Has your agency become a ball and chain, drowning you in a prison of your own making?

Wow. That's dark. 

Let's continue...

You started this business because you felt unemployable. 

The cubicle wasn't your fit. Yet, bills don't pay themselves. And while you can deliver work with the best of them, you've chosen one of the hardest businesses to make profitable.

Sound familiar?

◾Your team bombards you with questions they should answer themselves
◾Every decision, no matter how small, must pass through you
◾You're constantly hunting for leads, praying your marketing will work
◾Prospects haggle over price and services in your never-ending sales cycle
◾You feel compelled to chase shiny tactics just to keep up with competitors

And forget dreading Mondays—you're working through weekends.

Imagine:

What if your business could run itself? 
What if your Slack icon could stay on "away"? 
What if you didn't question why you started your agency in the first place?

Picture stepping away, and your agency still thrives. No more daily chaos. No more shackles.

Running an agency demands focus and energy. Resources that dwindle as you age. 

With mounting bills, kids, and responsibilities you didn't have a decade ago, it's crucial to install the right systems. You can't rely on sheer force to drive your business forward.

You need systems that deliver:

◾A proactive team that solves problems before they reach your desk
◾Offers that flood your pipeline, closing faster and with larger contracts
◾Organizational efficiency so solid that vacations become part of your quarterly rhythm

This isn't a pipe dream.

A powerful lesson from my Army days: If you know what you're up against and what resources you have, there's always a path to success.

Right now:

◾You know your challenges.
◾You know your resources.

I've got the map to get you there.

There's a way to run an agency without sacrificing relationships, sleep, and well-being. 

In as little as 3 months, you can shift your agency from "founder-driven" to "founder-led." 

You choose the direction. The agency follows. All without breaking your back carrying the business.

You can break free from the reactivity plaguing agency owners.

Ready to reclaim your freedom and transform your agency?

If you're interested in:

➡️ Becoming a talent accelerator that makes your agency more effective, efficient, and enjoyable
➡️ Leaning into your strategic expertise to increase revenue with less effort
➡️ Leveraging existing assets to achieve your goals faster

Shoot me a DM to get started. Your journey begins with a conversation.

Chris DuBois

Agencies: Stop trying to "productize" your service.

It's the fastest way to devalue your expertise and compete on price. There's a much better way.

I was talking with an agency owner that was wrestling with this.

His work is deeply contextual and it requires getting into the weeds with each client.

"How can I create a system when every client's situation is unique?"

It's the classic expert's dilemma.

You want to grow, but you're afraid that creating a process will kill the personalized value that makes you great.

The breakthrough isn't about creating a rigid product.

It's about shifting your thinking.

Stop trying to "productize" your service. Start "standardizing" it.

Here's the difference:

Productized feels like a one-size-fits-all box. 
It implies everyone gets the exact same thing, which rarely works for complex, creative, or strategic services

Standardized is about creating a reliable system with a flexible execution. 
You define the core steps, the required inputs for each step, and the expected outputs

The journey through those steps can adapt to the client's context, but the framework remains the same.


You're not selling a toothbrush, where every unit is identical.

You're building a system that guides different users to a consistent, high-quality outcome.

This is how you scale your wisdom, not just your time.

Helping marketing agencies gain control of their pipeline | Positioning + Marketing Engines for Sub-$1M Shops

I almost didn’t make it into the Army.

During college, while still in ROTC, I had a hiking accident that left me stranded on a mountain overnight in -70° temperatures.

This brought on some severe frostbite in my feet and it took months before I could walk again.

That was my senior year, when I should’ve been preparing to commission. 
Instead, I was bandaging my feet every day and trying to convince the Army to let me stay.

My cadre did everything they could to help me stay in. The final requirement: pass a PT test.

Push-ups? No problem. 
Sit-ups? Easy. 
Two-mile run? A nightmare.

I ran with my feet still wrapped, bleeding through my shoes by the end, but I passed. 

Barely.

And it was worth it.

