Competitor Interview: The Agency Built on Revenue Share (ft. Tyler Hoyt w/ Fast Break Digital Media) | Episode 216

Competitor Interview: The Agency Built on Revenue Share (ft. Tyler Hoyt w/ Fast Break Digital Media) | Episode 216

We sat down with another competitor, Tyler Hoyt of Fast Break Digital Media, to compare how two niche agencies can serve similar clients while building completely different businesses. Tyler explains how he grew from managing every account himself to running a lean team built around revenue share, contractors, a VA, and a setter. We talk about getting out of fulfillment, hiring people who are better than you, and dropping the belief that you need to control everything. We also break down the realities of selling Meta Ads, setting minimum budgets, getting clients to create video content, and turning away prospects who will not do their part. Tyler shares real numbers on lead costs, close rates, acquisition costs, pricing, and why organic social is still his strongest source of new business. Fast Break is now doing around $70,000 per month without a bloated team. This is an honest conversation about retention, seasonality, client expectations, and what agency owners can learn from the competitors doing good work beside them. ----- MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE: Follow Tyler: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-hoyt/ Fast Break Digital Media: https://fastbreakdigitalmedia.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

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