Helped Scale a $1B+ Startup and 3 Exits—Now He Builds High-Performing Agencies That Grow Fast | Chris Rodriguez

What happens when a growth marketer helps scale a $1B+ startup, takes three companies to successful exits, and then launches his own performance agency? In this episode of the Catalytic Leadership™ Podcast, I sit down with Chris Rodriguez, founder of iExcel, to explore how agency owners can scale operations, hire effectively, and lead with clarity in the age of AI and automation.

Chris brings nearly 25 years of marketing experience, a results-driven mindset, and a data-first leadership style to everything he touches. From leading homepage conversion experiments that generated hundreds of percent in uplift, to building a high-retention team focused on outcomes—not fluff—Chris shares a transparent, tested framework for running a high-performing agency in 2025.

Connect with Chris Rodriguez:
To learn more about iExcel and how Chris is helping agencies and startups grow through performance marketing and demand generation, visit https://iexcel.co/ or connect with him directly on LinkedIn by searching Chris Rodriguez.

Right now, you can get an extra 20% off your ticket for the Scale with Stability Summit with my exclusive code CATALYTIC20 at checkout.

Visit scalewithstability.com to grab your ticket—I hope to see you there!

Chapters

• 1:14 Meet Chris Rodriguez: Startup Growth, Exits & Building iExcel
• 3:52 Scaling a Digital Agency with Process and Purpose
• 7:02 From Music to Tech: A Nonlinear Path to Leadership
• 10:47 Why He Hires Seasoned Experts Instead of Junior Staff
• 14:42 Conversion Rate Optimization: The 300%+ Homepage Lift
• 19:07 Why AI Isn’t a Threat—It’s Your Agency’s Next Growth Lever
• 25:30 What Servant Leadership Looks Like at a Scaled Digital Agency
• 30:00 How Chris Stays Sharp: Frontline Learning & Tactical Growth

Transcript

Dr. William Attaway: 0:37

I'm so excited today to have Chris Rodriguez on the podcast. Chris is a 20-year marketing veteran with a passion for driving growth and tangible results for brands and entrepreneurs. He's worked with over 30 startups across all tiers of funding and sizes, generating brand awareness, web traffic, signups, downloads and, most importantly, customers and revenue. He now runs the agency iExcel. co, a B2B, saas-focused demand generation and marketing operations agency based out of the greater Washington DC area. Chris has helped grow one unicorn, three startups to acquisition, two startups to growth equity and one startup to the Inc 500. He's left a positive impact with countless companies and colleagues, as is evident from his 70-plus LinkedIn recommendations. He's taught students, developed courses and mentored startup founders at companies like Techstars, general Assembly, springboard and Plassy. He's been recognized by Growth Hacker TV as one of the top 200 experts on startup growth. Chris, I'm so glad you're here. Thanks for being on the show.

Chris Rodriguez: 1:52

Thank you for having me, William. I'm excited to be here as well. I am a big fan of what it is that your podcast represents, so I'm happy to share my story.

Intro/Outro: 2:05

Welcome to Catalytic Leadership, the podcast designed to help leaders intentionally grow and thrive. Here is your host author and leadership and executive coach, dr William Attaway.

Dr. William Attaway: 2:27

William Attaway. I would love to begin with you sharing a little bit of your story with our listeners, Chris, particularly around your journey and your development as a leader. How did you get started?

Chris Rodriguez: 2:34

Sure. So I will fast forward through the early stage to say I come from humble beginnings, brooklyn, new York City a chip on my shoulder as a result, was very fortunate to have a strong educational path and found my way into, at the time, music and entertainment marketing for I would say about 10 years or so and had a bit of an epiphany that I am more passionate about the craft of marketing than I am the actual music being marketed, and so I found what makes me tick and at that point I became a 30-year-old rookie in tech startups Wow, and, as you could imagine, all of the cliches about tech, young bro culture, et cetera. And here I was a 30-year-old rookie keeping up with the young folks, sometimes out hustling the young folks, and also had the advantage of a 10-year prior career in digital marketing. Fast forward today and I am 13 years past that moment. So I just gave you my age there. I'm 43. And I have, after having several stops at several tech startups, finally fleshed out on my own.

