🔑 Key Takeaways

• Dmitry runs two agencies: AdTribe (for DTC brands) and Haven (white-label media buying for agencies).
• Haven uses the same team and processes as AdTribe, but exclusively services agencies to avoid direct client headaches.
• The white-label model sacrifices margin for long-term retention and stability.
• Operational scaling is the biggest challenge, especially as they approach 100+ managed accounts.
• Communication, not performance, is often the main source of churn—especially with direct clients.
• Dmitry bootstrapped his agency journey from freelancer to a team of 10+ in less than a year.
• Early mistakes included hiring full-time staff too quickly without predictable revenue.
• Media buyers are compensated via base + account-based bonuses to balance security and performance.
• Strong client relationships and proactive communication systems are more critical than just results.
• Investing in personal brand and LinkedIn content is something Dmitry wishes he had started earlier.

Check out Dmitry's agencies here:

Haven

Adtribe

Get the Growth Spotlight Vault for free and start turning casual client convo's into referrals:
https://www.agencyuplift.co/vault

Sean’s Links:

🔗 Sean Lang on LinkedIn
🌐 Agency Uplift Skool Group
🛒 Social Commerce Club

Key Takeaways:

• Grant started GrantBot after honing his automation skills as the first employee at Hampton, optimizing workflows to scale small teams.
• Before finding his groove in agency life, he tried launching a sports betting hedge fund and a SaaS AI writing tool — both learning experiences that led him to his current model.
• GrantBot focuses on creating “10x employees” by automating repetitive work so teams can focus on creative problem-solving.
• Client experience is just as crucial as results; automation plays a key role in improving communication and delivery quality.
• Early-stage agencies often underestimate the time it takes to define a strong, scalable service offering.
• Grant emphasized the need for agency owners to find mentors or advisors who can fast-track learning and help avoid common pitfalls.
• Most of GrantBot’s work involves deep workflow assessments for marketing agencies, streamlining CRMs, onboarding, project management, and invoicing.
• ClickUp is a core tool for GrantBot — Grant highlighted its project management power when configured correctly.
• Many automations are simple but powerful — like using Slack notifications to speed up action when deals move stages in a CRM.
• Automation success is tied to strong foundational processes; AI and automation won’t fix broken systems.
• Grant is building a remote-first culture, focusing on collaboration and connection across time zones.
• Core values and team culture are a growing focus at GrantBot, as the team scales rapidly from 2 to 8 in the first year.

Check out Grant's agency here:

https://www.grantbot.co/

Get the Growth Spotlight Vault for free and start turning casual client convo's into referrals:
https://www.agencyuplift.co/vault

Sean’s Links:

🔗 Sean Lang on LinkedIn
🌐 Agency Uplift Skool Group
🛒 Social Commerce Club

Key Takeaways

• SEO Army is a white-label SEO agency helping other agencies expand their SEO offerings.
• They specialize in content-based SEO, backlinking, technical on-page fixes, and SEO audits.
• Content remains time-consuming even with AI; brand tone and formatting still require human oversight.
• SEO Army has worked across a wide range of industries including legal, SaaS, medical, and travel.
• Sully transitioned from a startup VP to launching his agency, initially called Writer Army, in 2016.
• The first major client milestone—producing high-volume content—validated going full-time.
• Focusing on a specific ICP (Ideal Client Profile) was key to scaling and escaping operational chaos.
• Many agency owners delay choosing a niche due to the fear of turning away business, but it’s necessary for clarity and growth.
• SOPs (standard operating procedures) and systems are critical—adding team members without them leads to inefficiency.
• Agencies often mistake “being busy” for needing to hire more people instead of first streamlining operations.
• Hiring should be a last resort—start by auditing time use, optimizing processes, and leveraging automation.
• SEO Army uses AI for keyword research, competitor analysis, and content outlines—but not to write the content itself.
• Their backlink strategy is built around high-quality PR opportunities, local SEO, and real editorial outreach—not link farms.
• SEO Army offers fully white-labeled SEO solutions, including free branded audits and case study support to help agencies close deals.

Check out Sully's agency here:
https://seoarmy.co/

Get the Growth Spotlight Vault for free and start turning casual client convo's into referrals:
https://www.agencyuplift.co/vault

Sean’s Links:

🔗 Sean Lang on LinkedIn
🌐 Agency Uplift Skool Group
🛒 Social Commerce Club

Key Takeaways

• Chris built Happy Hub Marketing to create a more transparent and positive marketing experience for clients.
• The agency offers both direct-to-consumer services and white-label paid media support for other agencies.
• The white-label model was added to fill a gap in the market and avoid some of the frustrations that come with early-stage DTC clients.
• Working with agencies allows for a more streamlined, strategic relationship due to shared marketing fluency.
• A major challenge in white labeling is maintaining consistency and detail in deliverables to avoid breaking agency-client trust.
• Happy Hub offers a free first month trial to vetted agency partners, which has resulted in a strong ROI and high close rate.
• Owners (Chris and Samantha) stay heavily involved in onboarding, ensuring continuity of care and high-quality handoffs.
• Operationally, the team is lean and efficient, with strong processes and organization, allowing for seamless scaling.
• One key shift was moving from international contractors to a 100% U.S.-based team for better communication and cultural alignment.
• Team members are paid hourly with full flexibility, attracting entrepreneurial, high-performing talent.
• Creative strategy is evolving: Happy Hub combines polished product imagery with fast-paced, social-style editing to outperform standard UGC ads.
• Chris emphasizes the importance of proactive client experience design and warns against the "sell first, build later" mindset.

