ZeroTo1

I'm the President and Co-Founder of ZeroTo1, a full service growth, creative, and influencer agency for high growth tech and DTC brands with a high exit potential. We work with brands like Instacart, ClickUp, and Landing to achieve profitable growth through building community, best in class ad creative, and efficient growth tactics. How can we help you:

- Data driven UGC ad production and strategy
- Performance focused influencer campaigns (micro - Tier 1)
- Affiliate program management 
- Creator-affiliate programs - Turn your customers and creators into your most profitable growth channel

For more info, shoot me a DM! Always looking to connect with marketing leaders.

President & Co-Founder

Shipt

Influencer Marketing Director
My primary goal is to embed the Shipt brand into key authentic cultural moments and social conversations that drive brand advocacy through social influence.

As the department lead, I drive the brand’s influencer and strategic partnership strategies with the goal of increasing brand awareness, earned media value, content creation and brand activation across channels of engagement.

This role requires strong leadership, communications and relationship management skills to deliver comprehensive programs across social media, events, sponsorship activation, and branded content creation that helps drive brand love, advocacy, and cultural relevancy.

-Work with marketing and business development departments to assist in the ideation, identification and execution of influencer partnerships.
- Research and identify key influencers, bloggers and online media at varying levels that align with Shipt’s influencer strategy and goals
-Manage the execution of influencer engagement strategies to support launches and campaigns
- Act as the liaison between influencers and the brand, maintaining a clear channel of contact and nurturing relationships
- Negotiate the best possible investment level to reach determined goals and maintain longterm relationships
- Works closely with social and content stakeholders to optimize and integrate influencer strategies to gain content and influencer activation alignment
- Remain dialed into key influencers and trends in target markets and industry
- Prepare creative and content briefs, in support of marketing campaigns to generate content and promotion across relevant influencer network
- Ensure consistency and accuracy of brand messaging
- Manage influencer relationships and daily outreach, utilizing tools and CRM platform for efficiencies
- Recruit brand ambassadors from social media influencers, fans, and our registered users.

Founding Team & Head of Influencer Marketing

Responsible for leading and executing new city launches and expanding in pre-existing markets. 
Venue booking, public speaking, networking, event planning, and shopper recruitment.

Market Launch Lead

President & Co-Founder @ ZeroTo1 | (previously) Founding Team @ Shipt | DM me for more info on TikTok Shop, ROI Influencer campaigns, and UGC ads that convert

ZeroTo1 is the “go-to” social commerce agency of record, driving revenue for category-leading and disruptive DTC companies through social ads, performance influencer strategies, and TikTok Shop management.

Our vision is to be the world's #1 Social Commerce agency while partnering with category-leading brands to guide them to their dream outcome of an exit or IPO through our creative, community, and influencer strategies.

We’re building a world-class culture of execution that enables our employees to experience exponential professional and personal growth.

Some of our clients include: ClickUp, Instacart, Landing, Jel Sert, Lowe’s, Feit Electric, Thumbtack, The Pets Table, MUD/WTR, Manna Vitality, Spoonful of Comfort, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Organifi, Step One, Create Wellness, Diletosso, & more.

Riley Cronin 🚀

The live team is locked in between now and EOD Monday 🤳

Riley Cronin

President & Co-Founder @ ZeroTo1 | Founding Team @ Shipt | DM me for more info on DTC Creator Communities, Influencer Whitelisting, and TikTok Shop

We’re kicking off Q1 2026 with a live breakdown of the 4 Profit Pillars on TikTok Shop — the exact levers separating brands that scale from those that stall:

1️⃣ Creator Acquisition
2️⃣ Creator Retention
3️⃣ Customer Acquisition
4️⃣ Customer Retention

If you’re in Wellness and looking to grow TikTok Shop into a predictable, profitable channel next year, this session is for you.