Chris Rodriguez: 3:59

July 2019, in fact, I know the month like yesterday. Of course, I couldn't know at the moment that that was nine months before COVID hit. So COVID actually and I say this with the utmost of respect, where many people and industries were obviously tremendously negatively affected. Logic would tell you that digital marketing would have all of the reasons to boom and I was fortunate enough to be on that wave. It helped really put the wind in the sails of the consultancy and I was able to gather one particular step function increase client that really turned it up from individual consultancy to something bigger than me At a high level.

Chris Rodriguez: 4:49

That's a 30,000-foot summary of my story as it stands today. We're still humble. I like to consider us and I hope this isn't a crude analogy, but I like to call us in the middle class of agencies, which is to say I humbly share that. We've hit several milestones that maybe many peers are aiming for and I'm humbled and grateful and I'm aware of where we are and at the same time, I also know that we haven't done you know what yet. So to that end, there's a lot of green field in front of us, but we have a great infrastructure and a lot of solidification to what it means to be a mature agency.

Dr. William Attaway: 5:41

So I'm proud of that, almost more so than vanity growth numbers. So much there, Chris, I would love to dive into you. You've now got nearly a quarter century of experience in the digital marketing world. You have seen this world shift, change, pivot, grow and then do it all again multiple times. With that kind of perspective and looking over that time period, what do you think are some of the things? Where are we heading? You know, you've seen a lot of change and a lot of things that used to work don't really work anymore. Sure, when are we going?

Chris Rodriguez: 6:22

I, uh, if, if, if I am to answer that question with an oversimplified, you know quick sentence or two, I would say the game hasn't changed. The tools change, the goals don't change how you get there changes, and usually improvements have to do with things related to efficiency, automation, refinement of processes. So, though AI, as the buzzword du jour and it's been that way for some time, as the buzzword du jour and it's been that way for some time, feels like a threat, a glass half full view is this is the new tool that digital marketers need to be aware of understand the ecosystem, understand the strengths and weaknesses of the options within the ecosystem, understand the use cases and think more project management of those tools than the threat that the tool might replace or remove something that, frankly, was most likely commoditized in the first place.

Chris Rodriguez: 7:35

So, no, wonder an automation has, in fact, solidified that commoditization. So, rather than being afraid of it, we're running towards it. I guess specifically no surprise to anyone in 2025, but agencies like mine are realizing that it could be an existential threat if you don't get a hold of this. So we are leaning in with training, expertise, awareness of the ecosystem, et cetera. But just to get back to the real point, um, you know the thing that changes is refinement, automation, improvement, betterment, and so to see it negative feels like an archaic view and you will be left behind if you take that approach.

Dr. William Attaway: 8:28

So tell me about . What is your agency about? What do you focus on? Where do you bring the most value?

Chris Rodriguez: 8:35

Sure. Well, is, yes, started from an extension of me, Chris, but I believe it represents a way of being and I don't mean to be too dramatic, but I personally am very passionate about my craft, uh, passionate about learning and mastering my craft, passionate about demonstrating and exuding my craft, be it to clients, be it to students, be it to colleagues, junior colleagues, seasoned colleagues, and I have found that my experience on the market. I didn't realize this, I was just quote unquote, being myself, but I realized that that was a differentiator. I mean, I'm not here to bad mouth other agencies, I'm just speaking about myself and to say I understood that that was a strength and I wanted to create a team and a company and a culture that exudes the same principles and has the same passion. Is excited when you solve a conversion optimization problem. Is excited when you test five iterations of ad copy and see version four was 5x performing on the rest. That matters to me, not just because of vanity numbers, because I care about this and I don't know if I Excel is even bigger from a culture standpoint. To be like you know it's technically it's a sentence, subject, verb, uh, punctuation right. I Excel period is the logo. So, um, I want to be surrounded by people who feel that way about what it is that they do, and people who want to hire and work with people who think that way. That is what I think really represents.

Chris Rodriguez: 10:30

Now, if I'm to answer the digital marketing part of that answer, we are a performance marketing and demand generation shop. If you asked me that question two or three years ago, I would say we are a B2B shop. We have since had some of our biggest case studies on B2C. The tactics are different Smaller audiences in B2B versus wider in B2C. Faster funnels in B2C versus longer funnels in B2B.

