How to Sell Your Marketing Agency

Speaker A: Hey, it's Mike Stelzner. What if you had an AI system that wrote your ad copy, generated the images and video, reviewed its own work and made revisions, all customized to your brand without you ever touching it? That's exactly what Caleb Cruise is teaching AI Business Society members to build on July 16th. No coding required. Join today at, uh, socialmediaexaminer.com AI and if you're listening to this in the future and you missed it, the full recording and resource kit are waiting for you. Visit socialmediaexaminer.com AI

Speaker B: welcome to the Marketing

Speaker C: Agency show, where we explore solutions to the biggest challenges faced by agencies.

Speaker B: Hey, y'. All. Thank, uh, you so much for joining me for the Marketing Agency show brought to you by Social Media Examiner. I'm, um, your host, Brooke Sellis, and this is the show for agency owners and agency marketers. We explore the topics that no one else is talking about. So pull up a seat to the table and let's have a great conversation. Today I'll be joined by Veronica Romney. Also, if you're new to this podcast, be sure to follow us so you don't miss any of our future content. Let's transition over to this week's guest, Veronica to help explore the frontier of

Speaker C: working at and growing agencies. Here is this week's expert guide.

Speaker B: Hey, everybody. Today I am so excited to be joined by my friend and amazing woman, Veronica Romney. If you don't know Veronica, she's a 16 plus year marketing leadership expert, international speaker, podcast host, the proud creator of the Rainmaker residency programs, and as a former speaker and trainer for Tony Robbins and Dean Grazowski, I probably just totally butchered that. Chief of staff at Boss Babe, director of marketing suite products for a two, uh, billion evaluated software company and former marketing agency owner. She has had the privilege of witnessing the marketing industry's evolution firsthand from every angle possible. And today she's going to talk to us about every angle possible when it comes to selling, selling your agency. Veronica, welcome to the show.

Speaker C: Oh, thank you. Okay, words of affirmation, as you know from my keynote where we hung out together in Miami, is my words. You know, my, my love language. You just like loving on me and like, yeah, uh, I'll tell you whatever you want to know.

Speaker B: Yes, y', all, we're gonna get all of the, the good, the bad and the ugly. Because I know there was a little bit of all of it as we talked about, a slight bit. And I just want people to know, you know, I'm curious myself if I sell when what Are the multipliers? Should I sell? What do I need to think about? Like, these are questions that I think a lot of agency owners have and some of us, you know, have been in the business for a long time and we're tired and we think about these things. So I'm, um, I'm just super excited that we have you here to, to give us the real, real on selling your agency. But first things first. What made you decide to start your own agency in the beginning?

Speaker C: Well, okay, let's take it back to the beginning. So I actually never really. Well, let me just put it this way. I feel like I'm Moana in the Inside Disney character wise. Like, I knew that one day I would be an entrepreneur. Like the ocean called. I just didn't know like the timing of when said ocean would call. And I didn't realize that was going to happen when I was on my maternity leave. So let me just advise your listeners right now. Having a baby, having a full time job, being on maternity leave might not be the best time to think about also doing the hardest thing possible, which is to start a business from nothing. But that's my story. My husband and I were walking around downtown Boca Raton, Florida and he was just like venting about his profession at uh, his career space at the time. And he was just like, we should just do this for ourselves. And I, I loved my job. I loved the company that I was working with at the time. By the time I left it was like four years total. But I was still, I think, within the first year and I was on maternity leave and I knew from my boss, my chief revenue officer, I believe, or chief operating officer, that the CEO at the time was very anti remote employees. How far we've come. But at the time he was very anti remote employees. And I wanted to move to Florida to be with my Cuban family to help me raise this infant. I had no business, I didn't know what I was doing. And so I think it was a combination of like fear of the future, of the unknown, not wanting to like circulate my family around a job that was not stable. And then my husband, who is a salesperson, marketer Mills, you know, marries a salesperson. He was very persuasive in convincing me that we should start a business. And I'm a marketer. And so the, the easiest thing that I could think of in starting a business would just be rendering marketing services for others. And so that's literally where it came from.

Speaker B: Oh, uh, well, I knew it was written in the stars for you could just tell. So, quick backstory. Veronica and I met at a speaking engagement outside of the marketing world, and, man, her presentation just blew me away. You have such a presence on stage. It's like your superpower. So I was, like, basically running up to her at the end, like, hey, please, I need to talk to you. I need you to have you on this podcast.

