Lifestyle is a Plan

In this episode of Lifestyle is a Plan, Kelly Molson is joined by freelance digital designer and once co-founder of Rubber Cheese, Paul ‘Wag’ Wright.Wag is a freelance digital designer, entrepreneur, and co-owner of Holp. For nearly two decades, he was co-owner and Creative Director of Rubber Cheese, a successful digital agency, leading branding, website design, and digital projects for businesses looking to grow, improve customer experience, and strengthen their online presence. His work combined strategic thinking with hands-on creative direction to create brands and websites that not only looked great but delivered measurable results.Following the sale of the agency, Wag now works independently as a freelance designer, helping businesses shape their websites, brands, and digital experiences through design, UX, content structure, and conversion-focused thinking.Alongside freelance work, he is building Holp, a Customer Service AI Agent that helps SMEs automate customer support and respond instantly to common customer questions. As co-owner, Wag leads product direction, brand, user experience, and the overall customer journey, focused on making AI simple, accessible, and genuinely useful for growing businesses.Today’s podcast is a reflective one. Me and my Rubber Cheese co-founder Paul ‘Wag’ Wright look back on nearly two decades at the helm of our agency. We built something really special, but our path in doing so was definitely more challenging than it needed to be. We look back on what we did well, what we got wrong and what we'd do differently if we could go back and start over. You’ll discover:What the early days of agency life were like for us both.What we absolutely got right / did really well at Rubber Cheese.What we definitely got wrong.Our best memories and greatest achievements.How it felt selling and leaving the agency we’d spent so long buildingWhat Wag is building post saleAdvice we’d give to someone starting an agency todayMid-way through recording this episode Wag had a power cut, which ironically happened most weeks at our old studio. We ended up finishing the interview on his iPhone from the only room in the house he could access 5G - his bathroom. Guest detailsWebsite: www.madebywag.comHolp: www.holp.aiSocial: www.linkedin.com/in/waggitGuest podcast recommendations:NudgeBrought to you by:Lifestyle is a Plan is brought to you by me, Kelly Molson - an agency advisor on a mission is to support solo founders build the agency they want. I’m here to show the agency world that ‘lifestyle agency’ is not a cop out. It’s the future of our industry’s sustainable growth.You can join my Lifestyle is a Plan newsletter at kellymolson.co.ukSubscribe wherever you get your podcasts, leave a glowing review and share it with your founder friends.Edited by Steve Folland stevefolland.com

In this episode of Lifestyle is a Plan, Kelly Molson is joined by Agency Advisor Mat Bennett.Mat started his agency in the early days of the web and ran it for 25 years before selling and exiting. He now advises founders of small UK digital and creative agencies, helping them make better decisions sooner.His style is direct and pragmatic: fewer frameworks, more decisions, trade-offs, and follow-through. He calls it "velocity, not speed" -momentum plus direction, not just activity.Mat's strength is commercial judgement: positioning, pricing, focus, and delivery constraints. He writes at matbennett.com, sends a fortnightly email called Try This, and runs a quarterly Agency Loop survey.If you disappeared from your business for a few weeks, with no notice and no laptop, what would break first? This is a question Agency Advisor Mat Bennet frequently asks founders he supports, to understand where the agency still depends entirely on them. But it comes from a place of lived experience. Whilst running a busy, growing agency, Mat was suddenly hospitalised for a series of prolonged spells following a cancer diagnosis.A heads up - we do talk about cancer diagnosis and baby loss in this episode, so please pause this episode for another time if you need to.You’ll discover:Why every founder needs an Oh Shit documentWhat are the key things that document should containWhy we all need to structure our businesses to allow for "thinking time"How the process of writing down operating procedures identifies inefficienciesHow selling a business can be a strategic safety moveHow strategic co-ownership can be a critical resilience tacticWhat Mat would do differently this time around as a solo founderGuest detailsWebsite: www.matbennett.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/matbennettPodcast recommendations:2BobsBrought to you by:Lifestyle is a Plan is brought to you by me, Kelly Molson - an agency advisor on a mission to support solo founders build the agency they want. I’m here to show the agency world that ‘lifestyle agency’ is not a cop out. It’s the future of our industry’s sustainable growth.You can join my Lifestyle is a Plan newsletter at kellymolson.co.ukSubscribe wherever you get your podcasts, leave a glowing review and share it with your founder friends.Edited by Steve Folland. stevefolland.com

In this episode of Lifestyle is a Plan, Kelly Molson is joined by Gareth Hoyle, founder of Marketing Signals - a Performance-Driven Digital Marketing Agency.Gareth has spent two decades scaling agencies to work around his lifestyle. He currently spends an unhealthy amount of time building in Claude, investing in UK based scale ups, and attempting to teach machines to do his work.There’s often an assumption that lifestyle agencies are small, but in this case Marketing Signals is:20-person, fully remote teamWorking a 4-day, 32-hour weekWith a £2 million turnoverGareth is the first founder that I’ve seen talk on stage at a high profile conference about the lifestyle agency route, so I’m very excited to chat today to understand how and why he set out on that path.You’ll discover:If the lifestyle route was a plan A or a plan BGareth's own founder success criteriaKey things Gareth does differently that makes Marketing Signals a lifestyle agencyThe processes and people put in place to facilitate growthWhat drove the decision to implement a 4-day working weekAdvice Gareth would give to founders considering the lifestyle agency modelIf Gareth believes he could sell the agency in the future IF he chose toGuest detailsWebsite: marketingsignals.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/garethhoyleGuest podcast recommendations:Fin vs HistoryBrought to you by:Lifestyle is a Plan is brought to you by me, Kelly Molson - an agency advisor on a mission is to support solo founders build the agency they want. I’m here to show the agency world that ‘lifestyle agency’ is not a cop out. It’s the future of our industry’s sustainable growth.You can join my Lifestyle is a Plan newsletter at kellymolson.co.ukSubscribe wherever you get your podcasts, leave a glowing review and share it with your founder friends.Edited by Steve Folland stevefolland.com

