The Agency Uplift Podcast

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

Episode 62

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 28:08

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 hardest shift is from doing the work to leading others.

  • Delegating creates scale—even if it feels slower at first.

  • Business growth requires handling contracts, finance, and insurance—not just the craft.

  • Referral partnerships expand services without adding headcount.

  • Treat every client interaction as an opportunity to build deeper trust.

  • Big wins come from creative storytelling that connects client work to trending issues.


Check out Don's agency here:

PR Bunker

Join the free agency uplift community: https://www.agencyuplift.co/group

Get the 5 free custom GPTs that will help you stop being the bottleneck: https://www.agencyuplift.co/blueprint

👉 Get new episodes right to your inbox - click here 👈