Speaker C: Be friends.

Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. Let's be besties. Okay, so let's talk about the kind of clients you serve, and can you please give us all the backstory on the whole Tony Robbins thing? Cause, you know, people want to know.

Speaker C: Yeah, okay. So client wise, we were specialist when it came to local businesses, for sure. So we actually had a ton of franchise clients, a lot of Z's. We represented, like, college hunks hauling junks, um, Shelf Genie, Game truck. Like, there was a whole bunch of franchises and just random, um, one stop, you know, local business owners across the country. So we were. We named it Los, which it just makes me chuckle now, so don't tease. But it was local, social, mobile.

Speaker B: So clever. I love it.

Speaker C: And then everybody else was like, so molo lomo. So I'm m. Like, no. So it wasn't as original as I thought it was when I first put it together, but whatever. You. Everybody has their beginnings. And so, yeah, we were local businesses, and we didn't specialize in one service. We actually were generalists. So we would do a little bit of everything, which, again, I've learned a lot in this process, but that's how we started. And majority of the clients that I would secure for our business would be through, of course, speaking and thought leadership and putting myself out there and being nerdy on stage, talking about whatever, and then clients, you know, reaching out to me after the fact, saying, can you. Can you do that for us? I'm like, sure. When I sold the business years later, I had become so accustomed and I had. Apparently the stage was like, I didn't realize that I was meant for that too. But speaking for the agency to generate business, then it was like, wait a minute. If I drop the services side, I could still technically, I guess, be a speaker. I never had identified as a speaker like that before, where I was just getting paid for, like, the actual talking and the thought leadership on stage, not tying back to a business model. And that's where the Tony Robbins opportunity. So I think I sold the business. Summer 2019. It was the same year that Tony Robbins and his partner Dean Graziosi, did this, like, collective business venture all around, like, you know, the online education industries. Billions of dollars. You want in. It was a lot of that. And they sold, like this $2,000 course. I'm like, I want in. So I bought it. I got. Definitely got baited, bought it. And then, shockingly, I mean, they broke the Internet. It was this whole big thing. But then just within a couple weeks after purchasing said course, 80 modules, it was a beast. They were like, hey, there's actually a ton of stages that we would like to share this message, you know, with, but we don't have the capacity to do it. So we're actually going to build a speaking team. Apply if you would like to be a part of the speaking team. But they only solicited speakers from people who've purchased their program, which I thought was actually really smart.

Speaker B: So smart.

Speaker C: So smart. Because they obviously, we were bought in. We're bought into the mission, the vision, the why. Like, we're bought into this movement. Um, if not, we wouldn't have swiped our credit cards. And of course, there's going to be talent amongst buyers. And so they. So out of, like thousands and thousands of buyers, it was like a pool of 500 to 600 people that had applied to be a part of the speaking team. I got picked. And then it was like a Hunger Games style selection process. That's not even an exaggeration. The top 25 got flown out to Scottsdale, Arizona, which is where Dean's, you know, mastermind.com, like headquarters is. That's where I met Pete Vargas at the Speaker Lab. Or not the Speaker Lab. Advance youe Reach. And they were using advance your reach to basically whittled down the speakers. And so we got told we were going because we had been picked. Pick picked. No, no, we were the top 25. They were going to go down to five to six. And so we saw everybody in the room like, you got in. You got. I was so. It was like, so joyous. And then within the first two hours, like, actually, you're competing and pitting against each other. And the room changed immediately. Like, the guy next to me who was super nice was like such a jerk all of a sudden.

Speaker B: And I'm like, dude, everybody's side eyeing you.

Speaker C: Yes. Everybody's nasty. Everybody's measuring each other up. And I'm like, oh, no. And then it was like, basically two days of, like, putting you on the spot. You know, what's your story? Uh, it was. It was wild. But I made it. I got picked as the top five, top six. And then the Rest is kind of history. Yeah.

Speaker B: Ah. Uh, so let's get into it. Expectations versus reality. It's kind of like what you just talked about, right? You go in with this expectation that you've made it and then the reality was you had to fight tooth and nail with all these people. Start by describing your initial experiences where when you started to realize, like, I'm going to sell my agency. And how did those, you know, thoughts compare to the actual experience?