Check out Chris' agency here:

https://happyhubmarketing.com/

Agency Uplift - Skool Group
Scale your agency. Frameworks from an owner who grew to 35+ team members and 10-fig clients.

Sean’s Links:

🔗 Sean Lang on LinkedIn
🌐 Agency Uplift Skool Group
🛒 Social Commerce Club

Key Takeaways:

• Deividas started as a solo freelancer and grew Triplescale to a 15-person agency in just 8 months.
• The agency focuses on scaling DTC, e-commerce, and info product brands with Meta ads.
• LinkedIn has been crucial for growth—both in client acquisition and hiring.
• Building a personal brand has significantly accelerated hiring and inbound opportunities.
• Hiring rule of thumb: “Hire slow, fire fast” and prioritize culture above all.
• Uses DISC personality model to match the right personalities to the right roles.
• One of his top early hires was a Head of Operations to help scale effectively.
• Delegation, trust, and process-building are essential for agency growth.
• Networking with other agency owners via referral alliances has helped scale faster.
• Key mindset shift: let go of control, but build systems to maintain visibility and accountability.
• Triplescale helps brands scale without expensive creative by leaning into smart creative strategy—often using high-performing static ads.
• Investing in coaching and mentorship was pivotal for rapid agency acceleration.

Tools Mentioned:

• ElevenLabs – AI voiceover tool
• Ideogram – AI image generation for UGC-style visuals
• VideoAsk – Used by Sean for asynchronous video interviews
• DISC personality framework – Used for hiring and team alignment
• CliftonStrengths – Used by Sean’s agency for role-personality alignment

Check out Deividas' agency here:
https://www.scaletriple.com/

Agency Uplift - Skool Group
Scale your agency. Frameworks from an owner who grew to 35+ team members and 10-fig clients.

Sean’s Links:

🔗 Sean Lang on LinkedIn
🌐 Agency Uplift Skool Group
🛒 Social Commerce Club

Key Takeaways

• Vanspec Marketing was co-founded by three friends from the same university and high school, starting as a side hustle in 2017.
• Initially focused on local small businesses, they pivoted to broader partnerships to scale.
• Strategic partnerships with larger agencies became a major growth lever.
• Networking events and conferences played a critical role in building lasting agency relationships.
• Landon’s weekly goal: book one meeting with someone new in the agency or freelance space to expand his network.
• He recommends leading with value in partnerships—sending referrals before asking for them.
• Vanspec collaborates with the University of the Fraser Valley, bringing on students for real-world client work through practicums.
• The team has hired standout students post-practicum, creating a pipeline of strong talent.
• Two major learnings:
  1. The agency world is more collaborative than competitive.
  2. They should have started hiring account managers and building processes earlier.
• A big focus for 2025 is stepping out of day-to-day operations by building scalable processes.
• Landon encourages creating SOPs while doing the work using tools like Loom for efficiency.
• Teaching team members to create their own processes is key for accuracy and buy-in.
• Vanspec now targets more marketing-mature clients and aims to work as strategic partners rather than outsourced marketing departments.
• Communication is Landon’s superpower—and a core value at the agency.
• Project management software (Basecamp) transformed their workflow by streamlining client communication.

Tools Mentioned

• Basecamp – Used for project management and client communication
• Loom – For recording work processes and creating SOPs
• Asana and Monday.com – Mentioned as alternatives for PM tools

Check out Landon's agency here:

https://vanspecmarketing.com/

https://www.agencyuplift.co/vault

Sean’s Links:

🔗 Sean Lang on LinkedIn
🌐 Agency Uplift Skool Group
🛒 Social Commerce Club

Key Takeaways:

• AI is a powerful productivity multiplier—but only if you actually use it to execute.
• The “AI Learning Loop” is a trap where agency owners constantly research and tinker with new tools without implementing them.
• Chasing the latest tech can kill focus and productivity—last month’s AI is more than good enough to win today.
• Implement proven, stable tools that integrate smoothly into your systems instead of obsessing over what’s new.
• Build systems first, then layer AI into those systems to optimize and automate.
• Set clear, measurable goals for AI implementation (e.g., reduce reporting time by 50%).
• Delegate AI exploration—hire a specialist, partner with a consultant, or join an AI-focused community to stay informed without getting distracted.
• Focus on execution and profitability. Don’t let the constant stream of new tools derail your agency’s progress.
• Be cautious of building extensively on one tool only to scrap it for the next shiny thing.

Sean’s Links:

🔗 Sean Lang on LinkedIn
🌐 Agency Uplift Skool Group
🛒 Social Commerce Club

Key Takeaways:

• Most agencies treat case studies as an afterthought, updating them infrequently, which reduces their relevance and credibility.
• A consistent flow of up-to-date case studies builds authority and helps prospects see themselves in your success stories.
• Sean recommends reframing them as “client wins” to lower the barrier for team members to submit them.
• Creating a simple system makes the process sustainable and scalable.
• A Google Form feeding into Slack and Sheets provides real-time visibility and a searchable database.
• Making “client win” submissions a core job expectation ensures consistency.
• Case studies should align with client goals and teach something valuable—not just highlight success.
• Regularly publishing these wins on your site helps support sales conversations with timely, relevant examples.

Tools Mentioned:

• Google Forms
• Slack (or similar team comms tool)
• Google Sheets (for tracking and historical database)

Sean’s Links:

🔗 Sean Lang on LinkedIn
🌐 Agency Uplift Skool Group
🛒 Social Commerce Club