The Progressive Agency Podcast

Sara Snyder is a Certified Public Accountant with a background in accounting since 2017.  Currently, she serves as an Account Manager and Outsourced CFO at Craig Cody and Company, Inc., specializing in advanced tax reduction with the designation of Certified Tax Coach. In this episode of the Progressive Agency Podcast, I sat down with Sara Snyder, our lead CFO, to discuss how technology has revolutionized our accounting services for agencies. We explored the use of tools like Bill.com for streamlining accounts payable and receivable processes. Sara explained the benefits of outsourcing financial tasks to professionals, including cost-effectiveness, consistency, and freeing up internal resources for higher-value work. We also touched on additional services that accounting firms can offer agencies beyond basic bookkeeping, such as cash flow projections, budgeting, and helping maintain profitability through industry benchmarking. What you will learn in this episode: How Bill.com helps keep invoices streamlined and organized Streamlining approval processes for invoices for companies with remote workers Scheduling invoice payouts ahead of time Managing accounts receivable The benefits of outsourcing financial services Other services provided by finance professionals The importance of accrual-based accounting for agencies How proper financial reporting supports tax planning Resources: Website: http://www.craigcodyandcompany.com/ LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-snyder-cpa-ctc-321596191/ LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/craig-cody-and-company/

In this episode of The Progressive Agency Podcast, we revisit the Corporate Transparency Act and its implications for business owners. We explore the critical details of the Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting requirements, which affect small- to mid-sized business entities in the United States. Business owners need to be vigilant about ongoing compliance with the new BOI reporting requirements. Due to the potential for daily penalties, it's crucial for businesses to have a system in place to track and report updates to their beneficial ownership information promptly and accurately. To help business owners get ahead of these changes, we outline who qualifies as a beneficial owner, the four ways an individual can be considered to exercise substantial control, and the specific information that must be reported to FinCEN. We also address the ongoing compliance requirements to report any changes in BOI information in a timely manner and exemptions for certain larger businesses. What you will learn in this episode: When reporting must be completed by What is beneficial ownership information (BOI)? Four ways an individual can be considered a beneficial owner How to report beneficial owner information Penalties incurred for missing reporting deadlines Being aware of potential scams Who's exempt from reporting? Rules for rental properties, LLCs, and other side hustles Resources: Website: http://www.craigcodyandcompany.com/ Twitter: @CraigC2742 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigcodycpa BOI Report FinCEN

Katy Boos founded Remix Communications because she's passionate about creating impactful thought leadership programs for her clients. Brainstorming compelling topics and narratives, Katy helps bring ideas to life on stage at top industry events for clients such as Adobe, Meta, Stitch Fix and several successful start-ups. Before Remix, Katy co-founded a successful Silicon Valley marketing/PR firm which she exited in 2016. Earlier she managed PR programs at Apple for Media & Entertainment and mobile products. In this episode, Katy shares her expertise on how agency owners can use speaking engagements and thought leadership to generate new clients and grow their businesses. She discusses the three-stage approach to maximizing speaking opportunities — pre-event promotion, making the most of your time at the event, and post-event activities. She emphasizes the importance of choosing compelling, niche topics that resonate with the target audience, and covers strategies for landing speaking engagements. Don't let imposter syndrome hold you back – everyone has expertise to share. Katy has the skills and knowledge to teach agency owners how they can turn their shared knowledge into right-fit opportunities. What you will learn in this episode: How agencies and agency owners can use public speaking to generate new clients Promoting your speaking opportunity before, during, and after Finding the right topic that fits your expertise Niching down your topic to be industry-specific Understanding your audience and what they want to hear Finding the events that are a good fit for you Partnering and collaboration to boost credibility Paid vs. unpaid speaking How much should you give away? Resources: Website: https://remixcommunications.com/resources/ LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katyboos/ LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/remixcommunications/ Twitter: https://x.com/Remix_Comms Facebook Business: https://www.facebook.com/RemixCommunications Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/remix_comms/

