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PODCAST · business

Agency Icons

by Eli Rubel

Agency Icons brings you inside conversations with successful agency founders who've built profitable businesses without sacrificing the lifestyle freedom that drew them to entrepreneurship in the first place.You'll discover actionable insights on balancing profit, stability, and growth, plus the hard-won wisdom that only comes from years building agencies in the trenches. From profitability unlocks and client acquisition strategies to personal motivations and lifestyle design, these candid conversations deliver the proven frameworks you need to build both a successful business and the life you actually want.Host and agency veteran Eli Rubel interviews founders of marketing, creative, recruiting, and PR agencies who've scaled their agencies while maintaining intentional work-life integration. Each episode dives deep into the strategies, mindsets, and frameworks that separate thriving agencies from those just getting by.Whether you're launching your first agency, scaling to new height

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Episodes

  1. Lacework Director of Digital Marketing on Orchestrating and Implementing High-Quality Lead-Opportunity Handoffs to Drive Efficiency and Growth.

    Podcast Summary In this conversation with Simon Chuang, Director of Digital Marketing at Lacework, he talks about orchestrating and implementing high-quality lead-opportunity handoffs to drive efficiency and growth. Today, you’ll hear about Lacework’s process and execution, their lead opportunity...

  2. Metadata Head of Brand and Product Marketing on Use-Case and Persona Specific Sequences

    Podcast Summary In this conversation with Mark Huber, Head of Brand and Product Marketing at Metadata, he talks about use-case and persona-specific sequences. Today, you’ll hear about moving from generic to persona-specific sequences, how the results have changed over time, an exciting future...

  3. Gated CEO on creating seamless on-boarding experiences

    Podcast Summary In this conversation with Andy Mowat, Co-Founder of Gated, he talks about Gated’s demand efficiency levers. Today, you’ll hear about his approach to demand efficiency, the custom Chrome extension that they built, focusing on all the surfaces and experiences, and driving…

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  4. Dan Frohnen on channel mix, tracking, and structuring teams for success

    Podcast Summary In this conversation with Dan Frohnen, CMO at PicnicHealth, talks about Channel Mix. Today, you’ll hear about PicnicHealth’s channel mix, Dan’s approach to channel diversification, choosing when to invest in new channels, keeping teams organized and productive, and the most common...

  5. 6Sense CMO and GTM Champion Uses Flawless ABM and Lead Management Programs to Drive ROI

    In this conversation with Latané Conant, CMO at 6sense, she talks about doing account-based marketing right. Today, you’ll hear about making demand centers more efficient, team structures at 6sense, ensuring an accurate source of truth, Latané’s most-used platforms, and the importance of saying...

  6. Checkr VP of Marketing Uses Experimentation and Hypothesis-Driven Testing to Benchmark Regularly and Drive Demand Efficiency

    Podcast In this conversation with Prachi Gore, VP of Marketing at Checkr, Inc, she talks about marketing and experimentation. Today, you’ll hear about Checkr’s lifecycle marketing, experimentation, how Checkr is set up for success, knowledge sharing, and some exciting areas of opportunity for the...

  7. Mutiny Head of Marketing Uses Revenue Orchestration To Transform Buyer Signals Into Buying Decisions

    Podcast Summary In this conversation with Ryan Narod, Head of Marketing at Mutiny, he talks about revenue orchestration. Today, you’ll hear about the strategies and tactics Ryan has used, orchestrating team structures, keeping the teams in sync, running regular experiments, approaching…

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  8. UserGems Director of Demand Generation Leverages Universal Messaging Frameworks To Drive Demand To The Entire Buying Committee

    Podcast Summary In this conversation with Isaac Ware, Director of Demand Generation at UserGems, he talks about messaging. Today, you’ll hear about how UserGems prioritizes messaging, the transition into data-driven messaging, testing the evolution of their messaging, and Isaac’s three most...

  9. Superhuman Head Of Marketing Explains Why Customer Focus Plays Integral Role In Marketing

    Podcast Summary In this conversation with Seiyonne Suriyakumar, Head of Marketing at Superhuman, he talks about customer focus and growth. Today, you’ll hear about how Superhuman has operationalized customer focus, shifting to remote-first, their growth mechanisms, and the common things that...

