Ep 42: What It Really Takes to Sell a Digital Agency (and Why Timing Is Everything), with Gene Sower

🎙️ Key Takeaways

• Gene started in e-commerce in the late '90s before transitioning to digital marketing.
• The book The E-Myth Revisited was a major turning point in shaping how he built his agency.
• Building an agency from scratch was chaotic; it felt real only once clients started relying on him.
• Early struggles included educating clients about why they needed websites and SEO.
• Gene leaned heavily on networking, including BNI and local chambers of commerce, to grow Samson Media.
• Remote teams were central from the beginning, with a preference for U.S.-based freelancers.
• Responsiveness and speed were critical success factors when hiring and managing teams.
• Test projects proved more reliable than interviews when hiring.
• Gene successfully sold Samson Media in 2021 and stayed on as a consultant for two years post-sale.
• A major selling point was recurring SEO revenue, not just one-off web projects.
• He now runs Fleur de Lis Consulting, helping other agency owners prepare their businesses for sale.

Check out Gene's website here:
https://flowerofthelily.com/

https://www.agencyuplift.co/email

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https://www.agencyuplift.co/sop (I saved $20K/mo using this system)