Marcel Petitpas is the CEO & Co-Founder of Parakeeto, a company dedicated to helping agencies measure and improve their profitability by streamlining their operations and reporting systems. He is also the head strategic coach at SaaS Academy by Dan Martell, the #1 coaching program for B2B SaaS businesses in the world. In this week's episode of The Progressive Agency Podcast, I'm joined by Marcel Petitpas to share the importance of understanding your agency's financial metrics, particularly focusing on delivery margin. We discussed the challenges many agencies face in accurately calculating their profitability and how to overcome them. Marcel provided practical advice on how agency owners can start implementing frameworks and processes around certain key data points in their businesses to get a more accurate look at how the agency is operating. He emphasized the power of small improvements in utilization and average billable rate to significantly impact bottom-line profitability. By focusing on a few simple operational levers, agency owners can dramatically improve their profitability without necessarily increasing their revenue or changing their cost structure. Join us to learn how. What you will learn in this episode: Understanding the crucial difference between net income and delivery margin The three operational levers driving agency profitability Calculating and interpreting average cost per hour The power of improving average billable rate The importance of proper data structuring for accurate financial insights Balancing precision and accuracy in financial metrics Strategies for improving profitability by finding efficiencies in the agency Resources: Website: https://parakeeto.com/ Toolkit: https://parakeeto.com/toolkit/?utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=GuestAppearance&utm_campaign=CraigCody Podcast: https://agencyprofitpodcast.simplecast.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcelpetitpas/ Course: https://parakeeto.com/Foundations-course-launch-offer/?utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=GuestAppearance&utm_campaign=CraigCody

Creative Strategist and Growth Accelerator Karley Cunningham develops brand leaders by taking businesses from overcrowded, competitive spaces into blue ocean territory, where they can confidently stand out and thrive. Companies that want to be distinct in their marketplace retain Karley to sharpen their positioning and differentiation strategies to cut through the noise. Karley's international client base benefits from accelerated growth, increased profit and stability as her innovative Surefire Method™ provides them with an infallible business strategy and brand toolkit to stand out in the sea of sameness, attract the people their business needs to thrive, and become a brand leader in their industry. In this episode of The Progressive Agency Podcast, Karley shares her journey from graphic designer to agency owner, and discusses the importance of brand strategy for businesses of all sizes. According to Karley, only about 28% of business owners are satisfied with their brands. This leaves a huge opportunity open for strategists like her to help find the gaps and implement new brand strategies that business owners love.   Karley emphasizes the critical role of brand and business strategy alignment. She explains how businesses often struggle with implementing their brand strategy, leading her to incorporate coaching sessions into her own model to help clients implement their newly-developed brand tools. What you will learn in this episode: The importance of brand strategy for businesses of all sizes Karley's Surefire Method™ for giving businesses a comprehensive brand strategy Challenges in implementing a new brand strategy The importance of values alignment in hiring decisions Measuring brand strategy ROI The "long tail equation" for quantifying brand value Why only 28% of business owners are satisfied with their branding Branding vs. marketing for small businesses — which is better? Resources: Website: https://www.bigboldbrand.com Surefire Audit & Guide: https://www.bigboldbrand.com/surefireaudit/ LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karleycunningham/

Casey Brown is a pricing geek, professional speaker, and President of Boost Pricing, a firm that helps companies sell at higher prices. Her passion is for organizations to be paid well for their excellence. With degrees in Chemical Engineering, Spanish, and Business, and career experience in engineering, Six Sigma, and pricing strategy for multiple Fortune 500 companies, Casey brings unmatched expertise to help audiences discover their true pricing power—and watch their profits rise as a result. Her 2015 TED talk has over 5 million views to date. In this episode of The Progressive Agency Podcast, we welcome Casey Brown to teach us how to price our products and services boldly and confidently. For nearly 15 years, Casey has seen it all when it comes to agency pricing and wants to help agencies know their worth and charge for it appropriately She shares how companies can stop undervaluing their products and services to clients (new and legacy), why overcommunication is unnecessary when increasing prices, setting boundaries around pricing and the services you provide, and more. If you're an agency owner, you probably already know that you deserve to be paid more for your work. Now's the time to figure out your true value proposition and execute on it to start getting paid what you're really worth. What you will learn in this episode: Getting a realistic understanding of your value proposition How to raise your prices responsibly Is it worth increasing prices on legacy clients, or is it time to let them go? Having self-awareness about how you work for pricing structure Building trust and proving value to new clients The price-quality effect Resources: Website: https://boostpricing.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boostpricing LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseybrownboost/ Boost Blog: https://boostpricing.com/2017/06/15/price-increase-tmi/

