Advertise on podcast: Operation Agency Freedom - The #1 Podcast for Digital Agency Owners in North America

You’ve got big plans for your agency. You know you have the potential to have a big agency that gives you the life of your dreams - but you know there’s something you don’t know that is holding you back. You can feel it. We all hit plateaus in our businesses. It sucks, but it happens to the best of us. That's why in today's episode, I'm going to share with you the 4 things you must focus on every time you hit a plateau in your agency. So if you're interested in knowing how these four things can help you break through that plateau and take your business to new heights, then definitely listen to this podcast! Discussion Points: 00:00 Intro 02:47 Pillar #1: People 03:15 Pillar #2: Processes 03:40 Pillar #3: Training 04:40 Pillar #4: Profit 05:11 Sales 06:08 4 Pillars Recap 09:34 Final Thoughts 10:41 Outro   Resources:  Connect with DUDE on the following social channels  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dudeagency Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dudeagency.io/ Visit our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJxNhChWk1xlo3ZhkWtYnlw Check out our website and see how we can help you run a profitable agency https://dudeagency.io/   Get a hold of more podcast episodes through our website. You can also tune in and subscribe to Operation Agency Freedom on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Thank you for tuning in! 

We all know that good design leads to good business. But do you know how to make a successful design submission that will make both you and your designer happy? In today's episode, we're going to talk about the best practices when submitting a design project to a designer straight from our design team. I highly suggest you take notes because these best practices can save you 30 to 40 hours of production time a year. Can you imagine what you could've done with those hours? So if you have designers and want them to get your designs done smoothly and efficiently, leaving everyone satisfied with the process and the results, then this is an episode you should listen to! Discussion Points: 00:00 Intro 03:12 Tip #1: Determine the Type of Project that You Need 04:19 Tip #2: Get Information at the Beginning 07:09 Tip #3: Provide References 08:24 Tip #4: Remember to Give a Project Name 12:45 Tip #5: First Drafts 14:23 Final Thoughts 15:32 Outro Resources:  Connect with DUDE on the following social channels  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dudeagency Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dudeagency.io/ Visit our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJxNhChWk1xlo3ZhkWtYnlw Check out our website and see how we can help you run a profitable agency https://dudeagency.io/   Get a hold of more podcast episodes through our website. You can also tune in and subscribe to Operation Agency Freedom on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Thank you for tuning in! 

Giving gifts on top of the excellent service you deliver makes clients happy, and we all know that satisfied clients mean better chances for positively boosting your business.   In today's episode, I'm going to talk about everything you need to know about giving gifts to your clients. Think of gift ideas, the best places you could find gifts when to send them, how to schedule them out, and everything in between. So if you want to learn the best gift-giving tips so you can make a massive impact on how your clients perceive your appreciation of them, then definitely listen to this podcast! Discussion Points: 00:00 Intro 01:47 When to Give Gifts 04:08 Websites to Visit for Gifts 04:24 Website #1: brownies.com 05:12 Website #2: amazon.com 06:27 Website #3: flowers.com 07:14 Website #4: orientaltradingcompany.com 09:24 Ice Cream Parties 09:50 Website #5: qualitylogoproducts.com 10:52 Final Thoughts 11:18 Outro   Resources:  Connect with DUDE on the following social channels  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dudeagency Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dudeagency.io/ Visit our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJxNhChWk1xlo3ZhkWtYnlw Check out our website and see how we can help you run a profitable agency https://dudeagency.io/   Get a hold of more podcast episodes through our website. You can also tune in and subscribe to Operation Agency Freedom on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Thank you for tuning in! 

Every agency owner wants to have an amazing team that will help drive the business forward, but the question is, do you also have the amazing ability to lead this team?   For today's episode, I'm going to talk about something that's very important, and that is, the number one question you must be able to answer if you want to manage your team effectively. In today's day and age, your ability to lead will make or break your agency, and it's your responsibility to become the best leader that you can be. So if you feel like your team isn't performing at the level you expect them to perform at or if you want to build a world-class team for your business, then you absolutely need to listen to this episode!   Discussion Points: 00:00 Intro 03:29 Always Based on Facts Not Feelings 04:42 How Do You Measure If Your Team is Successful in Their Roles? 05:37 Look at The Completion Time 06:11 Pay Attention to The Number of Deliverables 06:55 Lead Your Team to Greatness 09:28 Final Thoughts 11:13 Outro   Resources:  Connect with DUDE on the following social channels  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dudeagency Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dudeagency.io/ Visit our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJxNhChWk1xlo3ZhkWtYnlw Check out our website and see how we can help you run a profitable agency https://dudeagency.io/   Get a hold of more podcast episodes through our website. You can also tune in and subscribe to Operation Agency Freedom on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Thank you for tuning in! 