📅 December 18th
⏰ 9 AM PST / 12 PM EST
🎙️ Hosted by ZeroTo1 — featuring Micah Whitehead 🚀, CMO & Co-Founder

Emilee Smith-Teague, Muhammad Talha and 472 other attendees

We just scaled a book from 0 to #7 in their category in their first 60 days using this cold start frame work:

1. TikTok Exclusive Bundle 
2. Creator Community to manage all affiliates, campaigns, & challenges
3. 20-30% commissions
4. $10k/mo paid creator budget / 300 paid creator videos/ mo
5. Viral content briefs 
6. $20k/mo ad spend to start
7. Sampling minimum of 500 affiliates 
8. Consistent execution of all the fundamentals

If you're struggling to break out of cold start ($65k/mo) start here ^

We added a few more heavy hitters to the team this week.

Seeing output and quality jump as the last wave of hires hits the 30–45 day mark.

Producing better results, more consistently, with the new processes in place.

Super early but the investment in better talent and systems is starting to compound.

The talent density at zeroto1 is dirty right now.

Price is the ultimate lever when it comes to building a successful agency.

When we launched our TTS serrvice
Pods: over utilized, managing 8-10 clients
Client churn: high
Employee retention: terrible, especially at account manager level
Results: inconsistent
Client LTV: average 
Overall Talent grade: C-

In March I spent a day with Alex Hormozi and his first recommendation was to raise our prices. Since then we've doubled our monthly retainer.

Today
Pods: capped at 5 clients
Client churn: low (reduced by 34%)
Employee retention: 89%, our AM layer is stacked
Results: consistent
Client LTV: 15% increase and growing monthly 
Overall Talent grade: B

Improvements made since increasing price:
It forced us to go up market = better quality clients
We have the budget to pay for more experienced talent
More resources per pod
Better talent has rounded out our strategy with new and better processes
The standard of execution and output has raised
I'm learning new things from our team weekly

The gap between where we are and where we want to be is big, but we are closing it and it's exciting to be apart of.

Offering in-house live production is one of the biggest advantages our clients get when partnering with zeroto1 to manage their TikTok Shop strategy.

The impact of a well-executed Live strategy:
- Immediate increase of 5% - 10% GMV out of the gate for shops in the $65k range

- A powerful organic lever that increases overall channel ROI (higher margin than affiliate or ads)

- A predictable revenue stream that stabilizes and sustains Shop GMV

- A measurable lift across the entire ecosystem: affiliate videos, ads, and shop tab. We consistently see a 3-day trailing GMV bump after brand lives (in-platform halo)

Since officially launching our studio in May, we’ve been building it brick by brick and the foundation is strong.

Today we have:
	•	4 trained live hosts on staff
	•	2 booths running simultaneously daily
	•	8 active live clients

Live is going to be massive for social commerce and is a key part of zeroto1 2026 growth plan.

But what excites me most is the opportunity to carve out our own white space.

Right now, the “live playbook” across TikTok looks and feels the same.

A big focus for us is how we can break the rules and while unlocking leaps in performance:

- More entertainment driven and interactive
- creative set designs
- Getting out of the studio ”beat the streets style”

If you’re out of cold start ($65k/mo) and focused on efficiency, live insthe best short term and long term lever to invest in.

Not sure where to start? 

Start with 25 hours a month, be consistent, craft an exclusive live offer, and get after it 🙌

Founder Acquisition.com, Co-Founder Skool.com. My new book $100M Money Models is out. [3.6M copies sold] Get yours now.👇

Your biggest threat isn't your competition:




It's the mediocre version of you that you've accepted as good enough.

We're Hiring: 2 Key Roles to Scale Zeroto1 to $10M/ year in 2026

Roles: Accountant & Talent Recruiter 

Why Zeroto1?
Our founders scaled Shipt to a $550M exit in under 4 years. When they couldn't find an agency partner built to scale with them, they created Zeroto1—the social commerce agency they wish they had.
Now we're the go-to agency for category-leading brands driving revenue through TikTok Shop and influencer-affiliate communities.