Speaker C: Well, here's the thing about selling a business, it's not for the week. Like my parents also just sold their H Vac company after 33 years. So it was seeing how they had to sell a legacy brand like that. And then how I went through to sell my agency, which was only just a couple years, some more like I guess in its infancy compared to a 33 year business and brand. But it's brutal. It was brutal for me and I thought it was just because I'm a newbie and I didn't know what I was doing, but it was also brutal for my parents. Just like the onslaught of work and paperwork and the financials and all of that. And then just to have people kind of like toy you around at the last hour that all of those rumors are true. It happened to me and it happened to my parents. They went through the formality of a broker. I did it myself. So like, regardless of the path that you choose in relieving yourself of your business, it's still messy. And so first of all, no one prepares you for that. Like it just. There is no preparation. You're just learning it literally in the moment. I think a lot of people sell their businesses for different reason. If I'm being radically honest, it was because I was wildly burned out of client services and being a service provider.

Speaker B: No, thank you for being honest.

Speaker C: Yeah, I wasn't even the account manager. We had an account manager team. We had like, it's not like I. We weren't so tiny that I was performing all the major roles. But of course every problem comes up to you anyways. It doesn't matter. And so I was just burned out of agency. Model life. Like that really slim profit margin. You're only as good as the people who are rendering the services. You train them, they leave you the clients, the entitlement. I mean like, it was just. I needed out. I was done. I was done. I had two small little boys at this point and I was just, this is not the lifestyle for me.

Speaker B: So burnout was the deciding factor.

Speaker C: Yes.

Speaker B: And then what happened as you made that decision, like, what are some of the most significant challenges you faced prepping your agency for sale? You said you did it yourself and you didn't go with a broker, so I'm assuming there was some kind of research on your end.

Speaker C: Oh, of course. Yeah. Um, and I was a part of this Facebook group of, um, like, 80 to 90 different agency owners. Like, this, like, secret private Facebook group that, uh, my friend Mike had invited me to. And so I obviously was, like, picking people's brains. Whoever was generous enough to kind of share. What can I anticipate as far as, like, how do I price this? How do I do this? How do I find? I think also for me, even back then, I was extremely. I'm still. I mean, the work that I do today, I'm extremely team centric of a person. And so my biggest, biggest concern wasn't so much, like, what would happen to my clients. I wish I could say that, but, like, I wasn't worried about their well being as much as I was worried about two people's wellbeing. My. Myself, I didn't want to go with the deal. Oh, and to the team. My team. Like, my babies, my chicks. Who was going to be the new mother hen? Who was going to be the new person? And, like, leaders aren't created equal. And I was terrified for. I was losing sleep thinking that I might put them in harm's way. So that was like, the early stages of, like, how do I do this? How does this work?

Speaker B: Yeah, that makes so much sense. Like, it's not just you in the cell, right? It's you and every single team member that is with your organization. And, well, I guess for some of us it is. Right? But it's such a true factor. Like, it's not just. And I find it so interesting, too, that you said you didn't want to go with this sale. Why? Do you mind me asking? Like, let me be nosy. Why. Why didn't you want to go with this sale?

Speaker C: I didn't. Um, there was a couple of interested buyers. One really aggressive one, if I'm being honest. He was also based in Boca Raton, which is where our AGENC based. He had been courting me from year one because he had a payment processing company, and so he wanted to basically add a services arm to his empire so that not only could his clients process credit cards and payments through his solutions, but they could also do marketing with us. They could do different. So he. He wanted me to come with the deal so that I could lead up that division. But what I heard in that was I have a boss. And what's the point of entreprene if you go back to having a boss? And then of course like I'm um, just my personality. It's not that I'm opposed to having an employer. I actually had phenomenal bosses. I've had both. Right. But I've had phenomenal leaders that have sat above me and helped me and mentor me. But again, I've also had really bad leaders. And that really at different points in my career destroyed my self esteem and my self worth. And so I was just really anxious to think that I'd go back to having a boss. And then if, if we were not aligned in core values, not everybody lives integrity the same way. Like so that I think that was where I'm like, I don't think that's a good idea for me right now.

Speaker B: Well, good for you for knowing what you wanted and then like sticking to it because I think that's hard too. We can get talked into things or

Speaker C: I can pretty easily, especially by visionaries because they just paint a really beautiful

Speaker B: picture, such a beautiful picture. And then when you actually get there you're like, wait a um, minute, this is not what you told me it was going to be. Were there any surprises or unforeseen issues that happened during the sales process that you feel like people should know about? What are some of those?

