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PODCAST

The AgencyHabits Podcast

Peter Kang, Sei-Wook Kim

Go behind the scenes of real agency businesses. The AgencyHabits Podcast shares ideas, lessons, and experiments from across Barrel Holdings - home to a growing portfolio of specialized agencies and over two decades of insights. We share them all here, hoping you"ll test, tweak, and find what works best for your agency.

business management

All Episodes

21:06

Turning Every New Client Opportunity Into an Agency's...

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2026/02/03

Most agencies treat client work as a series of one-off transactions. But the most successful firms treat every engagement as an investment that compounds over time. In this episode, hosts Peter Kang and Sei Wook Kim introduce the concept of engagement yield: the tangible and intangible value that extends far beyond the invoice. They break down the four components of engagement yield; proof, leverage, relationships, and referrals. And explains how agencies can systematically capture this value. Peter

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23:25

Why Peter Wrote a Book on Holding Companies | EP24

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2026/01/26

In this special episode, host Sei-Wook Kim interviews Barrel Holdings co-founder Peter Kang about his new book, The HoldCo Guide: How Entrepreneurs Structure and Build a Holding Company That Lasts. Peter shares the organic journey that led him to write the book, from scaling a single agency to building a multi-agency holding company, and why no existing resource fully addressed the topic. He breaks down the core concepts every entrepreneur should understand: the spectrum between capital allocator

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33:02

Breaking Down Agency Employee Compensation | EP23

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2026/01/20

Compensation is more than just a number. It's a strategic tool for attracting, retaining, and motivating talent. In this episode, hosts Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim unpack the full spectrum of employee compensation in an agency setting. They start by acknowledging that while pay is crucial, it's not the only factor. Culture, management, challenging work, and company trajectory all play vital roles. From there, they dive into the core components: base salary (and how to set competitive,

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17:17

Annual Checkup: 9 Markers to Diagnose Your Agency's...

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2026/01/14

Most agencies only seek help when something is broken. But by then, the problems are often systemic. In this episode, hosts Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim shift the conversation from reactive fixes to proactive health. They introduce a holistic "annual checkup" framework, mapping nine critical agency functions to body parts and their vital signs: from positioning (vision) and client trust (heart rate) to revenue stability (blood pressure) and risk resilience (immune system). Drawing from their

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26:03

Evolving from Managing Projects to Growing Accounts |...

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2026/01/07

Growing from single-project engagements to managing multiple, concurrent work streams is a major turning point for any agency. In this episode, hosts Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim unpack the structural shift required to turn this complexity into a sustainable competitive advantage. Drawing from their own hard-earned lessons at Barrel, they dissect the common pitfalls like team silos, client misalignment, and leader burnout, that can derail multi-faceted accounts. Peter and Sei-Wook break down the

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35:25

The Six Levers of Profitable Client Engagements | EP20

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2025/12/30

Running an agency is an exercise in risk management. In this episode, hosts Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim break down the most significant threats that can jeopardize an agency's survival. They move beyond daily annoyances to focus on the high-impact risks that can truly put a business in danger. Using a simple risk matrix framework, Peter and Sei-Wook categorize and explore nine critical vulnerabilities, from founder burnout and partner conflict to client concentration and strategic misalignment. They

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21:23

Learning From Other Agency Owners | EP19

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2025/12/24

Great agencies are not built in isolation. In this episode, Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim explore the transformative power of community and peer learning for agency founders. The hosts share their personal journey from working in a silo to actively seeking mentorship and joining dedicated communities, revealing how these connections helped them avoid blind spots, gain crucial perspective, and accelerate their growth. Peter and Sei-Wook break down specific communities that have been instrumental to

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17:58

Why Agencies Rely on Referrals But Few Treat It as a...

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2025/12/17

Most agencies say they rely on referrals, but few treat them as a system. In this episode, Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim dismantle the "hope-based" approach to referrals and lay out a strategic framework for building a consistent pipeline. Drawing from the book The Referral Code, they redefine referrals as a transfer of goodwill and share actionable tactics for intentional referral generation. Peter and Sei-Wook cover how to identify the right people to ask, the critical importance of timing your ask

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29:25

How Agencies Should Think About and Manage Risk | EP 17

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2025/12/09

In this episode, hosts Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim break down the six fundamental levers that drive profitability across all client engagements, whether you run fixed-fee projects, retainers, or long-term service programs. Drawing from real challenges within their own portfolio at Barrel Holdings, Peter and Sei-Wook provide a practical framework for diagnosing and fixing margin compression. They start by defining gross margin and then explore each lever in detail: from pricing and scoping to

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30:45

Scaling Your Agency Beyond $2M | EP 16

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2025/12/03

In this episode, hosts Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim tackle a common agency pitfall: treating marketing as a short-term, reactive effort only when leads dry up. They argue for a fundamental mindset shift, framing marketing as a long-term investment in reputation and awareness, similar to the compounding benefits of consistent exercise. Peter and Sei-Wook first outline the "basics" of agency marketing: from social posts and case studies to newsletters and events, and then dive deep into six specific,

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19:15

How Agencies Can Be Better at Marketing Themselves |...

