In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes speaks with Ross Brown, founder of Flex Ops and former managing director of a fast-scaling influencer marketing agency. Ross shares lessons from helping agencies scale past early growth hurdles, revealing how fear, overcommitment, and lack of clarity often keep owners stuck below the $1 million mark. Together, they explore the emotional and operational challenges of niching down, letting go of difficult clients, and building consistent business development practices. Ross also reflects on his own journey into consulting and the mindset shift required to build a business that supports your personal goals.

Key Points From This Episode:

[00:00:00] Ross's early experience growing an agency from 3 to 40 people.

[00:02:49] Foundational reasons behind rapid agency growth.

[00:04:48] Why staying in your lane gave them a competitive edge.

[00:05:14] What prevents agencies from niching down.

[00:06:14] Fear of missing out vs. long-term growth strategy.

[00:07:45] How founders often unknowingly stall their own growth.

[00:10:12] The courage it takes to ask for help as an agency owner.

[00:11:53] The emotional attachment that stops owners from letting go of problem clients

[00:14:35] Typical signs that it’s time to drop unfit clients.

[00:17:00] The dangers of inconsistent business development.

[00:18:26] Contradictions between stated goals and behavior.

[00:20:59] Why BD must happen even when your pipeline is full.

[00:22:56] Creating deal flow that enables long-term client filtering.

[00:23:40] Why closing key clients can take years.

[00:26:38] The long-term mindset required to build client relationships.

[00:27:29] Can an agency ever be truly passive?

[00:28:52] Why many owners don’t actually know what they want.

[00:31:09] How lack of direction shows up in daily operations.

[00:32:14] What Flex Ops looks like today and Ross’s motivation behind it.

[00:35:46] Why Ross intentionally stays lean and focused.

[00:38:46] Long-term ambition to eventually run another agency.

[00:40:59] The single biggest blocker to scaling past $1M.

[00:43:19] Owners who succeed tend to take full responsibility.

[00:43:34] Ross’s book recommendations:

[00:46:27] Where to learn more about Ross and Flex Ops.

Links:

• Ross Brown on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rnabrown/?originalSubdomain=ie
• Flex Ops: http://flexops.co/
• Karl Hughes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karllhughes
• Production and editing by The Podcast Consultant: https://thepodcastconsultant.com