession. The agency had lost clients, payroll was tight, and they needed a breakthrough. Everyone was asking about social media at the time, so Tom and his team built an event called Social Media University. They hustled for two months and ended up selling 400 tickets. The sales and sponsorship revenue kept their payroll alive and catapulted them into a new service category. Events like this do more than create revenue. They cement authority, give an agency a story in the market, and in Tom's case, it opened doors to new clients and positioned them for the next evolution of the agency. Letting Go of Comparison to Stay Focused on the Journey Despite the wins, Tom admits there were years he compared his agency to others and wondered why they scaled or sold faster, especially some that got the tools from his very social media event. It is easy to feel behind when you see competitors raising money, getting acquired, or shouting big revenue numbers. However, there's very little one can actually know about other agency's purchase deals. These stories are incomplete. You never know what the real terms were. You never know the headaches behind the scenes. And you definitely never know if they actually took money home. Success in the agency world is rarely a straight line. It is more often a messy, winding path filled with reinventions, hard conversations, and moments when you question everything. So agency owners struggling and watching others reach new milestones should remind themselves that longevity comes from resilience, not a perfect upward curve. 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.
Most men don't need more information - they need fewer lies. The most common lie? "I'm fine." In this Friday Field Notes episode, Ryan breaks down why "fine" is how men drift, how standards quietly erode, and why most men wait until catastrophe forces them to take their life seriously. This isn't an emotional exercise. It's a logical, factual audit of your body, relationships, finances, mission, and integrity - with no stories, no excuses, and no rationalizations. Ryan challenges you to stop protecting your weak spots, identify where you're cutting corners, and draw one non-negotiable line in the sand that you enforce daily. You don't rise to your potential. You fall to what you tolerate. This episode will push you to: Take an honest inventory of your life Cut distractions, excuses, and self-deception Set one standard that changes everything Stop waiting for pain to force change Start today - not January 1st SHOW HIGHLIGHTS: 00:00 - The Lie of "I'm Fine" 01:55 - How Men Drift Without Realizing It 03:02 - Why You Must Audit Your Life 05:21 - Body, Marriage, Finances, Mission 07:01 - Where You're Lying to Yourself 09:02 - You Fall to What You Tolerate 10:41 - What Weakens You Is a Liability 11:23 - One Non-Negotiable Standard 12:13 - Discipline Doesn't Wait 13:14 - Stop Waiting for Catastrophe 15:23 - Audit Your Life Before It's Too Late 17:47 - Iron Council & Final Charge Battle Planners: Pick yours up today! Order Ryan's new book, The Masculinity Manifesto. For more information on the Iron Council brotherhood. Want maximum health, wealth, relationships, and abundance in your life? Sign up for our free course, 30 Days to Battle Ready
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 As a user, do you still use search engines or have completely defaulted to AI? How will this shift reshape the agency world? How will ads work when people are only getting the one answer they need? Most agency owners are still treating SEO like it's 2012 — optimizing keywords, buying backlinks, and praying to the Google gods. But search has already changed. People are asking AI for answers, not Googling for links. And if you want your agency or your personal brand to stay visible in this new era, the rules are completely different. Today's featured guest will unpack the shift from SEO to AEO and why most businesses are invisible to AI without even realizing it. Kasim Aslam is one of the world's leading voices on Answer Engine Optimization. He runs one of the largest AEO communities and leads a six person research team that has analyzed millions of AI citations to understand how large language models choose their sources. He is also the author of The AEO Blueprint and the founder of multiple companies, including a staffing agency, a mastermind, and AEO.co. Kasim has spent the past year deep in the trenches studying how AI crawlers gather, filter, and prioritize information. When it comes to AEO, nobody has more real data. In this episode, we'll discuss: SEO is over. Understanding AEO. Why brands may get lost in LLMs. The quiet Google change that just changed everything in AI citations. The future of ads. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources E2M Solutions: Today's episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass is sponsored by E2M Solutions, a web design, and development agency that has provided white-label services for the past 10 years to agencies all over the world. Check out e2msolutions.com/smartagency and get 10% off for the first three months of service. Why SEO Is No Longer Enough: The Rise of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) To understand Answer Engine Optimization, we must first understand that, despite what some agencies may be saying, it is not the same as SEO. Traditional search engines prioritize links. That is why entire industries exist around buying them. In the world of LLMs, backlinks barely matter. The number one ranking factor for AI citations is schema markup. And only 12.4% of websites have clean, validated schema. In other words, nearly 90% of brands are invisible to AI crawlers, regardless of how strong