Erik J. Olson on Why Most Agencies Plateau and How to Build One That Grows Predictably

The Digital Agency Growth Podcast

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10d ago 1:03:44

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How do you grow a digital agency without getting stuck in feast-or-famine cycles or boxed in by a single niche?

In this episode of The Digital Agency Growth Podcast, Dan Englander sits down with Erik J. Olson, CEO of Proxa and the force behind three specialized agencies under one umbrella. Erik walks us through his unconventional journey from civil engineering to coding in bookstores to building a portfolio of agencies with one goal: a $100M private equity exit.

You’ll learn:

Why Erik spun off agencies instead of pivoting one
How to identify “hall of fame” clients without over-complicating the data
What it really takes to hire (and keep) a performing salesperson
How AI is standardizing execution and what agency leaders should focus on instead
Why niching isn’t risky, avoiding it is

We also dig into Erik’s sales frameworks, lessons from failed hires, and what it means to evolve from entrepreneur to operator.

Learn more about The Digitial Agency Growth Podcast at https://www.salesschema.com/podcast/ and our Video training at http://salesschema.com/takecharge

CONNECT WITH ERIK J. OLSON:

Array Digital

Rival Digital

Crush Digital

CONNECT WITH DAN ENGLANDER:

Sales Schema

Chapters

1. Erik J. Olson on Why Most Agencies Plateau and How to Build One That Grows Predictably (00:00:00)

2. Meet Erik J. Olson: Entrepreneur & Agency Builder (00:01:54)

3. From Civil Engineer to Coding at Barnes & Noble (00:03:54)

4. The Marketing Pivot That Changed Everything (00:06:54)

5. How Erik Identified His Ideal Niches (00:08:54)

6. Why He Was Scared to Niche Array Digital (00:11:54)

7. The Birth of Rival Digital: Niching by Spinoff (00:13:54)

8. Client Reactions to Niching: What Actually Happened (00:16:24)

9. Managing Multiple Agencies with President Roles (00:17:54)

10. Diversifying Niches: Strategy or Excuse? (00:20:54)

11. Sales Systems: What Works, What Doesn’t (00:23:54)

12. Why “Funnels & Cold Emails” Are Mostly a Waste (00:29:23)

13. Podcasting as the Ultimate Biz Dev Engine (00:31:23)

14. Hiring Salespeople: Inputs, KPIs, and Avoiding Bad Fits (00:35:23)

15. Cold Calling vs Warm Outreach: Where AI Fits In (00:41:23)

16. Why Branding and Messaging Will Survive AI (00:48:23)

17. Going Beyond Tactics: Think Like an Operator (00:55:23)

18. The “Entrepreneur Addiction” vs Business Sustainability (01:01:23)

19. Where to Follow Erik Online (01:03:23)

261 episodes

#Business #Marketing #Dan Englander #Business Scaling