The Agency Growth Podcast

[Cold open [The Problem With ChatGPT Ads.] ends at 07:03.] Your agency already has a brand voice, even if you’ve never defined it. We learned this when a team member published the first Evergrow blog post that Cody or Jake didn’t write. The article was solid, but it didn’t sound like us. That exposed a problem many agency owners eventually face: once content and client communication move beyond the founders, the team needs more direction than “keep it casual.” In this episode, we talk about defining a voice around your clients, company values, and the way your team actually communicates. We also explain why reviewing work together matters, especially when you’re training newer employees. The goal isn’t to make everyone sound identical, but to give them clear boundaries and room to contribute. We also break down how objective writing standards can make editing less subjective. If your agency is delegating content, emails, or social media, this is the groundwork that keeps the brand consistent as the team grows. ----- MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE: Article: Data Reveals ChatGPT Ads Not Performing https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/417528/data-reveals-chatgpt-ads-not-performing.html ----- PREMIUM: Join the Patreon and get exclusive content from this episode with more in-depth advice and hours of bonus content each month: https://www.agencygrowthpodcast.com/premium ----- RESOURCES: Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here: https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools ----- NEWSLETTER Want the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter! https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter ----- COMMUNITY Looking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD ----- CONTACT Got something to say? Send us a message: https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact

In this episode, we talk about why the right .com can be worth pursuing as your agency grows. It will not instantly bring in more leads, but it can change how established and credible your business feels. That matters when you are building a real company instead of chasing short-term revenue. We walk through how to find the owner of a taken domain, determine what it may actually be worth, and complete the purchase without hiring a broker. The most important part is deciding what you are willing to pay before the negotiation starts. Cody also shares how he bought a domain listed for a few thousand dollars for just $230. It is a good reminder that an asking price is only an asking price, and that domain acquisition could become another useful service your agency offers clients. ----- MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE: Inside the Castello Brothers Smoothie Move Into Fractional Ownership of Domain Names Article: https://www.dnjournal.com/articles/2026/smoothie/doma.htm Book recommendation: "Never Split the Difference" by Chris Voss How to get in touch with the domain owner? lookup.icann.org Premium domain negotiating toolbox: Estibot.com Escrow.com ----- PREMIUM: Join the Patreon and get exclusive content from this episode with more in-depth advice and hours of bonus content each month: https://www.agencygrowthpodcast.com/premium ----- RESOURCES: Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here: https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools ----- NEWSLETTER Want the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter! https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter ----- COMMUNITY Looking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD ----- CONTACT Got something to say? Send us a message: https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact

We sat down with Emily Bowie from Thorne Advisors to talk about the boring, unsexy side of tax strategy and fixing broken agency pricing. Most agency owners lump tax prep in with basic bookkeeping and ignore real strategy until Uncle Sam takes a massive chunk of their profit. Emily breaks down why tax strategy starts making sense around the $100k net mark, how S-Corp elections factor into the mix, and how to handle reasonable compensation to stay off the IRS audit list. It comes down to understanding your actual cash flow instead of guessing your way through payroll. We also talk about the operational leaks that make agencies look profitable on paper while the bank account tells a completely different story. From miscalculating labor rates to ignoring true overhead, scope creep silently eats away at your capacity to take on better work. Emily breaks down how one agency lost $120,000 just by failing to factor true delivery costs into their proposals. If you want to stop bleeding cash on bad proposals and keep more of what you earn, listen to the episode and share your thoughts in the comments. ----- MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE: Follow Emily: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyvbowie/ Thorne Advisors: www.thorneadvisors.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thorneadvisors/ 5 Cash Leaks and 5 Missed Tax Deductions: https://www.thorneadvisors.com/cashleaks ----- PREMIUM: Join the Patreon and get exclusive content from this episode with more in-depth advice and hours of bonus content each month: https://www.agencygrowthpodcast.com/premium ----- RESOURCES: Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here: https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools ----- NEWSLETTER Want the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter! https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter ----- COMMUNITY Looking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD ----- CONTACT Got something to say? Send us a message: https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact

[Cold open [Moving to Tampa, podcast camera shaming, and getting called "AI slop" on Reddit.] ends at 12:43.] Account management might be the hardest agency skill to teach. We’re moving two experienced strategists into formal account management roles, and the hard part is not SEO, PPC, or reporting. It is learning how to communicate strategy, understand the history behind the numbers, and know when a client email needs 30 seconds or 30 minutes. Those soft skills carry more weight than most agency owners realize. We break down the difference between client services, account management, and account executives, plus what each role actually requires. A strong account manager needs more than likability. They need strategy, organization, communication, industry knowledge, and a clear understanding of where they can push back. If clients are used to working with the owner, handing off accounts takes more than changing the name on an email thread. You need to build trust, stay involved, and give the new account manager time to prove they can handle the relationship. Until that happens, stepping away from the agency can cost you clients and recurring revenue. ----- PREMIUM: Join the Patreon and get exclusive content from this episode with more in-depth advice and hours of bonus content each month: https://www.agencygrowthpodcast.com/premium ----- RESOURCES: Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here: https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools ----- NEWSLETTER Want the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter! https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter ----- COMMUNITY Looking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD ----- CONTACT Got something to say? Send us a message: https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact

We sat down with Jasmine Sotiropoulos to talk about the reality of undercharging, learning how to sell services, and niching down without torching your main agency. Jasmine started like a lot of agency owners, taking cheap jobs on task sites, grinding nights and weekends, and saying yes to everything. Everything shifted when she stopped treating design like "making pretty things" and started learning how to communicate actual business value to her clients. That shift in communication allowed her to step away from low-ticket work and start closing $10,000+ branding projects. We also talk about how she launched a second agency entity to capitalize on founder-led branding without trapping her original business in a single box. Plus, she breaks down why she skips lazy automation for personal voice memos and chooses tech stacks that make client handoffs painless. If you are stuck undercharging or terrified of making the wrong strategic pivot, this conversation offers a grounded look at the boring work behind building a real business. Check it out and let us know what you think. ----- MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE: Contact Jasmine: LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasmine-sotiropoulos/ ReWorded: https://www.reworded.com.au Red Bow House: https://www.redbowhouse.com ----- PREMIUM: Join the Patreon and get exclusive content from this episode with more in-depth advice and hours of bonus content each month: https://www.agencygrowthpodcast.com/premium ----- RESOURCES: Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here: https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools ----- NEWSLETTER Want the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter! https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter ----- COMMUNITY Looking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD ----- CONTACT Got something to say? Send us a message: https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact