Agency Journey  By  cover art

Agency Journey

By: Jakub Grajcar and Gray MacKenzie
  • Summary

  • How do world-class agencies continue to grow profitably and hit their goals, even through the choppy waters and challenges of agency life? How do leaders like Tiffany Sauder, Marcus Sheridan, Jay Acunzo, Shama Hyder, David C. Baker, Nikole Rose, and Zeb Evans think? Join Agency Journey host Jakub Grajcar as he interviews agency operators and leaders to share insights, actionable tips, and hilarious stories from the builders who live in the agency trenches. Each episode focuses on crucial aspects of growing an agency like building the right team, delegation, project management, client success and retention, and operating frameworks like EOS. Brought to you by ZenPilot: we help lead your agency through the final project management implementation you’ll ever need. Book a call to learn more at ZenPilot.com/Call. Don’t forget to rate + follow the podcast if you enjoyed it!
    © 2024 ZenPilot
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Episodes
  • Gray vs. AI: Client Success Strategies Based on Hard-Won Experience
    May 3 2024

    In this episode, Kuba generates a list of client success tips using AI—and Gray critiques them and goes way deeper based on his hard-won experience in the agency space.


    Episode Insights:


    💡 Understanding client goals is crucial for improving client success. Ask questions and listen carefully to their answers to gain a deeper understanding.

    💡 Regular communication is key. Set clear expectations around how and when you'll communicate with clients, and provide updates on progress and challenges.

    💡 Be proactive in identifying and preventing issues before they arise. Addressing problems openly and honestly builds trust with clients.

    💡 Personalize the experience by treating each client as unique and customizing services to fit their specific needs. Show that you are paying attention and value their individuality.

    💡 Clarity is kindness. Be clear and firm in setting expectations and communicate openly when issues arise.


    Resourced Mentioned:


    🌐 ZenPilot: https://www.zenpilot.com/?utm_source=youtube.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-293-gray-vs-ai-client-success-tips

    🌐 Gray’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graymackenzie/

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    Brought to you by ZenPilot, ClickUp’s #1 Solutions Partner with 2,700+ agency ops makeovers under our belt.


    📕 Read our in-depth, 8000-word How to Use ClickUp Guide: https://www.zenpilot.com/blog/how-to-use-clickup?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-293-gray-vs-ai-client-success-tips


    👉 Don’t forget to follow and rate us on your preferred podcast platforms. We’re also on YouTube: @ZenPilot