Speaker C: If I could go back, I'm a clever marketer, at least at the time I thought I was. So I was the agency that didn't have contracts. Like one of our marketing slogans was like, we're not going to hold you hostage in a 12 month contract. We have a 90% retention rate without contracts. Like it was all over that. Like you work with us, you stay with us because you can trust us, you believe in us, we perform like. And so I didn't have contracts that were like long term contracts. Well, when you go to evaluate a service business and there's no bankable revenue for the foreseeable future because Everybody's on a 30 day clause out. Yeah, it's a little bit of a problem. That was the immediate like heart dropping kind of like, oh no, I, yeah, I can probably get rid of this company, but it's gonna be for nothing unless I do this a little bit more clever. So that was the big, big like reality slap across the face.

Speaker B: So what did you do about that? Like were you at that point like running through to try to put terms onto your clients or you're just like, look, this is what it is. We're going to have to rely on

Speaker C: some other factors because again, it goes back to the integrity thing. Like, if my whole ship, if my whole, like, pirate flag was like, we're not holding you hostage. Ironically, I just said pirates then, like me coming back around behind the paid wall saying, uh, now let me lock you up for six, you know, six months to 18 months so that I can sell this in 30 days, 60 days. And you don't know about like, oh, I just couldn't do it.

Speaker B: I couldn't do it.

Speaker C: Yeah, Too icky. Yeah, for me it was. Integrity is like my thing. It's like my core, core, core value. So no, I didn't do that. But what I did do, what I ended up doing is I ended up finding a buyer who absorbed actually both team and contracts, and then basically agreed legally to pay me in perpetuity. So as long as my clients would continue paying their agency, I. I would get a cut. I would get 20%.

Speaker B: Mhm.

Speaker C: For every single month that that client. Because I basically covered their cost of client acquisition and it was a client that I sourced and then I handed over. And so they were just going to basically pay me that referral fee. I guess as long as the client paid them, I would get paid.

Speaker B: That makes sense because it's almost like they're paying you and maybe even less than they would pay a salesperson who would be like out there drudging along, you know, getting all of those deals. So that's very interesting, Very cool. What about M? You said it was an emotional experience. So can we talk about the emotional impact that it had on you and your team and any sound advice you want to share with the audience there?

Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, first of all, finding a buyer at all, because there was different people that courted me. Right. So one person, without naming names, he like, courted me aggressively. Like, I think it was me, the idea of heading up this division and its growth more than just the assets that I had. So he really didn't value anything that I had built. He just wanted. He wanted somebody that had the grit to start something from nothing with the specialty. So that was. He was courting me, you know, and I didn't want that. Then there was another buyer who was like, yeah, we'll absorb your client portfolio, but we, we don't need any team. Like, no team. So everybody was gonna basically get laid off. And that was terrifying. And then some people wanted some contracts, some people wanted some team members that got Even weirder, because I'm like, okay, two of you can go. Three of you are out. Five of you. You know what I mean? Like, say. And I don't. It was just. That was the emotional roller coaster in the courtship phase of trying to find somebody that we were aligned with. And how I found my person was. Are you familiar with story brand?

Speaker B: Yes. Why do I know that name?

Speaker C: Donald Miller.

Speaker B: Okay.

Speaker C: He's a. Has many books, but I think it's definitely like, his. The book that is the most famous for.

Speaker B: Okay.

Speaker C: How to create a story brand in your business. How to position yourself as a guide. And the customer is a hero. Right. Well, he has a certification arm to his business, and he certifies both individual marketers, but also agencies. So I was like, you know, I really prescribe to this idea that companies are guiding people to their success. We're not the hero. The customer is the hero. And anybody that has that belief system and also spent tens of thousands of dollars to get certified in that belief system would probably be worthy of a conversation. And that's what I was. That was my thinking. So I went on storybrand camp. I've never said this publicly, so I went on storybrands. They have, like, almost like a directory where you can see their certified partners and certified agencies and certified whatever. And so I contacted all of their certified agencies one by one, and I was like, hey, I too, love storybrand. I too, you know, hold these belief systems. I'm actually in the process of potentially, you know, selling my agency. Would you be interested in having a discussion? Because I think that you would appreciate the value, you know, the clients, the values, the type of clients I attract, the team members that I have, like, they're the best of the best. Right. And that's actually where I found my buyer.