Role #1: Accountant/Controller
- Own our financial operations end-to-end:
- Manage books in QuickBooks (A/P, A/R, reconciliation, payroll)
- Build financial dashboards tracking account-level profitability
- Produce monthly reports with insights, not just numbers
- Partner with leadership on budget planning and cash flow management

Must-haves:
- 5+ years accounting experience (agency/project-based business preferred)
- QuickBooks expert who can clean up messy books
- Proven ability to track job costing and project profitability
- Can translate financial data into strategic recommendations

Role #2: Talent Acquisition Manager
- Own our entire recruitment lifecycle:
- Write compelling job descriptions with clear KPIs
- Source and recruit top talent (active recruiting, not just posting jobs)
- Manage candidate pipelines and interview coordination
- Own new hire onboarding from Rippling setup to Day 1 success
- Track and optimize recruiting metrics

Must-haves:
- 3+ years full-cycle recruiting (agency/startup experience preferred)
- LinkedIn Recruiter pro who knows how to find passive candidates
- Data-driven approach to recruitment metrics
- Experience with HRIS platforms (Rippling a plus)

What We're Looking For in Both Roles:
✅ Ownership mentality: you see problems and solve them 
✅ Systems thinker: you build processes that scale 
✅ Performance-obsessed: you track metrics and optimize relentlessly 
✅ Remote-ready: you thrive in fast-paced, distributed environments

(Link to apply in the comments)

Hydra

Hydra is a consulting firm focused on helping agency owners from 100k to 10MM/yr streamline & accelerate growth, achieve more revenue and profit, and reduce stress by implementing a systems-first approach that unlocks growth.

This leads to higher profits, higher founder satisfaction, better employee retention, and gives founders the opportunity to sell or hold for higher, more predictable cash flow.

Co-Founder

Howl Campfires

We exist to keep the forest and the campfire experience alive. 

At Howl Campfires we love traditional campfires, and know just how much spending time around a campfire has positively shaped our lives. Due to the acceleration of climate issues and the almost guaranteed burn bans in the National Forest, we understand the opportunity to burn wood in the forest is becoming limited. 

So we set out to build a propane fire pit that gives you the best qualities of a wood fire: Actually warm, take it anywhere, but operates legally in a burn ban.

As a company Howl Campfires designs and manufactures technologies that make liquid-fuel firepits as enjoyable to use as wood-burning campfires. 

These pits enable users to have no-compromise campfires in the midst of burn bans, without jeopardizing or degrading the land.

Margle Media

I served as President & Co-Owner of Margle Media, a full-service social media advertising agency servicing DTC brands and Fortune 500 clients. Margle works with brands to improve awareness, conversion, and the bottom line by:

-Producing digital content at scale
-Deploying paid social campaigns that convert users into customers
-Configuring systems to improve customer retention & LTV growth

https://www.marglemedia.com/

President & Co-Owner

Pixsuls

We help business owners leverage a proven, results-driven social media strategy to generate more leads, add more clients and increase revenue.

We believe in helping business owners reach their full potential by optimizing their company's online presence. We do so by transitioning our clients into the world of online advertising and captivating audiences through engaging content. 

We know that a company's most powerful asset is its brand story. In a world where consumers become loyal to stories, not products, we strive to put yours at the forefront of every timeline and newsfeed. 

We help our clients develop these stories through strategic messaging and creative content that gives potential customers a reason to click, read, watch, and devote themselves to the story that represents our clients and their businesses.

Pixsuls was acquired by Margle Media in January of 2019.

Founder

West Corporation

•Presented complex data solutions to businesses and took a consultative, solution-based selling approach to fulfill customer needs
•Managed and continually educated a small group of 4-6 Account Executives to ensure they were meeting or exceeding sales quotas
•Responsible for selling high-ticket offers to new and existing clients with contract values exceeding $500,000+ of revenue

Technical Account Manager

•Sold various technology products to new and existing clients over the phone through cold calls
•Built deep customer relationships resulting in regular repeat business
•Finished each month as an Account Executive at or above 100% to quota in multiple categories, best month finishing 400% to quota
•Promoted to Technical Account Manager within two months of hire, also achieved the Rookie of the Month award for exceeding sales targets

Account Manager

Co-Founder @ Hydra | Co-Founder @ Howl Campfires | I Help Agencies & Professional Service Firms Scale Revenue & Profit

Want to know how we're adding 20-40k in new MRR to agencies in 120 days? Let's talk: 

https://grow.workwithhydra.com/leadgensystems?el=nlinkedin

What I'm currently building: 

-Hydra, our consulting firm for digital marketing agencies to increase revenue, profitability, growth & operational efficiency. 

