How to Turn Your Service into a Scalable Business ($10M+ AAR Agency Manager) | Lars Maehler

E24 - Our guest is Lars Maehler, currently working for the largest publicly listed communication company worldwide and formerly the General Manager of First Page Digital. Over a 5-year span, he helped the digital marketing agency 12x its revenue, expand from 19 to 86 team members, and boost the active client base by 400%. If you’re a one-person business, freelancer, coach, or consultant looking to start and grow, this conversation is perfect for you. We dive into how to start a service-based business, practical steps to sales, scalability, team building, and hiring. Whether you’re aiming to scale your service or just fine-tune your business, Lars provides insights on everything from product-market fit to sustainable team building. Expect to learn: - What most entrepreneurs get wrong about building a business around their skillset. - Which metrics truly matter at each stage of growth—especially for coaches and consultants. - How to tackle the challenges of scaling. - What to focus on and invest in at different stages of the business - Balancing growth and quality: when to hire, how to build a team, and preventing burnout. - Sustainable scaling strategies to help you maintain momentum and profitability, even as a one-person operation transitioning into a larger enterprise. If you’re planning—or in the midst of—building a business around your expertise, from simple offline services, freelancer services, through digital agency to high-ticket coaching, this episode is a must-listen! ➤ Are you an Entrepreneur feeling stuck in business, health, or relationships, or caught in endless loops? Let’s connect and find your way: https://calendly.com/onpathpod/unlock --- 0:00 Introduction 2:32 What most people get wrong about starting a business 5:32 Entrepreneurship vs Intrapreneurship 10:00 Challenges when you start your own service business 23:33 What’s next after the first few clients 25:43 When You need to hire someone 29:32 Metrics to obsess over 36:54 How to Unstuck Yourself 41:27 Team Management and Retention 44:22 What to Consider When Outsourcing 58:41 What are the Best investments at Different Stages of Business 1:05:09 Reframing Sales and Building up the CRM 1:16:02 Personal Deep Dive - Questions -- Get in touch in the comments below or… ➤ Follow Adam: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adam.haluska/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamhaluska/ ➤ Follow Max: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maximosgeorge_/ ➤ Follow Lars: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larsmaehler/ https://x.com/LarsMaehler