Parakeeto

Hot Take: Too much cash can make you sloppy... I know, it sounds like a nice problem to have. But for agencies, it’s one of the sneakiest traps out there. When there’s money in the bank, you stop sweating the $99 subscriptions. You wait longer than you should to make adjustments to the team. This is why I often encourage founders to pull excess cash out of the business once they're comfortably meeting an appropriate cash reserve. This creates a forcing function to pay closer attention, and make decisions more deliberately when the firm faces a downturn. Owners still have the option to loan that money back to the business, but that additional friction creates a subtle but important change in the mental frame around taking that action. When the money stays in the business, they may not see it as being *their money*. But once they pull it out, and are faced with the decision to loan it back, they see it differently. Carson Pierce and I discussed this (among other things) on this week’s episode of the Agency Profit Podcast: It’s the same reason the U.S. government can rack up millions in unused Adobe licenses. When there's no forcing function, it's easy to let things slide longer than they should when times get tough, which often only makes matters worse. This week’s episode is about how to avoid that reactive scramble. We get into: - Why abundance can create bad habits - How to build trigger-based staffing plans - And how to cut costs strategically, without decreasing your firm's ability to create profit. The agencies that survive tough markets aren’t just the ones who react fast. They’re the ones who never stopped being disciplined, even when cash felt abundant. 🎧 Link to the episode in the comments. 👇 Seen this play out before? I’d love to hear your take. #agencyprofitability #cashflow #overhead #costcutting #leadership #agencygrowth #pnlmanagement

Hot Take: Owning Equity Isn’t the Same as Owning Wealth "Owning shares, even a large amount, in a private company like Moz doesn’t generate the kind of payout that many folks would assume." — Rand Fishkin (MOZ, Sparktoro, Snackbar Studios, Lost and Founder) He built a category-defining company. Raised millions. Grew a team. Created impact. But like many founders, he didn’t walk away wealthy. His equity was illiquid. His control was limited. And the outcome was far from the financial freedom most people assume founders get. In this week’s Agency Profit Podcast, I sat down with Jason Peck, to talk about exactly this. Jason works with agency owners to build personal financial systems that don’t rely on a big exit—or even a stable year. We unpack: → Why building wealth outside the business matters → How to plan for volatility, uneven growth, and real-life curveballs → The 9-part framework he uses to help founders gain margin, clarity, and control I have linked the episode in the comments. Most exits won’t be life-changing. But the right plan can be. Do you separate personal wealth planning from business planning? How is it working for you?

Less than 10% of agency owners have a successful "exit." I knew the number was small, but that stat was surprising... even to me. I've been guilty of paying myself less than I should, and reinvesting all of my profit back into the business to chase more growth. "I'm building equity." is what I'd tell myself. To a degree, that may be true. The problem with equity is, it's not liquid until it's liquid. If the business doesn't "sell" in some way, that equity never turns into money. Here's the big idea: Should we tie up the majority of our net in an investment that is very volatile, and only has a 10% chance of returning any money at all? Of course not. We know the balance is placing a portion of our wealth in that investment as a high risk/high reward bet, and diversifying the rest in things that are more reliable. When I was taking pay cuts to re-invest in growth instead of taking some profit off the table to diversify - that's exactly what I was doing. I might as well have been betting the farm on Shitcoin 😁 Unfortunately, I'm among peers with this mistake. I've got plenty of friends who've done the same thing. Sometimes, instead of keeping all the money in the business, it looks like taking lots of it out to fund an expensive lifestyle instead of making investments. In both cases, the founder is resting their livelihood on their business, which is a very risky proposal. This is why I was excited to have Jason Peck, CFP®, AAMS® on the podcast. He works specifically with agency owners to help them build a strategy for turning their agency into a vehicle for long-term wealth that achieves their financial dreams. He helps them balance investments in their business to build equity, with taking profit off the table to diversify and build wealth in a more predictable way. It's a lesson I've had to learn over the years as I constantly overestimated how quickly I could grow the equity value of my company. At times, I felt like doing this was unfair to my team or meant that I didn't believe in the business. But I've learned that it's more about acknowledging that business is risky, and the more financially stable I am personally, the better I can show up for my team and company. Building wealth outside the business isn’t a backup plan. It’s the foundation for long-term stability. It’s what gives you freedom inside the business—so your choices aren’t dictated by short-term cash flow or pressure to grow at all costs. There’s more on this in the full conversation with Jason in the latest Agency Profit Podcast—linked in the comments.

