The Agency Profit Podcast
40 Episodes
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Welcome to the Agency Profit Podcast hosted by Marcel Petitpas, CEO and Co-Founder of Parakeeto. Finally, an agency podcast that isn't JUST about getting more clients. On the show, we bring in experts, agency owners and consultants to share their actionable tips for improving profitability and operational efficiency. Here, you'll learn what systems to implement in your business, what kind of KPI's to track, and benchmarks to aim for. How to manage things like capacity, utilization, billing rates, processes and procedures, what tools to use, mistakes to avoid and so, so much more. If you're tired of putting out fires...
The Legal Risks of AI in Agency Work, With Sharon Toerek
#213
Today at 2:00 AM
Points of Interest
00:00 – 01:38 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes agency legal specialist Sharon Toerek, highlighting her long track record in the industry and setting the stage with a discussion about how quickly the agency world is changing.01:38 – 02:45 – Framing the AI Legal Conversation for Agencies: They position the core topic of the episode as the legal implications of AI adoption inside agencies, especially when serving enterprise clients with sensitive data and heightened risk concerns.02:45 – 05:03 – The Two Biggest AI Risk Buckets: IP and Data Privacy: Sharon identifies intellectual property and data privacy as the top two legal risk areas agencies must consider when using genera...Set Up to Fail, Even with Perfect Projects - Real Client Case Study, With Kristen Kelly
#212
12/17/2025
Points of Interest
00:02 – 01:49 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes Kristen back to the show and sets up another practical client case study focused on a real agency engagement.01:50 – 04:00 – The flex-labor, video production agency profile: Kristen outlines the agency’s model: a small FTE core, 10–20 contractors, just under $2M in revenue, and constant cash flow stress tied to contractor payments.04:01 – 06:21 – Why video production and events are so punishing for cash flow: Marcel explains how big production days and lumpy project work make earned revenue, contractor management, and cash flow especially tricky for this type of agency.05:05 – 07:16 – Growth, service-line complexity, and early unprofitability signals: Kristen des...The “Second Bite” Exit Strategy, With Todd Taskey
#211
12/10/2025
Points of Interest
00:00 – 01:30 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes M&A advisor Todd Taskey, who specializes in investment banking transactions for digital marketing agencies doing $1–5M in EBITDA.01:30 – 02:40 – What Investment Banking Actually Means for Agencies: Todd explains what “investment banking transactions” are in plain language, covering how his team guides owners from first conversations through closing and integration.02:40 – 06:30 – The “Second Bite” Thesis and Evolutionary Transactions: Todd introduces his “second bite” concept using real client stories, showing how selling part of an agency can be a strategic leap forward rather than the end of an owner’s journey.06:30 – 09:20 – Private Equity as Growth Partner, Not Villain: Marcel rai...The Definitive Guide to Improving Your Agency's Cash Flow, With Carson Pierce
#210
12/03/2025
Points of Interest
00:01 – 01:28 – Introduction: Marcel and Carson set up the focus of the episode on why cash flow deserves as much attention as profitability in agency businesses.01:28 – 03:31 – Two Extreme Cash Flow Scenarios: Carson shares real client examples of agencies with tight cash despite solid operations and others with healthy bank balances masking eroding profitability, highlighting why cash and profit are easy to confuse.03:31 – 07:35 – Cash Flow vs Profitability and the Accrual Lens: Marcel explains that cash flow and profitability are correlated but distinct, outlining how agencies can be profitable with poor cash flow or unprofitable with strong cash, and introduces t...How AI is Changing Web Design & Development, With Vito Peleg
#209
11/26/2025
Points of Interest
