Agency Bytes is a podcast for owners of creative, marketing, and advertising agencies that packs a ton of important agency information on one topic, from one expert into a 25-minute brief. Why 25 minutes? Because who has the attention span for much more these days, and you can squeeze in a listen between meetings with time for a bathroom break or coffee refill before your next meeting. Agency Bytes is brought to you by Steve Guberman from Agency Outsight. Steve is a 20-year agency veteran who works as a business coach for agencies around the country. He coaches owners of branding, marketing, design, and PR agencies to conquer their goals and overcome their challenges. Learn more about Agency Outsight at www.agencyoutsight.com
Episodes
Friday Mar 03, 2023
Friday Mar 03, 2023
Featuring: Jenny De Witt, Rebranded Media
In this episode, Jenny and I talk about how an agency owner can benefit from being a digital nomad and what that means for their perspective on business and life. Jenny joined me from Argentina and talked about how her agency is going through a metamorphosis from focusing on web 2.0 technology and marketing and moving into web 3 solutions for their clients and how you can bring web 3 solutions to your clients.
Jennifer De Witt is a communication design pioneer who got her start on the web by building physical computer networks at the University of Georgia. Since that time she has made it her mission to be at the forefront of new media and emerging technology such as website design, social media, and live video.
She holds a Master's in Instructional Design and combines her experience as an educator, strategist, designer, and internet marketer to build exceptional customer experience (CX) environments.
She is currently in Buenos Aires and heads up a fully remote collective of professionals dedicated to building the future of the web.
Connect with Jenny at rebrandedmedia.com.
Friday Feb 17, 2023
Friday Feb 17, 2023
Featuring: Mike Graham, Second Melody
In this episode, I chat with Mike about the evolution his agency, Second Melody, has taken in the 17 years it’s existed. We cover things like when to let an employee go, fighting the niche, saying no to clients, elevating employees as a leader, and the competitive nature of an agency owner.
Mike Graham is the founder and CEO of Second Melody, a branding studio working with organizations to uncover the accurate, ownable, and inclusive narratives that help tell their stories and drive growth.
Connect with Mike and listen to his mix tape at www.secondmelody.com.
Thursday Feb 02, 2023
Thursday Feb 02, 2023
Featuring: Ken Jacobs, Jacobs Consulting & Executive Coaching
In this episode, Ken and I got to talk about the difference between being an owner and a true leader, how to lead and inspire in times of uncertainty, how transparent leads can or should be, and the differences between consulting, training, and coaching. We also tried really hard to remember the name of the book Ken was reading at the time of the recording. The book is "Give and Take. Why Helping Others Drives Our Success." by Adam Grant.
Ken Jacobs is the principal of Jacobs Consulting & Executive Coaching, which helps empower PR and communications leaders and executives to become more effective leaders. It does so via executive coaching.
His company also helps agencies grow business, manage for profitability, improve client service, and enhance team performance, communications and leadership skills, via training and consulting.
Prior to launching his companies, Jacobs spent 25 years in management and leadership positions with a number of PR agencies, including Ogilvy & Mather PR, Marina Maher (pronounced “Mar” like “Star!”) communications, Maloney & Fox, and Lippe Taylor.
Jacobs discusses leadership with some of the PR and communications industry’s most respected leaders via “Taking the Lead,” his quarterly leadership column in PRSA’s Strategies & Tactics, and the similarly named video podcast on his website and YouTube channel.
He's a regular presenter at PRSA Counselors Academy and various PRSA chapters. He loves living “Down The Shore” in Asbury Park, New Jersey. No Bruce sightings yet.
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
Featuring: Lee McKnight Jr, RSW/US
In this episode, Lee and I talked a lot about how business development for agencies has evolved, what agencies can be doing to deepen their relationships and pipeline, some of the systems they could be using, and ways to differentiate themselves from other agencies. We also talked about the economics and logistics of keeping business development efforts in-house vs. outsourcing.
Lee McKnight Jr. is the Vice President of Sales for RSW/US in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are a new business development firm that works solely with agencies, PR, and marketing services firms. Lee earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Kentucky and JD from Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama. After graduating from law school, he worked for an internet healthcare start-up in Nashville until the bubble burst in 2000.