their SEO is. Schema isn't just another optimization tactic. It is the visibility layer. It is the metadata that helps LLMs understand and categorize your content. If your schema is broken or missing, AI cannot reference you even if your content is excellent. This is the equivalent of having a beautiful storefront on a street no one can find. The second key is social mentions. In the same way SEO relied on links, AEO relies on people talking about you. For instance, a TikTok comment from someone in the agency industry saying Jason Swenk is their go-to agency guy counts as an authority signal. LLMs weigh these human mentions heavily. Finally, a lot of the nuances on AEO are changing every day, but Kasim has learned that the real key is building authority, long-form content. That along with clear schema and personal brand is the future of staying in the conversation. Why Personal Authority Beats Brand Authority in AI Search One of the biggest shifts Kasim highlights is that answer engines prefer individuals. A person can write a book, earn a PhD, share opinions, create content, develop mastery, and build authority in a way brands cannot. That means generalists are in trouble. If your expertise is scattered, AI won't know how to classify you and won't choose you as an authoritative answer. Meanwhile, someone who goes deep in a single topic becomes the preferred answer. It is a shift away from corporate brand authority and toward personal authority. Authority is not spread across a company anymore. It sits with people. Agencies that hide behind a brand name will lose visibility. Personal brands that plant a flag will win. For agency owners, this is huge. You do not need a bigger brand. You need clear expertise tied to a real person. This is exactly why Jason positions all the Agency Mastery content around him. Personalities thrive. Brands get lost. Where LLMs Get Their Data (and Why That Just Changed Overnight) Kasim's research revealed that 21 percent of all AI citations once came from Reddit. YouTube followed at 18.8 percent. These platforms had deep context and raw human conversation, which LLMs love. Then Google quietly changed everything. Twenty two days before the interview, Google cut off 90% of the internet from AI crawlers by reducing search results from hundreds to ten. Because LLMs rely on deep search results (not the top ten), reducing the searchable depth limits the information AI can access - removing platforms like Reddit from the AI training pipeline. AI tools rely heavily on these deeper results for nuance. By limiting access, Google essentially removed Reddit and other community based sites from the AI food chain. This change sent shockwaves through stock prices and visibility, and most people never noticed. Google is protecting the content needed to train AI because only two organizations truly own the global knowledge graph: Google and Amazon. OpenAI and the rest are crawling, not casing, the internet, which means they operate at a major disadvantage. Google is playing statecraft. And according to Kasim, Google will win the AI race. The Rise of Screenless Search and Voice-Driven Results According to Kasim, we are quickly moving toward a screenless world. Eric Schmidt has said the screenless future is years away, not decades. And the younger generation is already there. Over 55 percent of people under 25 use voice instead of text. Voice queries require different markup, structure, and formatting, and only 0.3 percent of websites use voice schema. Meanwhile, 65 percent of all searches end in zero clicks. People are asking, getting an answer, and moving on. That number does not even include the people who have stopped using search altogether and have already shifted to answer engines. This means your future website is not for your audience. It is for AI. Kasim is rebuilding his personal site in Notion because he believes CSS-light, simple, stripped down sites will perform better for AI ingestion. We are entering a world where content is created for machines first and humans last. How Google Gemini Is Rewriting the Future of Advertising Here is a wild data point. When Kasim set up new Chromebooks for his kids, he discovered the default search engine was not Google. It was Gemini. Google owns Chrome. Google owns Chromebooks. Yet they replaced its primary revenue driver on its own device with a product that currently has no ads. This tells you where the company is headed. They are rebuilding a new knowledge graph optimized for answer engines, while competitors still reply on the old search-oriented graph. And the future ad model will be nothing like what agencies grew up on. If one answer becomes the default experience, where do ads go? How are they shown? What are users willing to tolerate? And will businesses have to give away deep content to earn visibility the same way early YouTubers and bloggers did? These questions will reshape the entire lead generation ecosystem. Data, Moats, and the K-Shaped Economy The people who win in this new world are those who own data. Not tool access or workflows. Data. Custom GPTs, custom models, and proprietary knowledge bases become your moat. We are entering a K-shaped economy. Twenty percent of people and businesses will become unstoppable because their productivity will outpace demand. Eighty percent will fall to zero. The middle disappears. That means agency owners must adapt, evolve, and lean into deep expertise. Vibe coding (the rapid, exploratory use of AI tools) and no code platforms are accelerating this divide. Kasim's team recreated a software that normally costs ten thousand a year in a weekend. Entire SaaS categories are about to be wiped out. 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.