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    30 mins
  • Mentorship, Global Talent, Golden Handcuffs, and Hunters vs Farmers with Kasim Aslam
    Apr 25 2024
    “All of my successes massively outpace my capabilities. Like when you meet me, you're like, ‘I can't believe that guy did all the shit that he did’. Because I look homeless and I'm not really as bright as I pretend to be. I'm not self-deprecating—it's a fact. My success outpaces my capability because I found other people that were more capable than me."Kasim Aslam is the CEO of Solutions 8, co-founder of Driven Mastermind, and co-host of the Perpetual Traffic podcast. He has built four multi-million dollar agencies and had two exits, one of which was an eight-figure deal. Kasim's success in the agency world, particularly in the Google Ads space, and his ability to scale businesses with minimal initial capital make him an impressive figure in the industry.He’s also one of the most energetic and insightful guests this podcast has seen thus far.This episode of Agency Journey will be a perfect listen for agency owners and entrepreneurs looking to remove themselves from the business, identify and keep their most valuable team members, and build the mindset that will take your operation to the next level.Kasim shared a whirlwind of inspiration, including but not limited to: the crucial differences between employees (farmers) and entrepreneurs (hunters); the power of offering equity to top performers; the importance of hiring people who can outperform you in their roles; and the benefits of seeking out hard challenges for personal and professional growth.Episode Insights:💡 Seeking a business mentor can provide valuable guidance and support in personal and professional growth.💡 Asking for help is essential and should not be seen as a sign of weakness. But you need to be humble and willing to do the hard work for others to decide to help you.💡 Seek out hard things for the sake of doing hard things.💡 People are the most important aspect of agency operations and can be the key differentiator in a competitive market. Incentivize and retain peak performers by offering profit share equity.💡 Surround yourself with people who are smarter and more capable than you in their respective roles to build a successful agency.💡 AI is a force multiplier of people—which can be both good and bad, making people even more important in business.💡 Understand that employees (farmers) and entrepreneurs (hunters) have different motivations and expectations, and build your business model accordingly.💡 Tying employee compensation directly to their output and the value they bring to the agency can help balance growth and profitability.💡 Success often outpaces an individual's capabilities because of the power of finding and cultivating talented people.Resourced Mentioned:📚 "No Locked Doors" by Gregory Smith📚 "You Versus Google" by Kasim Aslam📚 "Driven" by Douglas Brackmann and Randy Kelley🏢 Driven Mastermind, co-founded by Kasim Aslam: https://drivenmastermind.com/?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-292-kasim-aslam🏢 Solutions 8, Kasim's agency that he recently sold: https://sol8.com/?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-292-kasim-aslam🏢 Pareto Talent, Kasim's new venture focused on finding and training executive assistants and other roles for entrepreneurs🎙️ Perpetual Traffic, co-hosted by Kasim Aslam: https://perpetualtraffic.com/?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-292-kasim-aslam👤 Gregory Smith, Kasim's long-time business mentor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory1/👤 Erik Huberman, founder of Hawke Media https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikhuberman/LikeSubscribeHit the bellLeave a commentSay something nice to your neighborFollow+rate us on podcast platformsAnd don’t forget to floss!----------------------------------About ZenPilot:As ClickUp's first and highest-rated solutions partner, we've helped over 2,700 agencies streamline their operations in ClickUp. 📕 Get our ultimate "How to Use" ClickUp guide: https://www.zenpilot.com/clickup-guide?utm_source=youtube.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-292-kasim-aslam🥇 Learn why ZenPilot is ClickUp's highest-rated solutions partner: https://www.zenpilot.com/clickup-consultant-and-highest-rated-partner?utm_source=youtube.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-292-kasim-aslam💰 Uncover which clients, projects, and services are most profitable for your business with ZenPilot reports: https://www.zenpilot.com/agency-profitability-and-utilization-reporting?utm_source=youtube.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-292-kasim-aslam----------------------------------⚡️ Want to see how your agency operations stack up against 2,000 other firms? take the 20-question benchmark: https://tools.zenpilot.com/pm-benchmark/?utm_source=youtube.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-292-kasim-aslam📕 Download the 47-page guide on how to implement ClickUp for agencies: https://www.zenpilot.com/how-to-implement-clickup-for-agencies?utm_source=youtube.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=...
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    42 mins
  • Crafting a Winning Hiring Process for Your Agency – Lessons Learned From Our Recent COO Recruitment
    Apr 17 2024

    “Candidate expectations have certainly accelerated. There's a difference today versus 10 years ago in terms of what people's expectations are and how fast other processes are going. And so moving quickly is an advantage in a hiring process—and figuring out how to move quickly without sacrificing on the process is a little bit of an art.”

    In this episode, our very own Gray McKenzie discusses the process of hiring the right people for an agency. He shares his recent experience of hiring an Integrator and COO for ZenPilot, and all the small and big decisions that shaped the recruitment process. Gray explains the hiring framework we followed, the stages of the hiring process, the approach towards sourcing and screening candidates, and much more.


    A great listen for anyone looking to expand their team—it will help you craft a fast process that surfaces the best talent and captures it before it goes off the market.

    Episode Insights:


    💡 Hiring the right people is crucial for agency growth and success.

    💡 “Who: the A Method for Hiring” is a framework that can help agencies find and hire the best candidates.

    💡 It’s important to promote your job postings selectively to have a higher quality pipeline.

    💡 Clear communication and transparency about the role and expectations are key in attracting the right candidates. Have a defined hiring process to provide clarity and confidence to both candidates and the hiring team.

    💡 Move quickly in the hiring process to meet candidate expectations and avoid losing top talent.

    💡 Reference checks are crucial to gather additional insights and validate a candidate's performance.

    💡 Group interviews can provide different perspectives and help candidates and team members build rapport.

    💡 Consider a co-working session as part of your hiring process to assess candidates in action.

    💡 Make connections with unsuccessful candidates to maintain positive relationships and potential future opportunities.

    Resourced Mentioned:


    🌐 ZenPilot

    🌐 Gray’s LinkedIn

    📚 "Who: The A Method for Hiring" by Geoff Smart and Randy Street

    📚 "Topgrading" by Bradford D. Smart

    ⚙️ EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System)

    🤝 EOS Self-Implementers Group

    ⚒️ Loom


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    Brought to you by ZenPilot, ClickUp’s #1 Solutions Partner with 2,700+ agency ops makeovers under our belt.


    📕 Get our free, 56-page ebook: "How to Use ClickUp – The Ultimate Guide":


    👉 Don’t forget to follow and rate us on your preferred podcast platforms. We’re also on YouTube: @ZenPilot



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    51 mins

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