All entrepreneurs and agency owners I know never want to make a bad hire and regret it later on. I'm sure I made every hiring mistake imaginable back in the day. But now that I've learned my lesson, I want you to avoid making the same costly mistakes I did.   In this episode, I'm going to share with you the top red flags you need to look out for when evaluating candidates.The things you're going to learn here could mean the difference between finding your dream employee or ending up with someone who is not a good fit for your company.   So if you're hiring or planning to hire new people and you want to learn the red flags to look out for in the interview process, then definitely listen to this podcast! Discussion Points:   00:00 Intro 02:51 First Managerial Experience 04:55 Never Hire Out of Desperation 05:24 Never Hire Someone Who Isn't Fit for the Job 07:05 Don't Rush the Process 07:48 Conduct a Phone Interview 09:16 Red Flag #1: Blaming 10:30 Red Flag #2: No Technical Knowledge and Experience 11:34 Red Flag #3: Not Providing Previous Work Experience 13:10 Red Flag #4: Being Defensive 14:29 Red Flag #5: Doesn't Want to Work with Other People 15:03 Red Flag #6: Unwillingness to Sacrifice for the Team 18:12 Recap and Final Thoughts 18:55 Outro   Resources:  Connect with DUDE on the following social channels  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dudeagency Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dudeagency.io/ Visit our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJxNhChWk1xlo3ZhkWtYnlw Check out our website and see how we can help you run a profitable agency https://dudeagency.io/ Get a hold of more podcast episodes through our website. You can also tune in and subscribe to Operation Agency Freedom on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Thank you for tuning in! 

One of the struggles of agency owners is training new team members after they've been hired. But did you know that there's a process you can implement to get your new hire to speed quickly so they can start contributing to your agency right away? In today's episode, I'm going to share with you a very simple framework to train your new team members that have been proven to work time and again. So if you're hiring people right now or if you have team members that you feel like you haven't yet gotten the most out of, then this is definitely an episode that you're going to want to listen to!   Discussion Points: 00:00 - Introduction 04:58 - The Indoctrinization Period 08:24 - The Leveling-up Period 10:45 - Benefits of Slowing Down 11:32 - Introducing to Respective Team Leaders 13:18 - List out Criterias for Hierarchies 15:19 - What Should Take Place in 90 days 16:11 - Find the Best People Possible 17:46 - Recap 19:11 - Outro Resources:  Connect with DUDE on the following social channels  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dudeagency Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dudeagency.io/ Visit our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJxNhChWk1xlo3ZhkWtYnlw Check out our website and see how we can help you run a profitable agency https://dudeagency.io/ Get a hold of more podcast episodes through our website. You can also tune in and subscribe to Operation Agency Freedom on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Thank you for tuning in!

Struggling to grow your agency into a 7-figure or even a multiple 7-figure business? Last month, I attended an in-person mastermind out in Miami and I got to sit and talk with a lot of agency folks who run 7-figure and even multiple 7-figure agencies. And guess what? In today's episode, I'm going to share with you the top 5 takeaways or the top 5 things that are common with these agencies that made their business profitable and successful. So if you're struggling to get to a 7-figure mark or you want to figure out what tweaks you need to make in your agency so that you can get to 7-figures, multiple 7-figures and 8-figures, then you definitely want to listen to this episode! Discussion Points: 00:00 Intro 04:23 Top 5 Common Traits of 7-figure Agencies 05:05 Trait  #1: Niching 07:22 Trait  #2: Productization 09:14 Trait  #3: Ad Budget 12:07 Trait  #4: Investing in Better People 13:25 Trait  #5: The Scaling 15:05 Trait  #6: Bridge, Connect, and Deliver 17:00 Outro Resources:  Connect with DUDE on the following social channels  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dudeagency Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dudeagency.io/ Visit our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJxNhChWk1xlo3ZhkWtYnlw Check out our website and see how we can help you run a profitable agency https://dudeagency.io/ Get a hold of more podcast episodes through our website. You can also tune in and subscribe to Operation Agency Freedom on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Thank you for tuning in!