0:01 – 01:27 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes returning guest Vito Peleg, CEO of Atarim, and frames the conversation around how agencies can streamline creative collaboration and leverage AI to improve delivery efficiency and profitability.01:28 – 03:27 – From Touring Musician to Collaboration Software Founder: Vito shares his backstory as a touring musician building websites from a van, then running a web agency, and how constant friction getting clients to give timely, clear feedback led to the first version of Atarim as a WordPress plugin.03:27 – 06:46 – The True Cost of Collaboration on Delivery Timelines: Marcel highlights how reducing delivery time by 50–70% transforms profit and cash flow, and...Productized Services vs. Custom Work: Which One is Better?, With Kristen Kelly
#208
11/19/2025
Points of Interest
00:01 – 02:30 – Introduction: Marcel and Kristen introduce the episode’s focus on productized services versus custom work and set the expectation for a nuanced, non-dogmatic discussion for agencies.02:31 – 07:25 – Defining Productized Services & Common Misconceptions: Marcel defines productization as selling a clear outcome for a fixed price, explains that backend processes do not need to be identical every time, and debunks the idea that productized services must be rigid or factory-like.07:26 – 11:31 – Benefits of Productized Services for Sales and Operations: The hosts outline how productized services can shorten sales cycles, simplify proposals and contracts, standardize onboarding and delivery, and support more scalable...How to Improve Your Co-Founder Relationships, With Dr. Matthew Jones
#207
11/12/2025
Points of Interest
00:00 – Introduction: Marcel introduces Dr. Matthew Jones and frames the co-founder relationship as a critical driver of business health and day-to-day well-being.01:14 – Origin Story: Matt explains how mediating friends’ founder conflict revealed a gap between business coaching and psychological expertise for co-founders.02:20 – Why It’s Hard: The relationship requires a dual lens—operational structure and psychological dynamics—or teams get shortchanged.05:40 – Red Flag to Watch: Recurring disagreements usually mask unspoken emotional issues around power, recognition, or closeness that stall decisions.08:19 – Two Kinds of Trust: Matt distinguishes operational trust (competence) from personal trust (availability and attunement) as separate failure p...From Losing Money to Strong Profits-Real Client Case Study, With Carson Pierce
#206
11/05/2025
Points of Interest
00:00 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes recurring guest Carson Pierce to the Agency Profit Podcast and introduces a new format—walking through a real, anonymized client assessment to show how Parakeeto diagnoses and solves profitability challenges.02:00 – Every Agency’s Problems Are Unique but Familiar: Carson explains that while every agency’s situation feels unique, most share a few core underlying problems that manifest differently based on team structure, services, and culture.03:40 – Client Background: The featured firm had around 12 staff, close to $1M in revenue, but was losing roughly $80K per year. Despite solid demand, they couldn’t pinpoint the source of...The Future of AI Enabled Sales for Small Agencies, With Simo Lemandez
#205
10/29/2025
Points of Interest
00:00 – 00:39 – Introduction: Marcel introduces Simo Lemhandez, founder of Folk CRM, one of Europe’s fastest-growing SaaS startups recognized by Product Hunt.00:42 – 02:18 – Defining Folk CRM: Simo explains Folk’s mission to redefine CRM as an AI-native platform that centralizes all client touchpoints and automates busywork.02:21 – 04:20 – Origin Story: Simo shares how freelancing revealed the shortcomings of traditional CRMs and inspired him to build one that truly works for its users.04:31 – 07:26 – Product Philosophy: Folk deliberately focuses on small and mid-sized businesses (1–100 people) with a simple interface and complex backend automation.07:26 – 10:23 – Evolution of Go-to-Market: Simo outlines emerging trends: multichannel social selling, account-based mar...Optimizing Annual Planning for Agency Growth, With Kristen Kelly
#204
10/22/2025
Points of Interest
