When you think about or define a global agency, do you think of those giant conglomerates that started on Madison Avenue and have mushroomed into marketing behemoths? Well, that’s one model – but certainly not the only one. What if your global agency was set up more like a series of regional micro-agencies still under one banner?
On episode #182 of Build a Better Agency, I talk with Josh Steimle, who has developed a unique business model that is really working for him and the growing team at MWI.
We dig into it all: how to develop a cohesive culture across multiple locations, how to hire well, and how to niche down. What they are doing is still very unique in the agency world but seems to have the potential for replication – as many successful ventures do.
Josh founded MWI in 1999 while a college student at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. In 2013, he moved from Salt Lake City to Hong Kong to open MWI’s first international office.
Josh is the author of Chief Marketing Officers at Work: How Top Marketers Build Customer Loyalty, a TEDx speaker, and regularly presents at marketing and business events. He has written over 200 articles on marketing and entrepreneurship for publications like Mashable, TechCrunch, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, and Time.
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
- Why there is more than one way to scale a business
- How to rethink the global agency
- Why hiring the right person is such a critical decision
- How a niche service can land you big clients
- Why even small events can pay off with good business opportunities
- How to build credibility in the marketplace through strategic partnerships
- Using credibility to sell your services
- The ROI of giving away advice
- Challenge and opportunity in building a global group of micro-agencies
- Building an agency that is both virtual and face-to-face
Ways to Contact Josh Steimle:
- Website: joshsteimle.com
- Website: mwi.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuasteimle
- Book: https://amzn.to/2Es5rmI