About this Episode In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel sits down with long-time Parakeeto consultant Carson Pierce to pull back the curtain on a real (anonymized) client assessment and show exactly how agencies can diagnose stubborn profit issues. Drawing on insights from 100+ assessments, Carson walks through the step-by-step process—starting with a simple benchmark “agency model,” then layering in messy P&L and time data, stakeholder interviews, and practical adjustments (like recognizing PM/account management as delivery, fixing time-tracking compliance, and correcting for prepaid revenue). Together, he and Marcel unpack the real culprits behind weak margins—top-heavy teams, bottlenecked delivery (hello, overworked design), and underpriced work—and why the right solution isn’t always “cut”; sometimes it’s “grow out of the constraint” (e.g., hire to relieve a bottleneck and raise utilization). Expect a clear roadmap you can reuse: focus on leading indicators first (model utilization, ABR/pricing, forecast vs. plan), then install cadence and coaching to turn clarity into action—and predictable profit.

About this Episode In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel Petitpas sits down with Simo Lemhandes, founder and CEO of Folk CRM, to explore how AI is reshaping go-to-market strategy for small consulting firms and agencies. Drawing from his experience at McKinsey and Morgan Stanley, Simo shares how Folk was built as an AI-native CRM—a single source of truth across LinkedIn, WhatsApp, email, and calls—designed so the CRM works for you, not the other way around. Together, they unpack how social selling, account-based marketing, and personalization are converging to redefine sales for SMBs, why simplicity at the interface and complexity in the backend is the future of product design, and how AI enables “an army of assistants” that automate research, summaries, and follow-ups. The conversation expands to the platformization of SaaS, the shrinking but stronger boutique agency model, and why in the AI era, true expertise and point of view will command the highest value.

About this Episode In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel is joined by operations strategist Kristen Kelly to demystify annual and quarterly planning so it actually moves the business forward. Drawing on real client patterns and Parakeeto’s own cadence, they walk through a practical sequence—set a clear mission, anchor goals to measurable targets (AGI, delivery margin, overhead/AGI, operating profit), and use a simple, flexible model to pressure-test scenarios in real time. Together, they unpack why planning derails (static spreadsheets, arbitrary revenue targets, opinion-driven debates) and show how to flip it: start with the numbers, focus on a few OKR-style priorities, and over-communicate so the plan cascades into weekly execution. From running lightweight scorecards to using a FUD survey to surface misalignment, plus smarter budgeting and alternative ways to lift ABR beyond just raising prices, this episode gives agency leaders a clear, repeatable playbook to enter Q4 aligned, confident, and ready to ship.

About this Episode In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel sits down with Stephen, CEO & Founder of Predictive ROI and author/podcaster with 30 years in the industry, to unpack how agencies can win in a low-trust, AI-noisy market by selling with authority. Stephen shares why trust now starts below zero and how to rebuild it by narrowing your niche, diagnosing real business problems, and codifying a named methodology that’s easy to teach and prove. He walks through Predictive ROI’s “trust architecture” sales process—Help Me Understand → Align & Prescribe → Meet & Greet → Conceptual Agreement—and shows how to turn that same methodology into a clear content blueprint (Grow, Nurture, Sell) that fuels consistent, long-form, repurposable content. Listeners will leave with a pragmatic playbook to attract right-fit clients, shorten sales cycles, and scale credibility through systems, data, and visible expertise.

About this Episode In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel sits down with Parakeeto’s Kristen Kelly to tackle a common myth in agency ops: that a new project management or PSA tool will magically fix profit problems. Drawing on real client patterns, Kristen explains why tools help you do the work but rarely deliver trustworthy reporting on their own, and why agencies need to sequence the solution as Framework, Data, then Process. Together they unpack how to define the exact metrics you care about, build a simple ETL pipeline to clean and join time data with a payroll and project grid, and avoid the “precision trap” that crushes time-tracking compliance and erodes trust. If you want clearer utilization, margin, and forecasting without turning your PM tool into a Rube Goldberg machine, this conversation offers a practical path to reliable profit visibility and calmer delivery teams.

About This Episode In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel sits down with Casey Brown—bestselling author of Fearless Pricing and founder of Boost Pricing—to tackle the real hurdle agencies face after deciding to charge more: actually winning and defending higher prices with confidence. Casey explains why pricing lives at the intersection of data and psychology, and why mindset and sales execution often drive most of the ROI. Together they walk through practical moves you can use right away, from running a quarterly pricing meeting that tracks leading indicators like win rate and planned margin, to segmenting price-increase communications for different client types, to preparing your team with role-plays, objection handling, and value-first messaging. They also dig into packaging and contract mechanics, when to use fixed fees or abstracted T&M, and how to avoid filling excess capacity with discounted work. If you want clearer pricing decisions, stronger sales conversations, and better client profitability, this conversation gives you a simple playbook to charge—and earn—what your work is worth.

