Agency

Every senior meeting has two games of chess, and most people only see one. Mark Ritson, marketing professor turned founder of the MiniMBA, explains how to read the hidden game in the room, and what more than a decade as LVMH's in-house brand consultant taught him about leaders and luxury.He shares why advertising is under 7% of marketing, why synthetic data is the real AI revolution, why salience is most of the brand job, and the two types of CMO. Plus the great case studies: Ray-Ban and Top Gun, Apollo 13 and the Omega Speedmaster, Adidas vs Puma, and Netflix vs Blockbuster. And his pricing rule, if you win three in a row, raise your price.For marketers, CMOs, agency owners and founders who want to read the room and build brands people remember.Book Rivyl in for a free 30-minute call: http://l.rivyl.com/JUPbkj(00:00) Intro(01:28) Two Games Of Chess In Every Meeting(04:48) Don't Speak First In The Room(05:34) Inside LVMH, Leaders And Luxury(17:07) The Two Types Of CMO, Cs vs Ms(22:01) Why Advertising Is Under 7% Of Marketing(28:21) The Day Blockbuster Could Have Had Netflix(42:45) The Harvard Case Method And The Levi's Case(58:39) How Top Gun Saved Ray-Ban(01:05:07) Apollo 13 And The Omega Speedmaster(01:07:49) Adidas vs Puma, The Brothers' Feud(01:10:49) Salience, The Brand That Comes To Mind First(01:21:11) Most People Don't Know You Exist(01:38:24) Win 3 In A Row? Raise Your Price(01:41:22) What Agency Means To Mark

Followers aren’t expertise. Sharon Blain OAM, hairdressing icon, hair educator and founder of HAIR The Movement, explains why social media experts don’t last, and why real skill, communication and a personal brand built on substance outlast every trend.Sharon left school at 14, was sacked three months into her first apprenticeship and told she’d never be a hairdresser. She turned $10,000 from her dad into a business with 19 staff across two salons, took out a bank loan to train at Vidal Sassoon in London, and went on to receive the Medal of the Order of Australia for her service to the hairdressing industry. Six decades later, she’s still adapting to every era, from rollers and hood dryers to Instagram, TikTok and AI.In this episode of the Agency Podcast, Sharon breaks down the business lessons behind a career that’s outlasted every trend. Why followers don’t make you an expert. Why personality beats skill in business, and why the next generation is losing its voice to texting and screens. How she kept her best staff with a free creche inside her salon, and why leaders should look in the mirror before blaming staff for leaving. How she uses AI in her education business, what separates the 10% who reach mastery, and the teaching rules she lives by, from small bites to never teaching the same style twice.If you’re a business owner, leader, creator or educator trying to build real credibility in the age of social media, this conversation on expertise, communication skills, leadership and mastery is for you.Book Rivyl in for a free 30-minute call, here: http://l.rivyl.com/JUPbkj (00:00) Intro(01:29) Meet Sharon Blain OAM(03:47) Why Followers Don't Create Educators(05:46) Sacked At 14, "You'll Never Be A Hairdresser"(09:47) Turning Dad's $10,000 Into Her First Salon(13:31) The Bank Loan That Sent Her To Vidal Sassoon(20:25) What The 60s Teach You That Instagram Can't(25:52) Thanking The Boss Who Sacked Her(31:12) The Free Creche That Kept Her Best Staff(34:30) Be The Boss You Never Had(39:17) What Happens After You Win(43:26) When Staff Leave, Look In The Mirror First(48:50) Why So Many Apprentices Never Qualify(51:11) Texting vs Talking, The Confidence Gap(54:51) "They Don't Have A Voice"(57:50) Find Your Tribe(01:00:11) How She Uses AI In Her Business(01:10:13) Only 10% Become Masters(01:15:24) Not Everyone Wants What You Want(01:18:23) Teaching In Small Bites(01:29:28) What Makes A Great Teacher(01:33:34) Never Teach The Same Style Twice(01:41:42) Why We Fear Being Vulnerable When Learning(01:42:24) What Taking Agency Means To Sharon

