Episode 111: Why 83% of Agency Leaders Know the Strategy and Still Can't Execute It | Agency Core 2026 with Brian Gerstner

Episode notes

579 agency leaders were asked what they need to do to succeed. The answers were clear. Then they were asked if they're doing it. 83% aren't. Brian Gerstner, president of White Label IQ and co-founder of Agency Core, sits down with host Erik Martinez to unpack what the Agency Core 2026 research found when it studied the gap between knowing and doing across small and mid-sized agencies. As Brian puts it: "there was very clear understanding of what needs to be done. And when we ask people, what are you doing? massive gap" The research identified three mindsets shaping the industry right now. One group is pulling ahead. The other two are either moving fast without a clear destination or stuck and overwhelmed. The difference between them is not what they know. Brian has a specific prescription for every agency still stuck in that gap, and it starts with something most agency leaders have been putting off.

• Episode 113: Your Best AI Person Hasn't Told Anyone Yet58 / 100
• Episode 112: Your Agency's AI Progress Is One Resignation Away from Zero with Ishant Kulshreshtha
• Episode 110: Strip the Buzzwords: What Actually Drives Search Visibility in the AI Era with Cameron LiButti
• Episode 109: AI Agents - You're Already Using Them. Pat Barry and Erik Martinez on Picking the One Worth Building Next.
• Episode 108: "One Person With AI Could Do More Work Than a Whole Team" - Wes Lemos on the Three Levels of AI Most People Never Reach