What does it take to succeed in business, especially in the agency world? How do you surround yourself with the right people who can support you, challenge you, and help you grow? How do you overcome the obstacles and fears that may hold you back from achieving your goals?

Today’s guest is an agency owner who shares his personal experiences of being in both conducive and detrimental social circles and highlights how the latter can negatively impact one's mindset and success. His philosophy underscores the importance of having a balanced perspective by interacting with people at different levels – those who are less experienced, peers, and more successful individuals. Tune in to learn about how surrounding yourself with the wrong people can leave feeling stuck and miserable, the fallacy of comparing yourself to others, and the importance of finding a community that will help you reach new heights and keep you accountable to your goals.

Ian Garlic is a marketing expert specializing in video marketing and storytelling. He is the founder of video marketing agency authenticWEB and is the mind behind Storycrews. He also hosts The Garlic Marketing Show, is part of the team at Video Case Story, and consults on video shoots. Ian known for his profound insights and innovative approaches in the digital marketing landscape. His journey in the industry is marked by a deep understanding of the intricacies of business growth, particularly in the agency sector, and a passion for helping businesses harness the power of effective storytelling in their marketing strategies.

In this episode, we’ll discuss:

Curating your support system.
Overcoming the barrier of overthinking and self-doubt.
Choosing the right group for you.

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Sponsors and Resources

E2M Solutions: Today's episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass is sponsored by E2M Solutions, a web design, and development agency that has provided white-label services for the past 10 years to agencies all over the world. Check out e2msolutions.com/smartagency and get 10% off for the first three months of service.

Who’s In Your Corner? Curating Your Support System

Agency owners everywhere find themselves chasing the wrong yardstick, pushing relentlessly toward finish lines not their own. Gripped by others’ narrow definitions of success, they wake one morning in quiet panic.

The team too often hears from agency heads who built ventures according to the “right” metrics. Yet after reaching a certain level of success they find themselves stressed out and disillusionment sets in. Soon enough, they start thinking about selling because of how unhappy they are.

Ian knows that pain firsthand. Surrounded by big league players, he pushed his agency to serve ever-larger corporations. But in that quest for status, the work lost meaning. At a point, he felt far removed from the local businesses he set out to empower.

It was time for a change. He needed his own definitions, his own scorecard - rooted in his values rather than others’ demands.

If you find yourself chasing ideas of success that don’t fit with your values, look around and evaluate if you’re surrounding yourself with the right people. For Ian, being in the wrong group, even if technically you’re surrounded by very successful people, can have a negative effect on one's confidence, motivation, and performance.

By contrast, the right people will offer support and help you find the right answers. In this sense, Ian speaks about the importance of being with people who are at different levels of success - below, at the same level, and above you - to ensure a balanced perspective and growth.

Peers at all stages can become guides or critics. Just take stock of those given VIP access to your mind. Do they fill your cup or drain it? Nourish dreams or deflate them? With perspective, those draining more than giving face demotion.

Shortcutting Analysis Paralysis Through Shared Perspectives

As agency scale specialist, Darby speaks with many agency owners every week to help them come up with growth strategies and keep track of their goals. In this role, he has found that overthinking is a common barrier for agency owners that can lead to analysis paralysis, where one gets stuck in indecision and inaction. Making decisions is tough, and agency owners can fall in the trap of seeing all the angles and choices, which leads to worrying they’re making the wrong move.

He recommends seeking a supportive environment, such as a mastermind or a support group, where they can get feedback, advice, and accountability to help them make decisions and move forward. On your own, you may get too deep into what you’re trying to do and give up before giving yourself enough time to find the right way.

Having the right people to support you can help you transform not only your business but also your mindset. You’ll learn to receive feedback, which can be hard but is very important to get out of your own head and see things from a different perspective. Like most things, it takes practice, and being in an environment where you frequently get feedback will help you build that muscle.

Maybe you feel it’s not something you need right now but it will surely become important at some point in your growth. Anyone that says they succeeded completely on their own is either lying or in denial. After all, some of the most successful people out there couldn’t have made it without the right support system.

How Do You Know if a Group is Right for You?

You may find it takes a few tries to find the right community or group for you. It’s not just about getting to share your struggles, you also need to feel challenged. If you’re the smartest person in the room and everyone there thinks everything you’re doing is great, you’re probably in the wrong group. Do you feel good about what they’re doing and how they go about things? Do you like being around them? Are they going in the same direction you want to go?

Furthermore, look for a group with people who’ve already faced the challenges you’re currently facing. If you’re working on scaling your agency past eight figures and are currently in a group where no one has done that then can they really help you get there?

It all goes back to what you want to do and who you are. If you’re trying to build an agency, then you shouldn’t be in a general marketing group. In his case, Ian prefers groups that are not just money motivated but also think of the bigger picture.

It’ll take work to find your “pack” and you may even find that it changes over time as you evolve and go through stages. Maybe you’ll hit a stage where you want a lifestyle business and seek out people with the same goals. The important thing is that you understand what you want and what you’re going after at the moment.

Think of a Mastermind as an Investment in Your Growth

Focusing on relationships that better you as an agency owner and a person will be a huge step in your growth journey. Join a mastermind, start a mastermind, and figure out the groups you want to be in. You won’t necessarily get it right the first time, but it’s an important investment in the future of your business.

Start by getting clear on what you want and why you want it and, define what success looks like to you. Then push yourself to look for a community that will help guide you in the steps you need to get to that success.

Do You Want to Transform Your Agency from a Liability to an Asset?

Looking to dig deeper into your agency's potential? Check out our Agency Blueprint. Designed for agency owners like you, our Agency Blueprint helps you uncover growth opportunities, tackle obstacles, and craft a customized blueprint for your agency's success.

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