Do you want to learn what science considers the success factors of businesses? In the episode, Darryl Urbanski shares the outstanding research they've done about habit building and performance optimization that could help individuals skyrocket their business success. We also talk about what motivated him to do the study, the team of researchers behind it, the tools they've used, and the excellent results they got from it. If you're interested to learn the 8 habits you need to focus on so you and your agency can thrive successfully, then you're going to want to listen to this episode!   Discussion Points: 00:00 Intro 04:22 Discovering What Daryl's Life Purpose Is 06:10 Daryl's Digital Marketing Background and Experience 08:19 Daryl's Motivation in Doing the 8 Habits Study 11:09 Putting Up Daryl's Team 13:07 Habit No. 1: Self-efficacy 13:30 Authoritative Tools and Measurements Used 16:35 8 Common Habits of Success 17:45 Habit No. 2: Strategic Planning 18:01 Habit No. 3: Market Intelligence 18:30 Habit No. 4&5: Marketing Strategy, Sales Strategy and Skills 18:51 Habit No. 6: Money Management 19:10 Habit No. 7: Business Operations 19:34 Habit No. 8: Business Intelligence 19:56 Biggest Challenges that Agency Owners Face 22:37 How The 8 Habits of Success Can Help Make it Easier 28:02 How to Get Access to the 8 Habits study 29:01 The Perfect Person to Start on  The Study 33:16 Final Thoughts 33:48 Outro Resources:  Connect with DUDE on the following social channels  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dudeagency Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dudeagency.io/ Visit our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJxNhChWk1xlo3ZhkWtYnlw Check out our website and see how we can help you run a profitable agency https://dudeagency.io/ Reach out to Daryl Urbanski through Facebook https://www.facebook.com/daryl.urbanski Instagram https://www.instagram.com/skillsforsuccess/?hl=en Twitter https://twitter.com/DarylUrbanski?s=20&t=RLMN6768Bd1mUCX041CvOA Get a hold of more podcast episodes through our website. You can also tune in and subscribe to Operation Agency Freedom on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Thank you for tuning in

Do you want to know one of the most important things that helped me grow my business and hugely impacted my life? In today's episode, I'm going to talk about a very sensitive topic that I have never heard anybody talk about in the agency space and that is mental health. I'm certainly not perfect but I've made a conscious effort to work on my mental health and now, I want to share with you what has worked for me. If you're an agency owner or an entrepreneur dealing with difficult situations and you want to learn from someone like me who's been there in your shoes, then you're going to want to listen to this episode!    Discussion Points: 00:00 Intro 02:07 Statistics of People with Mental Health Disorders 05:55 How do Mental Health Disorders Impact Agency Management 07:01 Battling with Mental Health 10:01 Importance of Seeing a Therapist 11:50 How to Take Care of Your Mental Health 13:02 Meditating and Journaling 15:24 Going Back to Therapist 16:11 Moral of the Story 18:02 Final Thoughts 18:55 Outro   Resources:  Connect with DUDE on the following social channels  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dudeagency Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dudeagency.io/ Visit our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJxNhChWk1xlo3ZhkWtYnlw Check out our website and see how we can help you run a profitable agency https://dudeagency.io/ Get a hold of more podcast episodes through our website. You can also tune in and subscribe to Operation Agency Freedom on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Thank you for tuning in!

