2025 Recap with Stephen & Shawn | Paid Ads, Producer Hires & Planning Chaos

In Episode 145 of the Scratch Agency Podcast, your hosts Stephen Turnbull and Shawn Fitzgerald sit down for a candid year-end recap of everything they learned (and survived) in 2025. From Google and Meta ads that actually worked to time-blocking around daycare pickups and scaling with producers — nothing is off the table in this behind-the-scenes breakdown of building two agencies and two families from scratch.They dig into what changed their processes, how the community meetup sparked real results, and why planning now for the agency you want to be is the key to sustainable growth.🔥 Whether you’re in your first year or building your next hire, this episode is packed with real talk, real data, and the mindset shifts that matter.🕒 Timestamps:00:00 – Intro: Surviving Winter & Fatherhood03:45 – Sound Harbor Recap: Rebrand & Paid Ads07:18 – Why Pre-Qualifying Leads Changed the Game11:30 – Systems, SOPs, and Sales Scripts That Stuck15:44 – Hiring: When You Stop Looking & They Show Up21:02 – Data-Driven Decisions & Doubling New Revenue26:20 – T5 Recap: Foundations, Family & Focus32:15 – Planning for Growth in 202638:00 – Community Event Wins & The Next One42:40 – Letters from Santa, Balance, and Big Picture🔧 Sponsored by HawkSoftExplore the agency management system trusted by independent agents nationwide:👉 https://www.hawksoft.com📲 Follow us on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thescratchagencypodcast🎧 Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/7hutxCZ5NUPqF5hRdC79Hl?si=33a6cfadba084957🔗 Join our Telegram Community:https://t.me/+cISob2kA3pAyMmY5🌐 Visit:https://scratchagencypodcast.com🎯 Thank you for tuning into The Scratch Agency Podcast. If this episode brought you value, drop a like, share it with another agent, and hit subscribe to stay in the loop. Own your future — we’ll see you next time.