Rikki Lear is the Director of Digital 22, an Elite HubSpot inbound marketing agency. Digital 22 has rolled out HubSpot and inbound marketing with 73 companies to date, helping them reach their goals sooner without the pitfalls. In his role, Rikki oversees the heads of service departments like finance, marketing, and HR.Previously, Rikki was on the Partner Advisory Council for HubSpot and worked in digital marketing for Workwear Express and Optimise Marketing. He holds several certifications from HubSpot, including HubSpot Trainer, Inbound Sales, Growth-Driven Design, and more.In this episode…Are you trying to optimize HubSpot’s features for your agency, but keep getting stuck? Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a team of experts ready to help?Digital 22 has the inbound marketing expertise you need. The agency’s team members specialize in HubSpot features and understand all the best practices for implementing them into your business. With their help, one client had an additional 167 blog views, a 140% increase in offline revenue, and a 174% increase in online revenue. So, how did Digital 22 become the powerhouse agency they are today?In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray MacKenzie is joined by Rikki Lear, the Director of Digital 22, to discuss how he created the largest 100% HubSpot agency in the UK. Rikki talks about Digital 22’s bold jump from SEO and PPC agency to HubSpot partner, the agency’s decision to start accepting project-based clients, and how his team stays up-to-date with HubSpot features.

Agency Journey

From Independent Marketing Agency to Elite HubSpot Partner With Rikki Lear

Adam Rundle is the Co-founder of CleverProfits, a firm that helps online businesses become more profitable. CleverProfit’s team excels in accounting, tax, and growth strategies. Adam founded the company with Bryan Nguyen after realizing that many online entrepreneurs were failing because they didn’t understand finances. Together, they created a solution that enabled business owners to plan, forecast, and predict their future financial performances and effectively scale their businesses.Adam is also the Owner of CFO Coach and an Assistant Rugby Coach for the United States Naval Academy. Before starting CleverProfits, Adam was a Financial Manager for C&A Friedlander Attorneys and a Varsity Cup U20 Rugby Coach for the University of Cape Town’s rugby club.In this episode…No one wakes up in the morning and says, “I can’t wait to pay my accountant today.” But most businesses can’t survive without one, either. So, how can you find a happy and healthy partnership that will help you build a solid financial future?CleverProfits is a financial firm with an innovative solution. Rather than signing your life away at step one, you can join their six-week Profit Accelerator program. With this process, they help you strengthen your company’s financial foundation, develop unique growth strategies, and create a personalized tax plan. If you find their services beneficial (and most participants do), you can partner with their team throughout your business journey to take advantage of their excellent financial intel and tax genius. In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray MacKenzie is joined by Adam Rundle, the Co-founder of CleverProfits, to discuss why a firm financial foundation is essential for your business. Adam talks about the services CleverProfits offers, how they develop unique solutions for each business they work with, and why simplicity is always the best option.

Building a Solid Financial Foundation With Adam Rundle

Chase Dimond is an email marketing expert who is currently a Partner at Structured and Boundless Labs and an Advisor for Triple Whale. He created the popular “$75M Ecommerce Email Marketer” course and offers an email marketing guide on his website, chasedimond.com. Chase is also an Angel Investor for several companies, including Gatsby, Miracle Brand, Gainful, and Newchip Accelerator.Chase’s accomplishments include scaling a product he built, marketed, and managed to 500,000 visitors in 6 months, generating 1.5 million visitors for a dating site within the first two months of launch, and acquiring 500,000 subscribers in 10 months for a travel email newsletter he helped launch — all while spending either zero or very little traditional advertising dollars.In this episode…These days, businesses need help with social media advertising, email marketing, website design, and more. How can they meet all their needs without hiring 12 different agencies?The team at Structured has your back. They handle social media, email, SMS, and content — and they do it really well. Chase Dimond leads the email marketing sector with years of success under his belt. He drove over 350,000 unique clicks and responses through cold email campaigns in 2017, acquired 20,000 users in three weeks for a polling app, and generated $175,000 in new revenue in three months while working as an intern. So, what’s Chase’s secret?In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray MacKenzie is joined by e-commerce email marketing expert Chase Dimond to discuss how email can revolutionize your business. Chase talks about his email marketing course, how the services at Structured can benefit your company, and his favorite online e-commerce tools.

