EP.20 - Building Trust and Scaling Agencies with Manuel Weiss

Retained Trust

In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes reunites with his business partner, Manuel Weiss, to share insights on scaling digital service agencies. They discuss lessons learned from recent acquisitions, the importance of building strong relationships between partners, and strategies for creating a sustainable growth pipeline. Manuel reveals their approach to leadership development and the challenges of merging companies. They also explore the role of autonomy, structured frameworks, and the long-term vision for their businesses. Tune in to uncover practical strategies for agency growth and leadership.

Key Points From This Episode:

[00:00:00] Introduction to Karl Hughes and Manuel Weiss, and the focus on scaling agencies.

[00:01:08] Reflecting on key lessons learned over the past quarter.

[00:01:57] Importance of personal relationships in business partnerships.

[00:02:51] Maintaining trust and transparency between co-founders.

[00:04:02] Challenges of acquisitions and a recent deal that fell through.

[00:05:09] The slow and steady approach to acquiring businesses.

[00:06:40] Empowering teams by stepping back from day-to-day operations.

[00:08:20] The risks of micromanagement and the importance of autonomy.

[00:10:04] Implementing standardized frameworks across portfolio companies.

[00:11:25] Goals for 2025: Acquiring new companies and building leadership pipelines.

[00:14:21] Insights from acquisition entrepreneurship conferences.

[00:16:57] Building internal leadership through consultancy-based evaluations.

[00:18:15] Challenges of promoting internal leaders versus hiring externally.

[00:19:20] The role of advisory boards in supporting new leaders.

[00:23:22] Building a sustainable acquisition pipeline for long-term growth.

[00:27:07] Opportunities and risks of merging with similar-sized companies.

[00:30:13] Lessons from the downturn in venture capital funding on business stability.

[00:34:28] Growth strategies for The Podcast Consultant and Draft.dev.

[00:38:35] Moving Draft.dev upmarket and focusing on long-term contracts.

[00:41:02] Upcoming rebranding for Draft.dev to align with its new market position.

[00:44:13] Recommended books and lessons learned: The Will to Keep Winning by Daigo Umehara.

[00:49:19] Long-term focus and sustainability over short-term gains.

[00:52:42] Wrapping up: Future plans and staying connected with listeners.

Links:

• Manuel Weiss on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuelweiss1986/?originalSubdomain=at
• Karl Hughes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karllhughes
• Production and editing by The Podcast Consultant: https://thepodcastconsultant.com