Running an agency is hard work. Figuring out how to profitably run a fast growing agency is even harder. Element Three was Hubspot's Agency of the Year in their first year as a VAR and became a Platinum partner shortly after. In this session, Tiffany will share some of the big wins and battle scars from her journey of growing from 8 employees to nearly 40. We will talk about how to find the right talent, prioritize certain hires over others and build a team thats allows great work for clients. We will review some of the tools used for managing capacity and strategically staffing for growth. In addition we will outline processes for setting vision, maintaining alignment through the continual evolution that occurs with grown and communication throughout the organization. Most importantly, we will talk about the only thing that really matters - how to build culture and and a vision others can see and believe. P: Tiffany will be sure to leave plenty of time for Q&A so your most pressing questions can be asked - and hopefully answered - as you chart the course for your agency's growth.

1. BIG WINS AND
BATTLE SCARS
HOW TO PROFITABLY
BUILD A FAST-GROWING
AGENCY
Tiffany Sauder
President, Element Three
@TIFFANYSAUDER

2. 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 P
Element Three Revenue | October 2011 HubSpot VAR

4. THESE THINGS
WORKED

5. ONLY SPEND TIME
WITH PEOPLE WHO
CAN HELP OR SPEND
MONEY WITH YOU.

6. BE VULNERABLE
AND ASK
QUESTIONS.

7. LEARN HOW TO
SELL. THIS IS
NOT OPTIONAL.

8. GET EXTERNAL
PERSPECTIVE.
BUT BE SMART
ABOUT IT.

9. THESE THINGS
DIDN’T WORK

10. BE INTENTIONAL
ABOUT CULTURE.
DON’T LEAVE IT
TO CHANCE.

11. DON’T HANG ON
TOO LONG, NOT
EVERYONE WILL
FINISH WITH YOU

12. DON’T BE
DRIVEN BY
FEAR

13. DON’T TAKE
YOUR FAMILY
FOR GRANTED

14. PEOPLE
(WHEN, WHO & HOW MUCH)

15. WHEN TO HIRE

16. WHO TO HIRE
• Hiring moto: NO SUPRPRISES
• 80% of hires come from referrals
• Talk money early
• Interview for cultural fit
• Don’t ignore your gut
• The best people are already employed
• 90 day review – fail fast
• LinkedIn

17. HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE
# OF EMPLOYEES EXPERIENCE IN YRS
15 1-4 years
13 5-10 years
12 > 10 years

18. STRENGTH’S FINDER 2.0

19. TOOLS WE USE TO RUN
THE BUSINESS
(NONE OF THESE ARE ORIGINAL)

23. COMMUNICATION CADENCE
A. DAILY STAND-UPS
B. WEEKLY DEPARTMENT MEETINGS & LEADERSHIP
C. MONTHLY BUSINESS REVIEW MEETINGS
D. QUARTERLY OFF-SITE

24. A: Awesome Comes Standard
B: Business First
E: Emotional Intelligence
S: Stay Curious
T: Transparent
C: Creative Swagger
O: Own Selflessly

25. LIVE THE VALUES

26. QUESTIONS?