Chats With Chip

Miles Everson, CEO of MBO Partners, joins Chip to talk about the challenges that agencies are facing in this new era of work — and how they can find success while mitigating risks.Continue Reading → The post CWC 78: How agencies can manage the new work landscape (featuring Miles Everson) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Chris Hervochon, a CPA with extensive experience working with small agencies, shares his advice on how to manage your business more effectively by understanding and using your financial reports.Continue Reading → The post CWC 77: Managing your agency’s financials for better results (featuring Chris Hervochon) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Ideas and insights for future success in the midst of this crisis Continue Reading → The post CWC 62: The power of creativity and community in difficult times (featuring Carl Smith) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

How to handle succession in the family business Continue Reading → The post CWC 61: Transitioning agency ownership to the next generation (featuring Jonathan and Erik Bernstein) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

What goes into the decision to give up an office in favor of remote work Continue Reading → The post CWC 60: Making the transition to become a virtual agency (featuring Todd Zeigler) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Getting results for clients and growing your agency using the most talked about communications medium today. Continue Reading → The post CWC 59: How podcasts can help agencies and their clients (featuring Kelly Glover) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Lessons for veteran agency owners and newcomers to the agency world from the experience of students Continue Reading → The post CWC 58: When students get a chance to run their own PR agency (featuring Amy Shanler) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

The benefits of joining together with peers to learn about the business side of agencies Continue Reading → The post CWC 57: How PRSA Counselors Academy helps agency owners (featuring Chuck Norman) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Meeting the need for high quantities of high quality content Continue Reading → The post CWC 56: Leveraging freelance writers for your agency (featuring Gideon Stein) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Focus on the right numbers for the right reasons to put more money in your pocket Continue Reading → The post CWC 55: Metrics and benchmarks to improve agency profits (featuring Marcel Petitpas) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

How to maintain open dialogue, encourage growth, and enable graceful exits Continue Reading → The post CWC 54: Building a positive team culture at your agency (featuring Keith Scandone) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Is your agency doing a good job of marketing itself? If you’re like most agencies, the chances are that you aren’t taking enough of the advice you give your own clients. On this episode, Aaron Strout, CMO of W2O Group, shares his experience as an agency marketer. He talks about how you get more out of the whole team, and why marketing matters beyond new business — including recruiting, M&A, and more.Continue Reading → The post CWC 53: Eating your own dog food and marketing your agency (featuring Aaron Strout) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

For the past decade, Rohit Bhargava has written about non-obvious trends in an annual book series. He recently capped it off with a final volume: Non-Obvious Mega Trends. A self-described “reluctant futurist,” Rohit went from working in agencies to examining the trends that impact business and society. In this episode, he and Chip discuss some of the observations, as well as an approach to looking at trends that may help agency leaders be more effective. One of the best pieces of advice he offers is this: “being more observant really is about paying attention to detail.” Sometimes it takes the realization of the obvious to discover the non-obvious.Continue Reading → The post CWC 52: Non-obvious trends and thinking for agency leaders (featuring Rohit Bhargava) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Nobody likes to think about lawyers until they need one. Agency owners are no different, but planning ahead can make a world of difference in the outcome when it comes to legal matters. Sharon Toerek, founder of Toerek Law and host of The Innovative Agency podcast brings a wealth of knowledge and experience on agency legal issues to the latest episode of Chats with Chip. She shares her experience and insight with listeners to help avoid common mistakes.Continue Reading → The post CWC 51: How agencies can avoid common legal mistakes (featuring Sharon Toerek) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sell your agency to one of the big holding companies? How does the dream compare to reality? What should you know before you make that decision? Mitch Joel shares the perspective of someone who has done just that. He and his partners sold Twist Image to WPP. After remaining with the firm for several years after the acquisition, Mitch is now a prolific writer, podcaster, speaker, and more.Continue Reading → The post CWC 50: What it is like to sell an agency to a holding company (featuring Mitch Joel) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Most agencies are looking for any leg up that they can get in the business development process. That’s why some agencies should consider getting certified. No this isn’t a discussion about a seal of approval for the quality of your work, it is about certifying the ownership structure of your business in a category that some organizations prefer. Dr. Sandra Wills Hannon of The Hannon Group discusses how getting certified has helped her agency win more business, both from government agencies and the private sector. She describes some of the available programs and what it takes to win the certification.Continue Reading → The post CWC 49: Dr. Sandra Wills Hannon on why to get your agency certified as a Small, Minority, Woman, or Veteran-Owned Business appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Scope creep and over-servicing clients erodes profitability and many — if not most — agencies. Keeping work within the agreed parameters will not only make projects better, it will ensure that they contribute to the financial health of the business. As founder of The Digital Project Manager, Ben Aston knows all about successful agency project management. He joins Chip to discuss techniques to avoid scope creep — starting even before a prospect becomes a client.Continue Reading → The post CWC 48: How agencies can avoid scope creep with client projects (featuring Ben Aston) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Most agency owners don’t bring prior business experience to the role — let alone formal business education. Paul Benson is an exception to that rule of thumb. He earned his MBA before he took the leap into agency ownership. In this episode, Paul shares his experience running a digital marketing agency and how the business training he received at Babson College has impacted his success.Continue Reading → The post CWC 47: Starting an agency with an MBA in hand (featuring Paul Benson) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Agency owners need to keep tabs on the financial health of their businesses, but many lack the backgrounds to know the numbers that matter most. Darryl Salerno’s long experience in advising agencies on financial matters makes him an excellent resource on this vital topic. In this episode, Darryl explains which numbers agencies should be focused on and what benchmarks can help them evaluate their own success. He takes the mystery out of money matters and provides practical advice that any agency leader can put to work today.Continue Reading → The post CWC 46: Key financial metrics for agency owners (featuring Darryl Salerno) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.

Ronn Torossian has built one of the largest independent PR agencies in the U.S., and in this episode he shares some of the lessons he has learned along the way. A prolific content creator, Ronn frequently writes and speaks about issues facing the industry, and he is passionate about finding ways to improve modern public relations. Ronn’s agency, 5WPR, recently announced that they were looking for small agencies to acquire. He explains exactly what he’s looking for and why he wants to supplement his firm’s already strong organic growth.Continue Reading → The post CWC 45: Building a large independent PR agency (featuring Ronn Torossian) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.