Chris Rodriguez: 11:02

What I'll say is we can do damage with any marketing puzzle presented to us, and that ranges from search, be it paid or, like I say, free, so organic. That goes for social, paid or free, Social media management, social media automation. I use free to say organic because it's very simplified and it really illustrates the point Do you want to spend ad budget or do you want to not spend ad budget? Yeah, and we try to be masters of these respective channels on both sides of that fork in the road. The same goes for email, not so much paid email, but lead generation email versus nurture email right, so cold versus marketing automation. Traditionally, and though I'm speaking a little tongue in cheek with the following we like to do the boring stuff too. So tracking analytics, you know. Pixel verifications goal, you know, QA, doing massive spreadsheets to be able to find a diamond in the rough of an insight and then share those summary insights and recommendations, Like all of that is what it means to be .

Dr. William Attaway: 12:16

Who are some of your favorite clients to work with? Some of the people that you feel like, man. These are the people I got the best results for and I enjoyed doing it. You're trying to get me in trouble, man. These are the people I got the best results for and I enjoyed doing it.

Chris Rodriguez: 12:25

You're trying to get me in trouble, william, with that question, right? I mean, if I mentioned three or four or five, what about the other, however many? So what I'll say is I most appreciate someone who a partner, who is not a cop-out answer, but of the mentality that, frankly, I just described. First off, because I have learned that, even though that had been just an experience to have, and you value the good ones and note the bad ones I'm getting to a state and I say this humbly, but I feel like I've earned enough to be able to choose who it is that I and we work with 100%, and I'm looking to be a little more stringent about people who are actually looking to value and partner with a company like ours. Forget about us specifically, but if you're not of this mindset, then it's already going down the wrong path. So that is the true answer, and sure I could pick two or three or four specifics that fit that mold, but I'll say that comfortably.

Chris Rodriguez: 13:32

What I will also say is our most successful projects are those where we are essentially a marketing department, or I should say a demand gen department on wheels. A little bit of strategy, a little bit of execution, a little bit of trusted partnership. We're working on a few channels and the value is felt where, whatever the rate might be of that arrangement, you are, as the partner, feeling very glass half full about working with a team like versus the alternative, I don't know a full-time senior or even a full-time junior salary. We play very well in a comparison against that.

Dr. William Attaway: 14:15

You know you've got a lot of experience, even beyond . I mean you've helped to grow a unicorn three startups to acquisition, three startups to growth equity, one startup to the Inc 500. I mean the impact that you have had already is not insignificant, as you think across the landscape of where you've been. What are some of your favorite moments?

Chris Rodriguez: 14:41

Sure, before I answer I just want to qualify. First of all. I appreciate that introduction I can only take but so much credit for any of these stories. I'm a growth marketer. I'm not C-suite on some of these examples or we're vendors, right, so I want to qualify that. But yes, as a growth marketer and as a growth marketing agency, we definitely take pride in everything that you've just described, william. So thank you for that.

Chris Rodriguez: 15:09

Now I feel that my favorite stories are those where there's an anecdotal win amongst the experiment methodology and that win is so memorable that it perhaps shifts the company beyond just me or . That I or have left an impact permanently on that company. That's what I take the most pride in. So if I were to think about a couple of anecdotes I remember, while being protective of the specific startups that I might reference, I'll be specific about maybe some story details. So I remember a particular homepage optimization experiment, that simplified message and conversion opportunity that led to a several hundred percent increase in conversion rate and, given that that's the most important page on the site, it was a seismic shift going forward for just general expectations of daily conversion. And that might sound small and like a little too nerdy for some of the listeners, but that's what makes me and that's what makes us tick. Is that kind of stuff? Um, when you're doing cold email and you've tried three or four tactics and you know it just ain't working, and suddenly a particular copywriting uh approach instead of too salesy with too many words, hyper-simplified, almost conversational, to then lead to a big boost in reply rate, things like that are what really makes us tick.

Chris Rodriguez: 16:59

I realize those are abstract for the listeners, but you can tell already by my tone I'm trying to be a little safe here, but hopefully that gives you the answer to the question, which is we are so immersed in the specifics and the methodology and we believe in the methodology even when it's not going well, the experimental methodologies that when we get a win boy are we ready to pop some bottles.

