The Playbook Podcast from Agency Focus The Playbook is the podcast for agency owners who are done winging it. Every week, host Bart Mroz sits down with operators, founders, and growth experts to talk about what actually moves the needle — client acquisition, business development, and building an agency that scales without burning you out. Bart knows the game firsthand. He spent 13 years building SUMO Heavy Industries from scratch before it was acquired in 2023 and now works as a fractional growth partner for agencies doing $1M–$10M. He's made the mistakes, figured out what works, and brings co-hosts and guests who have, too. https://playbook.agencyfocus.xyz/ en © 2026 Agency Focus 019d4fda-f65f-74ef-940f-13a57770dac0 no podcast https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/aa4da46a-5b11-409a-a3e6-516fc831f061/Playbook_Podcast_2000x2000.png?t=1782487606 The Playbook Podcast from Agency Focus https://playbook.agencyfocus.xyz/ false episodic Agency Focus The Playbook is the podcast for agency owners who are done winging it. Every week, host Bart Mroz sits down with operators, founders, and growth experts to talk about what actually moves the needle — client acquisition, business development, and building an agency that scales without burning you out. Bart knows the game firsthand. He spent 13 years building SUMO Heavy Industries from scratch before it was acquired in 2023 and now works as a fractional growth partner for agencies doing $1M–$10M. He's made the mistakes, figured out what works, and brings co-hosts and guests who have, too.

]]> Agency Focus thisis@agencyfocus.xyz Thu, 02 Jul 2026 19:28:21 +0000 Thu, 02 Jul 2026 20:08:25 +0000 beehiiv Everyone Does ABM Wrong — And We Built Something About It w/ John Suder & Bart Mroz https://playbook.agencyfocus.xyz/podcast/s/the_playbook_podcast_from_agency_focus/everyone_does_abm_wrong_and_we_built_something_about_it_w_john_suder_bart_mroz Discover why traditional ABM often falls short for founder-led agencies and how a shift in strategy and tools can unlock deeper client relationships and more efficient growth. This episode explores a revolutionary approach to revenue intelligence that ... Thu, 02 Jul 2026 19:28:21 +0000 920 Agency Focus false full 10 1 Discover why traditional ABM often falls short for founder-led agencies and how a shift in strategy and tools can unlock deeper client relationships and more efficient growth. This episode explores a revolutionary approach to revenue intelligence that puts founders in control. In this episode:

  • The misconception that ABM is just a marketing tactic and why it damages agency growth

  • Why most agencies are using someone else's playbook designed for enterprise teams

  • The importance of deeply understanding your target accounts rather than relying on surface-level data

  • How "RedString," a new revenue intelligence platform, connects account data and signals for smarter outreach

  • The concept of ABM as an intelligence operation rather than volume marketing

  • The role of "lapse radar" in re-engaging past prospects and dormant relationships

  • The advantage of deep, targeted outreach over broad, shallow campaigns

  • How a single founder with the right insights can outperform a large, disjointed sales team

  • Why the constraint is often a strategic weakness, not a resource shortage

  • Practical steps to implement smarter, system-driven ABM

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction: Rethinking ABM for founder-led agencies

01:10 - The problem with treating ABM as a marketing tactic

02:41 - Why traditional ABM advice doesn't work for small agencies

03:08 - The strategic constraint: focusing deeply on 20 accounts

04:44 - Introduction to RedString: Revenue intelligence layer

05:53 - How RedString connects account data for smarter outreach

06:23 - Building account profiles: scoring and signals

07:30 - The importance of high-quality research for effective ABM

08:29 - Automating cadence follow-ups with RedString

09:17 - The founder’s morning with RedString: pipeline overview and prioritization

10:11 - The lapse radar: reactivating dormant relationships

12:23 - Relationship intelligence for meetings and outreach

13:01 - Why deep relationships beat volume: the math behind it

14:51 - Common founder pitfalls and system adoption barriers

15:54 - How to explore RedString for your agency Resources & Links:

Connect with Bart and Agency Focus

LinkedIn (Bart Mroz)
LinkedIn (Agency Focus)

Twitter (Bart Mroz)