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2025/11/25

In this episode, hosts Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim tackle a common agency pitfall: treating marketing as a short-term, reactive effort only when leads dry up. They argue for a fundamental mindset shift, framing marketing as a long-term investment in reputation and awareness, similar to the compounding benefits of consistent exercise. Peter and Sei-Wook first outline the "basics" of agency marketing: from social posts and case studies to newsletters and events, and then dive deep into six specific,

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30:53

[REPLAY] Why & How to Prune Your Client Roster for...

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2025/11/11

Holding on to the wrong clients can stunt your agency's growth, drain your team's morale, and cripple your profitability. This statement holds value for agency owners who are overwhelmed by client demands, feel trapped by early, problematic clients, or are struggling to focus their service offerings for maximum impact. In this episode, Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim tackle the difficult but essential practice of proactively reviewing and pruning your client list. Drawing from Barrel's own journey of

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24:17

[REPLAY] How Much Cash Should Your Agency Keep on...

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2025/11/11

Profit on paper doesn't pay the bills. Learn the best practices for designing payment terms and invoicing cadences to create a smooth, predictable cash flow. In this episode, Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim tackle one of the most critical yet misunderstood aspects of running an agency: cash flow management. They break down the dangerous gap between your P&L's accrual-based profitability and the real money in your bank account, explaining why even "profitable" agencies can face insolvency. Peter and

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16:08

How Specialization Impacts Your Agency's Growth,...

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2025/10/29

Is your agency a "jack-of-all-trades, master of none"? In this episode, hosts Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim dive deep into the transformative power of agency specialization. They break down the critical difference between internal specialization and external positioning, and reveal why narrowing your focus is the ultimate growth accelerator for agencies under $10M in revenue. Peter and Sei-Wook share Barrel Holdings' own journey from a generalist agency serving investment banks and nail salons to a

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14:16

Are You Calculating Your Agency’s Profits Correctly?

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2025/10/22

Agency profitability isn’t always what it seems. In this episode, Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim break down how to really evaluate your agency’s profit. The hosts also talks about why two agencies reporting the same margins can mean totally different things. They unpack the difference between EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) and SDE (Seller’s Discretionary Earnings), showing how owner salaries, distributions, and “normalization” adjustments can completely change

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32:07

The 6 Types of Agency Buyers: Who They Are and What...

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2025/10/13

In this episode, hosts Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim break down the complex landscape of agency acquirers. They map out the six primary types of buyers, from individual entrepreneurs to massive strategic networks, explaining the distinct motivations, financial structures, and long-term goals for each. Peter and Sei-Wook provide a clear-eyed view of what it's like to sell to each buyer type, covering everything from highly leveraged individual purchases to the synergy-driven deals of strategic

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16:09

How We Exited Our Agency Without Selling It

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2025/10/08

In this episode, hosts Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim pull back the curtain on one of their most significant career transitions: stepping away from the day-to-day leadership of their first agency, Barrel, without selling the business. They define this strategic move as a "role exit" which is a path less discussed but highly relevant for founder-led businesses. Peter and Sei-Wook share the multi-year journey of identifying and grooming their successor, Lucas Ballasy, from designer to CEO. They detail

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42:36

A Lightweight Agency Partnerships Program That...

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2025/10/01

In this episode, hosts Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim dive into the practicalities of building a partnerships program for resource-constrained agencies. They argue that you don't need a dedicated partnerships team to start seeing significant benefits from strategic alliances. Peter and Sei-Wook outline a step-by-step, lightweight approach to identifying the right partners, from complementary agencies and tech platforms to fractional consultants. They explain how to build genuine relationships, properly

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20:20

Key Metrics for Agencies: What to Track for Better...

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2025/09/26

In this episode, hosts Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim cut through the noise of data overload to share the essential metrics every agency should track. Moving beyond fancy dashboards, they break down the handful of key performance indicators (KPIs) that truly drive informed decision-making at their portfolio agencies under Barrel Holdings. Peter and Sei-Wook explain the critical difference between lag measures (reporting on the past) and lead measures (predicting the future), providing a clear framework

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33:18

Why Agencies Lose Clients (and How to Stop It)

The AgencyHabits Podcast ·

2025/09/24

In this episode, hosts Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim dive deep into one of the most painful but inevitable aspects of running an agency: client churn. Drawing from decades of experience building and scaling agencies, they break down the most common reasons clients leave—from poor onboarding and missed deadlines to unresponsive communication and misaligned expectations. Peter and Sei-Wook share candid stories from their own agency, Barrel, including how they’ve lost clients due to everything from

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29 results

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