Corey is the owner and President/CEO of Voltage. He has spent nearly 20 years working in strategic and leadership roles focused on growing national and local client brands with award-winning, ROI-generating digital strategies. His industry leadership, client success, and community-focused work made him recipient of the KCDMA 2019 Marketer of the Year award. Corey's first book titled The Digital Marketing Success Plan is available now on Amazon. In this episode of The Progressive Agency Podcast, we welcome Corey Morris to share his thoughts on the rapidly changing world of digital marketing and SEO from the perspective of someone with nearly 20 years in the industry. He emphasizes the critical importance of strategic planning in digital marketing to ensure ROI and avoid common pitfalls, such as misalignment between marketing efforts and business outcomes. He also shares the START framework that he developed, which proves a structured approach to digital marketing planning and execution. We also touch on the impact of AI on digital marketing, the need for adaptability in marketing strategies, and ways to address trust issues some businesses may have with past digital marketing or agency experiences. What you will learn in this episode: The massive disruption of SEO in recent years Why agency owners shouldn't DIY their own digital marketing The inspiration behind Corey's book, The Digital Marketing Success Plan Why having a digital marketing plan is so important for ROI Getting over agency and digital marketing distrust The START Framework How AI impacts SEO and digital marketing What to do after you put your digital marketing plan into place Resources: Website: https://voltage.digital Facebook Business: https://www.facebook.com/voltagekc LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreymorris/ LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/voltagedigital/ Twitter Personal: https://twitter.com/coreydmorris Twitter Business: https://twitter.com/VoltageKC Instagram Business: https://www.instagram.com/voltagekc/ Book: https://thedmsp.com

David Tobin is the Founder and Managing Partner of TobinLeff, an M&A advisory and exit planning consulting firm with a mission to help business owners maximize and monetize their life's work. David and the team at TobinLeff have worked with well over 200 companies to develop exit plans, sell to strategic and financial buyers, and build value via strategic acquisitions. He has been a Board member with multiple nonprofit organizations including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Homeless Children's Education Fund. In this episode of The Progressive Agency Podcast, we welcome David Tobin, Founder and Managing Partner of Tobin & Company M&A Advisory. David shares his expertise on exit planning and selling businesses, particularly for agency owners.  David discusses the importance of selling from a position of strength, emphasizing the benefits of advance planning and preparation. He explains the differences between selling to strategic buyers, financial buyers, and internal management teams, outlining typical deal structures and valuations for each.  He provides practical advice on managing a business to ensure a lucrative exit. He highlights key value drivers such as strong profit margins, demonstrable growth plans, and a unique value proposition. What you will learn in this episode: How an agency owner can prepare to sell their business from a position of strength The most common questions from buyers The difference between financial, strategic, and internal buyers Internal vs. external sales and what to expect in each scenario How an ESOP works Managing your business today to ensure a lucrative exit Discovering your unique value proposition Adjusting EBITDA to benefit the buyer Resources: Website: https://tobinleff.com/ LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-tobin-120658184/ Linkedin Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tobinleff-llc/ 7 Best Practices for Managing for a Rewarding Exit: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EN7nzLAQD07EmOweoEC8kA7CTiT5Uumd/view?usp=drive_link Questions Buyers Typically Ask: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AoiK_S6wNrWX91Z5ppKfBxPvP99DNADL/view?usp=drive_link

Corey Quinn has over 17 years in the agency space, including as Scorpion's CMO, where he helped grow revenue from $20M to $150M in 6 years. He just published his bestselling book: "Anyone, Not Everyone: a Proven System for Agencies to Escape Founder-Led Sales." which has been endorsed by Aaron Ross, April Dunford, Dr. Benjamin Hardy, and many others. Today, he helps digital agency founders simplify, specialize, and escape founder-led sales with Deep Specialization. In this episode of The Progressive Agency Podcast, we're talking with veteran agency growth expert Corey Quinn about the main barriers to stepping out of the agency's day-to-day operations, particularly founder-led sales. Corey explains three main obstacles preventing agency founders from stepping away from sales: lack of focus, weak positioning, and inability to generate a consistent pipeline. He emphasizes the power of specialization, urging agencies to choose a vertical market focus and develop strong, industry-specific positioning. He also shares the marketing strategies that gave him the most success during his tenure at Scorpion and how agency owners can apply those to their businesses. What you will learn in this episode: How to get out of the founder-led sales role 3 things that prevent an agency owner from leaving the sales role The importance of finding a niche Deploying vertical-specific marketing campaigns How to say no to money that's not coming from a client in your niche The 3 different types of marketing that bring specialized clients to you Resources: Website: https://www.coreyquinn.com/ LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyquinn/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@coreyquinninc Book: Anyone, Not Everyone

