Breaking Through Slow Growth to PROPEL YOUR AGENCY with Curtis Hays | Ep #740

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Are you frustrated by slow growth? Does client churn keep you from really propelling ahead? Do you put off crucial decisions because you’re afraid of making the wrong choice? Today’s guest’s successful track record wasn’t enough to make him confident in his decisions on hiring or the stress of client turnover. A shift in focus helped him see consistency and adaptability are the key to agency growth. Learn about how he kept going and the strategy that helped him get through decision paralysis. He also shares the content marketing approach that transformed his agency's pipeline and helped them grow.

Curtis Hays is the owner of Collideascope, a digital agency specializing in B2B lead generation services. He shares his early struggles to form an effective hiring strategy, and how a podcast has been just what his agency needed to address self-promotion to build their pipeline.

In this episode, we’ll discuss:

• Maintaining momentum when growth feels slow.

• The power of podcasting to build the pipeline.

• Breaking through decision paralysis.

• Embracing mistakes in agency leadership.

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Sponsors and Resources

E2M Solutions: Today's episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass is sponsored by E2M Solutions, a web design, and development agency that has provided white-label services for the past 10 years to agencies all over the world. Check out e2msolutions.com/smartagency and get 10% off for the first three months of service.

Converting Corporate Experience into Agency Ownership

Curtis began his career working in corporate right after college, starting with roles at smaller companies before landing an IT position supporting sales and services at a Fortune 500 company. Years later, he decided to relocate with his wife and found himself struggling to find work in his new city until he connected with two agency owners specializing in web development and IT services.

Taking charge of the IT services division, Curtis innovatively transformed the agency’s business model by implementing a retainer-based approach for IT services and went on to run that division for ten years.

His journey into agency ownership began once he figured it was time to start consulting and working on his own. Little by little he brought together a group of agency professionals he met over years in order to complement the services he provides, ultimately building what is now Collideascope.

How to Maintain Momentum When Growth Feels Slow

Thanks to a solid network, Curtis hasn’t experienced the typical struggles of finding and retaining talent. For most of his time with the agency, people who come work with him end up staying, which has allowed him to maintain a very low turnover rate. He is aware this is not always the case, as his team is frequently called to assist agency teams when they’re experiencing turnover.

On the other hand, marketing has been especially hard for him as he struggles to balance client needs with the demands of marketing his own agency. This is a common dilemma, where the focus on client work can overshadow the necessity of promoting the agency brand.

It seemed like every time he was finally getting ahead by gaining a new client he was losing another one. As a result, even though he has seen growth year-over-year, it’s been slow and never quite where he want s it to be. The resulting emotional toll has tempted Curtis to give up. However, he has learned to cultivate a positive mindset that embraces that growth is not just about the number of clients but also about building resilience and adapting to change.

In his experience, working with clients can help maintain this positive attitude. Instead of always working on the backend of the business, he makes sure to always get some consulting time, which gets him the opportunity to have some wins helping clients solve problems and gets him excited to do his work.

Sometimes it may seem like you’ve tried everything, however, a harder look at your process may reveal a key change that could help improve your results. As Curtis has learned, consistency is about committing to a process of continuous improvement and adaptation. Whether it’s refining service offerings, nurturing client relationships, or engaging in marketing efforts, the consistent application of effort is what drives growth.

Converting Listeners to Clients: The Power of Podcasting for Agencies

When traditional content marketing methods like newsletters and blogging weren't delivering the desired results, Curtis changed the strategy to try their luck with a podcast.

The journey wasn't immediate success. The first six months were admittedly challenging, marked by slow growth and a steep learning curve. However, once the team found their rhythm, the podcast began to yield unexpected benefits. Not only did it generate new leads, but it also served as a powerful educational tool for prospects in their pipeline, building the confidence needed to convert listeners into clients.

What started as an experimental marketing channel evolved into a valuable pipeline-building tool. The team discovered that through authentic storytelling and sharing customer experiences, they could forge deeper connections with their audience in ways that written content simply couldn't match. The podcast format allows them to showcase their expertise while maintaining a personal touch that resonates with potential clients.

Pro tip for podcasters: Try to not lose momentum with your listeners. After his first season, Curtis has learned to record episodes ahead of time. In the very beginning, it’s difficult to get listeners for your show. However, when they finally do, they’ll tend to binge several episodes so make sure you have a consistent upload schedule so you don’t lose the interest of new listeners.

Break Through the Overwhelm and Empower Your Team

As Curtis points out, many agency leaders find themselves overwhelmed with the burden of managing a growing team. On one hand, there’s the significant investment needed in bringing in new people with the right expertise. On the other hand, it’s also difficult to train and coach up people already in the business to transition into those positions.

Finding yourself paralyzed by questions regarding cash flow and profit means you’re not focusing on the most important asset, which is your time. The transition from Owner to CEO requires a shift in mindset, where the focus moves from doing everything yourself to empowering others to carry out the agency’s mission.

The journey to effective delegation begins with a simple but powerful exercise of auditing your time. Here's how to do it:

1. Take screenshots of your calendar for the past two weeks

2. Document all activities you've performed

3. Categorize these activities into two lists: tasks you love or energize you and tasks that drain your energy or you'd rather never do again

With your audit complete, start delegating low-value tasks off your plate. After that, hire at least one of the people you’ll need to start getting high-level tasks you never want to do again. You don’t necessarily have to go out and hire a COO right away when you’re running a twenty-person agency, but you can start by hiring a director of operations.

Prioritize strategic hiring to identify the right individuals with the skills and mindset necessary to contribute to the agency's vision. By carefully selecting team members who align with the agency's goals and values, owners can create a strong foundation for growth.

Learning to Embrace Mistakes in Agency Leadership

A lot the fear of hiring new team members revolves around getting it wrong and regret the decision. This usually leads to hanging on to that person for too long, even though they’re not the right fit, just to avoid going through the hiring process again.

Simply put, mistakes are inevitable as you grow your agency. At some point, you’ll look back at your hiring mistakes or bad clients as lessons. Learn to laugh at the mistakes and craziness that happens in this business and you’ll enjoy the ride much more.

For example, Curtis looks back at how rigid he was with his team when it came to working remote. He knows now that his opposition to it was a big mistake. This experience taught him the importance of embracing adaptability to new practices, tools, and methodologies that provide a significant edge or allowing them to streamline operations and focus on higher-value tasks.

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