00:01 – 00:55 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes Kristen Kelly and frames Q4 as prime season for annual and quarterly planning, noting the high cost of leadership offsites demands clear outcomes.01:18 – 03:10 – Why Planning Feels Hard: Kristen cites common hurdles—turning history into forward plans, aligning stakeholders, and building forecasts that can flex with scenarios.01:55 – 03:47 – Frameworks Without Dogma: Marcel references EOS and Scaling Up, extracting shared essentials: look back, look forward, set a few priorities, and install a cadence.03:48 – 05:16 – From Ideas to Execution: Teams stall when models are rigid or fragmented and when revenue targets are arbitrary rather than grounded in capacity, pricing...Building Trust at Scale in the Age of AI, With Stephen Woessner
#203
10/15/2025
Points of Interest
00:00–01:02 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes Stephen, a veteran agency operator, author, and CEO of Predictive ROI focused on helping agencies sell more by adding value.01:02–03:09 – Who Predictive ROI Serves: Stephen explains their exclusive focus on agencies and their expertise in business development through authority positioning and structured nurture.03:09–05:18 – Systems Mindset Origin Story: From Air Force missile silos to agency life, Stephen shares how life-or-death procedures taught him the power of process in selling.06:21–07:30 – Why Go-to-Market Matters Now: With AI as a new disruption, positioning and trust creation become mission-critical as channels get noisier.07:30–11:30 – Trust Starts Below Zero: Referencing market s...Parakeeto vs. Project Management Tools: What’s the Real Solution?, With Kristen Kelly
#202
10/08/2025
Points of Interest
00:00 – 01:30 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes Parakeeto’s Kristen Kelly back to discuss a recurring misconception in agency operations—the belief that a better project management or PSA tool can solve profit management challenges.01:30 – 03:25 – The PM Tool “Silver Bullet” Myth: Kristen explains how leaders and PMs often adopt new tools to tame chaos, believing marketing promises that they’ll also solve utilization, capacity, and profitability issues.03:25 – 06:00 – Why Agencies Fall for It: Marcel and Kristen note that while PM tools are valuable, they’re often oversold as full profit-management systems. Agencies end up frustrated by missing fields, tool quirks, and data limitations.06...How to Increase Your Price, With Casey Brown
#201
10/01/2025
Points of Interest
00:00 – 01:15 – Introduction: Marcel introduces Casey Brown, author of Fearless Pricing and founder of Boost Pricing, highlighting her experience generating over $1B in client profit.01:15 – 02:15 – Defining a Pricing Geek: Casey explains her passion for pricing as the intersection of psychology, process, and data, with a mission to help firms earn the prices they deserve.02:15 – 03:09 – From Engineering to Pricing: Casey shares how she moved from chemical engineering into pricing at GE, discovering its blend of strategy, negotiation, and value creation.03:09 – 04:29 – Pricing as Poker, Not Economics: Casey contrasts real-world pricing with textbook theory, describing it as a poker game where buyers and...Accrual Accounting & Revenue Recognition for Agencies, With Carson Pierce
#200
09/24/2025
Points of Interest
0:50 – 2:07 – Introduction: Marcel and Carson set up the challenge of revenue recognition in agencies, where payments and work schedules rarely align, creating distorted profitability metrics.2:19 – 3:22 – Cash Accounting Pitfalls: Carson shares a client example where tracking only bank deposits caused wild swings in monthly profit and billable rate reporting, rendering metrics unreliable.3:37 – 4:15 – Why Cash Accounting is Common: Marcel explains that firms default to cash-based accounting because it is cheaper and simpler, but acknowledges the operational limits for service businesses.6:13 – 7:17 – Cash vs. Accrual Explained: The hosts break down the difference between cash accounting, which records money moving in and out, and acc...What's Your Core Selling Identity? With Mark Drager
#199
09/17/2025
Points of Interest