Adam Carroll has spent the past decade studying human behavior, particularly as it relates to personal leadership and personal finance. He is an internationally recognized financial literacy expert and leadership workshop facilitator. Adam is the Author of four Amazon best-sellers, a two time TED talk speaker with nearly 6 million views on YouTube, and the creator of Broke, Busted & Disgusted, a documentary that aired on CNBC. He is the Founder of The Shred Method, a cash flow management tool that is creating freedom for families everywhere. In this episode of The Progressive Agency Podcast, Adam Carroll is helping us shred our debt while keeping more of our hard-earned money. Adam shares his method for how business owners can pay down debt and retain wealth outside their business by using the Shred Method. He explains how this strategy can save you tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest, regardless of your current mortgage rate. To sweeten the deal, this method isn't just for mortgages. Business owners can use this method for any type of debt they want to pay down faster.  If you're a business owner looking to minimize your debt, save on interest, and build wealth outside your business, this episode is a must-listen. What you will learn in this episode: Saving up to hundreds of thousands of dollars with Adam's debt-saving strategies How this helps business owners be in a better position to sell their business Why your money should always be in motion How The Shred Method works Who should use this debt payoff method How business owners can get started today Resources: Website: TheShredMethod.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcarrollspeaks/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/AdamCarroll Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.shredmethod/ Sign up for the free The Shred Method Masterclass: https://www.theshredmethod.com/masterclass Book a discovery call to learn more: https://calendly.com/theshredmethoddiscoverycall/discovery-the-shred-method-45-minute-call?month=2023-02&_gl=1*1yzkm26*_ga*Mjk0NjM4MjE2LjE3MTc0MzMxMTU.*_ga_30KFHQFS2B*MTcxNzQzMzExNC4xLjEuMTcxNzQzNDA4Ni4xNi4wLjA. Savings Calculator: https://www.theshredmethod.com/savingsanalysis

Brian Gerstner is an agency leader who excels in providing white-label services to agencies around the globe. He has over 2 decades of experience in the industry and having partnered up with more than 50 agencies he knows what aligns with the requirements of clients. Brian ensures that he provides a commitment with an exceptional partnership that results in a win-win situation for all. In this episode of The Progressive Agency Podcast, we're chatting with Brian Gerstner, President of White Label IQ, to discuss how agencies can benefit from strategic partnerships. Brian emphasizes the importance of finding a partner that communicates well, understands your agency's needs, and can be trusted. He explains how partnerships allow agencies to scale and offer new services without the major upfront costs and risks of hiring in-house. Strategic partnerships provide agencies with more flexibility, talent access, and the ability to focus on their core strengths. He also notes how the globalized workforce today means agencies can access top talent anywhere, rather than being limited to their local area when hiring employees.  Join us to hear Brian's insights into leveraging strategic partnerships to efficiently grow your agency. What you will learn in this episode: What agency owners should look for in strategic partnerships Why communication is key in this type of relationship How to leverage referrals to find strategic partnerships How a strategic partnership can help in scaling your business Why great talent is a must in order for agencies to stay competitive Resources: Website: https://www.whitelabeliq.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/white-label-iq/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhiteLabelIQ/