To see a demo or discuss your ABM strategy, contact Bart or the team at RedString via email through redstringapp.xyz. Subscribe to the weekly newsletter for updates and early access: playbook.agencyfocus.xyz

]]> The QBR Isn't a Meeting. It's a Confession w/ John Suder & Bart Mroz https://playbook.agencyfocus.xyz/podcast/s/the_playbook_podcast_from_agency_focus/the_qbr_isn_t_a_meeting_it_s_a_confession_w_john_suder_bart_mroz Why QBRs Fail Agencies (and What to Do Instead): Build a Team Listening System John Suder and co-host Bart Mroz argue that the traditional quarterly business review (QBR) is “a confession” that an agency hasn’t been paying attention during the 89 days ... Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:07:59 +0000 1003 Agency Focus false full 9 1 Why QBRs Fail Agencies (and What to Do Instead): Build a Team Listening System

John Suder and co-host Bart Mroz argue that the traditional quarterly business review (QBR) is “a confession” that an agency hasn’t been paying attention during the 89 days before the meeting. 

They compare agencies to the hospitality model in Will Guidara’s Unreasonable Hospitality, emphasizing that standout moments arise from a system in which everyone listens continuously—not just account leads or founders. 

Bart describes a “democracy problem” in which signals die out because team members assume that noticing and flagging issues isn’t their job. The fix: define which signals to watch for (e.g., scope creep, new initiatives, frustration) and create a frictionless way to capture them (e.g., a Slack channel or a project tool field). 

They recommend killing the slide deck by using live dashboards and replacing QBRs with monthly working sessions focused on making real decisions, keeping quarterly check-ins optional.

00:00 Why QBRs Feel Pointless

00:57 The QBR Is a Confession

02:10 Too Late With the Deck

03:03 Agencies Are Hospitality

05:06 Build a Listening System

06:34 The Democracy Problem

07:35 Signals and Frictionless Sharing

09:44 Replace QBRs With Decisions

12:04 Vendor vs Partner Calls

13:45 Why Agencies Keep QBRs

15:17 Real Attention Every Day

15:42 Wrap Up and Where to Read

The Agency Focus Playbook Newsletter
https://playbook.agencyfocus.xyz/

Will Guidara's book Unreasonable Hospitality 


]]> The Real AI Threat Isn't to Your Agency — It's to Your Clients w/ John Suder & Bart Mroz https://playbook.agencyfocus.xyz/podcast/s/the_playbook_podcast_from_agency_focus/the_real_ai_threat_isn_t_to_your_agency_it_s_to_your_clients_w_john_suder_bart_mroz John Suder and co-host Bart Mroz argue that asking “Which jobs will AI take?” is the wrong question because task-based “exposure to AI” models fail to predict real outcomes. Citing Benedict Evans, they note that despite decades of automation tools, the... Thu, 18 Jun 2026 19:17:00 +0000 564 Agency Focus false full 8 1 John Suder and co-host Bart Mroz argue that asking “Which jobs will AI take?” is the wrong question because task-based “exposure to AI” models fail to predict real outcomes.

Citing Benedict Evans, they note that despite decades of automation tools, the number of accountants rose while journalism jobs declined, largely because the internet destroyed the revenue model (classified ads), not because software replaced the work. They warn that agencies face two distinct AI risks: clients may think AI can replicate agency outputs, but the bigger threat is AI damaging clients’ business models, shrinking budgets, and cutting outside spend. 

Bart proposes a test—imagine top clients’ revenue halved and identify what gets cut first—and advises founders to have curious, non-alarmed conversations to become strategic partners rather than production vendors.