Email Marketing Best Practices With Chase Dimond

Melissa Rosenthal is the Chief Creative Officer at ClickUp, a fully customizable app that is helping to make the world more productive. Melissa joined ClickUp’s team in October of 2020 and leads the agency’s marketing and branding efforts.Previously, Melissa was the CRO and Executive Vice President of Marketing and Creative Strategy at Cheddar. She has been named one of Forbes’ “30 Under 30,” Business Insider’s “30 Most Creative People in Advertising Under 30,” and Digiday's "Changemakers." Melissa also led BuzzFeed's global creative team responsible for creating branded content for advertisers and was a key contributor to the advertising model’s early success.In this episode…Every company has a logo, mission statement, and advertising strategy. So, amid the torrent of content that consumers face daily, how do you make your brand stand out?Marketing expert Melissa Rosenthal says you’re not building a brand for the next three years — you’re building a brand for the next 20. Because of this, there are many areas you need to focus on, including social media, billboards, videos, and more. But according to Melissa, one aspect is more important than everything else: making the brand feel human.In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray MacKenzie is joined by Melissa Rosenthal, the Chief Creative Officer at ClickUp, to discuss her strategies for building a strong brand. Melissa talks about her tried-and-true social media tactics, the culture of the creative department at ClickUp, and how she developed her marketing strategy. Stay tuned.

Building Better Branding With Melissa Rosenthal

Andrew Dymski is the Co-founder of ZenPilot. ZenPilot has helped over 2,000 agencies streamline their operations and scale their businesses using proven systems and processes. ZenPilot’s clients benefit from a comprehensive library of pre-built ClickUp templates, agency-specific training, and certification programs.Andrew has over a decade of experience helping businesses and agencies grow. In addition to his work at ZenPilot, Andrew is the Co-founder of GuavaBox, which helps B2B tech and SaaS companies build a better growth strategy. Previously, he worked as the Digital Media Strategist for Deeter Gallaher Group and the Director of Growth for ReturnLogic.In this episode…Are you trying to grow your agency but feel too disorganized, overwhelmed, or inconsistent to make any progress? Do you wish there was an easier way to streamline your processes?ZenPilot offers a better option. Everything they do is focused on clarifying your agency’s processes so you can focus on growing your business. With their help, you can have a clearer picture of what’s on your team’s plate, how much work you’re doing for each of your clients, and the various ways your team delivers those services — all through the user-friendly ClickUp platform. So, how does the process work?In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray MacKenzie is joined by Andrew Dymski, his business partner at ZenPilot, to discuss the agency’s recent rebranding and valuable client services. Andrew and Gray talk about ZenPilot’s blueprint and implementation processes, why they chose ClickUp as their preferred project management tool, and the current open positions on the agency’s team.

ZenPilot’s Brand Update with Andrew Dymski

Justin Christianson is the Co-founder and President of Conversion Fanatics, a customer-centric CRO agency. His team helps e-commerce and SaaS companies better understand their visitors' on-site behavior, likes, and dislikes to increase conversion results and get a better return on advertising. The agency’s clients, including Burt's Bees, Renew Life, Paleovalley, and more, have increased conversions and marketing performance by 30% to 1850% due to their services.Justin is a digital marketing veteran with a strong emphasis on implementation and optimization. His book, Conversion Fanatic: How To Double Your Customers, Sales and Profits with A/B Testing, is a #1 best-seller on Amazon. Justin is also an Official Member of the Forbes Agency Council.In this episode…Many businesses are so focused on driving traffic to their website that they forget one key element: how to actually make the sale. Once someone is on your webpage, how do you get them to buy your product?That’s Justin Christianson’s sweet spot. His agency, Conversion Fanatics, focuses on improving conversion rates for businesses by understanding what makes consumers tick. Justin and his team recognize that changing even just one button can increase website leads by 15% or more. So, how does Conversion Fanatics' CRO magic work?In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray MacKenzie is joined by Justin Christianson, the Co-founder and President of Conversion Fanatics, to discuss how to improve your website’s CRO. Justin explains the services that Conversion Fanatics offers, the process he uses to onboard new clients, and how his agency’s website utilizes key CRO strategies.