00:08 – 01:42 – Introduction: Marcel introduces Mark Drager, founder of Sales Loop, and sets the stage for discussing his Core Selling Identity Framework.01:42 – 04:06 – Early Career in Film and Television: Mark shares his beginnings in film school, early TV roles, and the realization that career progress in the industry was too slow for him.04:06 – 06:33 – Crash Course in Internet Marketing: Mark describes his time at an internet marketing franchise in 2005–2006, where he learned fundamentals like segmentation, AdWords, and split testing before launching his own agency.06:33 – 07:36 – Launching an Agency: Mark explains how he built his agency through video production, applying strategic questionnaires and...How to Build a More Profitable Retainer Model for Your Agency
#198
09/10/2025
Points of Interest
1:08 – 1:44 – Defining Retainers: Marcel and Carson introduce the topic of retainers, noting how different agencies define them in varied ways.2:05 – 2:37 – Core Benefit of Retainers: Carson explains that retainers create recurring revenue and provide clients with consistent access to agency resources.2:50 – 3:33 – Historical Context: Marcel traces retainers back to traditional professional services, where upfront payments secured future capacity.3:44 – 5:19 – Modern Variations: The conversation highlights how retainers have evolved into many models, including time-and-materials, flat fees, and performance-based pricing.5:32 – 7:04 – Pitfalls of Prepaid Hours: Carson critiques “bucket of hours” retainers, emphasizing their lack of control and operational strain.7:10 – 9:29 – Accrual Accounting Risks: Marcel outlines how prepaid...Achieving More Freedom as a Creative, With Matt Essam
#197
09/03/2025
Points of Interest
00:00 – 01:09 – Introduction: Marcel introduces guest Matt, founder of The Creative Life and bestselling author, highlighting his mission to help creatives design businesses that align with their lifestyles.01:14 – 02:24 – Coaching High-Level Creatives: Matt explains his role as a coach for award-winning creatives seeking fulfillment beyond the hustle, sharing examples of clients from Disney, Spotify, and the music industry.02:39 – 05:00 – Early Career and First Business: Matt recounts his start in advertising agencies, the launch of his own creative business, and his pursuit of a digital nomad lifestyle inspired by The 4-Hour Workweek.05:00 – 07:28 – Incongruence of Success and Fulfillment: While achieving his dream of running...The Hidden Cost of Low Utilization, With Carson Pierce
#196
08/27/2025
Points of Interest
00:01 – 00:51 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes Carson Pierce back to the show and introduces the episode’s focus on utilization, specifically the hidden costs of low utilization in agencies.01:18 – 01:50 – Why Utilization Matters Now: Marcel notes that many agencies are struggling with overstaffing and underutilization in a difficult market, which compounds hidden costs over time.01:50 – 02:45 – Carson’s Perspective on Utilization: Carson explains that agency owners often see only the surface-level financial impact of low utilization, but miss the deeper, unexpected effects it creates.02:45 – 03:26 – Everyday Utilization Analogies: Carson shares real-world examples, like an unused Jeep and moving trucks, to illustrate how underutilized as...Operationalizing and De-Risking Positioning, with Mike Grinberg
#195
08/20/2025
Points of Interest
1:10 – 2:03 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes Mike Grinberg, founder of Proofpoint Marketing, who specializes in helping boutique firms strengthen positioning to compete against large incumbents.2:15 – 3:54 – Competing with “IBM”: Mike explains his role as helping boutique firms reduce client risk perception so they can win against well-known, safer-seeming competitors.4:48 – 5:40 – The Safe Choice Problem: Agencies that differentiate too much without context risk being seen as confusing or risky, which often drives clients back to incumbents.5:46 – 8:44 – Positioning Overlooked Through Risk: Traditional positioning frameworks focus on being better or different but rarely consider how buyers perceive risk in making a nontraditional choice.10:08 – 12:52 – Why Positioning Matters...Insights from Europe on Global Competition, Talent, and AI, With Carson Pierce
#194
08/13/2025
Points of Interest
