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PODCAST

The Agency Uplift Podcast

The Agency Uplift Podcast: Agency Scaling Strategies & Growth TipsUnlock proven frameworks, AI‑powered workflows, and client acquisition blueprints to scale your digital agency from freelance to Fortune. Each week, host Sean Lang, co‑founder of Social Commerce Club and agency growth coach, sits down with a wide array of agency leaders—sharing battle‑tested tactics on profitability, processes, and people management.Whether you’re aiming to double client retention, streamline operations, or boost

business marketing

All Episodes

11:53

Ep 63: Inside the Current State of Agencies

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/09/17

Summary Sean dives into anonymized insights from his treasure trove of agency diagnostics. He identifies the patterns that consistently stall growth, from profit leaks and bad hires to misaligned partners. This is the inside look at what’s really going on behind the scenes in agencies today. Takeaways Burnout is common, with agency owners trapped in day-to-day firefighting. Resistance to documenting SOPs keeps founders stuck. Hidden profit leaks undermine even “healthy” agencies. Misma...

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27:49

Ep 62: Scaling with Trust: Don Martelli on Growing PR...

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/09/15

Summary In this episode, Sean Lang interviews Don Martelli, CEO of PR Bunker, about the realities of scaling an agency. Don explains the shift from being a hands-on PR professional to becoming a leader who empowers others. He discusses how referral partnerships, disciplined networking, and a focus on mission-driven organizations helped PR Bunker grow. The conversation highlights trust, letting go of control, and creating systems that enable sustainable agency growth. Takeaways The har...

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9:17

Ep 61: How to Eliminate Chaos in Service Delivery

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/09/10

Summary In this solo episode, host Sean Lang tackles one of the most common challenges in agency life: chaotic service delivery. He explains why fire-fighting doesn’t scale, how to design an end-to-end process map, and the critical elements every agency needs to define if they want consistent results and happier clients. Takeaways Chaos in delivery damages client trust and team morale. Start process mapping “low resolution” before zooming in. Define tasks, ownership, deadlines, quality ...

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35:14

Ep 60: From Google Interview to Agency CEO: David...

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/09/08

Summary Sean Lang sits down with David Feinman, CEO of Viral Ideas, to unpack how he accidentally started an agency, survived the early chaotic years, and scaled into a 45+ person company serving hundreds of clients. David shares why he walked away from Google, the importance of focus and productization, and how his pod-based management system empowers his team. Takeaways Sometimes saying “no” to a dream job opens the door to building your own dream. The “ignorance tax” can be paid i...

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17:37

Ep 59: What Most Agencies Don't Want You to See

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/09/03

Summary In this solo episode, host Sean Lang pulls back the curtain on what agencies look like behind the polished front. Using an anonymous case study, Sean diagnoses the common struggles agencies face, lumpy sales, unclear positioning, weak financial visibility, and lack of standardized processes, and maps out a clear three phase plan to stabilize, scale, and strengthen. Takeaways Most agencies rely too heavily on referrals, leading to unpredictable sales. Positioning and ICP clari...

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35:04

Ep.58: The Power of Saying “No” in Business with...

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/09/01

Summary In this episode, Sean Lang speaks with Alexis and Danielle, the duo behind Definitely Real. They unpack how their rebrand gave them clarity, the role community plays in their growth, and why knowing when to say “no” has been critical for scaling. Takeaways Rebrands can be liberating, not just cosmetic. Saying “no” to the wrong clients creates space for the right ones. Community involvement drives unexpected opportunities. The best hires are chosen for taste and alignment, not ju...

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16:09

Ep 57: Turn Your Secret Sauce into Systems That Scale

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/08/27

Summary In this solo episode, host Sean Lang breaks down why your agency’s “secret sauce” can’t live only in your head. If you want to grow, exit, or simply stop being the bottleneck, you need to transfer your expertise into systems, scorecards, and SOPs. Sean shares a step-by-step method for turning intuition into documented processes while still protecting creativity. Takeaways Secret sauce in your head makes you valuable; secret sauce in systems makes the agency valuable. Codifica...

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33:20

Ep 56: Strategy Over Tactics: Building Trust and...

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/08/25

Summary In this episode, Sean Lang sits down with Andrei Stoica, founder of Stoica, to explore the realities of building and running a digital agency. Andrei shares his journey from freelancing with his brother to scaling an agency serving global B2B tech clients. He opens up about the challenges of building trust as an Eastern European agency working with U.S. companies, the importance of honesty and focus in service offerings, and the personal transformation from freelancer to CEO. From le...

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12:12

Ep: 55 Why Most Agencies Build in Reverse (Throwback...

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/08/20

Key Takeaways Most agency founders start as specialists, not business builders.Many agencies begin by delivering services, then scramble to find clients and hire, without proper systems in place.Without foundational frameworks, growth leads to chaos—hiring without SOPs, inconsistent delivery, and client churn.Core values, positioning (ICP), and financial management are essential foundational frameworks.Operational frameworks (like processes, project management, hiring) should come after found...

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27:05

Ep 54: From Zero Marketing Experience to Agency...

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/08/18

Takeaways Start building systems before you feel “ready.” Client outreach is a numbers game, persistence wins. Hiring for skills you don’t have accelerates growth. Alumni connections can open unexpected doors. Creative social content humanizes your brand. Check out Oliver's agency here: Optican Edge https://www.agencyuplift.co/email Agency Uplift - Free Stuff to Scale Your Agency: https://www.agencyuplift.co/sop (I saved $20K/mo using this system)

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37:49

Ep 53: Why 90% of Ad Ideas Should Fail and How AI...