Fast forward through some interesting marketing and sales positions to RSW/US where Lee has worked with agencies of all types to help drive their new business efforts. Married with two children, he’s a big fan of history, comics and horror novels, and plays in a few bands in Louisville and Cincinnati when time permits.
Connect with Lee at www.rswus.com or via email.
Friday Jan 06, 2023
Friday Jan 06, 2023
Featuring: Jamie Hawk, Altitude Operations
In today’s episode, Jamie and I dug into the need for agencies to solidify their project management systems, what’s needed for an agency owner to really scale their operations, how and why to charge for project management, and the key differences between project management and account management. Having recently brought her husband into her company, we also spent some time talking about the benefits and ways to navigate successfully working with your spouse.
Altitude Operations is a fractional COO and project management company that focuses on helping marketing agencies grow and scale by removing agency owners from the day-to-day allowing them to focus on bringing in sales.
Thursday Dec 22, 2022
Thursday Dec 22, 2022
Featuring: Lou Kotsinis, BCS Interactive
In this episode, Lou and I spoke a lot about how his agency, BCS Interactive really digs into their niche industry of non-profits and the services they provide them. Lou brought us into the secret ingredient of his agency and how they lead with this ingredient to make bigger impacts for their clients. We talked about some of the tools and systems his team relies on for their success as a fully remote agency.
Lou Kotsinis is co-founder and CEO of BCS Interactive, a digital agency that works exclusively with nonprofit and educational organizations, focusing on the areas of impact, awareness, and efficiency.
Tuesday Dec 06, 2022
Tuesday Dec 06, 2022
Featuring: Kelly Campbell, Conscious Leadership Coach
In this episode, I got the opportunity to talk with someone who has truly impacted my current career and to who I’m just so grateful in many ways. To many, Kelly would be seen as a direct competitor, but the truth is, I’d be honored to lose a client to her. And, I’d recommend anyone who can work with her, should. All that to say, we talked a lot about her amazing coaching style, what lead her to this season of her career, what the exit from her agency looked like from an emotional decision-making standpoint, and how she’s helping make a global ripple effect in the consciousness leadership space.
After 14 years of starting, scaling and selling my own digital agency in New York, I love helping other agency leaders do the same. I work with established agencies in the creative and tech industries, typically from just under $1MM to $10+MM in annual revenue, looking to transform and committed to investing in themselves and the healthy growth of their organization. As a Conscious Leadership Coach, I take a unique and holistic approach to helping agencies level-up—and helping CEOs define the life they want to live. From first-hand experience I understand that agency ownership transcends numbers; it’s a journey that can be an emotional roller coaster or lead to a spiritual awakening. Usually both.
Before establishing Agency Growth Consultant LLC, I founded a digital marketing agency in 2003 (sold in 2016)—which was the recipient of several national and international awards for creative excellence and web technology innovation. I also founded a holistic health and wellness company in 2007 (sold in 2011), to educate consumers and help practitioners gain online visibility, as well as to increase enrollment at related educational programs across the United States.
Prior to these entrepreneurial successes, I served as Art Director for an international e-learning platform, Art Director for the web technology division of a financial services firm, and Graphic Designer for a branding and advertising firm. I am the IA & SEO Consultant to Facebook, and have been a consultant to dozens of nonprofits and creative agencies across the country, as well as organizations in the science, education, printing, publishing, luxury goods, manufacturing, distribution, entertainment, healthcare, wellness and technology industries.
I was trained by Al Gore and the Climate Reality Project as a Climate Reality Leader. I’m a proud graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, a member of the Forbes Business Council, and a writer for Forbes.com, as well as a volunteer with Soup Angels soup kitchen in Nyack, NY—serving those among the homeless, working poor, or living with mental or behavioral challenges.
Connect with Kelly on her website, on Consciousness Leaders, or grab her agency growth book.
Monday Nov 28, 2022
Monday Nov 28, 2022
Featuring: Lisa Cunningham, Treehouse Marketing
In this episode, Lisa and I solved every agency’s project management and systems challenges. But really, we just explored some of their challenges, discussed a few amazing solutions, and why now, more than ever, the right tools and procedures are needed to help agencies win.
Lisa has been managing marketing projects in agencies and corporate marketing departments for more than 12 years and now serves agencies as Project Management and Operations consultant. She provides audits and system builds for small to medium-sized agencies that are booked with client work but require assistance in setting up or strengthening their systems as they scale.