0:00 – 0:17 – Opening: Marcel reflects on building production-level software using low-code tools without prior coding experience, setting the stage for a discussion on rapid change in the agency landscape.1:01 – 3:40 – Conference Context & Audience: Marcel shares his experience at Web Summer Camp in Opatija, Croatia, hosted by Netgen, describing its highly technical European attendee base and collaborative environment.5:03 – 7:18 – European Agency Realities: The conversation explores regulated salaries, generous benefits, and extended vacation policies in markets like North Macedonia, and how these shape agency cost structures compared to North America.7:18 – 11:16 – Local vs. Export Markets: Many Eastern European agencies balance serving lower-rate local clients wi...The Untapped Lever: Maximizing Agency Value Through People & Leadership, with James Friel
#193
08/06/2025
Points of Interest
0:00 – 1:25 – Guest Introduction: Marcel welcomes James Friel, serial entrepreneur, investor, and leadership expert, to discuss building scalable, profitable businesses through effective operations and leadership.1:26 – 3:08 – Journey from Corporate to Entrepreneurship: James shares his transition from aerospace and software engineering into consulting, entrepreneurship, and acquiring businesses, driven by a curiosity for how businesses function.3:09 – 4:48 – Building a Sellable Business: James outlines his core focus—helping founders create businesses that generate cash flow and are structured for potential exit through strong infrastructure and operational clarity.5:00 – 6:46 – The First Principle: Customer-Perceived Value: A business is only viable if customers see genuine value in its offerings...The Most Common Agency Pricing Mistakes, With Kristen Kelly
#192
07/30/2025
Points of Interest
0:00 – 0:13 – Introduction: Marcel Petitpas introduces the importance of pricing in agency profitability, emphasizing that even great delivery and project management can’t compensate for poor pricing strategy.1:00 – 1:39 – The Problem with Pricing Guesswork: Kristen Kelly explains that most agencies lack a formal pricing framework, often relying on gut feelings, competitor comparisons, or outdated rate cards.2:09 – 3:49 – “Vibe-Based” Pricing Explained: Marcel highlights how pricing decisions are frequently made without math or structure, leading to unclear expectations and poor profit outcomes.4:00 – 5:35 – Budget-First Pricing Pitfalls: Agencies that accept client budgets without recalibrating scope or checking for margin risk setting themselves up for failure from the o...Recurring Revenue, More Freedom: Navigating the "Let's Build a SaaS" Trap, With Stephen Neville
#191
07/23/2025
Points of Interest
0:00 – 1:05 – Introduction: Marcel introduces Stephen Neville, CEO of BugHerd, highlighting his background in agency work and his transition into running a SaaS company that helps agencies streamline QA and client feedback.2:24 – 3:10 – The Dream of SaaS: Marcel and Stephen discuss the allure many agency owners feel toward building a product, inspired by success stories like 37signals—often without fully grasping the implications.5:30 – 7:10 – Major Model Differences: Stephen outlines key contrasts between service and product businesses, including delayed ROI in SaaS, the shift from clients to customers, and the challenge of proving value before seeing returns.8:02 – 9:09 – Saying No at Scale: Product bus...Fractional COO vs. Operational Intelligence: What Agencies Actually Need , With Kristen Kelly
#190
07/16/2025
Points of Interest
0:00 – 1:20 – Guest Introduction: Marcel introduces Kristen Kelly and sets the stage for a deep dive into the roles of fractional COOs versus building operational intelligence within growing agencies.1:21 – 2:25 – The $1M Growth Threshold: Kristen explains how agencies crossing the $1M mark often face operational strain and confusion about whether to hire help or improve their systems.2:26 – 5:05 – Defining a Fractional COO: Marcel outlines what a fractional COO typically does—bridging strategy and execution—and highlights the lack of standardization across ops roles in agencies.5:06 – 7:59 – Scope Differences by Agency Size: The team discusses how the expectations and responsibilities of a COO differ dramati...Going from Solo Consultant to Firm Builder, With Michael Zipursky
