Josh Kimmes is back on the podcast to talk about the boring, unsexy work of getting inbound leads without relying on an exhausting outbound sales machine.

We break down exactly how his agency gets a steady flow of qualified prospects through highly specific industry service pages. Josh also walks us through his automated referral engine that triggers physical gifts and account credits when clients sign on. It is not about magic tricks, but building out systems that actually reward your clients for a job well done.

Later in the episode, we get into the weeds on agency operations and the tech stack running behind the scenes. We discuss his onboarding flow that resets billing dates to buy time for delivery, and the reality of using AI and automation tools without falling for the hype.

Building a legitimate operation takes time and heavy documentation. There are no shortcuts here, just agency owners sharing what works in the trenches. Give it a listen and see how you can apply these systems to your own agency.

[Cold open (Jake's wife was gifted an at-home lobotomy kit) ends at 03:43.]

This week, we sat down with Sharon Toerek, a legal expert who actually understands the agency world because she's been in it for decades.

Sharon broke down the "three legs of the stool" for agency protection: intellectual property, solid contracts, and regulatory compliance. We dug into the messy reality of AI risk management, specifically how your team's casual prompts could be breaching client confidentiality or creating copyright nightmares. It's kind of the "boring" operational stuff that determines whether you actually keep the profit you make.

We also looked at why your "one-page contract" might be leaving you wide open to employee poaching or lawsuits over stock photo licenses. Sharon explained why ownership of ad accounts and assets is a major trust hurdle for clients and how to use your contract to lead those tough conversations. If you're tired of "hoping" nothing goes sideways, this episode is a reality check on professionalizing your operation.

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MENTIONS IN THE EPISODE:

Check out Sharon's website:

https://legalandcreative.com/

Or find her on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharontoerek/

Jake's MarTech article, Shannon gave feedback on agencies owning ad accounts:

https://martech.org/what-happens-when-ad-spend-goes-wrong/

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RESOURCES:

Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:

https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools

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NEWSLETTER

Want the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!

https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter

-----

COMMUNITY

Looking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!

https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD

-----

CONTACT

Got something to say? Send us a message:

https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact

[Cold open (Jake Puts the McDonald's CEO to Shame) ends at 08:17.]

Starting a marketing agency seems to be the cool thing to do these days. Everyone is doing it, and there is so much noise.

How do you cut through it and stand out?

We've noticed a trend of people trying to flex an inauthentic, crass personality as their tactic, but cutting through that noise and standing out is much easier, and you don't have to be a clown while you do it.

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RESOURCES:

Want the tools and resources we recommend for agencies? Check them out here:

https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/tools

-----

NEWSLETTER

Want the show in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter!

https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/newsletter

-----

COMMUNITY

Looking to join a community of agency owners? Join our Discord!

https://discord.gg/uvHRRRFVRD

-----

CONTACT

Got something to say? Send us a message:

https://www.agencygrowthpod.com/contact