Sara Snyder is a Certified Public Accountant with a background in accounting since 2017. Currently, she serves as an Account Manager and Outsourced CFO at Craig Cody and Company, Inc., specializing in advanced tax reduction with the designation of Certified Tax Coach. In this episode, we discussed an issue that impacts the accuracy of your financial statements — recognizing revenue in the correct period using accrual-basis accounting. Many agency owners think they're using accrual-basis accounting, but in reality, they're often doing it incorrectly. To teach us the correct way to use this accounting method, I invited Sara Snyder to give us some tips and tricks. She explains why it's sometimes better to record revenue as deferred or unearned rather than recording it right away. We go over a few different scenarios where this approach makes more sense than traditional revenue reporting. While it requires some upfront effort, proper accrual-based revenue recognition provides a much clearer view of actual monthly profitability. This enables better forecasting and staffing assessments and ultimately increases the perceived value if you decide to sell your agency down the road. Don't continue distorting your metrics. Take the steps now to implement proper accrual accounting and revenue recognition. Your financial statements, and your business, will be much better off. What you will learn in this episode: What circumstances can throw off accrual-based accounting What's a magic spreadsheet? Making sure your revenue is matching expenses How to properly set up payments so they don't mess with your revenue numbers The benefits of doing accrual-basis accounting the right way How long does it take to fix your numbers if they're off base? Resources: Website: http://www.craigcodyandcompany.com/ LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-snyder-cpa-ctc-321596191/ LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/craig-cody-and-company/

Kevin Hourigan is the President and Co-Founder of Spinutech, an award-winning digital marketing agency with 160+ team members across the U.S. In that capacity, Kevin and his partners lead their team of digital experts to focus on growing his clients' businesses.  With an entrepreneurial technology background, Kevin is an accomplished communicator, strategist, and leader. He has spoken alongside brands including Google, Facebook, Carnival Cruise Lines, and General Motors, and presented the keynote at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Summit. He has been recognized as Leader of the Year by The Tampa Chamber of Commerce; Technology Leader of the Year by the Tampa Bay Technology Forum; Marketer of the Year by Tampa Bay American Advertising Federation; and as "Ultimate CEO" by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. In this episode of the Progressive Agency Podcast, I spoke with Kevin Hourigan, President and Co-Founder of Spinutech. Kevin shared his journey, starting from offering simple 3-page websites for $500 in 1996 to building a company with over 160 employees today. Kevin takes us through some of the key lessons he's learned throughout his career about scaling and growing a business. He emphasized the importance of having the right financial foundation and understanding the true health of your business. Kevin also highlighted the importance of tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) across various aspects of the business, from marketing and sales to delivery and collections. Throughout our conversation, Kevin's insights underscored the significance of finding the right balance between delighting clients, retaining top talent, and ensuring profitability. His experience serves as a valuable guide for agency owners seeking sustainable growth while maintaining a strong company culture. What you will learn in this episode: The financial lessons Kevin learned from the dot-com bubble Knowing how to balance your budget in different stages of growth Strategies for agencies looking to grow and scale their business The key KPIs Spinutech tracks to ensure efficiency The importance of trusting others — both clients and employees Proactive tax planning as you grow your business Resources: Website: https://www.spinutech.com/ LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinhourigan/ Facebook Personal: https://www.facebook.com/kevin.hourigan Twitter: https://twitter.com/hourigankev

Brett Harrison started Right Click Computer Solutions in 2011 with the goal of helping small businesses utilize technology to run their businesses efficiently and effectively. Right Click is a cybersecurity-first IT provider that works with businesses to make sure that their networks and data are secured and protected 24/7. Encountering a cyber attack is extremely costly and the last place any business ever wants to find itself in. Additionally, clients get access to technicians that assist with any technical related issues as they arise. Right Click takes pride in helping its clients achieve their goals and believes that implementing the right technology is an integral part of a successful business. In this episode of the Progressive Agency Podcast, we continue our conversation with Brett Harrison, who discusses important cybersecurity measures that business owners should implement. This time, we're getting into the do's and don'ts of multifactor authentication, an inexpensive and crucial step to securing your sensitive business data. Without it, you're leaving your agency vulnerable to cyber attacks that can compromise your data and security. Don't leave your agency vulnerable to cybercriminals. Tune in to this episode to learn the best practices behind cybersecurity and multifactor authentication to secure your agency's sensitive information. What you will learn in this episode: What is multifactor authentication? Different types of multifactor authentication What happens if a cyber attacker gets into your systems How business owners should be protecting themselves and their agency Securing your company email accounts What does this cost? How an IT professional can help you make your agency's data more secure Resources: Website: https://www.rightclickcomputersolutions.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-harrison-10a53825/