Improving CRO With Justin Christianson

Matthew Strunk is the Founder and CEO of BitMoto, Strunk Media Group, and AutoSigma. Matthew created BitMoto as a digital marketing agency for automotive companies and dealerships. After selling cars at a dealership and doing freelance digital marketing work on the side, Matthew realized he could combine his two passions, and BitMoto was born.In 2015, Matthew founded Strunk Media Group as a spinoff from BitMoto. While BitMoto focuses on the automotive industry, the award-winning team at Strunk Media Group designs marketing strategies for a diverse range of industries. Most recently, Matthew also launched AutoSigma, an automotive technology company that gives dealerships the tools to streamline their marketing efforts and maximize their ROI.In this episode…After pouring your heart and soul into a business and finally seeing the fruits of your efforts, you may be excited to keep growing — or be experiencing burnout. If a larger company gives a tempting acquisition offer, how do you know if you should accept?Matthew Strunk has founded three agencies — and almost sold them on two different occasions. Through strategic planning, a clear focus, and a strong client acquisition method, he effectively built up his agencies, and these qualities made his businesses very attractive to larger companies. So, how did Matthew decide whether or not to stay with his businesses? What factors played a role in his decision?In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray MacKenzie is joined by Matthew Strunk, the Founder and CEO of BitMoto, Strunk Media Group, and AutoSigma, to discuss the pros and cons of selling your agency. Matthew talks about the lessons he learned from almost selling his businesses twice, what he wished he knew before starting the process, and his strategies for preparing for an exit. Plus, Matthew shares his tried-and-true methods for client acquisition.

To Sell or Not to Sell With Matthew Strunk

Lindsey Huettner is the Founder and CEO of The it Crowd, a full-service marketing agency. The it Crowd team is made up of experienced graphic designers, advertisers, business developers, social media experts, account managers, and more. Lindsey is a national marketing expert and regularly gives speeches and radio and TV interviews about marketing. She also delivers seminars in coordination with microloan programs to teach business ownership and help people climb out of poverty.A serial entrepreneur, Lindsey has previously founded and owned multiple other businesses. She turned a pet-sitting hobby into a 1,200-client empire and sold her 25,000-subscriber online “deal-a-day” website after just two years. From there, Lindsey purchased Krimson Klover, which she grew to two buzzworthy brick-and-mortar stores and a thriving e-commerce site. In 2014, she put her business acumen to work and founded The it Crowd, where she currently empowers businesses to succeed.In this episode…Do you want to improve your marketing, but are too busy running your business to make a difference? Are you looking for someone who can leverage key strategies to meet your agency’s goals?The team at The it Crowd is here to help. Lindsey Huettner designed the agency to be a complete marketing presence for any company. Whether you need a total marketing takeover or a booster for your internal marketing team, The it Crowd can fill the gaps.In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray MacKenzie is joined by Lindsey Huettner, the Founder and CEO of The it Crowd, to discuss her entrepreneurial journey and marketing expertise. Lindsey talks about the inspiration behind The it Crowd, the employee benefits that make her agency stand out, and why charitable work is the key to her team’s success.

Innovative Marketing Solutions With Lindsey Huettner

Troy Osinoff is a Co-founder of JUICE, an integrated digital marketing agency. JUICE specializes in results-driven growth strategy development, social advertising, search engine marketing, organic search ranking, and lead generation. Troy is also a Co-founder of Peachy, a company that ​​designs, develops, and optimizes scalable e-commerce experiences, and a General Partner of MAGIC Fund, an early-stage venture capital fund built by founders for founders. Previously, he was the Head of Customer Acquisition for BuzzFeed, the Director of Digital Marketing for Watsco, and more.Michael Lisovetsky is a Co-founder of JUICE and Peachy. As a serial entrepreneur, he has also co-founded businesses including Skylight, BuilderBuzz, and more. Alongside his business partner Troy, Michael recently became a General Partner for MAGIC Fund. Before starting JUICE, Michael was an Advisor for Covet, a full-service shipping company, and the Director of Growth for Common, a leading residential and coliving brand.In this episode…With all the agencies out there vying for the attention of potential clients, it takes a lot of work to stand out. So, what is the key to growing and scaling a thriving agency?Michael Lisovetksy and Troy Osinoff, Co-founders of JUICE, are so good at growing their own companies, they made a business out of helping other agencies grow. Within their agency, they are ultra-focused on implementing growth-based strategies and hiring the best talent to deliver amazing outcomes to their clients. Now they’re here to share the business procedures that have given them the best results.In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray MacKenzie is joined by Michael Lisovetsky and Troy Osinoff, Co-founders of JUICE, to discuss their strategies for agency growth. They talk about the lessons they learned from other startups that helped them succeed, why growth motivates every business decision, and their goals for the culture and team at JUICE. Stay tuned.