Speaker B: But I love that, like, you just. You went out there and you made it happen because you didn't like what was in front of you. Like, you don't have to accept what's in front of you. This is what I'm hearing you say, correct. You don't have to take what is given. You can make something happen if you work hard like you did. I mean, that was a lot of work.

Speaker C: Well, and I think my entire selling process would certainly be a lesson on creativity and resourcefulness. Like, I was creative in the negotiations legally, and being paid out. I was creative in finding somebody. Like, I just. I didn't go the traditional route. I didn't go through a business broker. I didn't do it that way. And so I think that obviously served me. Now I want to tell you that I like set off into the sunset and there was rainbows and like the, you know, pot of gold. It was not. So the person that I ended up selling to, he was lovely at first and, and he wanted the team and he courted the team and they loved him. Like, it was just like, this is happening. This is like, oh my gosh, best case scenario, as soon as the transaction was completed, I did get paid. It's not like I did. He didn't honor legally his agreement, but man, did things change really quickly. Really quickly. His personality was a little bit more double sided than we had anticipated.

Speaker B: Oh boy. Yeah.

Speaker C: And again, I was still really close with my team members and so they'd be like, hey, like what? We thought he's, he's doing things that are making uh, uh, feel uncomfortable. I'm like, what, what? So even. And I think that's the hard part. And I think anybody that's genuinely considering selling their agency, like even with as much due diligence on my part, as much investigative like research that I did on somebody's behalf, as much as you try so desperately to control the outcome for people that you care about, it was a really hard lesson for me. To be like, you are not in control.

Speaker B: That's a gut punch, right? Because as entrepreneurs I think we have like a little bit of control issues and you know, we want to keep that position. Even when you sell, you know what

Speaker A: most marketers are doing manually? Ad creative, writing the copy, coordinating with the designer for the images, waiting on video edits, managing revisions, every campaign, every cycle. I wanted to fix that for our uh, members. So on July 16th, I'm bringing Caleb Cruise to teach inside the AI Business Society. He's going to show members how to build personalized AI pipelines using Claude code that runs the entire creative process on its own. Copy, images, video revisions, all customized to your brand. And you don't need to be a coder to do it. I'll be in the room for the entire session. I'm in every session. And I can tell you members are going to walk away with a clear buildable system that they can put to work that very same week. If you can't make it live, the full recording and resource kit will be waiting for you. Transcript, slides, key takeaways, the whole shebang. This is what we do every month inside the AI Business Society. Come and see for yourself. And don't miss this training. Join@SocialMediaExaminer.com AI Again SocialMediaExaminer.com AI so let's

Speaker B: talk about how your life changed post sale.

Speaker A: Sure.

Speaker B: What do you miss about running the agency and what don't you miss?

Speaker C: We're being honest, right? This is an honest show.

Speaker B: Your secrets are safe here.

Speaker C: Okay, so I'm since the sale of the agency and we were an in person agency, like I had a fancy lease and this beautiful building, like the first floor of the building was Office Depot and we were on the second or third floor and we had painted all the colors. We had one big, big wall that we had painted that special paint that you can use as like a whiteboard.

Speaker B: Oh, fun. Yeah.

Speaker C: And we would have parties and we would like, you know, order in Mexic. And like the office was constructed in like a bullpen. So like it was really open. And since selling the business, I have never actually worked in an office again. And even though you're seeing this pretty office, you're seeing my whiteboard that my son was like, I love you, mom.

Speaker B: I see some cute little notes.

Speaker C: Yeah, I recently cleaned it. My little boy was like, I'm gonna do something with this, you know, but like uh, even though I have, I've created this beautiful, you know, candle lit office environment, it nothing compares. Literally nothing compares to what I experience going into the office every day and being with my people. Like there's just nothing, nothing like the energy of when two or three people are in unison in the room. Especially when you're doing hard things together or dealing with challenges together. Like it is some of my most cherished and famous, like, famous like my, my beloved memories is being in the office space with the people. Right. So I miss that still to this day. So when I do travel for work and I do speaking engagements, I do like to go hang out at the cocktail hour, even though I don't drink. And I do like to have lunch with you because I don't get that at home. I don't get this in this office. Right.

