The Agency Uplift Podcast
The Agency Uplift Podcast: Agency Scaling Strategies & Growth Tips
Unlock 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 ad ROI, you’ll walk away with actionable insights and playbooks you can implement today. New episodes every Monday and Wednesday, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
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The Agency Uplift Podcast
Ep 18: From Scrappy Startup to 175-Person Agency: Kyle Hitchcox on Building Pilot House
Key Takeaways
- Kyle and his co-founder launched their business as affiliate marketers using credit cards, eventually scaling into a 175-person agency.
- Early success came from landing page arbitrage and optimizing conversion rates by upgrading server speed.
- Pilot House is now split into four business units: the core agency, the DTC newsletter/media platform, Labs (product incubation), and Warp Drive (their tech stack).
- Warp Drive builds optimized shopping funnels and is now evolving into a modular app builder layered on top of Shopify.
- AI is being explored in different parts of the agency, though implementation at scale has been slow due to size and complexity.
- Kyle emphasizes the importance of a team-first mindset, fostering internal entrepreneurship and enabling the business to run independently of the founders.
- The agency scaled quickly, hiring 100 people in 8 months, using a structured, culture-first screening process.
- One of the biggest lessons learned: address toxicity in your organization early—delays have widespread cultural consequences.
- Kyle attributes a lot of Pilot House’s success to timing, rapid decision-making, and having a bold, strategic mindset during uncertain periods like COVID.
Where We Can Find the Guest
- Website: pilothouse.co
- LinkedIn: Kyle Hitchcox
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Sean’s Links:
🔗 Sean Lang on LinkedIn
🌐 Agency Uplift Skool Group
🛒 Social Commerce Club
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