  10. Former CMO of SalesLoft and Seasoned Industry Advisor Details The Sophisticated Ad Programs That Drive Demand Efficiency

    Podcast Summary In this conversation with Sydney Sloan, Executive-in-Residence at Scale Venture Partners, she talks about ad program sophistication. Today, you’ll hear about stage-appropriate sophistication, leveraging technology and tools, some of the most common timing mistakes, and the impacts...

  11. Webflow CMO Aligns Massive Marketing And Sales Teams To Drive Full-Funnel Performance

    Podcast Summary In this conversation with Shane Murphy-Reuter, CMO at Webflow, he talks about sales and marketing alignment. Today, you’ll hear about how Shane drives sales and marketing alignment, their campaign briefings, the importance of obsessing over little details, and the demand…

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  12. Box CMO Uses Sales Enablement and Flawless Nurture Programs As The Levers To Reduce Cost To Acquire

    Podcast Summary In this conversation with Chris Koehler, CMO at Box, he talks about the sales and nurture programs at Box. Today, you’ll hear about Chris’s early priorities, how the teams at Box have been organized, applying Box’s learnings at product-led organizations, and how Chris stack ranks...

  13. Unpacking Demand Efficiency: The North Star Metric to Reduce CAC

    Podcast Summary In this conversation with Eli Rubel, CEO at Matter Made, he talks about the rebranding of the Best in Saas Podcast to Demand Efficiency. Today, you’ll hear about the podcast’s new direction and focus. With over 15 years of marketing experience, Eli has served as a marketing…

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  14. Matt Young, CEO of UserVoice on the aha moments of the customer journey to solve pain points

    In this conversation with Matt Young, CEO at UserVoice, he talks about retention and product. Today, you’ll hear about finding the a-ha moment, the customer journey, Matt’s top of mind thoughts around retention and product, the greater noise-to-signal in the industry today, the main problems Matt...

  15. The emergence of Chief Growth Officers with Will Hicklen of EasyWorkforce

    In this conversation with Will Hicklen, Chief Growth Officer of EasyWorkForce, he talks about growth. Today, you’ll hear about the evolving Chief Growth Officer role, Will’s key principles, things that get Will excited about EasyWorkForce, emerging people marketplaces, and the ways that Will…

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  16. Andrew Hahn breaks down some of the most common misconceptions in scaling high-performing sales orgs

    In this conversation with Andrew Hahn, Advisor at Savor Lining, he talks about growth, marketing, and sales. Hear about Andrew’s thoughts on the marriage of sales and marketing, his sales methodology, the most common cracks in sales, and failures that lead to growth. Episode Outline [01:03]...

  17. Kevin Marasco, CMO of Zenefits on the applications and automation of PLG

    In this conversation with Kevin Marasco, CMO at Zenefits, he talks about growth and marketing. Hear about Zenefits’ pivot into a PLG motion, demand gen and organic channels, how Kevin shows up as his best self, and building a culture of experimentation. Episode Outline [01:39] The Zenefits…

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  18. Rashmi Gopinath, General Partner at B Capital Group on the current market and the rapid acceleration of digital marketing

    In this conversation with Rashmi Gopinath, General Partner at B Capital Group, she talks about enterprise software trends and industry benchmarks. Hear about some of the metrics that are dipping, the companies that are transitioning from traditional sales to a sales-assist motion, and how Rashmi...

  19. Box CMO, Chris Koehler, on generalists vs specialists, and the transition to hybrid marketing

    Episode Outline [01:26] Chris’s background [03:23] Thinking through customer journey [05:19] Chris’s tactical tool chest [07:35] What’s happening to events? [12:32] Shifting to sales-assist and PLG [15:56] Chris’s influential people [18:45] How does Chris keep his head clear? Connect with Chris...

  20. Chris Byers on using M&A as a strategic lever for growth

    Episode Outline [01:26] About Formstack [02:17] The first M&A [04:33] Four more times [07:14] Venture funding [11:00] Chris’s lessons learned [12:31] Chris’s influential people Connect with Chris LinkedIn Website

  21. Naman Khan, CMO of Zeplin, on his approach to building and scaling marketing orgs from the ground up

    Episode Outline [01:36] Naman’s background [04:53] Interesting use cases of Zeplin [07:11] Communicating Zeplin’s value [10:57] Building early revenue teams [15:54] Some unexpected challenges [18:16] Naman’s influential people [23:48] What does Naman do for fun? Naman’s Inspirations Yamini Rangan...