Speaker B: And that's a true statement, by the way, because I saw you hanging out. We hung out. I'm the same way though. I feel like the, the stage is awesome, it's wonderful. But I feel like the real magic happens like in the halls or in the networking event or at lunch. Like we were sitting there talking and connect with each other over our families and our sisters. So I totally believe that now.

Speaker C: The parts I don't miss, the parts I don't miss. I think I feel like I'm Madonna of marketing. I don't Even know, like, Lady Gaga or whatever. I have eras, Taylor Swift, that's probably more relevant. But, like, I've been a marketer in different skins. Like, I've been a marketer where I've been a marketing keynote speaker. I've been a marketing service provider. I've been a marketing strategist, a consultant, a mentor, a marketing coach. Like a doer. Like, I've. I've done all I've. My career has. I've only ever really identified as a marketer for over 16 years. So what I don't miss about being a, um, marketing agency owner is, man, if we're being really honest, the power dynamic and that type of client relationship is. Is hard. Especially where I would source my clients. Like, you get on stage, you're wearing your, like, tight dress, Spanx, you're in. I mean, you're.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: Like, you're like Wonder Woman, right? You're just like, uh, just loving life. Bright lights, all the. I'm, um, like, rhyming here. Like, I'm just loving it, right? And people are coming up to me and they're. They're excited, they're impressed, they want to work, you know, and yay. And then they become your client. And the manner in which some clients treat agencies is. I mean, I'm not telling anybody if you own an agency, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Like, they don't treat you that way. So, like, going from stage where the power dynamic is, like, almost like they hold you in a little bit of reverence. And then going into an agency relationship, now the power dynamic is completely reversed. And they talk down to you, or they treat you a particular way or they have expectations or. The hard part with marketing agency life is I always felt like me and the team, we were always like, being punished for the crappy ex girlfriend because they had already gone through how many agencies that had disappointed them and that, you know, promised all of these leads for cheap and then didn't deliver, didn't live up to the hype. And so when we would get them, it was like, you're guilty until proven innocent energy. And I really don't enjoy that. I. Relationship marketing relationships as a whole, like, is my favorite, favorite form of marketing and also just who I am and how I conduct my life. M. I'm a kind of deep end of the pool type of person. Let's jump in and be, you know, and so to have people treat you that way because the power dynamic shifts so quickly as soon as things are signed, that was always very Difficult for me.

Speaker B: Yes. I want to add to that too. Like, they see you on stage and we are our own people and um, but they're not working directly with us, like you said. Right. Like we're doing the sales and bringing in new clients and you know, maybe some operations and then they go and they work with like the project manager, the account manager. They want them to be the Veronica. And they're not the Veronica. They're their own person and they don't have the exact same personality that we have. But they're very good at their jobs. Right. Otherwise they wouldn't be in that role. And I feel like they get punished sometimes because they're not Veronica, which is very unfair.

Speaker C: Yeah. But that's where that version of me was born. Like being a marketing coach, A, uh, marketing consultant and mentor and guide because I have so many. I have programs where I like mentor marketers. Right. Oh, fun.

Speaker B: Okay.

Speaker C: And that was born in the agency experience because nine times out of 10 and working with my account managers or anybody in a client facing role, it had nothing to do with that, like up leveling their marketing skill. It was like how to handle personalities are not treating you well. How to have boundaries, how to speak your truth to power, how to. Like there were so many things when it came to that. That was the bulk of my team management really, Than anything else that I did in the agency.

Speaker B: Yeah, I love that. Also, everyone needs to hear her love languages talk because it's amazing if you've read that book too, like, it's totally going to be like, like everyone in the audience was like, okay, so let's talk about value. How do you, Veronica, perceive the value of your agency and the legacy that you left behind? Because I don't care what anybody else thinks. I want to hear it from you. Yeah.

Speaker C: Uh, it's true. Like, I. First things first. Before I answer that, I need to give like, context. I'm not somebody who's motivated by money or things. So, like gifts on the love languages is my least favorite love language.

Speaker B: Same girl.

Speaker C: Same.

Speaker B: Yep. Uh, act of service.

Speaker C: Yep. So yeah, words of affirmation, acts of service, quality time. Like, I will spend stupid money on experiences, but I won't spend stupid money on possessions or things. Right. Proud target wearer. Like, don't care.

Speaker B: Like Target has been delivering.