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 Have you ever felt like enterprise clients were running your agency instead of the other way around? Buried in endless proposals no one reads, forced into rushed timelines, or watching your margins shrink every time a project drags out? Today's featured guest opens up about how he broke out of that exhausting cycle. Instead of over-delivering just to keep big clients happy, and seeing little return, he made the bold decision to focus on smaller, more committed clients who were ultimately more profitable and easier to build long-term relationships with. He'll share what he learned about sustainable growth, including why productizing your services sounds great in theory but can actually become counterproductive when it only happens externally. He'll also explain the sales shift that changed everything: offering a low-risk, "foot-in-the-door" engagement that qualifies prospects, builds trust, and creates a smooth path into deeper service offerings. Charlie Clark is the founder of Minty Digital, a boutique SEO agency focused on travel and lifestyle brands that originally launched in Barcelona and now operates from London. In this conversation, he'll break down the mindset, systems, and strategy needed to stop chasing validation from big brands and instead build a business where profitability, alignment, and respect come first. In this episode, we'll discuss: Why mid-market clients deliver higher profits than enterprise. How internal productization increases efficiency by 3X. How clear pricing transforms the sales cycle. How AI forced a new level of adaptability in SEO agencies. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources This episode is brought to you by Wix Studio: If you're leveling up your team and your client experience, your site builder should keep up too. That's why successful agencies use Wix Studio — built to adapt the way your agency does: AI-powered site mapping, responsive design, flexible workflows, and scalable CMS tools so you spend less on plugins and more on growth. Ready to design faster and smarter? Go to wix.com/studio to get started. From Struggling Freelancer to Sustainable Agency Growth After a short stint in an agency at age 22, Charlie tried to go solo before realizing he didn't yet know how to grow a business. He assumed he could do it on his own and quickly learned he wasn't ready yet. Instead of quitting, he got a job as a Digital Marketing Manager, where he could make mistakes, learn operations, and understand what actually works inside a business. Moving to Barcelona created the perfect environment for momentum. His one-month stay turned into ten years after he landed several clients within weeks. His first retainer was €500 a month, which he laughs about now, but he admits it took years before he learned how to price correctly and move away from low-margin retainers. Those early years were full of trial and error, but the big breakthrough was realizing that charging more wasn't always the key to profit. Charging smarter was. Real Profit Lives in the Middle, Not the Top One of the strongest lessons Charlie learned was that bigger retainers did not equal bigger profit. Working with enterprise clients, he saw they could easily squeeze margins, the team would end up over-delivering, and on top of it all, payment terms were a nightmare. After years, he realized these clients often cost the agency money when the team over-delivered just to keep them happy. By contrast, the clients who had been with him since the early days, the ones paying between three and six thousand per month, were the most profitable and the most loyal. They bought the same deliverables. They stayed for years. And they matched the agency's internal processes beautifully. Once he realized this, he moved to intentionally pursuing that sweet spot. Not the five figure monthly retainers or the cut rate ones. The predictable, operationally aligned middle where the team can deliver consistently and profitably. For Charlie, this changed everything from sales cycle speed to team alignment to lifetime value. Internal Productization: The System that 3X Efficiency Many agencies think productization means selling rigid packages that make you look less strategic. Charlie took the opposite approach. Internally, his team adopted highly productized systems, templates, and SOPs. They knew exactly what to do for a three thousand dollar client versus a six thousand dollar one, and how much effort each one required. Externally, the offer still looked consultative and customized. Clients saw a broad range of what could be included, but the delivery stayed tight behind the scenes. This improved profitability, gave the team clarity, and dramatically sped up onboarding. The biggest win? It eliminated the "start from scratch every time" problem that slows agencies down and kills margins. How Clear Pricing Transforms the Sales Cycle Before productization, Charlie would spend hours on proposals that often got ghosted. Once he added transparent pricing, clear expectations, and prequalification to the website, the right clients were self-selecting before the call even happened. By the time he spoke with them, they understood the price and the structure. Now he closes clients on the call or even through a single WhatsApp message. This is the power of clarity. It shortens cycles, reduces friction, and saves enormous amounts of time for a lean team. However, transparent pricing attracts budget mismatches, so Jason recommends removing pricing from agency's websites and switching to triage calls and the Foot-In-The-Door model. At the end of the day, there are a thousand ways to create a better sales process. What matters is that it filters, qualifies, and positions you as the advisor. Why a Paid Discovery Offer Builds Trust and Prevents Ghosting Both Charlie and Jason agree that a small, paid upfront engagement solves the biggest challenge in agency sales. Trust. SEO agencies in particular fight an uphill battle here. The barrier to entry is low. There