  22. Rich Taylor, VP of Operations and COS at Qualio, on approaching conversations, measuring success, and the fundamentals

    Episode Outline [01:21] Rich’s background [03:35] Lessons and strategies [05:34] Approaching conversations and measuring success [08:54] Grain [11:44] Testing and hiring [12:46] Interesting and new things that Rich wants to tinker with [16:53] Know your fundamentals [21:21] Rich’s influential...

  23. Former VP of Growth at Drift and Advisor to many, Guillaume “G” Cabane, on the mashup between Economic Market Dynamics and low-cost CAC strategies

    Episode Outline [01:09] G’s background [01:36] Mashup between Economic Market Dynamics and low-cost CAC strategies [07:00] G’s favorite examples of growth hacking [14:26] What questions should listeners ask themselves? [15:36] How does G stay sharp? [20:42] G’s influential people G’s Inspirations...

  24. Shane Murphy-Reuter, CMO of ZoomInfo, on the importance of setting your brand vision and the ‘Miley Moment’

    Episode Outline [01:42] The shift from single-market to multi-market [04:36] The Miley moment [10:50] Setting a brand vision well into the future [13:10] What keeps Shane up at night? [17:20] Shane’s inspiring people [18:59] How does Shane stay balanced? Shane’s Inspirations Mark Watts Jones…

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  25. Amy Guarino, VP of Ironclad, on shifting perspectives and advice to her younger self

    Episode Outline [01:26] Getting back to the new normal [05:33] Amy’s advice to her younger self [13:19] Shifting perspectives [16:00] How does Amy stay fresh? [20:43] Amy’s influential people Amy’s Inspirations Jen Tritz Eric Lee Tim Connors Connect with Amy LinkedIn Website

  26. Paramita Bhattacharya, CMO of Blurb, shares on leadership and lessons learned along the way

    Podcast Summary In this conversation with Paramita Bhattacharya, CMO of Blurb, she talks about her career roles at various organisations, being named one of the Top 40 Women Leaders in SaaS, and how she keeps herself sane outside of her work. Hear about how she prioritizes team building, how her...

  27. Randy Frisch, CMO at Uberflip on how and when to think about category creation

    Episode Outline [01:26] Getting into category creation [02:50] The Uberflip timeline [05:22] Content marketing in 2012 [10:10] Other category names in the running [13:23] The early list of must-have next steps [16:26] The Uberflip Experience [20:28] Looking to the future [24:19] Inspiring people...

  28. Sam Boonin, former VP Product Strategy at Zendesk on all things PLG and Product Marketing

    Episode Outline [01:50] Product marketing [04:33] Avoiding the product marketing pitfall [10:10] The quality of product marketing for trial-led sales assist companies [13:27] Sam’s advice for young companies [16:32] How does Sam maintain a life balance? [20:09] Inspiring people Sam’s Inspirations...

  29. New Relic CMO Seema Kumar unpacks the myths of developer marketing and other strategies for hyper scale

    Episode Outline [01:04] Seema’s story [07:30] Developer marketing [13:18] Seema’s tool box of strategies [16:18] Unpacking DE&I [20:29] Seema’s advice [22:17] How does Seema find her balance? Connect with Seema LinkedIn Twitter Website

  30. From $0-$80M ARR in 13 Months with Hopin CMO Anthony Kennada

    Episode Outline [01:25] Managing expectations [03:09] Hopin’s numbers [07:41] Capturing the opportunity [11:31] The challenges of fast, effective growth [14:07] Where is the market going? [18:10] Anthony’s health [22:08] How does Anthony unwind? [25:28] Inspiring people Anthony’s Inspirations…

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  31. Greg Strickland on how to be a good human, while hyper scaling in SaaS

    Episode Outline [01:04] How Greg got to where he is today [03:20] The CEO whisperer [05:51] Pivotal career moments [08:26] Recurring themes [11:25] Why some companies fail to implement [13:50] Greg’s frequent rants [17:09] Greg’s advice [20:10] How does Greg unwind? [21:44] Mentors and inspiring...