About This Episode In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel is joined by longtime collaborator and agency operator Carson Pierce to tackle a deceptively simple headache for service firms, recognizing revenue in a way that actually matches the work getting done. They unpack cash versus accrual accounting in plain English, why cash makes month-to-month metrics useless on projects with deposits and lumpy delivery, and how to shift toward earned value so AGI, ABR, utilization, and profit reflect reality. Carson and Marcel walk through four practical ways to estimate percent complete, time versus timeline, time versus budget, burndown or story points, and a quick monthly PM check-in, plus when to phase projects to match real effort curves. They also flag the ripple effects for bookkeeping, from journal entries and deferred revenue to payroll timing and pass-through costs, along with simple cost and schedule performance indices that spotlight projects at risk. If you want cleaner monthly reporting, better forecasting, and fewer “why do the numbers look weird” conversations with your accountant, this episode gives you a clear playbook for aligning revenue recognition to delivery, without grinding your team to a halt.

About this Episode In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel is joined once again by operations expert Carson Pierce to unpack one of the most misunderstood but critical revenue models in the agency world: retainers. Together they trace the history of retainers from professional services to modern digital agencies and explain why the popular “bucket of hours” approach often creates hidden debt, cash flow strain, and operational chaos. Using Parakeeto’s pricing model quadrant, Marcel and Carson outline how agencies can match retainer structures to risk and value, whether that means time and materials, flat monthly deliverables, or performance-based fees. They also dig into account management nuances, from “yes and” flexibility with T&M to “yes but” tradeoffs in fixed scope and share profitability levers like the “3 Rs” (recapture, rescope, replace). For agency leaders who rely on recurring revenue but struggle with sustainability, this conversation offers clarity on how to structure retainers that protect margin, support proactive planning, and strengthen client relationships.

About this Episode In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel is joined once again by Carson Pierce to unpack one of the trickiest dynamics in running a service business: utilization. While many agency owners understand the surface-level math of underutilization, Carson and Marcel dig into the hidden and often overlooked costs that come with it: from over-servicing clients and bloated internal projects, to lost efficiency, disengaged team members, and a dangerous “new normal” of lower productivity. They also highlight the long-term financial and psychological impacts, such as reduced enterprise value, diminished cash reserves, and a leadership mindset that shifts from playing to win to playing not to lose. Through real-world analogies, candid lessons from Parakeeto’s own journey, and a clear framework for modeling utilization, this conversation gives agency leaders practical tools and perspective to spot and manage the true costs of low utilization before it quietly erodes profit, culture, and growth potential.

About this Episode In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel is joined by Mike Grinberg, founder of Proofpoint Marketing, to dig into one of the most misunderstood levers of agency success: positioning. Drawing on his experience helping boutique firms stand out against industry giants, Mike introduces a risk-based lens for positioning and shows why differentiation without de-risking often backfires. Together, he and Marcel unpack why many agencies grow “in spite of themselves” during boom times, only to stall when markets tighten, and how true positioning goes beyond messaging into operations, service design, and client experience. From Mike’s risk perception matrix to his framework for aligning functional, intellectual property, and promotional differentiation, this episode offers agency leaders a practical playbook for reducing buyer hesitation, escaping commoditization, and competing with confidence.

About this Episode In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel is joined by Parakeeto's Operations Consultant – Carson Pierce to unpack insights from Marcel’s recent trip to Web Summer Camp in Croatia, a gathering of highly technical agencies from across Europe. Drawing from conversations with founders in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, they explore how global talent markets, shifting client expectations, and AI are reshaping agency competition. Together, they contrast the structural differences between European and North American agencies, like labor costs, regulated benefits, and time-off norms, while digging into the shared challenge of earning client trust across borders. From positioning strategies that transcend geography, to navigating talent retention when global firms (and Google) come calling, to why networking and collaboration matter more than ever, this episode offers a candid, big-picture view of what it takes to stay competitive in a rapidly flattening, AI-enabled agency world.