- CleanBooks, a bookkeeping and fractional CFO firm for digital marketing agencies. 

- HOWL Campfires, a 100% made in the USA, utility & design patented, portable propane fire pit that feels just like a wood fire.

Connect with me on Instagram & Twitter: @kirchnr

Nicholas Kirchner

Agencies leave a lot of money on the table on web projects. 

But it's not from undercharging or scope creep.

Here's how agencies are adding 40-70% more revenue per project without doing more work.

Moving away from Single-language websites.

While you're delivering beautiful sites in English, your clients are missing 65% of their potential customers. 

They don't realize it yet. 

But their competitors do.

Smart agencies recognize the pattern: 

➝ Client launches stunning new site 
➝ Traffic plateaus after 6 months
➝ They blame the design or marketing 
➝ Competitor with multilingual site steals market share 
➝ Client questions your strategic value

The math proves itself: 

➝ Website in 1 language = standard project fee 
➝ Website in 4 languages = 3-5X project value 
➝ Ongoing translation management = predictable monthly revenue 
➝ International SEO optimization = indispensable retainer 
➝ Expansion to new markets = additional project phases

But here's what most agencies get wrong:

They think multilingual means hiring translators, managing complexity, or learning new technical skills.

Modern multilingual solutions work with your existing stack. 

WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, custom builds, doesn't matter. 

No code changes. 

No separate instances. 

No technical debt.

It’s all possible using Weglot. 

You become the agency that says "YES" to: 

➝ "Can you help us expand to Europe?" 
➝ "We need Spanish for our US Hispanic market" 
➝ "Our board wants to see international growth"

While competitors scramble with "let me find a translation partner," you're already closing the deal.

The positioning shift is everything:

OLD: "We build websites" NEW: "We build global digital experiences"
OLD: "Here's your site in English" NEW: "Here's your site ready for 5 markets"
OLD: One-time project fee NEW: Ongoing optimization revenue

Agencies using this approach report:

➝ Average project values up 47%
➝ Client lifetime value increased 3X
➝ Win rates against larger agencies doubled
➝ Recurring revenue streams from maintenance

The brutal truth?

Every monolingual site you deliver is incomplete. 

Your clients just don't know it yet.

But when their competitor launches in multiple languages and steals market share, guess who gets blamed for the "failed" website strategy?

The opportunity is massive. 

Most agencies still treat multilingual as "phase 2 someday."

That's your competitive advantage. Today.

Stop leaving expansion revenue for someone else: 

Check out Weglot in the comments below.

Built 3 Agencies | 1 Exit | Founder @ Hydra Consulting | Founder @ HOWL Campfires

The agency market isn’t saturated. 

Your ads just look like everyone else’s.

If you run an agency, you know the "Cobbler’s Children" syndrome is real. 

We build incredible ads, funnels, creatives, websites, etc. for clients, but our own client acquisition strategy is often just... generic.

If you want to lower your CAC and book more qualified calls, you don't need to reinvent the wheel. 

Here are the 4 ad frameworks every agency who wants more clients should consider rotating into their ad account to get more clients as soon as next week:

1. The Founder Video (The "Who") People buy from people. Founder ads are always top performers within an account, because they buy you before they buy what you do. 

The Creative: A simple face-to-camera video with captions. 

The Goal: Build trust. Explain your agency’s mission, your approach to getting results, and why you’re qualified to serve them. What’s different about you compared to everyone else? 

2. The Static Case Study (The "What") In a world of big claims, receipts are the ultimate currency.

The Creative: A screenshot of a Stripe dashboard, a ranking graph, or a lead inbox.