Brett Harrison started Right Click Computer Solutions in 2011 with the goal of helping small businesses utilize technology to run their businesses efficiently and effectively. Right Click is a cybersecurity-first IT provider that works with businesses to make sure that their networks and data are secured and protected 24/7. Encountering a cyber attack is extremely costly and the last place any business ever wants to find itself in. Additionally, clients get access to technicians that assist with any technical related issues as they arise. Right Click takes pride in helping its clients achieve their goals and believes that implementing the right technology is an integral part of a successful business. If your agency is using a Google Doc to keep track of shared passwords, it's time for a security checkup. This week on The Progressive Agency Podcast, we're talking with Brett Harrison about how agencies can improve their password protection best practices, safely perform backups on their systems, and teach employees how to identify security threats before they become an issue.  Brett shares practical advice for businesses to become more secure with tactics like multi-factor authentication, cyber awareness, and the best practices for performing regular system backups. What you will learn in this episode: How technology has changed for agencies post-pandemic The best backup system to have in place How often should you run backups? Testing and monitoring backups to ensure functionality How to store and share passwords securely across your company Why employees should always work on company-owned equipment Training and testing employees on cyber awareness to prevent cyber attacks Resources: Website: https://www.rightclickcomputersolutions.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-harrison-10a53825/

Craig Cody is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Tax Coach™, business owner, and the host of The Progressive Dentist Podcast and The Progressive Agency Podcast. Prior to his current work, Craig spent seventeen years with the NYPD, where he retired as a Lieutenant in September 2000. Craig is an expert in helping his clients legally reduce their tax liabilities and keep more of their money. This week, we're revisiting a research study conducted about a year ago where participants asked some intriguing questions. We'll pick out a few of those questions and discuss them more in-depth. The most common questions we had all boiled down to one answer: communication. Regular communication, at least monthly, between a business owner and their CPA allows the CPA to truly understand the owner's personal financial goals, growth goals, and exit/transition plans. Don't treat your CPA relationship as just a once-a-year tax filing — make it an ongoing advisory partnership to receive the best advice and money-saving results that you expect. What you will learn in this episode: What clients want from a CPA relationship Knowing your growth and transition goals How to have a CPA who will ask you questions about your goals Communication goes both ways Giving your CPA 60-90 days to fully understand your business Resources: Website: www.craigcodyandcompany.com Twitter: @CraigC2742 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigcodycpa

Henry DeVries is CEO and co-owner of Indie Books International Inc., an Oceanside, CA company he co-founded in 2014, publishing over 150 titles. He works with agency owners, business leaders, and strategic consultants who want to attract more high-paying clients by marketing with a book and a speech by publishing a book they are proud of. In the last ten years, he has helped ghostwrite, edit, and co-author more than 300 business books, including his McGraw-Hill bestseller How to Close a Deal Like Warren Buffett now in five languages, including Chinese. He was formerly the careers columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune. In 2024, he launched the news website AgencyOwnerNews.com. He is personally the author or co-author of 20 marketing books, including Trusted Advisor Confidential, Bringing In the Business, Marketing With A Book For Agency Owners, Rainmaker Confidential, Self-Marketing Secrets, Marketing With a Book, Persuade With a Story, Defining You, Build Your Consulting Practice, and Client Attraction Chain Reaction. Having a book is the #1 marketing tool, but it's the starting line, not the finish line. In this week's episode, Henry DeVries shares his tried-and-true method for attracting high-paying, right-fit clients without having to do all the heavy lifting of traditional prospecting. His key to success is writing a book and giving it away for free — yes, for free. Henry shares that when you position yourself as relentlessly helpful by openly sharing your expertise, it automatically sticks in a person's mind that you're the go-to person for that particular topic. Next time they need someone to help them with a problem, you already are in the back of their head, and they have tangible evidence to show you're the right person for the job.  Join us in this episode of the Progressive Agency Podcast to learn more about positioning yourself as a subject matter expert to attract right-fit clients by building trust upfront by sharing your knowledge openly with prospects and clients alike. What you will learn in this episode: What is authority marketing and how can it generate more income? Writing a book is the starting line, not the finish line The Magnificent 7 of promoting your book Building trust by being relentlessly helpful Getting your face out there to promote your book The ROI of digital vs print books Getting people to experience you as the author Resources: Indie Books International: https://indiebooksintl.com/resources/ Agency Owner News: https://agencyownernews.com/ LinkedIn Personal: http://www.linkedin.com/in/henryjdevries Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085340613920