That choice changed everything.

I’ve lived in Alaska and Georgia, met incredible soldiers and leaders, and built a family along the way.

I still serve in the Army Reserve, and I’m endlessly grateful for what this journey has given me.

I’ve no idea where I’d be today without my time in the service. But I do know that I’m better for it.

Happy Veterans Day to my father, my grandfather, and every man and woman who has ever worn the uniform. 🇺🇸

#VeteransDay #Leadership #Service

PS - Here. One of my former soldiers in the Reserve ran a film studio, so he recorded our battalion change of command ceremony. Enjoy.

Hiring is one of the strongest buying signals in B2B.

We just weaponized it for agencies.

In case we don’t know each other, hi, I’m Chris.

One of the things I’m running right now is the Dynamic Agency Community.

It’s a lot of fun, and there are a lot of super smart people in there.

BUT…you’re going to love one of our newest features.

The Dynamic Agency OS has partnered with Gia.

They’ve got a great product for agencies to help with content creation and surfacing buying signals to know when you should reach out to potential prospect.

I use the tool daily.

Well, their team just installed an app in our community Slack that hunts down companies currently hiring, and gives you the links to reach out.

We’ve selected the types of companies and the open positions based on a poll within the community (and can add with user requests). 

The idea is, if someone’s hiring for a position that your agency could help fill, you can reach out to the company with an offer.

Hiring signals are an awesome external trigger, and I’ve known some agencies that do this tediously through Indeed/ZipRecruiter. 

They hunt down companies in their ICP that are hiring for the service they offer, and then they reach out.

Thanks to Gia, we’re making it easier.

New signals are posted multiple times a day.


The community is only a hundred bucks per year, and we have a BFCM deal going.

Buy a membership, and you can give one to your favorite agency leader for free.

Want to buy some for your whole team? Let’s chat.

Add in the expert advice, the resources, and the peer referrals, and it’ll be some of the best money you spend this year.

#agencies #community

PS - We even had a guy learn to solve a Rubik's Cube because of the community. How’s that for a party trick?

Most agencies don’t have a marketing problem.

They have a referral reliance problem.

They’ve grown on reactive referrals. Clients who “just show up” when someone happens to mention their name.

And that’s a fine way to start.

But it’s a terrible way to scale.

Because when you rely only on reactive referrals, you never know where your next deal is coming from.

You’re just… waiting.

Here’s how to fix that.

Instead of chasing every new marketing trend, focus on two things: discovery and trust-building.

Step 1: Identify where your audience goes to discover solutions.

Ask: Where are they actively looking for answers?

It might be Reddit, Google, YouTube, or a specific community.

That’s your discovery channel.


Step 2: Know where they go to build trust.

Once they find you, where do they actually go to learn more and decide if you’re credible?

Maybe it’s LinkedIn, your podcast, or your newsletter.

That’s your trust-building channel.


Step 3: Build a bridge between them.

Create content that moves people from the discovery channel into your trust-building channel.

Make it effortless for them to explore your world and understand your point of view.


When you do this, you stop relying on random referrals…
and start attracting people who actually want to hear from you.

That’s how you build a predictable pipeline.

Not by copying “best practices,” but by aligning with how your buyers really behave.

#agencymarketing

PS - I’m launching a cohort as soon as we fill all 5 slots. If you want to nail your positioning so you can gain control of your pipeline, shoot me a DM.

Gut check: You probably don't want it bad enough.

People say “put your head down and you can achieve everything.”

But that only works if you’re willing to make the trade.

Every meaningful goal demands a cost.

Most of us want the reward without the sacrifice.

I see it with agencies all the time.

They want leads now, but they skip outreach.
They want out of delivery, but they avoid hiring.
They want to add zeros to profit, but Netflix still wins their evenings.

The goals aren’t the issue.

The discomfort is.

You don’t have to choose hustle over family or ambition over joy.

Personally, that’s a deal breaker for me.

But you do have to choose something.

Every yes silently creates a series of no’s.