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/08/13

Takeaways: Claude’s “style” prompts let you analyze accounts through fresh lenses. You can simulate 100s of expert perspectives to improve creative ideation. Use Notion and Asana to build real-time dashboards powered by LLMs. Bain’s 30 value props make for powerful messaging test frameworks. AI can help uncover underserved audiences using identity + hobby data. Power laws mean chasing quantity can yield quality — with strategy. Skip the “AI agent” hype—insert AI where it enhances your ...

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12:24

Ep 52: When Dream Results Aren’t Enough: The Client...

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/08/11

Key Takeaways Incredible results alone won’t guarantee client retention - relationships matter just as much.Onboarding is a trust-building foundation, not a formality.A clear scope of work protects both you and the client from mismatched expectations.Regular, strategic communication reinforces your role as the expert.Making “invisible” work visible helps clients appreciate your strategy and effort.Define and communicate processes from day one to prevent ambiguity.Shorten time-to-action after ...

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31:37

Ep 51: Why Client Communication Beats Killer ROAS |...

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/08/04

Takeaways Agencies must evolve beyond platform expertise to messaging and creative. Great client results can’t make up for poor communication. Hiring needs to go deeper than interviews—use trial projects. Avoid client revenue concentration over 20%. DTC is saturated; expanding verticals is now essential. Good ops take time—slow down to build the foundation. Brighter Click now runs without the founder (except for sales).Check out Colby's agency here: Brighter Click https://www.agencyu...

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11:15

EPISODE 50! Ask Yourself THESE Questions in Order to...

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/07/30

This is the 50TH EPISODE of the Agency Uplift podcast - holy crap! To celebrate, I'm providing my mini diagnostic questions for you to ask yourself, reflect on, and gain huge insights from. If you want to run through them personally with me on a 15 minute call, go to https://www.agencyuplift.co/mini Agency Uplift - Free Stuff to Scale Your Agency: https://www.agencyuplift.co/sop (I saved $20K/mo using this system)

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29:29

Ep 49: Everyone Is on the Sales Team: Agency Growth...

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/07/28

Key Takeaways Cody started an agency for autonomy, impact, and leadership after working brand-side.Brand experience helps agencies better empathize with clients and avoid "echo chambers."Agencies must balance compassion with the courage to push back strategically.Everyone in an agency is always part of the sales team—retention starts from day one.COVID’s boom and bust taught Kinship about overhiring and managing headwinds.Kinship evolved from a niche influencer marketing agency to an e-commer...

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8:40

Ep 48: Why Your A-Player Hire Turned Out to Be a...

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/07/23

✅ Key Takeaways Your hires are underperforming due to lack of clear expectations, not lack of talentRole scorecards are essential for hiring, onboarding, and performance managementA scorecard includes: mission, measurable outcomes, competencies, and cultural fitHiring without scorecards creates ambiguity and misaligned expectationsScorecards guide better interview questions and help candidates self-selectScorecard-driven onboarding ensures alignment from day oneRegular check-ins based on scor...

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33:36

Ep 47: From Fired to $4M Leads: Phil Bacon on...

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/07/21

Key Takeaways Fired on a Friday, freelancing by Monday: Phil’s agency journey began after an unexpected dismissal.Early growth came from four key relationships—proof that nurturing a tight referral network can fill an entire pipeline.Retainers + the first official hire were the “this is a real agency now” moment.Standardising services into a product catalogue ended price haggling and let the team quote proposals without Phil’s input.Founder bottlenecks are inevitable; recognising and delegati...

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11:10

Ep 46: 3 Incredibly Useful Tools to Help Scale Your...

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/07/16

Key Takeaways Leverage AI to tame your inbox: Shortwave turns messy Gmail threads into chat-style summaries, drafts replies, and automates follow-ups.Collect social proof effortlessly: Senja’s one-click form (text or video) funnels testimonials straight into slick website widgets like a “Wall of Love.”Keep a remote team’s pulse: Workleap Officevibe’s micro-surveys surface anonymous employee sentiment, NPS, and engagement trends before problems snowball.Free tiers or trials all around: You can...

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32:58

Ep 45: From Acquisition Layoff to Agency Launch: Nick...

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/07/14

Key Takeaways Networking momentum can make going solo feel “too easy” at first.Client experience often matters as much as raw performance.Nick’s 3-phase email framework: (1) flawless execution & list volume, (2) AOV-boosting tests, (3) deep conversion-rate optimization.Solid relationships with laid-off peers can jump-start early hiring.Post-acquisition culture shifts can rattle teams; owners should mind the people side.2025 feels “make-or-break” for many e-commerce brands, heightening age...

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13:27

Ep 44: 3 Reasons Why Your Agency Will Never Hit $1M /...

The Agency Uplift Podcast ·

2025/07/09

Key Takeaways Your agency’s growth ceiling is usually internal, not market-driven.Reason #3: Implicit or vague core values create cultural drift and inconsistent delivery. Make them explicit and decision-shaping.Reason #2: Chasing revenue without financial visibility leads to fragile or negative margins—treat money like a CEO.Reason #1: You are often the bottleneck; if everything flows through you, the business can’t scale.Concrete fixes: codify values, build a real P&L dashboard, documen...

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83 results

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