In this episode, we're joined by Andrew Gottlieb, founder of No Typical Moments, a digital agency driving purpose-led growth for mission-driven brands. From working with conscious companies to launching media campaigns that prioritize mindfulness and ROI, Andrew has built a boutique agency that aligns values with performance.
He unpacks how his journey from corporate cubicle to conscious entrepreneurship wasn't just about profits—it was about purpose. We dive deep into hiring with intentionality, why firing your biggest client can actually be a blessing, and how scaling an agency doesn't have to mean abandoning your ideals.
Andrew shares his framework for landing enterprise clients, building strong remote culture, and evolving your leadership style as the agency grows. If you've ever wrestled with how to build a profitable business without losing your soul in the process, this one's for you.
🔑 Key Topics Covered
Agency Evolution & Business Model
- Journey from Facebook content creation in 2011 to full-service digital marketing
- Transition from "Gandhi quote" posts to performance-driven campaigns
- Evolution from Facebook ad expert to business owner and team builder
- Current service offerings: fractional CMO consulting, paid advertising, sales funnels, and social media management
The ROI Challenge in Early Social Media
- Clients constantly asking "What's the ROI of social media?" in early Facebook days
- How this drove the shift toward more measurable, P&L-correlated offerings
- The challenge of justifying brand marketing vs. direct response advertising
AI and Content Marketing Revolution
- Andrew's experimentation with Gemini for animated video creation
- Discussion of viral AI-generated content (WAP Grand Theft Auto ad, dentist gorilla video)
- The power of organic content creation vs. paid advertising
- How AI is democratizing high-quality content creation
Long-form Content Strategy
- The trust-building power of podcasts and long-form video content
- Case study: How Nick Bear's YouTube content converted Andrew from skeptic to customer
- Gary Vaynerchuk's B2B podcast strategy: invite ideal clients as guests
- The "getting a cup of coffee" approach to relationship building
Brand Marketing vs. Direct Response
- Real-world examples of brand marketing effectiveness (Pacific Life insurance decision, Lululemon bags, Viore hometown loyalty)
- The challenge of measuring brand marketing ROI
- When brand marketing works vs. when startups need direct response focus
Agency Culture Evolution
- Andrew's journey from family-oriented culture to more performance-driven approach
- The challenges of mixing friendship with business accountability
- Lessons learned from lost friendships during business difficulties
- Finding balance between relationships and results
Leadership Development
- Andrew's evolution as a leader through training and mentorship
- Learning to give effective feedback without being defensive
- The challenge of transitioning from "friend mode" to accountability
- Balancing respect with approachability as CEO
Client Management & Collections
- Payment policies: never putting ad spend on agency credit cards
- 30-day payment rule with work stoppage consequences
- Collections strategy and the economics of pursuing late payments
- When to fire clients vs. when to show grace
Work-Life Integration
- Balancing agency growth with family life (both hosts have young children)
- 4:30 AM workout routine and structured daily schedule
- Saying no to social commitments to prioritize family time
- The reality of startup life with young families
💡 Key Insights & Quotes
"You could create a text-based update with a Gandhi quote and a thousand people would like it. That changed really quickly.""To this day, people will say, what's the ROI of social media, even though it's much more widely accepted that it's a thing all businesses need to do.""If you're going to play in that other world, if it's a family-oriented business, you want to know all of your employees' kids' names, what's going on in relationships, it's like, own that completely. And if you're trying to mix it, it really doesn't work.""There's such a shortage of good content in the world that if you actually make something entertaining and interesting, people just eat it up constantly."
🛠 Actionable Takeaways
- Content Strategy: Invest in long-form content that builds genuine relationships and trust with your audience
- Payment Policies: Establish clear 30-day payment terms with automatic work stoppage for late payments
- Culture Definition: Choose either relationship-focused or performance-focused culture—don't try to mix both
- Leadership Development: Invest in feedback training and leadership mentorship as you scale
- AI Integration: Experiment with AI tools like Gemini for content creation to stay competitive
- B2B Podcasting: Start a podcast and invite ideal clients as guests for relationship building
- Client Boundaries: Never put client ad spend on your agency credit cards—let clients handle their own payment methods
🎧 Guest Information
Andrew Gottlieb
Founder & CEO, No Typical Moments
📧 andrew@notypicalmoments.co
🌐 notypicalmoments.com
📖 About the Guest
Andrew Gottlieb is the Founder & CEO at No Typical Moments, a highly specialized digital marketing agency that works exclusively with purpose-driven and social impact focused businesses to collectively advance humanity. Andrew founded No Typical Moments in 2011 as an idea to explore ways to make a tangible, positive difference to humanity and the planet. Today, NTM is a benefit corporation that provides highly specialized digital marketing solutions for clients. This includes media buying campaigns and full-service marketing for the info product space.
Some of the clients NTM had the honor of working with include the likes of Lisa Nichols, best selling author and mentor and Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts. NTM executed Mama Gena's Facebook ad-campaign for her new book that went on to become a New York Times bestseller. The agency has also worked with conscious companies like Mindvalley and Chopra Global.
🎙 About The Agency Hour Podcast
The Agency Hour explores the challenges, strategies, and insights of building and scaling digital agencies. Each episode features conversations with agency owners, entrepreneurs, and industry experts sharing practical advice for growing profitable agencies.
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