Elena Asher, founder of Lashmakers, built a global beauty brand and lash industry empire selling to 57 countries without spending a single dollar on ads. In this entrepreneur interview, Elena breaks down exactly how she built her business with zero ad spend, and why most founders chasing the same result are solving the wrong problem entirely.Elena walks through why she only manufactures, never buys through a supplier or middleman, how a $5,000 website turned her kitchen table glue business into a real company, and the counterintuitive content strategy she's used since day one of Instagram. She also shares her hard line on willing versus capable, the belief that's shaped who she hires, mentors and invests her time in, and why she walked away from teaching people for free once she saw the pattern repeat.We also get into her years selling from mall kiosks, the two lessons from that job she still uses to close deals today, why she refuses to use slides or a script when she's paid to speak on stage, and her own very candid, very unfiltered take on money, safety and relationships, which she offers purely as her own opinion from fifteen years working almost exclusively with women.If you're building a brand, a service business, or trying to work out whether you're actually capable or just willing, this one's worth the full ninety minutes.Book Rivyl in for a free 30-minute call, here: http://l.rivyl.com/JUPbkj/(00:00) Intro(00:23) Building Lashmakers From Nothing(03:32) Why She Only Works With Manufacturers, Never Suppliers(06:30) The Glue Dealer Story, How Lashmakers Started(10:29) Building A Website For $5,000(13:25) The Philosophy Behind "Your Business Never Says No"(19:42) From Serbia To Miami, Her Global Upbringing(22:52) Why Most Women End Up In The Beauty Industry(28:21) How She Engineers A Product From Scratch(30:13) Zero Ad Spend, How Lashmakers Actually Sells(36:08) The Content Trend Nobody Else Is Talking About(45:28) Willing vs Capable, The Line Most People Never Cross(54:20) Why She Stopped Teaching For Free(58:36) Money, Safety And Her Take On Relationships(1:15:15) Lessons From Years Selling At Mall Kiosks(1:29:09) Why She Refuses To Use Slides On Stage(1:36:43) What Taking Agency Really Means

Discover the exact system to raise capital, unlock your next phase of growth, and avoid the term-sheet traps that make 95% of founders fail.In this episode, we sit down with two heavyweights of the investment world: Jason Georgatos (President of Partners for Growth, who has deployed hundreds of millions in capital) and Lachlan Cameron (Managing Director of Canopy Green, who has scaled massive enterprise teams and property funds).Together, they strip away the glamor of startup culture to reveal what investors are actually looking for. They break down the realities of raising money, exactly how to build out your pitch deck, and why giving up equity is a permanent marriage you need to be prepared for.In this episode, we break down:• The Cost of Control: How to choose the right growth vehicle for your business, and why making the wrong partnership decision can cost you your entire company.• The Preparation Blueprint: The exact structural "hygiene" you need in your data room and unit economics before bringing on a growth partner.• The 3 Fs Trap: Why taking early money from Friends, Family, and Fools can destroy relationships and complicate your cap table.• Founder Ego & Key Man Risk: Why your inability to step out of the daily operations makes you completely un-investable to smart money.• The Reality Check: How complex term sheets and 2X liquidation preferences can leave founders with absolutely zero payout even after a massive exit.(00:00) - Introduction(08:51) - Bad Reasons to Raise Capital(11:37) - The Preparation Blueprint(18:07) - Do You Need Experience?(23:27) - The Stigma of Failure(38:54) - Equity vs. Debt Explained(46:47) - The "3 Fs" Funding Trap(50:37) - Built a Business or Bought a Job?(01:04:18) - Avoiding Predatory Lenders(01:12:38) - Dilution & Term Sheets(01:24:35) - Post-Funding Mistakes(01:35:02) - What to Do When Cash Runs Out(01:54:14) - Bonus: Rapid Fire Questions