Chris Rodriguez: 17:25

So you know, that's something that we stand by and I would say I would hope to think that those that work with us first of all understand that, not just because of my words but the demonstrated outputs, and also value that right. We're not leading with ego. We're going to come with insights and recommendations that are rooted in decades of experience and work. But if the data says we're wrong, hey, we're the first to raise our hand and say, hey, this didn't work, we were wrong. The data says to go this way, let's pivot and go. No emotion, and I'd like to perceive that as a value add for anyone that works with us and, frankly, beyond IL, I commend anyone who's on the front lines, like we are, that thinks that way, not just because we're aligned in what I think is strong, but to lead with math first and remove ego, I think just alleviates so much in so many ways.

Dr. William Attaway: 18:23

So yeah, that's really good. Yeah, you know somebody might listen to that introduction of you and read about and even look at your highlight reel online, looking at everything about you that we see, and they might think, oh man, chris's journey's just been up and to the right Like he really hasn't struggled, he really hasn't had the hard days like I have as an entrepreneur. If somebody's sitting across from you having coffee and they say that, what is your response?

Chris Rodriguez: 18:55

Well, I can give you some specifics that almost have nothing to do with marketing, that I would say represent many people's stories, but it also represents a seasoning that I'm proud of. So I've had a client in the beginning of my career I'm talking about first six months not pay me for two months of work and I was left out to dry. I didn't, I wasn't mature enough to have like good lawyers. Uh, for anyone getting in any ideas now I've certainly lawyered up quite well, so don't get any ideas. But, um, you know, I feel that that that, obviously, as much as that's a negative, it's like a, it's like a weird pride, prideful stripe that I'm allowed to wear because I know how, how the game can be. Um, I've been fired without cause and walked out of the building like I was a criminal, you know, and I'm you guys can't see me here, but I'm five foot six, like 145 pounds, like what are we talking about you? You know it's things like that that I have used as body armor, I have used as motivation, and you know, some people might think that's inappropriate, some people might think that's corny. Whatever makes you tick is is the Jedi mind trick that you need to understand and master and I'm explaining mine. I walk with a chip on my shoulder. Um, I've been disrespected countless times throughout my career, whether in organizations, from a political standpoint or with uh you know potential clients. So I just take all of that to say I will give every single person who I ever experienced the benefit of the doubt.

Chris Rodriguez: 20:53

I'm about solving puzzles. We're good at what we do, but I'm not leading with ego. This is what this represents. I'm a little bit of a, you know. Sometimes I can be gruff. I just got off a client call and I was a bit gruff. I apologize afterwards. I'm like you know what, sorry for my tone, just want to get to the answer. I'm a solutions oriented leader who has been through the grind and I ain't getting any younger. So we're going to get to success for our clients. We're going to get to success for our clients. We're going to get to success for and that's what this represents. And some people love it. Will, william, will sorry, william, and some people it's not their cup of tea and that's okay. I've learned to be the fullest version of myself and to try to surround myself with people who appreciate the very story I just shared.

Dr. William Attaway: 22:55

So let's dive into that for a second. You know your company needs you to lead at a higher level today than it did five years ago. Your team, your clients, they need you to lead better. Five years from now, that's going to be even more true. So how do you stay on top of your game? How do you level up with the new leadership skills that your team and your clients and your company are going to need you to have?

Chris Rodriguez: 23:22

Sure, Well, first I'll say I still have a lot more maturing to do. I'm an early leader. I'm learning every day.

Dr. William Attaway: 23:38

To your point.

Chris Rodriguez: 23:39

William, I was a solopreneur not too long ago. I didn't have enough revenue to hire someone at a market-relevant salary and to hire several people at that rate. So I just want to start by saying I'm still figuring it out Now. That said, I've taken a few approaches that I'd like to say were intentional, because of me being aware of my strengths and weaknesses, and so I've surrounded myself and hopefully this word, this word fits, but hopefully it's appropriate rather incestuously with former colleagues.

Chris Rodriguez: 24:20

Not everyone does that, and there was a time when I first started that I didn't do that and I learned I've got to have a lot more patience and grace as a leader, and I'm not sitting here excusing away lack of patience and lack of grace, but I am aware that it's still a work in progress.

Chris Rodriguez: 24:46

That surrounding yourself with smart, secure, self-sufficient people is, yes, just a choice, a permutation. There are other ways to go. That was the choice that made the most sense for me and so that both helped me as a leader while also added to the value of the company. And I'll just say that, with the utmost of respect for any peer-like companies that are taking the opposite approach. I didn't want to hire a bunch of lower cost, higher margin for the sake of higher margin. Anyone who's a leader knows the trade-off, and I just found that that was not my recipe for success. So for anyone listening though, this is just my story and I'm proud to share it the real takeaway you should have is understand your secret sauce, understand what makes you tick, understand your weaknesses and then make calculated decisions as to your approach. I'm just sharing mine.