Noel loves connecting people. Professionally, he runs JobRack.eu, where he helps businesses hire remote team members from Eastern Europe and South Africa. Personally, he loves doing weird and wonderful things to provoke great conversations. The hiring market right now is rough. Finding and retaining top talent is more difficult than it has been in years, which leaves agency owners in a tough position. Rather than toughing it out and hoping to find a diamond in the rough, there are other ways we can adapt to still find great workers within our hiring budget. This week's guest, Noel Andrews, is giving us a quick overview of how agency owners can benefit from hiring remote workers from around the world. His company specializes in helping businesses transition from using only W2 employees to finding talented contractors who are just as effective as salaried employees, if not more so. We'll cover topics from knowing the right time to hire (especially when scaling your business) to navigating the etiquette behind hiring independent contractors in other countries. What you will learn in this episode: The main benefit of hiring global remote workers Hitting the hiring sweet spot in terms of utilization Navigating language and confidence barriers with clients How to handle time differences — how much overlap is required? Adapting PTO to cover varying customs and holidays on your team How hiring remote workers can transform your business Looking to others for help getting started Resources: Website: https://jobrack.eu/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noelandrews/

Serena Morse, CPC, QPA, QKC, QKA, is Co-Owner and CEO of Carpenter Morse Group, a non producing third-party administrator that has provided administrative compliance services for qualified retirement plans nationally for over 45 years. Serena has been a leading consultant and educator in this area of study for over 20 years. She has earned several respected credentials from the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA), including the Qualified Pension Administrator designation (QPA), Qualified 401(k) Consultant (QKC), Qualified 401 k Administrator designation (QKA), and the highest awarded designation from ASPPA, the Certified Pension Consultant or CPC designation. She is a proud Alumni of the University of Florida Warrington College of Business. In this week's episode, Serena breaks down tax-qualified retirement plans, the new benefits available to business owners under certain plans, and why agency owners should work with a TPA (third-party administrator) to set them up. Under the new tax code, business owners are entitled to a breadth of tax credits for contributing to their employees' retirement plans, but the regulations are complicated. To fully understand who is eligible, the exemptions, credits, limits, etc., finding a TPA like Serena who is qualified to advise you on these new retirement plan benefits is essential. What you will learn in this episode: What is a TPA, and how does it differ from a CPA? What are tax-qualified plans, and how do they work? What every business owner should know when setting up a new plan Tax credits available under new plans Who is eligible for the new tax credits The compliance pitfalls business owners face when setting up tax-qualified plans Using your TPA to help stay on top of deadlines Resources: Website (business): https://carpentermorse.com/cmg-reviews/ Email (Serena): smorse@carpentermorsegroup.com

George is the "Chief HubSpot Helper" owner at George B. Thomas, LLC. George helps companies streamline and grow by using the right HubSpot CRM, marketing, sales, service, operations, and CMS tools. George has more than 30 years of sales & marketing experience and has been using HubSpot since 2012. George is a vault of valuable information, tactics, and strategies with a record-breaking thirty-five plus HubSpot Academy certifications, including Inbound Marketing, Inbound Sales, Contextual Marketing, CMS Implementation, Email Marketing, and Content Marketing. In this week's episode, George shares how agency owners can begin integrating and implementing HubSpot tools into their systems and processes to streamline sales and marketing to make their jobs simpler. From starting out at a small design agency, he fell in love with HubSpot and all it can do to make businesses run smoother at a reasonable price. Now, he teaches business owners how they can easily fill their sales funnels and keep up with clients with just a few clicks. If you're curious about HubSpot tools and integrations but feel overwhelmed about where to begin, this episode will give you a good beginner crash course on HubSpot's capabilities. What you will learn in this episode: 3 major ways HubSpot helps someone run a business more effectively Getting started on HubSpot for free and scaling up How HubSpot can grow with your business HubSpot tools that help free up your time The power of learning new tools and skills as a business owner Getting 1% better each day with a growth mindset Resources: Website: https://www.georgebthomas.com/ Website (business): https://sidekickstrategies.com/ LinkedIn (personal): https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgebthomas/ Schedule a call with George: https://www.georgebthomas.com/get-started HubHeroes Podcast: https://sidekickstrategies.com/hubheroes-podcast