Are you actually built for entrepreneurship and scaling a startup, or do you just like the founder title? We sit with Omar Zenhom, who survived 17 failed businesses to build a SaaS software empire and The $100 MBA. Omar strips away the glamor of startup culture, detailing how he lived in poverty and went years without a day off just to stay in the game. He breaks down why following your passion will often leave you broke, why he walked away from a highly profitable clothing company, and why you must document your systems if you ever want true freedom.In this episode:The Ultimate Trade-Off: Why saying "yes" to your business means saying "no" to everything else, and how to choose your sacrifices.The Profitable Prison: Why Omar shut down a booming fashion business, and how to avoid building a company you hate.Product vs Market: Why your product idea is worthless until the market validates it, and how to stop falling in love with your own ideas.The $500/Month Code: How to make your first hire, build standard operating procedures (SOPs), and stop acting like a glorified employee.The Resilience Reality Check: Why business is a game of playing to win rather than playing not to lose, and why failure is the only way to grow.Book Rivyl in for a free 30-minute call, here: http://l.rivyl.com/JUPbkj Level up your agency with Wix Studio today: https://www.wix.com/studio00:00:00) – Introduction(00:02:18) – Why Saying "Yes" Means Saying "No" (The Trade-Off)(00:05:21) – Treating Business Like a Video Game(00:08:39) – Why You Must Get Comfortable With Failing(00:20:19) – Walking Away From a Safe Career(00:27:06) – The "Old Navy" Days(00:37:42) – The Shift From Employee to Entrepreneur Mentality(00:44:17) – The Hire That Buys Your Time Back(00:48:01) – Why Undocumented Businesses Are Worthless(00:54:38) – The Truth: Entrepreneurship Isn't For Everyone(00:57:51) – Failing 17 Businesses Before Finally Winning(01:04:06) – Shutting Down a Booming Business(01:15:09) – Stop Disappointing Yourself (How to Build Confidence)(01:26:06) – Why Following Your Passion Will Bankrupt You(01:46:10) – The Ultimate Sacrifice: What Are You Willing To Give Up?

Are you actually an A-Leader capable of attracting elite talent, or are you accidentally diminishing your team? Discover how to avoid founder burnout, scale your business, and start building a super team.In this episode, we sit down with Doza, founder of The Geronimo Academy, to deconstruct the exact frameworks he uses to build autonomous, high-performing "super teams" without corporate middle management. After surviving a heart attack at 40 while building a business he hated, Doza completely redesigned his approach to leadership, team culture, and CEO time management.He breaks down why founders settle for the dangerous "7/10 business trap," why traditional SOPs and checklists repel top talent, and how writing a 48-page physical Vision Book changed the trajectory of his entire company.In this episode, we break down:The "A-Leader" Reality Check: Why you don't have a talent problem, you have a leadership problem, and how to stop accidentally diminishing your team.Separation Sunday: The exact 20-minute weekly reset Doza uses to plan his week to scale.Scorecards vs. SOPs: Why standard work manuals are over, and how to use visible scorecards to build a culture of high accountability and high support.The 48-Page Vision Book: Why Doza hand-wrote a physical magazine for his team, and how it attracts elite "partner energy" instead of standard staff.Escaping The 7/10 Trap: Why saying business is "fine" is the ultimate prequel to founder burnout, and how to redesign your company for a 10/10 life.Book Rivyl in for a free 30-minute call, here: http://l.rivyl.com/JUPbkj Level up your agency with Wix Studio today: https://www.wix.com/studio(00:00:00) – Introduction(00:03:33) – What exactly is a "super team"?(00:06:21) – Why peer-led standards beat corporate structure(00:08:00) – The truth about removing middle management(00:10:11) – Why an "A-Leader" attracts A-Players(00:15:09) – What a high-performance scorecard looks like(00:18:37) – High trust & high accountability(00:27:05) – Doza's heart attack and writing his own eulogy(00:36:00) – The "Separation Sunday" framework explained(00:48:51) – The 4D's of leadership (Scorecards, Standards, Playbooks, Work-ons)(00:54:03) – Why scorecards are more effective than work manuals(01:02:06) – The 48-Page Vision Book(01:16:17) – How to build your own physical Vision Book