#189
07/09/2025
Points of Interest
0:31 – 1:09 – Welcome & Guest Intro: Marcel introduces Michael Zipursky, founder of Consulting Success, highlighting his global impact helping consultants build six- and seven-figure businesses that align with their ideal lifestyles.2:33 – 4:11 – Consulting Success Origins: Michael shares how his early ventures led to launching Consulting Success with his cousin, aimed at sharing lessons learned and helping others avoid common pitfalls in consulting.6:02 – 6:24 – Agencies vs. Consulting Firms: Marcel and Michael discuss the blurring lines between agencies and consulting firms, noting how business models are converging and overlapping more than ever.6:30 – 9:39 – AI in Consulting: Michael unpacks the impact of AI on consulting, emph...How to Choose the Right Project Management Tool for Your Agency , With Carson Pierce
#188
07/02/2025
Points of Interest
0:00 – 1:14 – Introduction & Context Setting: Marcel introduces Carson Pierce, Parakeeto's Head Consultant, to discuss project management tools in the agency space and the fundamentals that remain relevant despite ever-changing software options.1:14 – 4:01 – Common Tools Used by Agencies: Carson outlines the most frequently used project management tools among Parakeeto clients, highlighting Asana, ClickUp, and Teamwork, and noting the emergence of all-in-one solutions like Scoro.4:01 – 6:02 – Complexity of the Tool Landscape: Marcel emphasizes the oversaturated, overlapping software market and categorizes tools by function—core PM, all-in-one, and emerging database-like tools like Notion and Airtable.6:02 – 8:20 – Evolution & Blurring Tool Categories: Discussion on how tool capabilities...The 3 Key Financial Metrics for Agency Success, With Jon Morris
#187
06/25/2025
Points of Interest
0:00 – 1:00 – Opening: Marcel introduces the episode’s focus on financial visibility and growth, and welcomes returning guest Jon Morris, CEO of Fiscal Advocate and creator of EngineBI.1:00 – 2:55 – Jon’s Background: Jon shares his journey from founding Rise Interactive to launching Fiscal Advocate, emphasizing the value of financial insights in scaling agencies.3:00 – 4:30 – Overview of Fiscal Advocate & EngineBI: Jon explains the core services of Fiscal Advocate—bookkeeping and FP&A—and how EngineBI enables forward-looking budgeting, forecasting, and business intelligence.4:30 – 6:45 – Clarifying the Relationship Between Fiscal Advocate & Parakeeto: Marcel and Jon outline how their services complement each other—Fiscal Advocate focuses on compan...The Role of Timesheets in Agency Profitability, With Kristen Kelly
#186
06/18/2025
Points of Interest
1:08 – 2:17 – Why Time Tracking Still Matters: Kristen and Marcel introduce the episode’s goal—to reframe time tracking from a frustrating chore into a strategic advantage for agencies.2:28 – 4:59 – Debunking Common Misconceptions: Marcel breaks down the three common arguments against time tracking, particularly the mistaken belief that it's only relevant for time-and-materials billing.5:04 – 6:19 – Understanding the Agency Business Model: Marcel explains why all service businesses, regardless of pricing model, must measure time to truly understand costs and profit margins.6:33 – 8:39 – When Time Tracking Becomes Non-Negotiable: The hosts argue that the ideal conditions for skipping time tracking rarely exist—most agencies operate in to...Proper Revenue Recognition for Agencies, With Rich Brett
#185
06/11/2025
Points of Interest
1:09 – 2:28 – Meet Rich Brett: Rich shares his background in agency finance and how he now serves 12–15 agencies monthly by bridging gaps between finance, operations, and strategy.2:29 – 4:03 – The FinOps Mindset: Rich defines FinOps as the intersection of finance and operations—connecting financial data with the reality of agency delivery for more meaningful insights.4:04 – 6:02 – Rate Cards and Data Integrity: The duo explores how operational metrics like utilization and recovery must align with financial planning, especially when building rate cards.6:03 – 9:03 – Revenue Recognition Fundamentals: Rich explains revenue recognition as booking revenue based on delivery progress rather than invoice or payment dates, providing a m...Top-Down vs Bottom-Up Forecasting, With Kristen Kelly