About this Episode In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel is joined by serial entrepreneur and leadership expert James P. Friel to explore one of the most overlooked levers in agency growth: building high-performing teams through better leadership. Drawing from his background in corporate strategy and years of advising founders, James breaks down the first principles of creating a business that can scale beyond the owner—starting with clarity, accountability, and leadership. Together, he and Marcel unpack why most team performance issues stem not from bad people, but from weak systems, vague expectations, and unstructured leadership. From his “willingness and ability” matrix to the concept of scorecards and his new gamified product 57 Hats, this episode offers a practical framework for unlocking more value, profit, and freedom in your business—by getting the best out of your team.

About This Episode In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel is joined once again by agency operations expert Kristen Kelly to break down one of the most misunderstood and impactful levers in agency profitability—pricing. Together, they uncover the six most common pricing mistakes agencies make, from “vibe-based” guesswork and undercharging, to choosing the wrong pricing model and ignoring overhead. Kristen and Marcel share practical tools, mindset shifts, and tactical advice—like using delivery margin as a pricing benchmark and the clever $0 change order technique—to help agency leaders price with confidence and clarity. Whether you’ve been flying blind on rates or struggling to raise prices, this episode offers an actionable framework to get your pricing strategy aligned with profitability.

About this Episode In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel is joined by Stephen Neville, CEO of BugHerd, to unpack the fantasy many agency owners entertain: trading their service-based business model for the greener grass of software. Drawing from Stephen’s journey from running a digital agency to scaling a SaaS product, they explore the often-overlooked complexities of the transition—from the challenges of saying no to feature requests, to the harsh financial realities of customer acquisition and technical debt. Marcel and Stephen shed light on why services are more flexible (and forgiving), why product-market fit is best found through doing things manually first, and how the most successful SaaS-leaning agencies start by productizing what they already do. Whether you’re software-curious or scaling a service firm and wondering what’s next, this episode offers a candid, experience-backed roadmap for navigating the leap (or not) from services to SaaS.

About this Episode In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel is joined by returning guest and Parakeeto team member Kristen Kelly to demystify a common crossroads for growing agencies: hiring a fractional COO versus building operational intelligence. They dig into the million-dollar revenue inflection point, where founders often feel the pressure to “fix ops” without knowing exactly what that means—or who to hire. Marcel and Kristen break down what a fractional COO really does (spoiler: it depends), why operational intelligence is often the better starting point, and how clarity around metrics, modeling, and decision-making can be a total unlock. Whether you’re tired of gut-based decisions, drowning in messy data, or wondering what role to hire next, this episode is packed with practical insight and hard-won perspective to help you grow with confidence.

About this Episode In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel is joined by Michael Zipursky—founder of Consulting Success and a leading voice in the world of consulting—to explore how solo consultants can scale their businesses without losing their freedom or profitability. They unpack the key differences between staying lean as a high-earning “super consultant” versus building a scalable firm with enterprise value, and the risks, costs, and mindset shifts that come with each path. Michael also shares a grounded take on AI in the consulting world—why it’s a wake-up call, not a death sentence, and how real experts can use it as a force multiplier. The conversation is packed with clarity around strategic hiring, profitability trends, pricing, and the power of staying focused on your ideal clients. If you’re navigating growth decisions or wondering how to stay relevant in a rapidly shifting market, this episode is a must-listen.

About this Episode In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel chats with Carson Pierce from the Parakeeto team to demystify the chaos around choosing project management tools in the agency world. With hundreds of platforms flooding the market—many promising to do it all—they unpack why tool selection matters far less than you think. The real secret? Focus on process and workflow first, then use tools to support that—not the other way around. They dive into the two core reasons agencies adopt tools (workflow vs. reporting), explain why perfect data is a myth, and share why all-in-one platforms are making a comeback—though they’re not always the answer. Carson and Marcel share hard-won lessons and clear frameworks for structuring data and reporting logic that work regardless of what tools you use. Stop obsessing over which software to pick—get your workflow right, and your reporting will follow.

About this Episode In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel chats with Jon Morris—CEO of Fiscal Advocate and creator of EngineBI—about the three most critical financial metrics every agency owner should monitor: cash reserves, profit margin, and year-over-year revenue growth. They break down how having strong cash positions creates strategic optionality (like M&A opportunities), why 20% EBITDA is a gold standard, and how understanding gross margin is the ultimate lever for scaling profitably. Marcel and Jon also clear the air on why their firms aren’t competitors but complementary forces tackling profitability from different angles—finance and operations. With plenty of real-world examples and tactical frameworks, this episode is a treasure trove for agency owners looking to master their numbers and scale smarter. If you want to build a more profitable, scalable agency—start by getting intimate with your margins and cash flow.