  32. Johanna Fagerstedt, CMO of Quinyx, shares thoughts on organizing a globally-distributed team for success amidst an uncertain climate

    Episode Outline [00:23] Johanna’s background [03:10] The perfect plan that had to change [04:36] Building conviction quickly while testing [05:44] Organizing a globally-distributed team for success [06:46] Approaching the bigger picture [13:45] Solidifying a plan and budget for 2021 with all the...

  33. Jennifer Dimas, CMO at Qumu Corporation and Co-founder of Women in Revenue on blending analytical and creative aspects of marketing

    Episode Outline [00:33] Women in Revenue [03:43] Blending the Analytical and Creative sides of marketing [07:16] Emphasising skillsets in the marketing mix [08:46] How has the marketing mix changed recently? [10:27] Running into challenges convincing executives [12:14] Changing cadences [15:12]...

  34. Chili Piper, Nicolas Vandenberghe on their GTM Strategy and building a durable remote culture

    Episode Outline [00:23] Nicolas’s background [06:26] Approaching go-to-market with Chili Piper and KosmoTime [10:42] Missteps and mistakes along the way [15:12] Being remote before remote was cool, and decision memos [22:46] The next big thing for Nicolas [25:46] Mentors and inspiring people...

  35. Chargebee CRO Adam Tesan and the Rise of RevOps

    Episode Outline [00:24] Catalyst for formalizing RevOps [02:41] Figuring out the need to prioritise RevOps [04:16] What does RevOps seem to you? (Clear your misunderstanding about RevOps) [05:28] A methodology to success! [10:10] When things don't go according to the plan…… [12:54] The tension...

  36. OneLogin CMO and Co-Founder of Women in Revenue, Dayna Rothman, on building teams and a Will Smith & DJ Jazzy Jeff reunion

    Episode Timeline: 1:07 What’s top of mind for Dayna today? 2:59 Has Dayna had to adapt her leadership style through this? 3:58 Significant changes that Dayna had to make 4:37 How Dayna manages Zoom fatigue right now 8:13 How Dayna’s leadership style has changed 14:33 Dayna’s favorite campaigns...

  37. Skilljar CEO and Co-Founder, Sandi Lin, on her evolution as a leader and lessons learned

    Episode outline: 00:34 What does Skilljar do? 01:56 How skills have evolved over time and how Sandi has evolved as an engineer leading a company as CEO 07:45 The moment Sandi decided to pull back and bring in leadership, sales and marketing 10:55 Can Sandi pack them to revenue or is it some other...

  38. Co-founder and Partner of PeakSpan Capital, Matt Melymuka on patterns of success growth and failures

    Episode Outline: 2:11 PeakSpan’s product market fit definition 3:50 Patterns of success growth and failures, on Matt’s perspective 7:50 Preferred industries based on how things play out 13:50 Talks about the whitespaces in tech or sales that is yet to see a company enter 16:33 Influences that...

  39. Carolina Kung of Frontline Ventures on accelerating the learning curve of early-stage founders and CEOs

    Episode outline [01:12] Introducing Carolina [03:10] The most common mistakes Carolina sees companies making across the portfolio and advice she gives her clients [06:16] The process for European companies that wish to expand into the United States [07:40] How Carolina prioritizes hiring and…

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  40. 6Sense CMO Latane Conant on earning the right to go big

    Episode outline [01:15] Latane’s background [02:44] How Latane decides when to share her ideas [05:37] “When you say yes to something, you say no to something else”: How Latane decides what to work on [08:53] “You have to earn the right to go big” [11:38] The importance of diversity and market...

  41. Kirti Dewan, VP of Marketing at BugSnag on the most successful campaigns this year and pivoting to online events

    Episode outline [01:18] Kirti’s background [01:45] How Kirti developed work-life balance [06:13] What Kirti learned from her consulting career and how she uses these lessons today [10:35] Good habits that will positively impact your work [12:32] How others respond to Kirti’s views on work-life...

  42. Sendoso CMO Daniel Frohnen on his team’s response to this year’s challenges and his advice for early stage companies.

    Episode outline [01:30] Daniel’s background [03:39] How Daniel started out at Sendoso and what attracted him to the company [04:50] How Sendoso adapted their business strategy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic [06:48] The three most effective ways Sendoso engaged their customers during the...

  43. What’s it like reporting to a board with Marc Andreessen and John Chambers in a board room? In this episode with Matt Singer, CMO at OpenGov, we talk about marketing GovTech, and the evolving revenue landscape post-covid.