are thousands of one-person shops. Many prospects have been burned before. A small paid engagement builds confidence, shows value quickly, and prevents ghosting. The Foot-in-the-Door offer should be simple, done live with the client, and designed to build the relationship. Not overloaded with deliverables that overwhelm the client and make them feel uneducated. When done right, it leads naturally into a larger project and then a retainer. Charlie's Kickstart product functions the same way. For eight hundred dollars, clients get quick wins and clarity. It works because it gives prospects a safe way to test the relationship and because it positions the agency as a trusted advisor instead of a vendor chasing a proposal. How AI Forced a New Level of Adaptability in SEO Agencies Charlie admitted that two years ago he felt bored with SEO. Then AI exploded. Search interfaces changed. Clicks shifted. And suddenly the industry was moving faster than ever. For many agencies, this uncertainty created fear. For Charlie, it sparked energy. He leaned back in, started speaking at events, ran experiments on AI search, and brought a fresh curiosity back to himself and his team. He described the past year as a sink-or-swim moment for agencies. The ones who coasted struggled. The ones who adapted thrived. Lean teams with solid systems could move faster and deliver more value. In his words, being nimble is now a competitive advantage. Figuring out AI reignited his passion in the business but it was far too much to tackle alone. This is why agency owners should have a community to lean on to try to figure out changes in the industry. Your network will determine your speed of growth. Agency owners who surround themselves with peers sharing what works and what fails will survive the next wave of industry change. The ones who go alone will struggle. 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
Despite the shocking voicemail that surfaced earlier this week from Kelly Dodd attacking daughter Jolie, Miss Vicki Gunvalson is out in these streets asking for Ms. Dodd's return to RHOC. Heather Dubrow says that's a wrap and that she looks forward to Season 20, but Tamra remains very confused about many things surrounding Season 19 and we cannot say we blame her. Regardless of the reconciliation heard round the world, Teresa still has one major hurdle to overcome if she wants to ever return to RHONJ… Luis Ruelas. Last, but not least, rumors and nastiness surface yet again that NBC is over all the lawsuits, liabilities and cost and wants to end all Housewives soon. Plus, we share an unedited Part III of everyone's shady AF questions from our live show to which we cannot plead the fifth. @behindvelvetrope @davidyontef Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
#665: If you've ever stared at an insurance quote and wondered, “Is this really worth it?”, you're not alone. Liability and umbrella policies can feel like an expensive mystery, especially when your net worth is growing and your risks are shifting. In today's episode, we dig into a listener's dilemma about soaring liability and umbrella insurance costs, and we explore how to think clearly about protection, exposure, and the parts of your portfolio that may already be shielded. Along the way, we unpack how shifting household risks, driver ages, and asset location change the insurance strategy year by year. From there, we take questions about Roth choices, future tax brackets, and whether it's worth giving up investment flexibility to build a stronger tax triangle. These conversations get to the heart of how we balance risk, taxes, and long-term planning in the FI journey. Listener Questions in This Episode Andy asks: How can I protect my $2 million net worth without paying nearly $950 a month for increased auto, home, and umbrella coverage, especially with a teenage driver in the mix? (01:47) Mike asks: Given our high current tax bracket and expected lower tax rate in retirement, does contributing to a Roth still make sense for us? (25:50) Cindy asks: Should I move my rollover IRA into my new 401(k) so I can start doing backdoor Roth contributions, even if the investment choices are more limited? (39:47) Key Takeaways Sometimes the question isn't “umbrella or nothing,” it's “what risk am I truly trying to insure, and for how long,” especially when a teenage driver temporarily changes the household risk profile. You already may have more asset protection than you think. Retirement accounts and primary residences often carry their own layers of protection, which influences how much liability insurance you actually need. The Roth decision hinges less on math in isolation and more on your likely future earnings, work style, and appetite for locking in today's tax rates. Building a balanced tax triangle gives you flexibility later, especially when future tax rates are unknowable and retirement timing is uncertain. Backdoor Roths can be powerful, but only when the tradeoff between investment choice and long-term tax flexibility makes sense for your goals and timeline. Related Episode: Episode 649: Umbrella insurance deep dive Chapters Note: Timestamps are approximate and may vary greatly across listening platforms due to dynamically inserted ads. (00:00) Offense versus defense and setting up today's questions (01:47) Andy asks about protecting a $2 million net worth (12:00) What's already protected and how coverage layers work (17:00) Managing short-term risk when a teenager starts driving (29:50) Mike asks whether high earners should prioritize Roth contributions (35:07) How career trajectory and future tax rates shape Roth logic ( 45:54) Building a balanced tax triangle (47:47) Cindy asks about using a backdoor Roth to shift her tax triangle ( 52:10) Tradeoffs of moving an IRA into a 401k (54:06) How long Roth dollars need to grow to matter Share this episode with a friend, colleagues, your tax advisor: https://affordanything.com/episode665 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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