E164: Bigger purpose leads to a $10m agency with Andy Seth
Build websites faster and make clients happier with Zephyr CMS (sponsored).
Unlimited WordPress tasks for digital agencies at a fixed monthly cost with UnlimitedWP, get 25% your first month with code “das2020” (sponsored).
Andy Seth grew up in a motel in Los Angeles but never felt bound by his circumstance.
Andy’s entrepreneurial journey has taken him through 4 successful seven-figure exits. His company Flow Marketing is recognized as being in the top 10% of B Corps worldwide.
Thriving in the face of COVID-19, Flow Marketing is on track for a $10M run rate in 2020.
Andy’s agency is the nation’s first accredited with federally registered apprenticeships. He’s helped more than 1,000+ low-income students go to college on scholarship.
He is also a best selling author and music producer.
Episode highlights:
- How Andy created an apprenticeship program for low-income youth.
- Why Andy combined content creation and branding.
- Why requiring 2 years of experience is lazy, and what Andy’s doing about it.
- Andy’s current biggest struggles.
- On building a better system that outweighs Andy’s personal brand.
- When the creativity started flowing, this is what Andy accomplished…and neglected.
- Sometimes employees don’t keep up with growth. Here’s what happened.
- Best advice ever received: That I can be highly ambitious and at peace at the same time.
- Habit that contributes to success: Self development and meditation
- Recommended tools: Zoho
- Recommended book: Eleven Rings by Phil Jackson and Lolly Daskal’s The Leadership Gap
- Run time: 40:40
Links:
- A-luv album on Apple Music
- Zoho
- Profitable Digital Agencies
- Eleven Rings by Phil Jackson
- Lolly Daskal’s The Leadership Gap
- AndySeth.com
- 720-410-9900 – text Andy!
- Andy’s book – Bling
- Article about shopping competitors
Quotes:
- “Some of those customers didn’t have a well-defined brand.”
- “I’m actually teaching those two years of work.”
- “They’re marketable and people want to hire them.”
- “They may have 1 hour of training, but they need 15-20 hours of hands-on application.”
- “Do you know how underprepared I was?”
- “I just have to keep flipping this dollar.”
- “This is my first company I designed to not flip.”
- “Social good doesn’t work unless it drives economic growth.”
- “I am not a system.”
- “I’m coming guns a-blazing with my showmanship.”
Takeaways:
- Look into how the Swiss run apprenticeship programs.
- Start with WHY.