Strategies for Agency Growth With Michael Lisovetsky and Troy Osinoff

Kevin Dunn is the Manager of Education with HubSpot Academy. Kevin leads the professor groups responsible for partner and developer education. He also owns the Agency Partner Certification course and educates people about agency growth and success.In addition to this, Kevin is a public speaker who delivers presentations at HubSpot’s INBOUND conference and agency events across the globe. Kevin also hosts the Agency Unfiltered podcast, where he discusses agency operations and growth with agency owners.In this episode…HubSpot has marketing, sales, and service software to help your business grow without compromise. But as an agency owner, there are multiple software companies vying for your attention. So, what sets HubSpot apart?Kevin Dunn, the Manager of Education with HubSpot Academy, would say it’s the education component. The company’s built-in training helps agency partners know how to build integrations, price and package new services, and so much more. In a world of people who claim to be experts — why not learn from the best?In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray MacKenzie is joined by Kevin Dunn, the Manager of Education with HubSpot Academy, to discuss the educational opportunities available through HubSpot. Kevin talks about where he sees agency owners succeeding and struggling in 2021, HubSpot’s unique infrastructure for creators, and the new initiatives coming to HubSpot in the coming year. Stay tuned.

Becoming an Agency Expert Through HubSpot Academy with Kevin Dunn

Andrew Hong is the CEO and Co-founder of Tobe Agency. Tobe Agency helps brands produce creative content that enables them to attract and convert new audiences. The team at Tobe Agency creates videos, podcasts, blog posts, and downloadables that build awareness, build audiences, improve conversions, and produce more revenue. Andrew Hong has over a decade of experience in the marketing sphere. Before creating Tobe Agency, Andrew was the Chief Marketing Officer for American Interbanc Mortgage, Vice President of Seashine Capital Management, and the Brand and Marketing Manager for DJ Tech Pro the Americas.In this episode…It seems like there are a million different ways to reach out to your audience. Of course, some mediums are better than others. How can starting a podcast grow your audience and help your agency find its niche?Andrew Hong, Co-founder and CEO of Tobe Agency, has helped hundreds of agencies leverage podcasting to reach more clients. Podcasting can feel more personal than blog posts and puts the human element back into your communications. Whether you’re trying to increase brand awareness, build a connection with current clients, or communicate within an agency, a podcast can help. In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray MacKenzie is joined by Andrew Hong, CEO and Co-founder of Tobe Agency, to discuss the benefits of starting a podcast for your agency. Andrew talks about how to clarify the purpose of your podcast, the various benefits of each podcast format, and how SEO plays a role.

Leveraging Podcasts for Audience Growth With Andrew Hong

Brandon Ward is an Agency Advisor for ZenPilot. ZenPilot helps agencies streamline operations and scale their businesses using proven systems and processes. As an Agency Advisor, Brandon helps agencies leverage ZenPilot’s solutions for their specific needs.After studying marketing at Marshall University, Brandon held marketing roles at several start-up companies and was the CEO of a growing CBD business called Lifted Innovations. In 2019, he created his own agency, Advisory Cure, before joining the team at ZenPilot.In this episode…Owning a digital agency is no easy task. Some agencies are generating off-the-charts sales and need a path for scaling the company. Others are waiting to get organized before their business can take off. Either way, ZenPilot can help.ZenPilot is designed to help agencies streamline their processes so they can offer quality services to every client and boost sales. As a previous agency owner, Brandon Ward knows that it can be difficult to achieve success without a great system. That’s why he implemented ClickUp from ZenPilot for his own agency — and eventually joined the ZenPilot team.In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray MacKenzie is joined by Brandon Ward, an Agency Advisor at ZenPilot, to discuss the importance of mapping out the systems within your company. Brandon talks about what he learned from his mistakes as a former agency owner, how he got connected with ZenPilot, and what excites him about the company’s future. Stay tuned.