Dr. William Attaway: 26:00

I love that. I think understanding your own wiring is key to high performance, high capacity leadership. So you know the best leaders, the highest capacity and highest performance leaders I know are continual learners. They, you know the best leaders, the highest capacity and highest performance leaders I know are continual learners. They're constantly growing, constantly learning. So how do you do that? How are you? What are the rhythms and habits that you have in your life so that you are constantly learning and growing?

Chris Rodriguez: 26:24

Well, we are very much on the front lines of a decent sized roster of clients, so there's nothing like being on the front lines when you have a problem to solve, and the same problem over the course of a six, 12, 18 month. Different timing has different solutions. So there's that which is invaluable how do we solve SEO, on-page optimization? It's a different answer today than it was 12 months ago. That's right. So that is the most invaluable way to stay current. Separate from that, you know, I don't I shame on me I should listen to more podcasts like Catalytic Leadership, because I believe that is actually in line with my preferred method of consumption.

Chris Rodriguez: 27:20

I'm an audio guy. I'm a hip-hop, edm, motown, soul, instrumental kind of guy. I'm always listening to tunes, so audio is my preferred um consumption choice. Now, as I say that the way that I I have, well, you know, hopefully, uh, most people can appreciate this who are listening, I'm pretty sure I'm undiagnosed adult ADHD, pretty sure, and uhosed adult ADHD, pretty sure, and I'd like to think most brilliant people have a little bit of that in them. And so, you know, sitting and reading even 250-page book on best practices for X or Y or Z, you know I've cracked many of these books open behind me. But nothing like you, william, you're. You've got quite the stunt wall there and um, you know, I'm I'm more of a short form consumption guy.

Chris Rodriguez: 28:20

Let me go to SEO roundtablecom, you know. Let me go to tactical website, to tactical website. Three, I have no association with with SEO roundtable, just noting I consume articles in that way that have tactical ramifications. Interestingly, I have an even larger forcing function to do exactly that, because we have recently launched our company newsletter that's not a plug, it's more an explanation. Newsletter that's not a plug, it's more an explanation and within the newsletter we are aggregating what we believe is the most important things to keep your finger on the pulse as it relates to digital marketing. So by the nature of that exercise, I'm almost checking myself to say do I in fact know how much of an effect the AI result at the top of the SEO results is cannibalizing what used to be first page, first slot click-through rates? If I don't know, let me understand with this comprehensive report that was put out two weeks ago, right? So I'm into short form media consumption from an expert digital marketing standpoint.

Dr. William Attaway: 29:36

Chris, I have so enjoyed this conversation because you have been so authentic and transparent about not only your journey so far but how you learn, what you're learning and where you want to go. I know our listeners are going to want to stay connected to you and continue to learn more from you and about and what you're doing over there. What is the best way for folks to do that?

Chris Rodriguez: 30:01

Yeah, I want to also share with you, william, that I very much appreciated this chat. You are an expert at your craft and, as I just stated not too long ago, that matters to me. So kudos to you and I appreciate you. Bringing me on Our website is easy enough to remember. It's our company's name I-E-X-C-E-L, dot co, not dot com, and our social media handles, generally speaking, are . But I would encourage you to find us on LinkedIn. We are big believers in the business of LinkedIn. I've committed to LinkedIn since its earliest days. I remember seeing a LinkedIn table at a conference that had the traditional old school like throw over drape and it was a little old LinkedIn and I think that was 14, 13, no, 20 years ago Wow, when I was still in the music and hip hop game and I put all my energy into LinkedIn is the point of that. So please find me on LinkedIn. Personally, my name is Chris Rodriguez and you can also find our company, ixl, on LinkedIn and, again, our domain is .

Dr. William Attaway: 31:28

We'll have all those links in the show notes. Awesome, chris. Thank you. This has been a fascinating conversation and I really appreciate you being on the show.

Chris Rodriguez: 31:38

Thank you, William. I appreciate the time and looking forward to seeing the growth of catalytic leadership as well.