If everybody is looking for talent in the same location, then the labor rates will certainly go up due to supply and demand.  When I first started my digital agency my team was based in the Philippines. Eventually, I moved all my operations to Tijuana, Mexico, and it was an absolute game-changer. This is why I love finding talent in hidden places, especially Mexico and Latin America, because they are an untapped resources that not many digital agencies know about. If you’re an agency owner looking to grow your team, you’ll want to tune into this episode.   Discussion Points: 0:00 - Introduction  02:24 - Chris’s First Agency Back Story 08:35 - Untapped Talents in Mexico & Latin America 10:10 - Benefit #1: Cheaper Cost of Living = Less Expensive Wage 13:31 - Benefit #2: Workable Time Difference 15:11 - Benefit #3: No Language Barriers 17:19 - Benefit #4: Exceptional Work Ethics 19:36 - Benefit #5: U.S. Travel Convenience and Vice Versa 21:15 - Final Thoughts 21:50 - Outro Resources:  Connect with DUDE on the following social channels  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dudeagency Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dudeagency.io/ Visit our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJxNhChWk1xlo3ZhkWtYnlw Check out our website and see how we can help you run a profitable agency https://dudeagency.io/ Reach out to Kelly Gordon through Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kellybryn1  Get a hold of more podcast episodes through our website. You can also tune in and subscribe to Operation Agency Freedom on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Thank you for tuning in!

Between myself and other multi-agency owners like you, we can all agree that churn in the business is an issue. Low churn rate, and client cancellations, are typical for those who break several 7-figure rates. In today’s episode, I talk about all the things you can do to lower your churn rate and grow your agency.  So, if you’re looking to reduce those cancellations and fix your churn rate, you’re going to want to listen in.   Discussion Points: 00:00 - Intro 05:55 - How to Calculate Your Churn 07:26 - Cancellations That Agencies Can Control 09:52 - Reasons Why People Cancel Your Agency 09:56 - Reason #1: Having the Wrong Expectations 12:15 - Reason #2: The Client Doesn’t Trust You 15:45 - Reason #3: Clients Are Not Getting Results 17:26 - How to Fix Churn Problems 21:30 - Outro   Resources:  Connect with DUDE on the following social channels  Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/dudeagency)  Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/dudeagency.io/)  Visit our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJxNhChWk1xlo3ZhkWtYnlw)  Register for live trainings on running a profitable agency (https://dudeagency.io/)  Check out our website and see how we can help you run a profitable agency https://dudeagency.io/

Agency owners are notorious for not paying themselves enough. They can also struggle to scale their business and incomes, whilst continuing to serve their clients at the same time. I chat with Robert Craven, managing director of The Directors’ Centre and founder of GYDA Initiative, and we uncover his unique, innovative strategy for assisting agencies in effectively scaling their businesses. If you’re an agency owner looking for the answer to make your agency profitable and grow massively, you’ll want to tune into this episode. Discussion Points: 0:00 Introduction  02:25 - Robert’s Background Story 04:06 - Robert's Motivator to Help Agency Owners 06:28 - Robert’s Long-term Strategy for Agency Owners 08:08 - Strategy #1: Give Yourself A Performance Rating 08:32 - Strategy #2: Determine Your Purpose 09:31 - Strategy #3: Set Your Goals 09:53 - Strategy #4: Mark Your Milestones 10:07 - Strategy #5: The “Devil’s Pawn" 10:22 - Strategy #6: Map Out Your Plan 14:16 - Agency Owners Having Difficulties to Change their Strategy 15:44 - Hidden Traps that Keeping Agency Owners get to the Next Level 20:17 - Roleplay Scenario: The 90-day Fix for an Agency Owner 31:00 - 'My Best Year Yet’ Process 32:17 - Final Thoughts and Insights 33:27 - Outro   Resources:  Connect with DUDE on the following social channels  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dudeagency Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dudeagency.io/ Visit our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJxNhChWk1xlo3ZhkWtYnlw Check out our website and see how we can help you run a profitable agency https://dudeagency.io/ Reach out to Robert Craven through: Website: https://robert-craven.com/ and www.GYDAinitiative.com  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robert.craven1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/robert_craven YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/RobertCraven  About the Guest:  Robert Craven is one of the UK's best-known and sought-after speakers on entrepreneurship and innovation. He is the go-to expert on growing digital agency businesses – in Q4 of 2016, he spoke to over 4,000 agencies from Sarajevo to Singapore, Athens to Amsterdam. He wrote best-selling books such as The Check-in Strategy Journal: Your Daily Tracker for Business and Personal Development, Customer Is King, Grow Your Digital Agency, GYDA Initiative – Strategy Workbook, etc. Get a hold of more podcast episodes through our website. You can also tune in and subscribe to Operation Agency Freedom on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Thank you for tuning in!