Building a Model for Your Agency, with Carson Pierce – Ep.174

About this Episode

Running an agency is tough—especially when you start as a subject-matter expert and suddenly find yourself as a business owner with no formal training in operations or finance. In this episode of the Agency Profit Podcast, Marcel welcomes back our Head Consultant Carson Pierce to break down a simple yet powerful framework for understanding agency financials. They dive into key concepts like delivery margin, utilization, and pricing strategies to help agency owners diagnose profitability issues and make informed decisions. Whether you’re struggling to turn a profit or just want to optimize your agency’s financial health, this episode is packed with actionable insights to take control of your numbers and build a more sustainable business.

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Points of Interest

• 00:51 – 01:14 – Meet Today’s Guest: Carson Pierce: Carson, a fan favorite at Parakeeto, joins the show to discuss a key challenge for agency owners—transitioning from expert to CEO while managing financial complexities.
• 02:01 – 03:10 – The Common Agency Struggle: Many agency owners are incredible at their craft but struggle with the financial side of running a business, leading to inefficiencies and profit loss.
• 05:01 – 06:40 – The Knowledge Gap in the Agency World: Historically, there hasn’t been much comprehensive content available to help agency owners understand the financials of their business, making it difficult to navigate profitability challenges.
• 09:01 – 11:00 – Breaking Down Agency Finances: Marcel and Carson introduce a simple but effective model that helps agencies determine whether they are set up for financial success or destined to struggle.
• 11:01 – 13:30 – Understanding the Delivery Margin: Why agency profitability is largely determined by how efficiently they deliver client work and how much of every earned dollar is left after delivery costs.
• 16:01 – 18:40 – The Impact of Small Pricing Adjustments: A 10% drop in billable rates can significantly affect profitability—why agencies must be intentional about pricing and scope.
• 18:41 – 21:00 – The Payroll Grid: Your Agency’s Financial Roadmap: How to break down staff costs, expected billable hours, and rates to create a clear financial model for your agency.
• 21:01 – 24:00 – Expense Allocation & Overhead Costs: Understanding where your money is going and ensuring overhead stays in check without cutting the things that drive business growth.
• 24:01 – 27:30 – Profitability Benchmarks & The 50/30/20 Rule: The ideal breakdown for agency spending—50% on delivery, 30% on overhead, and 20%+ in profit—and why most agencies don’t hit these targets.
• 27:31 – 30:00 – The Dangers of Underpricing & Low Utilization: Why agencies that don’t charge enough or struggle to keep their teams busy end up running on razor-thin margins (or even losing money).
• 32:41 – 35:10 – Why Agency Owners Must Know Their Numbers: Financial clarity leads to better decisions—knowing what’s working and what’s not is the key to running a sustainable agency.

Show Notes

• Connect with Carson via LinkedIn
• Get access to this model tool in the toolkit
• Parakeeto Foundations Course
• Books Mentioned:
  • Digital Dollars and Cents
  • Financial Management of a Marketing Firm
  • Software as a Science

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