In this episode of Lifestyle is a Plan, Kelly Molson is joined by Jo Rogers, founder of Client Success Matters.Jo Rogers brings over two decades of experience across agency and client-side roles, helping agencies strengthen client relationships, retain and grow accounts, and build high-performing Client Services teams. She has led the growth of two major independent agencies and built a Client Services department from the ground up.Through consultancy, training and mentoring, Jo works with agencies and Client Services leaders to elevate the role of client service from reactive delivery to a strategic growth driver. She designs and delivers practical training programmes that help teams become more commercial, proactive, strategic and confident in how they manage and grow client relationships.Alongside working directly with agencies, Jo also supports Client Services Directors through consultancy and one-to-one mentoring, helping them sharpen their leadership, elevate their teams and navigate the pressures of the role with confidence. Jo’s approach combines practical agency experience with a strong focus on long-term client partnerships, commercial growth and creating client experiences that make agencies difficult to leave.Now, some of you listening may not have dedicated account managers - don’t let that put you off.The advice in this episode has been tailored for if you as the founder carries out that role, or you have team members that have been hired with a particular skillset, but also need to account manage clients alongside.Your client has 8% of their working week to spend with you, so what are you doing with that time? You’ll discover:The first aspects to consider before mapping out a client success processWhat a great onboarding process looks likeHow we show clients consistent value and impactThe best way to move to a trusted advisor / partner roleHow to grow an account without over-deliveringWays to teach your team to spot opportunitiesRetention strategies - how to track client health and pre-empt churnJo’s advice for hiring your first dedicated account managerGuest detailsWebsite: www.clientsuccessmatters.co.ukLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jorogers-marketing-consultantPodcast recommendations:Confessions of an Agency OwnerDiscussion points:www.uptothelight.co.uk/what-clients-think-reportwww.thewowcompany.com/benchpressBrought to you by:Lifestyle is a Plan is brought to you by me, Kelly Molson - an agency advisor on a mission to support solo founders build the agency they want. I’m here to show the agency world that ‘lifestyle agency’ is not a cop out. It’s the future of our industry’s sustainable growth.You can join my Lifestyle is a Plan newsletter at kellymolson.co.ukSubscribe wherever you get your podcasts, leave a glowing review and share it with your founder friends.Edited by Steve Folland. stevefolland.com

Lifestyle is a Plan podcast is for agency founders who are done with the growth hustle, and want profitability over pressure instead.In this episode of Lifestyle is a Plan, Kelly Molson is joined by Ryan Hall, founder of Friday Solved.Ryan is the founder of Friday Solved, a two-time founder with two successful exits under his belt and 20+ years of experience building revenue engines and sales strategy.He’s worked with global brands like Channel 4, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Vodafone, and UBS, as well as high-growth businesses, to scale sales in a way that actually sticks.He’s also the voice behind the Don’t Sell philosophy, a straight-talking approach that challenges traditional sales thinking and focuses on building scalable, predictable, and sustainable revenue engines, without the usual noise or gimmicks.Today, through Friday Solved, businesses fix sales by building modern revenue engines that sharpen positioning, create consistency, and drive real growth..Whether you’re growing to exit or building an agency for legacy - we all have to sell something to make that happen. Or do we?Ryan Hall founded Friday Solved to help agencies build scalable, predictable and sustainable sales engines inside your businessHis book Don’t Sell sets out his ethos of selling by adding value, and not actually selling at all.You’ll discover:Why outsourcing sales rarely works and why the "Build It, Don't Buy It" model is betterHow to sell without actually sellingSystemising your content - how to maintain visibility without burnoutHow to embed a culture of ‘value’ helps team members get involved without feeling like "salespeople".How to build your sales engineWhy consistent activity paired with the resilience is critical for agency survivalSales for the small agency that’s manageableThe one piece of sales advice agency founders need to take onboard this yearGuest detailsWebsite: www.fridaysolved.co.ukLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ryanghallDon't Sell Insta: www.instagram.com/_dontsellPodcast recommendations:2bobs.comBrought to you by:Lifestyle is a Plan is brought to you by me, Kelly Molson - an agency advisor on a mission to support solo founders build the agency they want. I’m here to show the agency world that ‘lifestyle agency’ is not a cop out. It’s the future of our industry’s sustainable growth.You can join my Lifestyle is a Plan newsletter at kellymolson.co.ukSubscribe wherever you get your podcasts, leave a glowing review and share it with your founder friends.Edited by Steve Folland. stevefolland.com