#184
06/04/2025
Points of Interest
0:00 – 1:00 – Introduction to Forecasting Challenges: Marcel and Kristen set the stage by identifying forecasting as a critical but often misunderstood aspect of agency operations, particularly in scaling businesses.1:06 – 2:30 – Defining Forecasting’s Importance: They explain how forecasting provides the necessary visibility to manage capacity, revenue, and key metrics, forming the foundation for informed decision-making.2:47 – 3:48 – Forecasting as a Management Function: Marcel discusses how balancing workload and staffing is a core leadership task, becoming more complex and high-stakes as agencies grow in size.5:05 – 6:17 – Bottom-Up Forecasting Explained: Marcel describes the traditional method of forecasting via detailed task-level planning, often used by project manager...Taking Action on Profitability Improvements, With Mandi Ellefson
#183
05/28/2025
Points of Interest
0:00 – 1:18 – The Real Growth Blocker: Mandi kicks off by addressing how many agency owners avoid growth-driving actions not due to lack of knowledge, but due to fear and discomfort. Commitment to transformation must outweigh resistance.2:22 – 3:53 – Mandi’s Mission at Hands-Off CEO: Mandi shares her focus on helping service-based agencies scale sustainably and profitably by building systems that allow businesses to grow without the owner being in the weeds.4:00 – 5:15 – Understanding Delivery Margin: Marcel introduces delivery margin as a core profitability metric—the portion of revenue left after delivering services, which can fund growth, overhead, and profit.5:23 – 7:23 – Charging More for the Same Wo...How Parakeeto Helps Agencies Improve Profitability, With Kristen Kelly
#182
05/21/2025
Points of Interest
2:14 – 3:18 – Founding Insight: Parakeeto was created to help agencies easily answer crucial financial questions by replacing guesswork with structured systems.3:23 – 4:39 – How Agencies Make Profit: Strong delivery margin is key. Parakeeto targets a 50%+ delivery margin and 20–30% net profit as benchmarks.5:45 – 6:58 – Why Profitability is Hard to Measure: Profitability requires collecting and aligning fragmented data across leadership, ops, and finance functions.6:59 – 8:33 – Framework Misalignment: Agencies struggle with inconsistent definitions and relationships between key metrics like utilization and capacity.9:10 – 10:10 – Messy & Incomplete Data: Most agencies collect data in tools but struggle with consistency, structure, and hygiene—making optimization difficult.10:41 – 12:14 – Need for Operational Bookkeeping: Like accounting...Driving Agency Profitability Through Smarter Contracting, With Tiffany Kemp
#181
05/14/2025
Points of Interest
1:14 – 2:53 – Introduction: Marcel introduces Tiffany, who explains her firm’s mission to help agencies use contracts as strategic tools rather than just legal formalities.3:06 – 4:08 – Why Contracts Get a Bad Rap: Many agencies view contracts purely as legal protection, missing their potential to strengthen client relationships and reduce future conflicts.4:38 – 6:02 – Misguided Legal Focus: Agencies often waste time on low-risk legal scenarios instead of focusing on practical issues that more commonly disrupt projects, like miscommunication.7:01 – 8:56 – Real Risks Are Operational: Most issues arise not from lawsuits, but from unclear responsibilities and client misunderstandings about what’s required to get good results.9:02 –...Pricing & Scoping for Agencies, With Marcel Petitpas
#180
05/07/2025
Points of Interest
0:00 – 0:14 – Introduction to Pricing Framework: Marcel introduces a universal pricing formula that applies across all billing models, setting the stage for simplifying agency profitability assessments.0:54 – 1:38 – Solo Episode Overview: Marcel explains that the episode will draw from his All Agency Summit presentation, covering how to price profitably and choose optimal pricing models.1:50 – 3:08 – The Best Pricing Model: Marcel emphasizes that the "best" pricing model is the one that consistently delivers the best margin, not a specific method like value-based or hourly billing.5:22 – 6:59 – Differentiating Pricing and Scoping: He defines pricing as determining what the client will pay and scoping as calculating w...Profit First for Agencies, With Mike Michalowicz