Speaker C: Yes. Uh, with that said, like, I. When I look at back at my agency owner pass and legacy, I don't. I never flex. You'll actually never ever hear me say anywhere on social media, like, I'm a Seven figure business owner. I don't. None of that. Not that I have a problem with it if you do. I just don't. That's not me. And that's. You don't buy from me to be me. You buy from me or work with me so I can help you be the best you like. That's different. So I don't have to flex who I am or what I wear or what I drive in order for that to happen. Right. So I don't look back at my agency legacy with like, I got to, you know, exit with all of this cash. Dah, dah, dah. No, I look back at my legacy as really it was the first time where I was full blown boss. Not like side hustler, because I had some like bulk candy websites that like took me on vacation once or twice. Like I had some cool spots. You know, I used to sell lawn art decor on the Internet.

Speaker B: Oh my God, I love you so much.

Speaker C: But like it was the first, first time where there was no backup plan, there was no safety net.

Speaker B: And you did it.

Speaker C: You. I did it. I did it. And so that identity of being a boss, being in control of my destiny, realizing the grit that I didn't. I thought I was pretty scrappy, but man, agency life, you either got that grit or you don't. Legacy is discovering who I was because that is everywhere in the work that I do today, years later.

Speaker B: Oh, uh, I love that answer. You couldn't have answered that any more beautifully. Is there anything that you would have done differently?

Speaker C: Contracts,

Speaker B: get those contracts with those every renewal.

Speaker C: Just saying, yeah, man. If. I mean when I advise. Well, a couple different things. When I work with agency owners now, yes, one of the first immediate things I like look at or I talk to them, I'm like, let me look at your contracts. So that's certainly the first thing that I would certainly advise anybody that's listening to this. But honestly, the other thing that I was really proud of actually is how scrappy we could keep our profitability. And one of the things I'm extremely proud of is actually part of the way that we got services rendered for in a way that we could still be profitable because that's where it's just chews it all up was we would do partnerships and collaborations with the local universities. First of all, I would teach MBA students at ah, Florida Atlantic University. But I would reach out to like Palm beach, you know, community college or FAU or Lynn University. Like we had actually in Bocarton. We actually have a ton of These local universities, privately held or whatever and I would basically sync up with the people in charge of their internship programs. So we would have a ton of, of interns every single semester. That's a test to your systems and your processes and your onboarding that you can handle that like that flux. Yeah, but we had a ton of interns that would come like anywhere between 10 to 15 a semester that would come and they would help us with our social media fulfillment, they would help us with the services that we were rendering that we could train them on in a really quick onboarding process. And they were some of the best personalities because they were freaking hungry. They were so excited to have real world experience. It was basically five minute drive from campus. And then in the summer we'd have students come back and then we'd have like Stanford students and like we had some cr, I mean some Ivy League students and so. And also your best interns. Not only are they getting like three class credits in exchange for like work and hours that we're not financially having to pay for. This is all above board, thank you very much. But that always comes up. But we also got to cherry pick the best employees for the future because if you are fantastic as a rock star intern, you best believe I'm going to be hiring you as our first, you know, W2 employee when needed.

Speaker B: Yes. I love uh, that strategy. So smart. What about alternatives? So let's just say someone like me is listening and we're like, should we sell? Should we not sell? Maybe we're getting approached, I get approached and all the time and I'm like, no. And then I'm like, I don't know. No. You know, so if, if someone's in my spot, which I'm sure there are plenty of people listening who are they're thinking about exiting or they're thinking about transitioning away from their agency. What alternatives would you give them instead?

Speaker C: Well, advice number one, the best time to sell a company is when you don't have to or want to sell the company. Selling from a place of burnout is a bad spot to sell. So if people are approaching you right now, may I suggest that you just entertain the conversation Even if you have no intentions because you putting off this energy like I don't need you actually might get you the best buyer future that you can even imagine. But because you're completely closing it off and then when it is time, you might be in a very different energetic state. I'm not even like a Woo person. I'm a little bit Woo. M curious, but I'm just saying, you bringing into this energy that, like, I don't need you. You're trying to court me. It again. The power dynamics, the psychological play on your benefit is so advantageous. I would never. I would never deny a conversation from somebody who is interested. The other thing is that you're going to learn a lot about how people are seeing you from their evaluation, from their perspective, because you as a business owner, only understand the value of your business from your perspective and your bias. And it's your baby and you're too emotionally caught up. So having those conversations with these external people will show you how they see the world. That only makes you a better business owner and future mentor anyway. So I would. First of all, I would have those conversations. My first advice, number two, I think you'll be surprised how it's either going to reaffirm for you whether you want to stay or whether you want to go, because you're going to either get really seduced or be like, you know what? I'm really not. Like, I'm good. I'm not feeling it. It's like dating. Fine, go for it.

