Creative Agency Success Show

How Agency Owners Can Work Less and Earn More with Karl Sakas

info@summitcpa.net (Summit Virtual CFO by Anders) Episode 119

“When you start the agency, everyone expects you to be the contact. But you probably don't want to do that forever. Maybe initially you delegate implementation work, the subject matter expert stuff, or project management. Then you probably want to delegate account management stuff. Usually you're still doing client strategy, at least in the early to mid-days.

The idea here is you're like, ‘Hey, so-and-so is great. They are your account manager. They're your day-to-day contact.’ They're running the, say, the monthly call or every other call. But you're still the client strategist. You're involved at the beginning of the engagement, and then things pass over to the account manger. Maybe you're making a quarterly or a semi-annual or annual appearance with those higher-level insights that only you could provide. But importantly, you are not the client’s day-to-day contact. You're not the one getting every single email or call. You just show up and share the magic. Your team is taking it from there.” – Karl Sakas

 

The finer details of this episode:

  • Delegation and streamlining processes 
  • Understanding time management within an agency
  • Marketing agency operations
  • Preparing for an agency owner exit strategy 

 

Episode resources:

 

 

Timestamps:

The Creative Agency Success Show (00:00:00)

Introduction to the podcast and its purpose.

 

The title of the book (00:00:14)

Discussion about the book "Work Less, Earn More" by Karl Sakas and its relevance to agency owners.

 

Workshop during team retreat (00:00:36)

Praise for the workshop conducted by Karl Sakas during a team retreat and its impact on the team's perspective on creative agencies.

 

Introduction of Karl Sakas (00:01:30)

Introduction of Karl Sakas as a guest on the show and a brief overview of his background and expertise.

 

Starting point of reading the book (00:04:03)

Discussion on the reasons why people tend to read the book "Work Less, Earn More" and the relevance of the concepts in the book to agency owners.

 

Equity vs. Lifestyle continuum (00:05:45)

Exploration of the continuum between running a lifestyle agency and an equity agency, and the importance of knowing where one wants to go in their business.

 

Financial considerations for business owners (00:10:31)

Discussion on the financial aspects of running an agency, including the importance of earning a certain amount as a business owner and the considerations for selling the business.

 

Dealing with day-to-day tasks and responsibilities (00:13:53)

Exploration of how agency owners spend their time, their preferences, and strategies for delegating tasks to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

 

Impact of team members on the selling process (00:15:54)

Discussion on the role of team members in the selling process and their influence on potential buyers.

 

The buyer's perspective (00:16:26)

Discussion about the role of an owner in the sales process and the impact