#179
04/30/2025
Points of Interest
0:30 – 1:31 – Meet the Guest: Marcel introduces Mike as a prolific author and entrepreneur, best known for Profit First, and previews their deep dive into simplifying profitability for service businesses.2:00 – 3:36 – From Struggle to Simplification: Mike shares how his own entrepreneurial failures led him to journal his learnings, become an author, and dedicate his work to simplifying business for fellow entrepreneurs.4:00 – 4:58 – A Framework for Entrepreneurs: Mike explains the core business needs he addresses in his books—sales, profit, order, impact, and legacy—and how each book offers practical tools to tackle one of these pillars.5:06 – 6:31 – Rethinking Growth: Mike critiques the glorif...The Three Immutable Laws of Profitability, With Marcel Petitpas
#178
04/23/2025
Points of Interest
1:02 – 1:38 – Intro: Marcel introduces the session as a condensed version of his All-in Agency Summit talk, aimed at equipping agencies with the key levers to diagnose and improve profitability.3:05 – 3:18 – 80/20 Profitability Focus: The goal is to give agencies 20% of the knowledge that provides 80% of the insight needed to take control of profitability, regardless of market conditions.4:28 – 6:27 – The Growth Trap Cycle: Agencies often get stuck in a cycle of hiring during growth, losing profitability, scaling again, and repeatedly encountering the same financial challenges at larger scales.6:42 – 7:01 – Identifying the Real Problem: Founders are urged to identify whether their agency's issue is ineffic...How to Appeal to More Clients Without Diluting Your Niche, With John Meyer
#177
04/16/2025
Points of Interest
1:04 – 1:46 – Introduction of John Meyer: Marcel introduces John Meyer, highlighting his experience as a successful agency owner, seller, and current business coach.2:10 – 2:30 – John's Current Focus with Leadmore: John explains his mission with Leadmore: coaching agency owners to avoid solopreneur traps and scale their businesses.2:30 – 3:11 – "No More Solo" Coaching Program: Details of John's group coaching for agencies in the $100k-$400k range focused on delegation and growth.3:11 – 3:37 – Coaching for Scaling Agency CEOs: Information on John's one-on-one coaching for CEOs aiming to delegate and further scale their agencies beyond $500k.4:32 – 5:30 – The Founding Story of Lemonly: John recounts the pivot from a broad d...How to Downsize Your Agency, With Carson Pierce
#176
04/09/2025
Points of Interest
0:00 – 0:23 – Small Cuts, Big Impact: Marcel explains how trimming small recurring expenses added up to $7K/month in potential savings.1:32 – 2:44 – Market Uncertainty Hits Everyone: Carson highlights how client indecision is stalling agency pipelines across the industry.3:04 – 3:23 – Opportunity in Unstable Times: Marcel frames uncertainty as a chance to optimize, streamline, and future-proof the business.4:02 – 4:36 – Sales Slowdowns and Staffing Pressure: Agencies must balance shrinking pipelines with existing team and overhead costs.5:02 – 5:25 – Avoiding Cost-Cutting Traps: Downsizing without strategy can hollow out delivery capacity and worsen long-term profitability.6:02 – 6:36 – Overhead First, Not Production: Carson shares a personal lesson on the importance of reducing overhead ove...Financial Planning for Agency Owners, With Jason Peck
#175
04/02/2025
Points of Interest
01:01 – 01:46 – Meet Today’s Guest: Jason Peck: Jason, a certified financial planner at EverWise Wealth Management, joins the show to share how agency owners can build wealth, protect their families, and stop relying solely on their business for financial freedom.05:00 – 06:10 – Unique Challenges for Agency Owners: Jason outlines what makes agency finances different—volatile income, illiquid equity, and a heavy reliance on the owner’s involvement in day-to-day operations.08:56 – 10:21 – Why You Must Build Wealth Outside the Business: Jason explains the risks of having all your financial eggs in the agency basket and how diversifying can protect you from unexpected li...Building a Model for Your Agency, With Carson Pierce
#174
03/26/2025