The Goal: Undeniable proof. Don't tell them you're good; show them the result you got for someone just like them.

Then link to the actual case study/lead magnet and explain HOW you got those results, which proves competence even further. 

3. The Us vs. Them (The "Why Us") Your prospects have been burned by agencies before. 

Validate that fear.

The Creative: A split comparison table. Left side: "Traditional Agencies" (Long contracts, junior staff). Right side: "Your Agency" (Senior talent only, founder-led). Can easily turn this into a solid video script as well. 

The Goal: Differentiation. Position yourself as the antidote to the industry standard.

4. The Unique Mechanism Video The "How". Service businesses often feel like a "black box" to clients. Fix that.

The Creative: A diagram, flowchart, or pyramid visualization of your proprietary 3-step process.

The Goal: Logic. Turn your intangible service into a tangible product.

Which of these 4 is currently missing from your ad account?

Let me know in the comments. 👇

With our first agency incubator deal underway…

Here’s what we’re implementing to get new clients 👇

Mind you, we're starting from nearly complete scratch. 

But I practice what I preach, so here's what me & the team are doing: 

→LinkedIn Outbound (25+ connection requests per day, DM all connections)
→Lead Magnet Giveaways (Case study on how we helped a roofer go from $0-1.1M/month) 
→Cold/Warm Calling (Pick up the phone and dial all opt-ins) 
→Meta Ads (Running ads to a video sales letter funnel) 

Here’s our results so far: 

→ 19 discovery calls
→ 13 showed calls
→ 4 closed deals
→ $9,200 in MRR with performance deals for additional upside 

Everything starts somewhere. 

Excited to watch this grow over time 💪🏼

CC: Adam Artemis

Founders: Focusing on work that doesn’t drive results and takes tons of time are the lowest ROI tasks you could be doing. 

And you might not realize how much revenue is slipping away…

Because your CRM is still doing the bare minimum.

Copper released 5 new features that are saving me tons of time. 

If you want to move faster, close more, and automate the grind out of your sales workflows, this is for you.

Your CRM shouldn’t be a database.

It should be a driver, pushing work forward while your team focuses on conversations, deals, and relationships.

Here are the 5 levers your team will actually feel:

➝ Automations that actually save time.

You know how every CRM touts “automation?” 

Most of the time, it’s form over function. 

With Copper I can create, edit, pause, resume, or draft email sequences right from the Pipeline. 

Even trigger workflows from Company filters or rekindle cold leads with smarter time-band rules.

➝ Task management that matches how humans work.

Drag-and-drop reordering, subtasks, grouping by date or owner, and pipeline record linking so nothing slips through the cracks.

➝ Forms that turn traffic into revenue.

A full-screen builder, spam protection, auto-tagging, and the ability to auto-create tasks or pipeline records.

➝ AI where it counts.

Surface smarter contact suggestions. Use Copper GPT(currently in beta) for instant insights or CRM actions.

➝ Your workflow on LinkedIn, finally unified.

My favorite feature they introduced this year is the Quick Add Contacts feature, profile matching, and Email Finder Beta. 

Puts prospecting here on easy mode. 

The result?

Less clicking.

Less tab chaos.

Less “Where does this live again?”

And more selling, responding, following up, and building relationships, the activities that actually move the needle. 

If you want 2025 to be the year your CRM stops slowing you down and starts accelerating your sales ops…

Copper just removed every excuse.

Check it out in the comments below!

If you fish with too many lines in the water...

None of the bait looks good.

Your cold emails aren’t failing, your infrastructure is.

But most teams don’t realize it’s not the copy… it’s the mailbox behind it.

If you've watched perfectly crafted emails die in spam, you know the pain. 

You rewrite. 

You warm up longer. 

You send less. 

Still… spam. 

Gmail and Outlook weren’t built for outbound at scale. 

They flag you the moment your volume looks “non-human.”

That’s exactly why I switched to Maildoso, an ESP built specifically for cold email sending. 

The difference was instant: 98%+ inbox placement on average, even to Outlook.