Speaker B: Yeah. Uh, such good advice. I'm totally taking that advice. Hopefully you are too. Okay, last piece of advice. What's the one big piece of advice you would give to any agency owner who's watching or listening who are contemplating selling? So, not like, what's the alternative? But like, I'm gonna sell, Veronica. I'm gonna do it. Number one piece of advice, I think

Speaker C: you need to be prepared for having an identity crisis on the other side. Honestly, I'm probably Ran. Ran with his Lost and Founder book is probably one of my favorites. That kind of like, I think really talks about the other side of not being known or not having this thing that you've been known for forever. Like, I. I don't know. Uh, there's. There's very few books that come to my mental catalog that talks about that. But your identity after the departure of you and this thing that you've built is real. Like, you think it won't be emotional even if you weren't team centric, let's say you were just like, I'm doing it for the money. I don't even care. I don't care what your motives are, but who you are on the other side will get called to be questioned. And so if you can start proactively thinking about who you want to be on the other side, it's not as much painful of a vacuum. And so Like, I knew that I wanted to be a speaker even after the close of the business. And so, like, I had that next identity ready to go, and I was really. It, like, gave me motivation in the hard. And so I love personal branding. I think personal branding is very difficult on your own. It's. It's actually physically impossible because you can't be objective with yourself. So, like, having your friends who are other marketers or working with mentors and coaches that can help you give you a new goal, a new ship to build in your mind is probably one of the biggest advice I can give you. If you know for a fact you are absolutely going to be selling. Yeah.

Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. Wow. That is. That is such good advice, and it's such a departure from where I thought you were going to go, but I feel like that's really the most important place to go. So thank you for that. All right, last question. Where can everyone connect with you? Where can they find you? What are you working on? Give us all the goods.

Speaker C: Okay, so everything. Veronica Romney. Dot com. All things Veronica Romney, Social media. V. Romney. Look at that. Just call me V. It's really fun. I am currently, because we're. We're having this interview June 2024, and I'm going to be writing my first book this summer. That's the big, big, big project that I'm working on all around what I think is my secret sauce when it comes to both marketing and leadership.

Speaker B: Ooh.

Speaker C: I'm really excited. Like, we're talking some really fun case studies and brand examples. Barbie's gonna have an appearance. Harley Davidson's gonna have an appearance. Like, there's gonna be some relief. I can already feel it. I've been getting those drops from above. Like, that's just like, hitting my notes. My post its. I can't. I have. I'm, like, buried in post its. I mean, hey, I'm a keynote speaker. If you got a stage, I'll be there. If you want me to help you with, you know, facilitate a workshop, I'll be there. Like, I love being with people. And wherever people need help, whether it comes to marketing or leadership, call the Latina.

Speaker B: Yes. And I can attest to your powerful presence on stage. Like, it was just like, everybody was like, literally, like, it was like the Price is Right. People were, like, jumping around in their seats. Like, so. It was fantastic. Thank you so much for being with us today and pulling out the curtain and just telling us what it really is. Like, the real talk, the real tea. And everybody, we will see you next time. Thanks for listening. If you're new to this show, be sure to follow us. If you've been a long time listener, leave us a review. I'm Brooks, uh, Ellis on Instagram and find me by searching Brookseles on LinkedIn. And for fun, make sure you don't forget to tagmexaminer. Also, be sure to check out our other shows the AI Explored Podcast, the Social Media Marketing Podcast and the Social Media Marketing Talk Show. This brings us to the end of this video week's Marketing Agency Show. We'll catch you next week as we explore the adventures of Marketing Agency life.

Speaker C: The Marketing Agency show is a production of Social Media Examiner.

Speaker A: Before you go if you want to stop grinding through the ad creative process manually, the AI Business Society can help up. Caleb Cruz is teaching members how to automate the entire process on July 16th. Full recordings and all the resources are included with your membership. Join at socialmediaexaminer. Com AI Again socialmediaexaminer. Com AI.