Master effective delegation, scale your business, and start building autonomous teams. Discover how to escape the daily grind and leverage AI to drive 400% growth.In this episode, we sit down with Jess Whatman, Founder and CEO of AgentSync, to deconstruct how she scaled her agency by 400% in just two years by mastering the art of delegation. Jess breaks down why founders inevitably become the biggest problem in their own companies and shares her exact framework for stepping out of the day-to-day operations.She shares exactly why you need to stop hiring junior roles and how to use AI to build an internal company intranet.In this episode, we break down:The $10 vs. $100 Rule: How to calculate your true hourly rate and why doing your own admin is costing your company money.Building an AI Intranet: How Jess uses Claude and Superhuman Docs to automate 80% of her team's internal questions.Delegating Outcomes: Why micromanaging tasks destroys your company culture, and how to delegate judgment instead.Maker vs. Manager: How to identify your true founder identity and structure your entire team to support it.Book Rivyl in for a free 30-minute call, here: http://l.rivyl.com/JUPbkjLevel up your agency with Wix Studio today: https://www.wix.com/studio(00:00) - Introduction(03:21) - Why Delegation is a Skill You Must Learn(08:28) - The Delegation Game: When to Use AI vs. Humans(14:05) - Why You Should Never Trust AI With High-Stakes Deals(17:08) - Will AI Actually Replace Your Team?(21:29) - Why AI is Destroying Entry-Level Jobs(28:08) - How to Build an AI Intranet(31:03) - How to Audit Your Time(36:06) - The 90-Day Plan to Fire Yourself from the Day-to-Day(42:08) - The $10 vs. $100/Hour Task Framework(48:59) - Why Great Leaders Delegate Outcomes, Not Tasks(01:09:44) - Maker vs. Manager: Finding Your True Founder Identity

Master B2B marketing, high-stakes negotiations, and modern leadership. What happens when you walk into a multi-million dollar boardroom pitch and executives try to tear you down?In this episode, we sit down with Ed Chambers, an expert in finance and corporate strategy, to deconstruct his proven methods. From his early days in Dubai to leading massive marketing teams across Australia and the UK, Ed reveals what it actually takes to win in today's corporate landscape.He shares exactly why he actively encourages his team to share their failures to destroy the corporate "yes culture," how his 80/20 rule prevents employee burnout, and why relying purely on AI to build business relationships is a guaranteed way to lose deals.In this episode, we break down:Hostile Negotiations: How to read a room, handle condescending executives, and use radical vulnerability as your ultimate closing tool.The Data Outlier Strategy: Why ignoring the masses and investigating the extreme outliers is the secret to uncovering massive market gaps.The 80/20 Rule: The exact capacity management framework Ed uses to prevent team burnout and stop deadly scope creep.Eradicating "Yes Culture": Why you need to build a flat-structure team that is comfortable sharing failures, and why forced corporate fun is destroying your brand pride.Bite-Sized ROI: How Ed’s team ditched traditional 36-page reports for 6-second visual assets to drive massive commercial growth.Book Rivyl in for a free 30-minute call, here: http://l.rivyl.com/JUPbkjLevel up your agency with Wix Studio today: https://www.wix.com/studio(00:00) - Introduction(03:20) - What Marketing in Dubai Looked Like Before Digital(08:24) - Rebuilding Brand Trust(11:06) - Why AI Can Never Replace Human Trust in Sales(13:20) - Vulnerability in High-Stakes Negotiations(25:27) - The Mistake Founders Make in B2B Pitches(37:17) - Body Language & Reading a Boardroom(43:21) - How to Handle Condescending Executives in Pitches(56:32) - Building Internal Culture and True Brand Pride(01:03:19) - The Outlier Strategy: Finding Growth in Ignored Data(01:11:54) - The Flat Team Structure & Empathetic Leadership(01:15:50) - The 80/20 Rule to Stop Employee Burnout(01:24:49) - Dropping the Ego(01:34:30) - Why Raw Creative is Useless Without Commercial ROI