QUESTION: If your agency income stopped tomorrow...what would actually change? Too many agency owners build their lifestyle entirely on agency income—and—and it works—until it doesn’t. In my conversation with Jason Peck, CFP®, AAMS®, he introduced a phrase I haven’t been able to stop thinking about: “Captured by the creative.” It’s what happens when you can’t take a break, can’t step back, and definitely can’t retire—because your entire life is funded by a business that still needs you every day. There’s no flexibility. No leverage. You can’t walk away, because you haven’t built anything outside of it. And that’s a problem. Because when you don’t have wealth outside the agency, everything becomes higher stakes: - You feel pressured to sell—even if the offer isn’t great. - You’re vulnerable when unexpected things happen—health issues, economic shifts, life stuff. - You’re stuck in a loop where your business owns your time, your energy, and your choices. We’re not just talking about money here—we’re talking about freedom. Having wealth outside the business gives you space to choose what you do next. It gives you leverage in negotiations. It protects your long-term goals when life throws curveballs. And it means your exit—when and if it comes—is on your terms. Building wealth outside the agency isn’t a luxury. It’s the difference between being a founder… and being free. #AgencyProfit #AgencyOwner #FinancialPlanning #CreativeAgency #ExitStrategy #SmartGrowth #BusinessFinance #WealthStrategy #Entrepreneurship #AgencyLife #FinancialFreedom #MarcelPetitpas #JasonPeck

Most agencies have no idea if they’re doing well—or just guessing. You start an agency because you’re great at what you do. You land clients, you hire a team, and suddenly—boom—you’re running a business way bigger than you ever planned. At first, the numbers seem fine… until they don’t. Margins start shifting. Cash flow gets weird. And suddenly you're asking: "Are your numbers actually good, or do they just feel that way?" And it’s not your fault. Every agency is different, which makes it tough to know how you really stack up. As your agency grows, the numbers only get more complex—making it even harder to pinpoint what’s working and what’s quietly eating away at your profit. It can feel like there are many different opinions on what metrics to track, how to calculate them, and what the benchmarks should look like. So… what’s the missing piece? The answer is a framework based on first principles. We’ve worked with hundreds of agencies, seen their financial and operations performance up close, and built a framework that helps them make sense of the chaos—regardless of their size, services, niche, pricing model, or staffing model. And in this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, we’re pulling back the curtain. Carson and I are walking through the core framework that applies to every agency. We're going to share screens and demonstrate how we set up a model to see every client we work with through a normalized lens — no matter how different they seem on the surface. And let’s just say, you might walk away seeing your agency a little differently. #AgencyLife #BusinessMindset #AgencyGrowth #Entrepreneurship

"Everyone was struggling…except me" Carson Pierce used to own a daycare. (Bet you didn’t see that one coming.) When he would attend meetups with other owners, their conversations often followed a similar pattern—how hard it was to make money, how tough it was to keep the business running. But Carson wasn’t having those same struggles. Not because his daycare was doing better, but because he looked at it through a business lens—not just a childcare lens. So many agency owners are in the exact same situation— They start out as incredible subject matter experts. But then—suddenly(as a consequence for their success)—they also become business owners. The catch is, no one gave them a playbook for that. The financial side of running an agency isn’t exactly intuitive, and historically, there hasn’t been much guidance on how to do it well. That’s why I had Carson back on the Agency Profit Podcast to break down the framework we've developed after working with 100s of agencies. It boils everything down to a simple set of metrics that can apply to any agency, regardless of their idiosyncratic quirks. On the episode, we covered: - Why delivery margin is the foundation for profitability (and what it is) - How small pricing adjustments can make or break your margins - How to build a simple payroll grid to easily model your business - The 50/30/20 benchmark (and why most agencies miss it) If you don’t know your numbers, you’re making decisions in the dark. This episode will help you finally take control of your agency’s financial health. Plus, there's an Easter egg if you listen till the end 🐣 Episode drops tomorrow. Stay tuned.

