The Agency Growth Podcast

The Mid 2000s Agency Model is Dying | Episode 215

[Cold open [Paintball, sick kids, and the problem with barber fades] ends at 05:58.] The agency model built on evergreen content and one reliable acquisition channel is starting to break. Last month, 25% of our Google ad spend went to LSAs, something that would have been unheard of a year ago. Now ChatGPT Ads, AI search, and changing platforms are forcing agencies to rethink both service delivery and client acquisition. We talk about why authority matters more than generic content, and how brand mentions, reviews, industry publications, social engagement, and video are shaping who gets trusted and recommended. Real credibility takes time. It comes from doing useful work and showing up in more than one place. For newer agencies, that may mean working for free to gain experience and cold calling when inbound is not there. For established agency owners, it means staying involved in sales, building beyond one channel, and accepting that the old playbook will not carry the business forever. ----- 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

This Is the Worst Year for Google Ads | Episode 214

[Cold open [Jake is moving... Again] ends at 10:40.] Google Ads feels weird right now, and we’re trying to figure out what changed. In this episode, we talk about what we’re seeing in real local lead gen accounts. LSAs are getting more attention, standard search ads feel weaker, CPAs are rising, and clients are asking fair questions. We also get into what we’re testing next, including AI Max, target CPA, Google-hosted lead forms, ChatGPT ads, and better reporting. No perfect answers here. Just honest testing, cleaner data, and saying the quiet part out loud. ----- 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

Competitor Interview: The $3M Mistake That Changed His Business (ft. Nicklaus Conley w/ Tekton Growth) | Episode 213

We sat down with Nicklaus Conley to talk about what happens when marketing works faster than the business underneath it. Nick scaled his hardscaping company toward $3 million in contracts before a massive chunk of that revenue vanished in weeks. The crash wasn't a marketing failure; his operations and cash flow simply couldn't absorb the rapid growth. It is a harsh look at how high lead volume can give you dangerous, false confidence. We also broke down why bragging about cost-per-lead is meaningless if you do not track your true customer acquisition cost. Now, Nick is building a lean agency focused on productized offers and AI automation. He is mapping out the unsexy systems required to scale MRR without creating endless drudgery for himself. ----- MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE: Follow Nick: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicklaus.conley.2025/ Tekton Growth: https://www.tektongrowth.com/ ----- 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

Competitor Interview: Did They Build a Better Agency Model? (ft. Ezra w/ Green Frog Web Design) | Episode 212

This week, we brought on Ezra from Green Frog Web Design to talk about what agency owners usually avoid: competitors, pricing, retention, and what “enough” actually means. Ezra works in the same lawn and landscape space we do, which is exactly why we wanted him on. Most agency owners treat competitors like enemies. We think that’s usually a barrier you made up yourself. We got into his path from lawn care and cold calling to building a niche web design and SEO agency with a low-friction monthly model. No giant retainers. No pretending every client needs the same thing. Just a clear offer, a specific niche, and a business built around retention. We also talked about the bigger question behind all of this: what are you actually building for? More revenue is great, but if the business forces you into a life you don’t want, that’s not much of a win. ----- MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE: Follow Ezra: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezragreenf/ Make & Model Advertising: https://greenfrogwebdesign.com/ ----- 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

What We’re Working On in 2026 | Episode 211

[Cold open [Jake turns Iowa’s football stadium into a paintball field] ends at 10:39.] We’re trying to figure out what the next version of our agency actually looks like. SEO and Google Ads are still the foundation, but marketing alone has a ceiling. Adding more lead sources does not help much when clients only see the bad leads, follow-up is inconsistent, and everything gets compared to high-intent search. In this episode, we talk through what we’re testing right now. That includes Google AI Max, lead form campaigns, HighLevel, and one dashboard that brings leads from every platform into the same place. The bigger idea is moving beyond lead generation and into operations. Better qualifications, faster follow-up, sales coaching, and cleaner client data may be what makes the agency more valuable and less seasonal. We do not have it all figured out, but this is the boring work we’re doing to find out. ----- 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