00:00 Wrong Question About AI

00:24 Exposure Model Fails

01:13 Accounting Automation Myth

02:02 Journalism Business Model

02:52 Uber and Surprise Disruption

03:17 AI and Agency Task Trap

03:40 Two Risks for Agencies

04:10 Judgment Over Output

05:18 Client Business Model Risk

06:08 Top Three Clients Test

07:05 How to Talk to Clients

08:00 Be Strategic Partner

08:32 Wrap Up and Takeaways

08:59 Closing and Credits

Bart Mroz’s Linkedin Post: ​​https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7467907694125858816/

The Agency Focus Playbook Newsletter
https://playbook.agencyfocus.xyz/


]]> The One-Sentence Client Test: Are You Selling Outcomes or Activity? w/ John Suder & Bart Mroz https://playbook.agencyfocus.xyz/podcast/s/the_playbook_podcast_from_agency_focus/the_one-sentence_client_test_are_you_selling_outcomes_or_activity_w_john_suder_bart_mroz John Suder and Bart Mroz challenge agency owners to audit their client roster by writing, in one sentence with a number, the measurable outcome each client is paying for; if it takes a paragraph, the agency is selling activity instead of results. They ... Fri, 12 Jun 2026 15:45:44 +0000 686 Agency Focus false full 7 1 John Suder and Bart Mroz challenge agency owners to audit their client roster by writing, in one sentence with a number, the measurable outcome each client is paying for; if it takes a paragraph, the agency is selling activity instead of results. 

They explain why agencies drift into activity-based retainers—activity feels safer than outcomes, scope creep (“death by yes”), and reporting that rewards task volume, leading to commodity pricing pressure. 

They argue outcome clarity creates pricing power, retention, and team focus, emphasizing that clients “don’t fire results, they fire ambiguity.” 

They offer a practical playbook: do a roster audit, sort clients into three buckets (clear outcome on track, clear outcome off track, no clear outcome), and protect, fix, or reset accordingly, using CFO-worthy metrics like pipeline, conversion rate, CAC, or retention, and adding the outcome question to the sales process.

00:00 One Sentence Outcome Test

00:48 Why Paragraphs Fail

02:21 How Agencies Drift

04:07 Commodity Trap Warning

04:53 Outcome Selling Upside

06:36 Accountable, Not Guaranteed

07:33 Roster Audit Playbook

07:58 Three Buckets Triage

09:06 Pick the Right Metric

09:51 Bake It Into Sales

10:56 Wrap Up and Next Steps

]]> This Isn't a Downturn, Stop Treating It Like One w/ John Suder & Bart Mroz https://playbook.agencyfocus.xyz/podcast/s/the_playbook_podcast_from_agency_focus/this_isn_t_a_downturn_stop_treating_it_like_one_w_john_suder_bart_mroz John Suder and co-host Bart Mroz discuss why agencies are calling the market “challenging,” arguing it’s more than a temporary downturn: structural shifts are reshaping the agency business. They explain how the past two decades of tailwinds—expanding i... Thu, 04 Jun 2026 20:18:50 +0000 1193 Agency Focus false full 6 1 John Suder and co-host Bart Mroz discuss why agencies are calling the market “challenging,” arguing it’s more than a temporary downturn: structural shifts are reshaping the agency business. They explain how the past two decades of tailwinds—expanding internet budgets, new channels, and less-savvy clients—made generalist positioning, referral-driven growth, and hiring ahead of revenue work, but those conditions no longer apply. They point to three forces hitting at once: AI compressing the value of execution, a choppy economy that delays decisions and breaks pipeline math, and political/regulatory instability that makes clients conservative with discretionary spending.
They argue that agencies can survive by getting smaller and sharper on purpose, focusing on fewer, better clients, tightening positioning, evolving pricing and packaging, and selling judgment and strategy rather than commoditized execution.

00:00 Downturn Cold Open
00:32 Challenging Market Defined
02:13 Tailwinds Are Gone
04:18 Three Forces Collide
07:31 Old Model Survival
08:41 Broken Downturn Playbook
11:08 New Playbook Moves
14:33 Sell Judgment Not Output
17:48 AI Velocity Opportunity
19:48 Newsletter And Share
20:50 Market Feels Challenging
22:13 How We Got Here
23:46 Tailwinds Are Gone
24:35 Three Forces Collide
27:49 Old Model Can Survive
28:54 Downturn Playbook Fails
11:08 New Playbook Focus
34:51 Sell Judgment Not Output
38:06 Builders Plus Velocity
40:05 Final Takeaways

Links:
- The Playbook newsletter: https://playbook.agencyfocus.xyz
- Full article: "This Isn't a Downturn. Stop Treating It Like One."
https://playbook.agencyfocus.xyz/p/this-isn-t-a-downturn-stop-treating-it-like-one