If you refuse the trade, you refuse the outcome.

Be deliberate in what you’re aiming for and what you’re willing to trade to get it.

#growth #mindset #entrepreneurship

A lot of agencies still think, “If I just pick the perfect niche, everything will click.”

It used to work.

Find a super specific audience and the clients would roll in.

Today the market is so crowded that niche alone is not a strategy. 

It's a starting point.

Here's what I recommend you do:

1. Find a niche with a real problem

Pick people you actually want to work with and confirm they’re dealing with a clear, painful issue.

Not a vague annoyance. A real problem.

2. Nail your positioning

This is the part most teams ignore.

How do you want to be perceived?

What do you believe about the problem that others in your niche don’t?

Your point of view is what makes you stand out when three other agencies show up to the same conversation.

3. Build an offer that reflects that positioning

Your delivery, your promise, your packaging

It all needs to match the identity you want to project.

Your offer should feel like the natural expression of what you stand for.

When you do this, you don’t get selected because you picked the “right” niche.

You get selected because you show up in the right way for that niche.

#marketing #positioning #agencylife

PS - Black Friday deal for the Dynamic Agency Community. 

Purchasing an annual membership (only one hundo) lets you gift an annual membership.

What a nice way to help an agency owner in your life. 🎅

Last month, I had a client who hit their stride.

Leads coming in.

Sales clicking.

Everything starting to feel… stable.

Then out of nowhere, two team members gave their notice.

Nothing dramatic. No conflict.

Just life happening and pulling them elsewhere.

But suddenly, he was back in personal delivery mode.

Back in the weeds.

Back in that old feeling of “Why does this always happen right when things start working?”

So he did what we all do in moments of frustration: he vented hard.

“It doesn’t matter what I do. I always end up here.”

And this is where I got to share a hard-won lesson from therapy:

If you would make the same decisions again, you did not mess up.

You just hit a rough patch that no system or strategy can fully prevent.

A good decision can still lead to a bad outcome.

What matters is that the way you made the decision was sound.

Agency life works the same way.

You can build smart.

You can hire well.

You can operate with intention.

And sometimes life still throws you back into the trenches.

That doesn’t mean you are a bad leader.

It means you are human in a potentially volatile environment.

The real skill is trusting your decision-making, refining it when needed, and choosing to keep going even when the outcome is not pretty.

#agencylife #leadership #decisions

PS - If you want to build some redundancies into your business so small challenges don't feel so hard, the Dynamic Agency Community is ready for you.

Most agency advice is to lead with a “profit first” mentality.

Cut expenses.

Trim the fat.

Optimize margins at all costs.

But this advice ignores something important.

You can’t optimize profit if you do not have enough revenue to matter.

Most agencies don’t struggle with supply. They’re constantly fighting for demand.

The issue isn’t that agencies are unprofitable.

It’s that they try to “save” their way to stability before they ever build a predictable pipeline.

You can only cut so much.

You can only tighten expenses so far.

There’s a ceiling on frugality.

But there’s no ceiling on revenue.

If you double what you bring in, you automatically give yourself more profit to work with.

And when you finally do optimize margins, the impact is exponentially bigger.

Ten percent of 500k is fine.

Ten percent of a million is even better.

Operating leverage is real. Expenses don’t increase with every dollar of revenue.

Now, someone’s going to misinterpret what I’m saying.

Profit matters.

You’re an idiot if you throw profit out the window.

But prioritizing profit before you have consistent revenue is like trying to sculpt a statue before you have enough clay.

Solve the pipeline problem first.

Then optimize the business you actually have.

You’ll be surprised how getting more reps (demand) helps you optimize delivery (supply).

#agencylife #revenuestrategy

PS - Join the Dynamic Agency Community, where we've got experts to help you through revenue or profit growth, depending on what stage of your business you're in. 

Plus, the members are really cool.

So many people are sold agency ownership as freedom.

More time. More control. More independence.

But rarely do people acknowledge the risks. 