Here’s why Maildoso works so well: 

 ➝ In-house SMTP infrastructure: No low-quality reseller servers.
 ➝ IP rotation: Keeps your sending reputation high.
 ➝ Daily reputation monitoring: Spots issues before mailboxes burn.
 ➝ Automated setup: SPF, DKIM, DMARC, MX handled automatically so you can launch 100+ mailboxes in minutes.
 ➝ Free domains included: No more domain shopping or setup headaches.

And their new Self-Healing Mailboxes automatically rotate and replace any mailbox that gets burned, before you even notice something’s wrong. 

 ➝ Your campaigns keep running. 
 ➝ Zero downtime. 
 ➝ Zero scrambling.

If you’re tired of unpredictable deliverability, Outlook spam traps, or overpaying for mailboxes that can’t handle outbound volume, it might not be your email… 

It might be your infrastructure.

The result? 

With Maildoso, my inbox placement stabilized, replies increased, and outbound finally became predictable instead of chaotic.

You need systems that bring you leads while you sleep. 

Here's that system I've installed in dozens of agencies so you can steal it for yourself 👇

If you're under 1M/yr. in revenue...

Here's exactly what I'd be doing:

Unpopular opinion: The reason most agencies stay stuck at $1-2M has nothing to do with sales or marketing.

It's because they're using $100K systems to solve $1M problems.

Here's what I mean:

At $500K → You need to be good at delivery 
At $1M → You need to be good at sales 
At $2M → You need to be good at hiring 
At $5M+ → You need systems running everything

Most agencies never make that last jump.

That's why we built the Phoenix Program, the complete operating system for scaling agencies.

For the first time ever for Black Friday, I'm making it available outside our private clients. 

And for Black Friday, I'm offering it at 50% off:

→12 modules covering everything from pricing to team building to owner independence
→50+ templates you can implement immediately
→Systems that have generated millions for agencies
→Everything you need to scale past $5M

As an added bonus, the first 10 people also get a 60-minute 1-on-1 with me to customize this program to your agency. (Clients routinely pay more than the entire cost of the program for this one bonus) 

But here's the thing - this is only available today through next Monday.

After Cyber Monday, it goes back to private clients only.

If you've been stuck at the same revenue for months or even years, this just might be the breakthrough you need. 

Link in the comments.

the hard part about being an early stage DTC brand is that unless you have prior experience, it's VERY hard to discern which agencies can actually help you build and those that are training on your dime. 

As someone who's operates a DTC brand and consults dozens of agencies, here's a few universal rules I'd follow when selecting one:

- Understand who you're working with. Not the person selling you on the phone, not the personal brand your following, the execution team. The worst is paying big $ and being passed to someone junior who doesn't know what's going on. 

- Make sure you're aligned on the numbers you define success as. Nothing worse than unmet expectations from your side, and nothing worse as an agency than thinking you're winning when you aren't. 

- Do they/will they understand your P&L at a level similar to you? If not, it's going to be very hard for them to impact growth and think about things the way you are as a founder. Ask how they think about setting targets. 

- Are they proactive communicators or only message when you're the one to initiate? The best agencies are sharp, on top of it, and leading you. Not you leading them. 

- Do they have a team that you can tell is passionate, bought-in, and want to be there? Meet them during the sales process. You can quickly tell the morale & culture of a team. If you want them to care about you, make sure they care about their company + job. 

- Is there a clear owner over your account? Who does the buck stop with? Unless there's a clear leader who can step in and handle things, it's going to be a frustrating experience.

Anyway, there's a million more lines I could write here, but these are a few that are top of mind. 

Brand owners, what would you add? 

Agencies, these are some of the things brands want but don't always know how to ask for.

Over the past 10 years I've built 3 agencies, exited my first at 21, and helped 250+ agency founders scale.

Here are 5 reasons why I tell every single one of them NEVER to build in the middle:

1. The middle is where agencies go to die.

High volume/low ticket works. Low volume/high ticket works. The middle? You get clients who expect Fortune 500 service on a mid-market budget. You'll burn out chasing margins that don't exist.