]]> The Three Buckets Strategy: Unlocking Revenue Growth for Agencies w/ John Suder & Bart Mroz https://playbook.agencyfocus.xyz/podcast/s/the_playbook_podcast_from_agency_focus/the_three_buckets_strategy_unlocking_revenue_growth_for_agencies_w_john_suder_bart_mroz John Suder and Bart Mroz of Agency Focus discuss why flat or slow-growing agencies often misdiagnose their problem as “needing more clients,” then outline Bart’s framework of three leaky revenue buckets: new money (net new logos), current money (growin... Fri, 08 May 2026 12:15:00 +0000 1627 Agency Focus false full 5 1 John Suder and Bart Mroz of Agency Focus discuss why flat or slow-growing agencies often misdiagnose their problem as “needing more clients,” then outline Bart’s framework of three leaky revenue buckets: new money (net new logos), current money (growing existing accounts), and old money (re-engaging past clients and contacts). 

They argue that most agencies focus only on new money, even though relationship-based selling takes months, while current money requires proactive account growth through weekly client conversations, research, and solutioning rather than order-taking. 

For old money, they emphasize genuine, contextual outreach based on research and personal relationship details, avoiding generic “touch base” messages and logo swag. 

They attribute plateaus to founders wearing too many hats, complacency, and overreliance on referrals, and recommend starting with current money, then old money, then new money, with playbooks for each driven by research, care, and consistent outreach.

]]> Consulting and Consolidation: The Business of Agencies in 2026 https://playbook.agencyfocus.xyz/podcast/s/the_playbook_podcast_from_agency_focus/consulting_and_consolidation_the_business_of_agencies_in_2026 At the Agency Hackers Conference in Miami, Bart Mroz interviews Steve Guberman of Agency Outsight about the agency landscape heading into 2026. Steve says Q1 showed renewed contract activity and more normal sales cycles, though uncertainty around wars,... Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 1258 Agency Focus false full 4 1 At the Agency Hackers Conference in Miami, Bart Mroz interviews Steve Guberman of Agency Outsight about the agency landscape heading into 2026.

Steve says Q1 showed renewed contract activity and more normal sales cycles, though uncertainty around wars, governments, and AI is creating anxiety.

He predicts major agency consolidation after a COVID-era surge of new agencies that largely didn’t survive. Steve explains his work coaching agency owners (roughly $1M–$10M+) on balance, leadership, operations, and M&A readiness, emphasizing goals tailored to founders rather than “copycat goals.”

Steve outlines what strong agencies look like—low client concentration, tight vertical niches, strong SOPs, and owners out of day-to-day operations—and describes four stages of AI adoption, urging agencies to progress from internal efficiency to selling AI solutions.

They also discuss international expansion into the U.S. and outsourcing/nearshoring trends in Eastern Europe, India, and South America.

00:00 Intro/Ad

00:59 Meet Steve Guberman

01:25 Agency Hackers Event Banter 

02:11 Agency Outlook 2026

03:43 Post-Covid Agency Shakeout

05:45 Lifestyle Business Debate

07:27 Early Hustles and Lessons

08:19 Agency Outside Consulting Focus

09:39 What Great Agencies Do

10:34 AI Adoption Stages

11:09 AI Adoption Levels

11:31 Selling AI Solutions

12:35 Why Niche Agencies Win

14:02 Saying No Strategically

14:48 Advising Without Forcing

16:10 Cross-Border Agency Work

18:48 Outsourcing Regions' Trends

20:17 Culture Management Offshore

20:58 Miami Wrap-Up


]]> The Future of Agencies: Hyper Niche and AI Impact w/ Carl Smith of The Bureau https://playbook.agencyfocus.xyz/podcast/s/the_playbook_podcast_from_agency_focus/the_future_of_agencies_hyper_niche_and_ai_impact_w_carl_smith_of_the_bureau At a Bureau event in Austin, Bart Mroz (Agency Focus) interviews Carl Smith (The Bureau) about where the agency industry is headed in 2026. Carl argues agencies are stuck chasing past “easy mode” and have become noisy generalists, while clients increas... Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 1404 Agency Focus false full 3 1 At a Bureau event in Austin, Bart Mroz (Agency Focus) interviews Carl Smith (The Bureau) about where the agency industry is headed in 2026. 

