When you realize that this episode is about holding a virtual event, you might jump to the conclusion that this is a C19 focused episode. Nothing could be further from the truth. Virtual events have been successful for years and are always worth considering, pandemic or not!
Agency owner Nicole Mahoney has always been an innovative marketer on behalf of her agency. Her podcast and other industry-specific content has positioned her agency as one of the country’s authorities on destination marketing.
In the fall of 2019, she knew it was time for them to host a broader event to connect with even more industry leaders and prospects. She briefly considering hosting a live conference but the costs were just prohibitive. That’s when she decided to explore hosting a virtual summit. In November, that’s just what her agency did and the results were impressive.
With the right structure, the right tech stack, the right speakers, and the right audience, virtual summits are an opportunity for agency owners to establish themselves as the experts in their respective industries. Learn how Nicole used this channel to build her audience and lay the framework for significant growth.
A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
- Why Nicole decided to organize a virtual summit
- The benefits and drawbacks of virtual vs. live events
- How Nicole structured her virtual summit and who she invited to participate
- The technical and production side of Nicole’s virtual summit
- How Nicole’s team tracked engagement for their virtual presentations
- Where Nicole plans to take her virtual summits in the future
- How Nicole is collaborating with other marketers in the travel and tourism industry
- The results of Nicole’s summit and what’s in store for the next one
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Ways to Contact Nicole Mahoney
- Email: nicole@breaktheicemedia.com
- Podcast: https://breaktheicemedia.com/podcast/
- Website: https://breaktheicemedia.com/
- Twitter: @Break_TheIce
- Facebook: @BreakTheIceMedia
Tools & Resources:
Agency owners are scrambling to take advantage of the CARES Act, and in particular the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans but there’s a lot we don’t know because there’s a lot that is not set in stone.
There is a total lack of clarity around this how the PPP works – from application all the way through repayment and potential forgiveness. The 800-page act says one thing and the SBA says another. As I describe it in my conversation with guest Stephen Katz, we are repairing the plane while we’re flying it.
Stephen is the chair of the business practice of Peckar & Abramson, a law firm in New York City with offices in 10 US cities and affiliates in 14 countries across the globe. I asked Stephen to joins us because of his decades of experience working with the SBA and other government programs designed to serve businesses. He’s spent the better part of a month interacting directly with the SBA, Treasury Department and his legal peers to try to wrap their arms around the CARES Act and specifically the PPP loan.
I knew he‘d provide some answers so that we agency owners can plan for the future and protect what they have now. It is important to know what you’re getting into. And as details get locked down, we’ll have Stephen back to help us navigate this murky waters.
A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here. 
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
- How Stephen developed expertise in business law
- The economic impact of 9/11 vs. COVID-19
- Everything agency owners should be aware of as they apply for the PPP
- What we know about the loan forgiveness provision of the PPP loan so far
- How to prove you are using the proceeds of your loan appropriately
- Everything you need to know about EIDL loans
- Why bigger banks have been hesitant to fund CARES Act loans
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Ways to contact Stephen Katz:
- Website: https://www.pecklaw.com/
- LinkedIn:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peckarabramson/
- Twitter:
Tools & Resources:
Agency owners wear many hats and certainly one of the most important is leader. There are days when that’s easy and even fun. And then, there are days like the ones we’ve been having lately, when the weight of that role can get pretty heavy. Our employees need us to guide them through these uncharted waters. And to do that, we need to stay calm, confident and compassionate. But how do you do that when you can’t even be in the same room.
The current COVID crisis is pushing teams and agency leaders to their limits. Fortunately, leadership and culture expert Adam Carroll has tools and insights that will help you show up to be the best leader possible; in a time when that leadership is sorely needed.
In this episode, Adam and I talk about how to manage and stay aligned with a dispersed team, how to hold everyone accountable, and how to create connections that will survive and thrive beyond the crisis. Adam’s advice is pragmatic and actionable. You’ll be able to put it into play immediately.
A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
- Advice for agency owners on how to lead their team while working remotely
- How agency owners can be authentic and compassionate and still hold the team accountable
- The HEAT framework and how agency owners and leaders can deploy it throughout the organization
- The importance of shared ownership and the elements you need to create it
- What agency owners should be aware of as they transition to a virtual environment
- How to reinforce the team aspect of your agency, despite not physically being together
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Ways to Contact Adam Carroll:
- Website: http://renzoexperience.com/
- LinkedIn:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/renzoexperience/
- Twitter: @AdamCarroll
Tools & Resources:
Odds are you cannot remember a more tumultuous time in your agency. You probably endured through 9/11 but we understood what happened and why. You probably survived the 07-08 recession but we saw it coming and had time to plan and adjust. Covid-19 brings a rare and overwhelming combination of a health scare, human isolation, and an economic shutdown all in one fell swoop. No wonder you’re feeling a bit frantic. That’s why I’m worried about you. If you can’t stand strong through this, your agency is in trouble.
The way we lead our agency through this is by acknowledging how hard it is and taking care of ourselves. We have to recognize that we’re grieving right now and because of that, we’re experiencing a wide range of emotions from terror to anger to a need to just keep moving.
All of that is natural and to be expected. But it’s not helpful. In this episode we’re going to talk about grieving, about accepting the loss and deciding what path makes the most sense for your shop. Beyond that – we’re going to talk about how YOU survive this and lead your team to the better days that we know are waiting for us around the corner.
A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here: https://www.whitelabeliq.com/ami/
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
- How agency owners can overcome the mental hurdles of being the ship’s captain in time of crisis
- What we’re going through as agency leaders and what we can do to survive the storm
- How to overcome the sense of loss and grief the pandemic has brought upon us
- Tools and resources agency owners can use to navigate new challenges brought by the COVID-crisis
- Why agency owners need to take care of themselves before they can take care of anyone else
- How you can use this period of change to rethink the way you do business
AMI works with agency owners by:
- Leading agency owner peer groups
- Offering workshops for agency owners and their leadership teams
- Offering AE Bootcamps
- Conducting individual agency owner coaching
- Doing on-site consulting
- Offering online courses in agency new business and account service
Because he works with over 250+ agencies every year, Drew has the unique opportunity to see the patterns and the habits (both good and bad) that happen over and over again. He has also written several books, including Sell With Authority (2020) and been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine, and Fortune Small Business. The Wall Street Journal called his blog “One of 10 blogs every entrepreneur should read.”
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Ways to contact Drew McLellan:
- Email: drew@agencymanagementinstitute.com
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drewmclellan
- Website: https://agencymanagementinstitute.com/
Tools & Resources (if needed):