2. You can't operate two agencies at once.

I tried. 

I was pitching Fortune 500s before I could legally drink while also trying to service SMBs. 

Two completely different talent pools. 

Two completely different sales motions. 

Two completely different fulfillment models. 

3. Mid-market clients are the worst of both worlds.

They're too sophisticated to accept productized delivery. 

But too budget-constrained to pay for the white-glove service they demand.

You'll spend enterprise-level effort collecting SMB checks.

4. Your talent strategy falls apart in the middle.

High volume? 

You need systems people and junior executors. 

High ticket? You need senior strategists and specialists. 

The middle? You need unicorns who don't exist, or you need to BE the unicorn on every account until you collapse.

5. Both models have problems. But you have to pick your problems.

High volume means razor-thin margins and churn. 

High ticket means long sales cycles and concentration risk. 

The middle means you get ALL the problems with NONE of the upside.

For years I was seduced by the idea that I could serve everyone, land the big logos AND keep the volume engine running.

After nearly killing myself trying to build two operational models with two completely different talent layers, I realized the game isn't about avoiding problems. 

It's about choosing WHICH problems you want.

I'd sacrifice focus, sanity, and my margins trying to be everything to everyone. 

That's why I went all-in on high ticket. 

And I never looked back.

I’m going back to my roots.

Which is why Hydra Consulting is officially launching its agency holding company. 

We’ll be building & incubating new agencies internally from the ground up.

Using all of our systems frameworks and process to scale new agencies.

Of course, still advising other agencies on how to scale further & faster. 

I’m excited to get back to building high quality, client focused agencies that actually win for people.

Happy to announce we’re backing Adam Artemis in our first deal serving residential roofing contractors as this space is ripe for disruption and better strategy & execution. 

I’ll be documenting the journey here on our learnings 📄

Over the past 10 years I've helped 250+ agency owners scale their businesses. 

Here are 5 reasons why I tell every single one of them to STOP chasing revenue:

1. Revenue is a vanity metric. Profit is the real score.

I built two agencies chasing top-line growth.  

It looked successful on paper. 

Behind the scenes? 

Thin margins, constant stress, and a business that owned me instead of the other way around.

2. Headcount is a trap, not a trophy.

At best, more people means more management headaches. 

At worst, you're building a bloated machine that collapses the moment you lose one key client. 

I've done those layoffs. 

They haunt you.

3. The "growth advice" in this industry is designed to keep you broke.

"Hire ahead of revenue." 

"Only chase big retainers." 

"Scale faster." 

This advice comes from people who've never had to make payroll with their personal savings. 

It's not a growth strategy. 

It's a prayer.

4. Most agency owners don't know what game they're playing.

They're copying what they see on LinkedIn. 

Big teams. 

Fancy offices.

Cool, what's your take-home? 

Most would operate completely differently if they were clear on their actual goals. 

I made this mistake and paid for it. 

5. The unsexy path is the winning path.

A lean, profitable agency gives you options. A bloated revenue machine gives you obligations. 

I've seen both sides. 

I'll take options every time.

For years I was seduced by the idea that bigger was better. 

After building, selling, and advising on 250+ agencies, I realized the game isn't about revenue. 

It's about building something that serves your life.

I'd sacrifice the ego metrics for freedom any day. 

That's why I'm an operator at heart. 

And I always will be.

Client Budget:🐴
Client Expectation: 🦄

This is your weekly reminder to simply charge more for the work you do. 

You attract better clients.
You can afford better talent. 
You're motivated to do your best work.

The bar is still so low to be a good agency.

Underrated client retention hack:

Be reliable and do what you actually said you would when you closed them.

Happy Thanksgiving! So much to be thankful for.

taplio

The Battle

Riley Cronin 🚀

Nicholas Kirchner

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreRiley Cronin 🚀's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreNicholas Kirchner's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Riley Cronin 🚀

Nicholas Kirchner

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Riley Cronin 🚀's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreNicholas Kirchner's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreRiley Cronin 🚀's LinkedIn Performance