EP 77: Agency vs in house: When to hire, when to fire

The agency vs in-house debate has burned more brands than it has built.In this episode, Jimmy Kim and Chase Dimond break down the real decision framework behind one of the most loaded questions retention marketers, founders, and execs ask: should you hire an agency or build the team in-house? They get into when an agency actually makes sense, what you should never outsource, the hybrid model that works at scale, and the red flags that mean it's time to part ways.EP 77: Agency vs in house: when to hire, when to fireHere's what we're diving into:- What agencies are actually good at (and what they aren't)- The revenue threshold for hiring in-house vs outsourcing- Why strategy, customer insight, and brand voice should never leave the building- The hybrid model that works: in-house owns strategy, agency owns execution- When a project-based engagement beats a retainer- The five red flags that mean it's time to fire your agency- A four-question framework for making the call yourselfThank you our friends at Omnisend, Inboox and eCom Email Certified for sponsoring the podcast!Omnisend is an all in one eCommerce email and SMS marketing automation platform that enables marketers to engage customers and drive sales through personalized experiences. https://www.omnisend.com/sendit/eCom Email Certified is a hands-on, results-driven program with a step-by-step guide to mastering retention marketing and driving serious results. Access over 25 hours of learnings and become a certified email & SMS marketer. Use code: SENDIT! for $300 OFF https://www.ecomemailcertified.com/Explore Inboox.ai, the AI-powered database of 1M+ real ecommerce emails with full HTML, performance data, and trend insights from the fastest-growing Shopify brands. https://inboox.ai/______00:00 Welcome to the show02:15 What agencies are actually good at (and where they fall short)06:03 The case for hiring an agency08:43 Using an agency for one-off projects10:30 What you should never outsource13:18 Protecting your brand voice15:21 The hybrid model that actually works18:21 Red flags that mean it's time to fire them23:44 The gatekeeping knowledge problem24:24 A four-question framework to make the call27:09 Recap and final takeaways______Enjoying the pod? Subscribe to The eCom Email Marketer Newsletter for your weekly dose of retention strategy, actionable insights, & exclusive industry news! http://ecomemailmarketer.com/______Follow Jimmy & Chase on social!Follow Jimmy Kim at:https://x.com/yojimmykimhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/yojimmykim/https://www.instagram.com/yojimmykim/https://www.tiktok.com/@yojimmykim Follow Chase Dimond at:https://x.com/ecomchasedimondhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/chasedimond/https://www.instagram.com/chasehunterdimond/https://www.tiktok.com/@chasehunterdimondContact us at [email protected] for sponsorships, appearance requests, interviews, or general information!