    Episode outline [01:09] Matt Singer’s background [02:12] What it was like for Matt to transition to marketing to government and what makes it exciting [04:44] How Matt responds to change and the importance of building and tracking brand awareness [09:03] What it’s like to get to work with such...

  44. Kevin Dorsey on Scaling Sales with Missionaries not Mercenaries

    Kevin Dorsey, better known as KD is the VP of Inside Sales at Patient Pop inc. Kevin has built numerous teams from 0-150+ reps and revenues from 0-$750M (and counting). He’s a mentor and consultant for early, mid, and late-stage SaaS companies across the globe

  45. Impartner Software CMO Kerry Desberg talks us through her professional journey and identifying profitable markets

    Episode Outline [02:00] Kerry’s background [04:20] How Kerry has overcome challenges and made her company stand out [08:05] How Kerry pivoted during the COVID-19 pandemic [12:20] Kerry’s approach to changes in buyer behavior and identifying profitable markets [15:10] The importance of having a...

  46. Brian Kardon, the legendary valley CMO behind InVision, Eloqua, and Lattice shares his strategy for creating alignment between sales and marketing and building a balance between product-lead growth and traditional operations

    Episode Outline [00:25] Why you need to be familiar with Product Led Growth [03:00] How Brian organizes funnels at InVision [05:20] The importance of harmonizing messaging in improving the user experience [06:00] How to create a culture of revenue [12:50] Brian’s thoughts on unification of sales...

  47. Bootstrapping to $20M ARR and beyond with Vivek Bhaskaran

    Episode Outline [00:44] How and why Vivek founded QuestionPro with no venture capital [03:59] Vivek’s decision making factors when it comes to his company [07:40] How Vivek succeeded in secondary markets and made the decision to pursue them [10:05] How to identify when an investment is paying off...

  48. From Microsoft leadership to startuplandia with Romi Mahajan

    Episode Outline [00:50] Romi’s shift from Microsoft to the startup space [02:04] The transferable skills Romi gained from Microsoft and what he had to learn and unlearn [04:23] Where Romi is at in his current company [06:20] Why Romi’s company split off from their parent company to become an...

  49. Huckabuy Founder & CEO Geoff Atkinson on how we accomplished exponential growth at Overstock and what he’s up to with Huckabuy

    Episode Outline [00:45] Geoff’s background [02:30] How Geoff grew SEO from zero to $300 million at Overstock.com [04:18] The series of pivots that led to the idea for Huckabuy [06:38] How to know when you have product/market fit and are ready to expand [07:55] Mistakes Geoff made in his career…

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  50. Cracking Hubspot’s Playbook for Emerging Markets with Paul Rios

    Episode Outline [01:22] The importance of manufacturing your own luck [07:25] How leaders can ramp and grow teams [12:25] The state of LATAM for Hubspot today [14:50] How companies can expand into emerging markets and what mistakes to avoid [24:05] Paul’s inspirations Paul’s Inspirations Brian...

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

Agency Icons brings you inside conversations with successful agency founders who've built profitable businesses without sacrificing the lifestyle freedom that drew them to entrepreneurship in the first place.You'll discover actionable insights on balancing profit, stability, and growth, plus the hard-won wisdom that only comes from years building agencies in the trenches. From profitability unlocks and client acquisition strategies to personal motivations and lifestyle design, these candid conversations deliver the proven frameworks you need to build both a successful business and the life you actually want.Host and agency veteran Eli Rubel interviews founders of marketing, creative, recruiting, and PR agencies who've scaled their agencies while maintaining intentional work-life integration. Each episode dives deep into the strategies, mindsets, and frameworks that separate thriving agencies from those just getting by.Whether you're launching your first agency, scaling to new height

HOSTED BY

Eli Rubel

CATEGORIES

business

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Agency Icons have?

Agency Icons currently has 91 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Agency Icons about?

Agency Icons brings you inside conversations with successful agency founders who've built profitable businesses without sacrificing the lifestyle freedom that drew them to entrepreneurship in the first place.You'll discover actionable insights on balancing profit, stability, and growth, plus the...

How often does Agency Icons release new episodes?

Agency Icons has 91 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to Agency Icons?

You can listen to Agency Icons on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts Agency Icons?

Agency Icons is created and hosted by Eli Rubel.
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