Running an agency can make you more dependent than ever.

Team members ping you because they are stuck.

Clients message you at all hours because you are the “only one who can fix it.”

Referrals trickle in so you feel obligated to say yes to everything.

You end up with twelve bosses instead of one.

I believe agency owners don’t need more hustle. They need more optionality.

Optionality means building a business that doesn't collapse unless you personally hold it up.

Systems that answer the easy questions.

People who can actually make decisions.

Leads that come from more than one shaky source.

Independence is not a perk. 

It’s a design choice.

#agencylife #marketingagency

PS - Want to maintain optionality in your business? The Dynamic Agency Community can help. 

Get access to peers, experts, and resources that make your life easier.

Agencies keep obsessing over building a signature framework.

But your framework is not the differentiator.

Everyone copies the good ones anyway.

I’m watching it happen in real time, right now, with a successful agency. 

Others are literally copying their frameworks and models without even editing the colors of the graphics. 

Now, they all sound identical and the only weapon left is a cheaper price. 

That’s not differentiation.

True differentiation starts with your positioning. 

Your positioning shapes your point of view. 

It defines how you'll deliver your offer and engage with clients. 

It guides your messaging and how your team makes decisions. 

A framework is still useful. It just won’t set you apart.

Your positioning will. 


We're launching another cohort with the Dynamic Agency OS to help agencies map their niche, nail their positioning, and create compelling offers they can take to market. 

If you want more information, hit me with a DM. 

We cap at five agencies per cohort and only have a couple of slots remaining.

I knew a snowstorm was coming.

And still… I did not prepare my snowblower.

So this morning I was out there before sunrise, shoveling my very long driveway, feeling my back get tighter with every scoop. Just me, the snow, and my frustration.

Somewhere between pile number thirty and forty, it hit me.

If I had taken one hour last weekend to swap the mower attachment for the snowblower attachment, I’d be cruising around like a king instead of doing manual labor in the dark.

Yet we all do this. 

I see it all the time with agencies. 

So many marketing teams know exactly what’s coming.

Seasonal demand shifts. Client renewal cycles. Content slow periods.

Yet they don’t prepare.

They wait.

They react.

And suddenly everything hurts more than it needs to.

Three things happen when you stay ahead of the game:
 ❄️ You get options.
 ❄️ You reduce stress.
 ❄️ You stop wasting energy on avoidable problems.

The storm is always easier to handle when your tools are ready.

What’s one thing you know is coming that you could prepare for today?

#marketing #agencylife

PS - I'm providing snowblowing tips in the Dynamic Agency Community. Come hang out if you're in need.

Fun fact: you can disagree over the "right" way, without anyone being "wrong."

There's no ONE way to solve most business problems.

We all have different experiences and ideas that can get us to the same destination.

Your point of view in how to do that is at the core of your positioning.

"Many people believe X. I believe Y because Z."

Your belief structure is what attracts people.

If it doesn't resonate, there's probably a different method that would work better for them.

And if they're not bought in to your belief, they'd probably be a hard client to work with anyways.

This isn't to say you can't market to people with different beliefs. Shifting beliefs is part of marketing.

We just need to acknowledge that because a competitor has a different way of doing things, it doesn't mean they're wrong.

They're the best fit for someone who aligns with their thinking and fits their context required for success.

#agency #positioning

PS - if you believe your positioning is more than a niche and offer, and you want to take control of your marketing, we're kicking off a cohort to help you do just that.

DM for details.

A lot of agencies think delegation is about clearing your plate.

Hand off the tasks.

Buy back your time.

Feel like a “real” leader.

What I feel everyone misses is that delegation is really about improving your speed-to-informed.

When you put someone in a leadership role, it's not just so they can manage the people below them.

It's so they can gather information, filter it, and pass it up to you in a way that lets you make better decisions faster.

Great leaders are not protected from information.

They are fed the right information at the right time.

And that only happens when you have people on the ground who know what to look for and know how to send it upstream clearly.

