Agency Owner, Jon Tsourakis
Being an agency owner can be lonely.
It’s natural. We’re at the top and insulated. Our world consists of our employees, clients, vendors and the small, finite amount of time we get to spend with our friends and families.
Sure, it can be fun, exciting and rewarding. Hell, we wouldn’t do it otherwise. These are the highs.
But on the other hand, there are lows. And they get well, really low. In some cases, it seems you don’t have anyone to turn to. Sure, you may have a business coach, or you may be in a group like Vistage or EO (both of which are great groups), but do you have true peer to peer conversations to the point where someone understands your position not because they’ve had a similar problem— but rather they’ve had the exact same problem? And I’m talking more than just a run-in at a conference. I’m talking deep dive, let’s make a round table out of this topic, dig in and get real with one another.
It’s rare. Because it requires:
- An established group of people within the same industry at or near your same level (revenue, employees, experience, etc). It also has to be organized, managed and moderated.
- Trust. You have to trust the others with your secrets and of course, they have to trust you.
I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of a group like this. And if we want to get straight to results, the impact is 5x growth. Yeah- you read that right.
I can’t put my finger on just one thing other than the group. It’s been the only constant throughout the years. And I’m not sure exactly what about the group contributed. It’s a sum greater than all of its parts. Was it the yearly meetups? Was it the speakers? Was it the round table discussions with the other agency owners? Or how about the individual presentations we call bar camps? I think it’s a bit of each – so we’ll just say all of the above.
We call it a mastermind group. Unfortunately in the last 7 years, this name has been thrown around so much I dare say it’s bastardized. It seems everyone has a mastermind group. I’ve also noticed this has become profit centers for speakers and authors. And rightfully so. I’m a capitalist. But I’m also a marketer. I like purity or in other words as much value as possible.
So if you’re looking for a group, which I highly recommend that you do, find one that has a low number of members, but not too low. You want to aim for 30-50 members at a max. There’s a sweet spot there.
Too many, and it’s no fun. It’s like a conference that turns into high school. It can get cliquey.
Too little and there’s not enough differentiation. You don’t have enough differing points of view. It’ll become much like a focus group.
What should you expect to get from the group and the meetups?
1. Reenergized
Seriously. I’m not talking about yelling and screaming on stage. This isn’t a Tony Robbins event. But rather, obtaining deep insight into problems you have or have had for years where someone says, “Hey, this is how we solved this.” And the proverbial light bulb goes off and you’re blown away. And in some cases, this is a problem you didn’t even know you had or maybe you thought it was just the way things are.
So after the group meeting, when you go back to your company and your team – you’re pumped. It’s a reinvigoration for what you do and how you do it.
2. Relationships
Everything in this world is about this. If you’re reading this, you’re not a hermit. The ability to connect with other business owners that have been in your shoes is priceless. And the ability to speak with others that are in your shoes right now is equally rewarding.
I’ve learned so much from smaller agencies because they’re at a different stage. They’re scrappier and welcome risk on a level that a guy that’s been doing this for 15 years can’t fathom. The peer to peer to connections have a lasting impact. I’ve made lifelong friends and even a business partner out of people I’ve met in the group.
3. Education
Discovering what you didn’t even know you didn’t know is one of life’s joys. And you get this from interacting with industry experts and peers. You should walk away saturated with ways to change your business for the better.
Further, you should share what you know. You’re a subject matter expert. People want to learn from you. What better environment to take some kernel that you know and share it with a group of others.
So as you can tell, I highly recommend joining a group of other agencies.
There are other agency focused groups out there, but I can’t recommend any other than the Digital Mastermind Group. It’s the only one I’ve been a member of.
We meet at least once per year. We have about 40 agency owners that show up to our events. We lock it at that number because as I mentioned because we like the intimacy.Currently, we have a few slots for our next summit and we’re inviting interested agency owners to apply.
If you fit within the following:
- You’re an agency owner or principal.
- You’ve been in business for at least 3 years.
- You have at least 5 full-time employees (our members range from 5 to 500+ employees)
I’d love to hear from you. Please send me an email at jon.tsourakis@digitalmastermind.com.
Thank you for your attention.
Jon Tsourakis