Boosting Sales and Confidence Through Organization with Brandon Ward

Josh Elkin is the Founder of Linkflow, a link building service backed by a holistic SEO strategy that gives clients high-quality links to drive and convert traffic into revenue. The agency uses keyword-rich anchor text to create editorial links that are relevant to its clients’ businesses.Josh has five years of digital marketing and entrepreneurship experience. After earning his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Josh founded his first company, Inbound River, in 2015. Two years later he founded Linkflow, which he originally named Bestcoast Marketing.In this episode…Are you having trouble consistently building backlinks for your website? Is your current strategy failing to drive traffic the way you planned?Linkflow has a team of SEO experts ready to help. After finding its niche as an agency, Linkflow now specializes in building quality editorial links that drive and convert traffic into revenue. With a holistic SEO strategy and an updated business model, the team helps clients across the B2B SaaS and e-commerce spaces build their businesses. In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray MacKenzie is joined by Josh Elkin, the Founder of Linkflow, to discuss his agency’s business strategies. Together, they talk about how Josh found a niche for Linkflow, the types of clients he targets, and the five monumental lessons he learned during the agency’s evolution. Stay tuned.

The Missing Piece of Your SEO Strategy with Josh Elkin

AJ Wilcox is the Founder of B2Linked, an agency specializing in LinkedIn Ads. B2Linked’s mission is to give accounts of all sizes the highest performing LinkedIn Ads strategies and the best ROI on the platform. The agency’s team is highly trained to help businesses get the most out of their LinkedIn Ads budgets through account management and consulting.Before creating B2Linked, AJ was the Online Marketing Manager for Domo, where he managed LinkedIn advertising and grew the channel’s qualified leads by over 2400%. He was also the Marketing Manager for Big Fish Automation and the SEO Team Lead for OrangeSoda. In addition to this, AJ has been a member of Utah’s Digital Marketing Collective for eight years.In this episode…If you’re a B2B business, many of your ideal prospects and potential customers are probably using LinkedIn nearly every day. But, with LinkedIn being one of the most expensive platforms for advertisers, how do you know if the money you pour into LinkedIn Ads will give you the ROI you’re looking for?AJ Wilcox created B2Linked to answer that question. His team specializes in creating high-performing LinkedIn ads for agencies of all sizes. They can help you figure out if your target audience is on LinkedIn, if your budget will give you the reach you need, and if you’re creating the right content for your campaigns.In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray MacKenzie is joined by AJ Wilcox, the Founder of B2Linked, to discuss the benefits and challenges of LinkedIn Ads. They talk about the four key components of a high-converting campaign, why B2Linked is uniquely positioned to partner with other agencies, and what you can learn from AJ’s podcast, the LinkedIn Ads Show. Stay tuned.

Maximizing ROI from LinkedIn Ads with AJ Wilcox

Remington Begg is the Founder and Chief Remarkable Officer at Impulse Creative. Remington started Impulse Creative 10 years ago to create and maintain internet marketing strategies for small and midsize businesses. Impulse Creative helps brands with website design, social media, search engine marketing, email marketing, and business blogging. Remington holds a number of internet marketing certifications, including HubSpot’s COS Certification and Inbound Marketing Professional Certification. With a background in graphic design and advertising, he also specializes in logo design, branding and identity, ad design, and more.In this episode…Nothing in life is as constant as change. Businesses change and marketing strategies change, but the team at Impulse Creative is actively working to meet these new and evolving needs. Remington Begg, the Founder of Impulse Creative, says that over the past few years, his team has been hard at work to further develop the agency’s product lines. They’ve created software and new websites to bring relief to their clients’ pain points and improve their own processes.  These include sites like Sprocket Talk, which helps agencies hire the talent they need, and HubLMS, a site where you can easily build your onboarding training programs. In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray MacKenzie talks with Remington Begg, Founder and Chief Remarkable Officer at Impulse Creative, about how his agency has evolved over the past few years. Together, they discuss the updated products and services Impulse Creative offers, the agency’s team structure, and the new roles Remington is hiring for. Stay tuned. 

Developing a Flexible Business Strategy with Remington Begg

Co-hosts Andrew Dymski and Gray MacKenzie interview leading digital marketing agency owners and key influencers from around the world to help you build your dream agency.