So no, delegation is not a luxury.

It’s not even about reducing stress.

It’s about improving the velocity and quality of your decision-making.

Because the sooner you are informed, the sooner you can adjust, pivot, or course correct.

Our decisions are rarely limited by time.

They’re limited by information.

So, you want to operate at a higher level?

Stop delegating tasks.

Start delegating visibility.

The faster you can collect the right information, the easier it is to win.

#agencylife #leadership #operations

PS - Want to really improve your speed-to-informed? That’s the metric I prioritize in the Dynamic Agency Community.

Not conversations. Not active users.

I track how fast we can get an answer to someone’s question, so you’re never blocked in your growth.

We’re running a BOGO offer for all memberships until December 1st, so you can gift your favorite agency leaders.

Agencies, let me give you free content ideas for a month.

All it takes is five minutes of your time.

Your point of view is what helps you stand out as an agency.

It's what actually differentiates you as a potential solution.

Because when everyone else is saying the same things, the buyer has to base their selection on price and deliverables.

So, I created a simple GPT to help you pull out your thoughts in a way that will resonate with your buyers.

It only takes three steps.

1/ Tell it about your ICP.
2/ Tell it the topic you want to address.
3/ Give it your thoughts on the topic.

The GPT will then outline all of the conventional wisdom your ICP has around that topic and provide you with ideas for where your perspective can flip that conventional wisdom.

Like with everything you do using AI, context matters. So I'd recommend using a tool like Wispr Flow and speaking all of your thoughts into the GPT.

Tell it everything you can about the ICP, everything you can about the topic, and don't hold back on your point of view.

It'll then give you 20 ideas for content you could create this month.

Link is in the comments. You're welcome in advance.

#agency #content #positioning

PS - And if you like little GPTs like this, I'm constantly creating simple tools and adding them to the Dynamic Agency Community.

And that community could be the best $100 you spend this year.

Catalytic Leadership, LLC

Dr. William Attaway is an Executive Coach specializing in leadership, mindset, and productivity who has been leading teams and coaching leaders for nearly 30 years. He's coached hundreds of agency owners and their teams on 6 continents, helping them to navigate and overcome the leadership and mindset challenges that can be overwhelming. William has spoken at events and to teams including Spyglass Ops, the All-In Agency Summit, Prospecting on Demand, Seven Figure Agency, Extendly, SHRM, and MinistryPass. He's written several best-selling books on leadership, and is currently working on his third. 

From C-suite leaders to educators, from military leaders to small business owners, from church leaders to 6 and 7 figure entrepreneurs, he has experience in helping conquer challenging situations and maximize potential with Clear-Minded Focus, Calmness, and Confidence so you can build an unbreakable, unshakeable business. 

Pulling from his own 25+ years of leadership experience leading and coaching teams in the business and non-profit/church sectors, as well as from the hundreds of leaders he has coached, clients have access to a knowledge base that is deep and wide, a coach who is FOR you, and a proven methodology that will help you stop spinning your wheels into overwhelm and overwork.

William has captured insights from decades of coaching in his most recent book, Catalytic Leadership: 12 Keys to Becoming an Intentional Leader Who Makes a Difference. He also hosts the Catalytic Leadership Podcast each week, where he interviews entrepreneurial leaders about the insights and wisdom they have learned so far in their journey. In April, 2024, ListenNotes ranked this podcast in the top 3% most popular shows out of 3,121,903 podcasts globally.
 