“Assumptions are the mother of all problems.” That’s what Mari-Liis Vaher said when we sat down for the latest episode of the Agency Profit Podcast. And she’s spot on. Because when marketing teams assume instead of aligning, things go sideways—fast. It reminds me of the time Tim Hortons (a legendary Canadian brand) turned their loyalty app into an accidental surveillance tool, all because of assumptions! They rolled out a slick new app, promising personalized rewards and a better customer experience. But behind the scenes, their tech was tracking users' real-time locations without their knowledge—even when they weren’t using it. Marketing thought they were selling a cool new feature. Tech assumed they needed all the data to make it work. Legal… well, either they weren’t consulted, or their emails were ignored. One department sold a vision. Another built something wildly different. And no one stopped to ask, "Wait… do we need to be doing this?" And just like that, Canada’s most beloved coffee chain ended up under federal investigation. This wasn’t just a privacy issue—it was a massive internal communication failure. - Marketing probably assumed "personalized" meant better deals. - Engineering probably assumed it meant collecting location data 24/7. - Leadership probably assumed no one would notice. Spoiler: they did. - Customers felt violated, and regulators stepped in. What should have been a simple rewards program turned into a national scandal, a privacy investigation, and a massive breach of trust. In our episode, Mari-Liis Vaher, MBA, and I talked about the many assumptions marketers make when working with clients and stakeholders, and the ways they undermine the relationship—among many other things. There's a link in the comments for those who want to check out the full episode. What’s the worst assumption you’ve seen backfire? #MarketingFails #BrandTrust #PrivacyMatters #NoAssumptions #AgencyLife

"You can’t manage time, you can only manage yourself." Endless emails, back-to-back meetings, and the pressure to always be ‘on’ create a cycle of stress and distraction. We push harder, work longer, and somehow still feel like we’re falling behind. According to Mari-Liis Vaher, the antidote isn’t speed—it’s balance. "Hurry Slowly." as she puts it. Rushing through work doesn’t make us more productive. What actually moves the needle is intentional focus—creating space for deep, meaningful work instead of drowning in busywork. Her recommendation? Something she calls The MIP Hour. It stands for Most Important Person - can you guess who that person is? It's a daily, non-negotiable meeting with yourself to prioritize what actually matters—before the day runs away from you. For me, this is my morning workout, coffee and journaling/meditation at the start of every day. When I don't get to it, I feel absolutely awful and feel twice as stressed, and half as productive. On the latest episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Mari-Liis Vaher, MBA talked about this and several other strategies she teaches agencies to help them work smarter not harder. I'll leave a link to the episode in the comments if you want to check it out. Do you have a ritual or M.I.P. Hour in your routine? I'd love to hear what it is for you. #Productivity #Focus #DeepWork #MIPHour #WorkSmarter

Hot take: One of the most overlooked aspects of value-based or outcome-based pricing is attribution. Value-based or impact-based pricing sounds great in theory—charge based on impact, not hours. But here’s the problem: proving that impact is getting harder, not easier. There was a time when attribution was difficult because the technology was non-existent. Over time, attribution became easier and more accurate. In recent years, privacy laws and data restrictions have us going backward. I've yet to meet a marketer who feels confident that their attribution is both 100% accurate and precise. It's not to say that being able to accurately attribute results is always a prerequisite for value-based or even outcome-based pricing, but in many cases it is. However, the practicality and feasibility of not only achieving good attribution but also having enough access and control around that information is a topic I don't see discussed very much despite the growing popularity of these pricing models. Beyond that, it's also a big reason agencies struggle with client churn. Despite often delivering a lot of value, it can be challenging to empirically measure and prove that value to clients. I had the pleasure of discussing this, among many other interesting things, with Mari-Liis Vaher, MBA on our latest episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, which comes out tomorrow. If you want to learn some strategies to help you prove your value to clients so you can earn more and keep clients longer, don’t miss this one. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in proving your agency’s impact? Drop it in the comments, I'd love to hear from you. #AgencyProfit #ValueBasedPricing #MarketingROI #AgencyLife

Messy data isn’t the real problem—unmanaged change is. One tweak to a system, one shift in how something gets tracked… and suddenly, your reports don’t line up anymore. The numbers aren’t numbering. The graphs aren’t graphing. You can't compare today's metric to what it was 6 months ago, because the data schema has changed, the underlying calculation has changed, etc. This happens in every agency. But the ones that stay ahead don’t just clean up their data—they proactively manage change in a deliberate way. Good reporting isn’t just about accuracy today—it’s about making sure data can also compound into horizontally consistent insights that show change over time. This is one of the many reasons we believe so strongly in using an ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) framework. It can dramatically improve a firms' chances of accomplishing this outcome even as systems and processes change around a given metric. Kristen Kelly and I dive into this—and everything agencies need to know about process—in our latest podcast episode. Watch it now on YouTube! Link in comments. 👇 Have you ever had a downstream change upend your reporting? Let me know in the comments.