In this episode, we sit down with Jeremy Cabral to deconstruct his exact method for building Finder into a global comparison powerhouse. Learn all about his reverse engineering success, mastering the PR machine, and building an untouchable business moat.Jeremy reveals his most unconventional and effective tactics, from changing job titles to hide top talent from recruiters, to intentionally trying to dissuade candidates in interviews, and the exact framework he used to outsmart massive search algorithms.In this episode, we break down:Beating Google: Surviving a manual webmaster penalty that took their traffic to zero and the serendipitous 72-hour recovery.Hiding Top Talent: Why Jeremy intentionally changed employee job titles to stop recruiters from poaching his best people.The Content Factory: The scalable system that allowed his team to publish 180 handwritten articles a day to completely outpace the industry.Mastering Global PR: The exact formula for reverse engineering the news cycle to get massive national coverage and high-authority links.Match and Exceed: The ultimate framework for analysing competitors, neutralising their advantages, and completely dominating your market.(00:00) - Introduction(03:38) - Surviving a Google Penalty(10:55) - Building a Culture Driven by Radical Values(17:58) - Why Jeremy Actively Dissuades Candidates in Job Interviews(22:52) - The 5 Ways to Retain Top Talent (Without Them Leaving)(28:52) - Hiding Top Talent from Recruiters(35:27) - The Growth Strategy for Ultimate Scale(45:26) - Why Distribution Beats a Great Product Every Time(50:53) - The "Match and Exceed" Competitive Framework(52:46) - Global PR & Reverse Engineering the News Cycle(01:04:55) - Following Natural Traction & Testing Concepts Early(01:13:13) - Producing 180 Handwritten Articles a Day(01:17:23) - Reverse Engineering Social Algorithms for Viral Reach(01:23:51) - Creating an Untouchable Business Moat(01:34:08) - Sell the Service Before You Build the Software

Here is how the co-founder of Australia's largest independent music and events company navigated a $3.6M loss while scaling a $150M live music empire.In this episode, we sit down with Mike Christidis of Untitled Group to deconstruct exactly how he navigated industry failures, managed massive egos, and ultimately Built Australia's #1 Festival.This is a masterclass in high-stakes negotiation, crisis management, and scaling a business in one of the toughest industries on earth. Mike pulls back the curtain on the economics of global music festivals, the reality from nightclubs to massive arenas, and the data-driven systems his team uses to spot massive artists before the rest of the world catches on.In this episode, we break down:The $3.6M Loss: How Untitled Group navigated a massive hit while actively scaling their operations.The "Uncle Test": The data-driven system Mike's team uses to spot "$100M artists" before the rest of the industry catches on.Promoter Mayo: The truth behind shows and the economics of global music festivals.Outsmarting Agents: How a strategic 10-minute silence became the ultimate code for negotiating with massive industry egos.Building Australia's #1 Festival: The unfiltered reality of how Mike went from local nightclubs into a $150M live music empire.Book Rivyl in for a free 30-minute call, here: http://l.rivyl.com/JUPbkj Level up your agency with Wix Studio today: https://www.wix.com/studio(00:00) - Introduction(06:15) - From Local Nightclubs to Massive Arenas(12:40) - How to Spot a $100M Artist First(26:55) - The Economics of Global Music Festivals(34:10) - Outsmarting Music Industry Agents(42:30) - Managing Massive Egos & High-Stakes Negotiations(49:45) - The 48-Hour Strategy That Landed Nelly Furtado(57:15) - Risk Management When Millions Are on the Line(1:13:20) - What Happens When a Headline Act Pulls Out(1:21:05) - The Pitch That Secured Their First Major Arena Show(1:28:40) - You Can't Buy Culture: Building Australia's #1 Festival(1:36:15) - The Future of Live Events & Untitled Group's Next Move(1:43:50) - Mike’s Ultimate Advice for Operators