Book a ☎️ @https://catalyticleadership.net

Executive Coach  |  Mindset, Leadership, and Productivity

Seven Figure Agency

Specialty Coach for Seven Figure Agency mastermind clients, providing leadership training and coaching

Specialty Coach - Leadership

The Corner Church

Responsible for: 
- teaching weekly as the primary weekend communicator 
- casting and implementing multi-year vision throughout the church's ministry 
- leading and overseeing full and part time staff in addition to interns and residents 
- helping the church to navigate new opportunities and change as we seek to reach out to the 57% of the northern Virginia population that are religiously unaffiliated
- leading the church to complete a revision of the constitution and bylaws, to change governance models (from congregational to Elder board led)
- leading the church to pay off a nearly million dollar debt that was decades old
- leading the church to make significant facility and technological improvements (debt free) throughout the campus
- leading the church through the process of a name change and to execute a new and focused vision with consistent branding to the community around us
- launching an online campus reaching people across the country and around the world with Jesus' message of hope and life

Lead Pastor

Responsible for initiating small group ministry at Southview, overseeing all adult education and discipleship initiatives, overseeing church administration in areas such as finance and governance (constitution and bylaws revision).

Associate Pastor

Prospecting On Demand™

• Conducted weekly Mindset and Leadership Coaching calls for agency owners, fostering a culture of growth and resilience.  
• Provided tailored 1:1 coaching sessions to address individual client challenges and enhance leadership capabilities.  
• Developed and implemented strategies to cultivate healthy leadership mindsets, resulting in improved client satisfaction and retention.

Mindset and Leadership Coach

Itawamba Community College

Taught Old Testament Survey and New Testament Survey online utilizing Canvas and other web-based tools

Adjunct Instructor

Washington University of Virginia

Teaching undergraduate courses (BOT101E Old Testament Survey, BOT201E Pentateuch)

http://www.wuv.edu

Adjunct Professor

North Richland Hills Baptist Church

As one of 12 staff pastors, oversaw the church's missions programs through local, national, and international initiatives.  Also responsible for evangelism training and equipping and pastoral care for members.

Minister of Global Focus and Spiritual Connecting

Oversaw 50+ workstations and 3 servers as well as all worship center sound, lighting, video, and projection systems; assisted employees through training and onsite technical support.

Director of Technology

BellSouth Mobility

Sales representative (inside sales, direct sales), Cellular data team

Sales Representative

Are you an agency owner, executive, or entrepreneur who feels like you’re constantly spinning your wheels, feeling alone and questioning your decisions, and wishing your team was performing at a higher level? I want you to know this is typical and where many of my clients are when they come to me. On the outside, you want to give the impression that you have it all together, but on the inside, you feel frustrated, chaotic, and like you're about to lose your mind any minute. It's common that with growth, what was working may not be working like it used to. Let's talk about solving these problems.

I work with leaders and their teams who are growing and trying to navigate new waters. I help high-performance leaders and their teams conquer challenging situations & maximize potential with Clear-Minded Focus, Calm Control, and Confidence.

Alex said, "Without question the greatest coach I’ve ever had. He’s helped me stay grounded, focus on what matters, and given me the tools to not only be a better leader, but a better husband, father, and human being."

Clients come to me when: 

➡️They lack clear-minded focus around direction or challenges in their business or with their team
➡️They feel chaotic, stressed out, and are losing sleep at night
➡️They get no break from their business
➡️They are overthinking, doubting themselves, and undermining their own confidence
➡️They avoid conflict or deal with it in unhealthy ways
➡️They struggle with turnover and churn on their team
➡️They see that their team is not performing at the level they want, but they're not sure what to do differently
➡️They are not hitting their revenue and profit goals despite their best efforts and longer hours
➡️They want better communication strategies between their leaders and teams

All of these things can shake your confidence and start breaking your business. Your team will feel it, and your clients will eventually begin to experience a lower return on investment.

Marilyn said, "I run a growing team and have worked with William for over 6 months. His sessions are insightful, thought-provoking, and calming. I look forward to every call with William."

With my Catalytic 3C Accelerator method, I help you conquer challenging situations and maximize potential with Clear-Minded Focus, Calm Control, and Confidence so you can build an unbreakable, unshakeable business. See how @catalyticleadership.net
 
Book a ☎️ @ https://www.catalyticleadership.net

Executive Coach | Developing Teams | Speaker | Pastor | Author | Podcast Host | Expert

🎙️William C. Attaway

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Chief Executive Officer at Appreciation at Work!

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