Carl argues agencies are stuck chasing past “easy mode” and have become noisy generalists, while clients increasingly tune out synthetic content and plan more agency reviews. He says agencies must shift from professional services vendors to “intelligence agencies” that bring unique insights, deep domain knowledge, and the confidence to challenge clients, building trust through real relationships and strong points of view. 

The conversation covers reducing agency size, hyper-niching, human-to-human business development, and the need to give teams space to think rather than optimize only for utilization and headcount growth. 

They also discuss shifting pricing models from hourly to blended, accountability-based retainers with performance components, and packaging unique institutional knowledge as a defensible advantage.

00:00 Meet Carl Smith

00:52 Bureau Community Growth

01:36 Agency Industry Stuck

03:31 From Service to Intelligence

04:26 Scared Money Projects

05:07 Partnership Over Vendor

08:27 Methodology and Hyper Niches

09:51 Human Connection Advantage

10:36 Relationships Beat Pipeline

11:27 AI Needs Real Relationships

12:04 Pipeline Reality Check

12:40 Unsticking Deals Fast

14:01 Face to Face Wins

15:20 Taste Judgment and Trust

16:43 Saying No to Survive

17:27 Smaller Shops Longer Retainers

19:20 Accountability Pricing Model

22:20 Packaging Unique Advantage

23:23 Final Takeaways and Goodbye

]]> The Evolution of Agencies: Tech, AI, and the Future of Work w/ Marty Ringlein of Agree.com https://playbook.agencyfocus.xyz/podcast/s/the_playbook_podcast_from_agency_focus/the_evolution_of_agencies_tech_ai_and_the_future_of_work_w_marty_ringlein_of_agree_com Marty Ringlein, CEO and co-founder of Agree.com ( https://Agree.com ) and a longtime designer/engineer and agency owner, discusses his agency, which launched in 2005–06 and was acquired by Twitter in 2012 to help Twitter go mobile-first; then a year at... Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:07:53 +0000 1287 Agency Focus false full 2 1 Marty Ringlein, CEO and co-founder of Agree.com and a longtime designer/engineer and agency owner, discusses his agency, which launched in 2005–06 and was acquired by Twitter in 2012 to help Twitter go mobile-first; then a year at Twitter; working as a Presidential Innovation Fellow in the Obama administration; and founding an Eventbrite competitor that was sold to Eventbrite in 2016. 

He reflects on how technological shifts (now AI) create both optimism and fear, arguing that humans still win on inventiveness, ingenuity, intuition, and empathy, while agencies should use AI to automate mundane back-office workflows and focus on relationships and creative judgment. 

He notes juniors must build real projects, clients, and portfolios early. Marty explains Agree.com as a contract-to-cash platform that consolidates contracts, e-signatures, invoicing, and payments to automate billing, reduce delays, and shorten the time from signed agreement to payment (median 36 hours).

]]> Craft and Care: Navigating AI and Relationships in Business w/ Adam Kurzawa of Infinium https://playbook.agencyfocus.xyz/podcast/s/the_playbook_podcast_from_agency_focus/craft_and_care_navigating_ai_and_relationships_in_business_w_adam_kurzawa_of_infinium Agency Focus is the podcast for agency owners who are done winging it. Every week, host Bart Mroz sits down with operators, founders, and growth experts to talk about what actually moves the needle — client acquisition, business development, and buildi... Thu, 02 Apr 2026 20:39:49 +0000 1069 Agency Focus false full 1 1 Agency Focus is the podcast for agency owners who are done winging it.

Every week, host Bart Mroz sits down with operators, founders, and growth experts to talk about what actually moves the needle — client acquisition, business development, and building an agency that scales without burning you out.

Bart knows the game firsthand. He spent 13 years building SUMO Heavy Industries from scratch before it was acquired in 2023 and now works as a fractional growth partner for agencies doing $1M–$10M. He's made the mistakes, figured out what works, and brings co-hosts and guests who have, too.

]]>