Most agency founders have been charging the same rates since 2021. You've given your team raises. Your costs have gone up. The economy has shifted. But your pricing? Still stuck at that number you picked three years ago based on vibes and what you saw other agencies charging.

Today, we're handing you the formula to stop pricing emotionally and start pricing strategically. We break down the 2x multiplier that creates your absolute floor, the 10x principle that unlocks your ceiling, and the three consecutive yeses that signal you're leaving money on the table.

If you've ever wondered...

1. How to price confidently without just guessing what the market will bear
2. When it's time to raise your rates (and by how much)
3. Why you keep saying yes to projects that drain you financially
4. What your pricing should actually be based on instead of competitor research

...this one's for you.

This episode is brought to you by:

Copilot | Get two months free with code DARLINGS at https://try.copilot.money/darlings

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Why Pricing Emotionally Is Costing You Money

(00:09:40) The Pricing Sweet Spot Formula: Your 2x Base Price

(00:26:13) How to Calculate Your Maximum Price (Outcomes Over Outputs)

(00:37:01) The Three Consecutive Yeses Rule

(00:45:25) When and How Often to Raise Your Rates

Want To Dive Deeper On These Topics?

• Apply to join our exclusive Agency Darlings Slack Community: agencydarlings.com/community

• Join our agency advice column: agencydarlings.myflodesk.com/signup

Connect with Melissa & Meredith:

• Waverly Ave: waverlyave.com

• Instagram: instagram.com/waverlyave.co

• Le Chéile: lecheile.co/contact

• Instagram: instagram.com/lecheile.co

How to actually enjoy the money your agency is making without guilt, chaos, or burnout. That's the conversation Melissa and Meredith are having today, darling—because too many successful founders are still living like freelancers.

You're hitting revenue goals. You're paying contractors, employees, covering taxes and expenses. But you're not paying yourself what you're worth. You're taking tiny distributions when cash flow is good and feeling guilty about everything in between. And if we're being honest? You wouldn't accept the job you have on paper—with that salary—from anyone else.

In this episode, we break down the founder treat rule, the profit threshold bonus system, and percentage-based strategies that remove the guilt from paying yourself. Because your joy matters. Your wellbeing matters. And your lifestyle matters just as much as your agency's bottom line.

If you've ever wondered...

• Why you're hitting all your revenue goals but your personal lifestyle hasn't changed

• How to pay yourself consistently without feeling guilty or putting the business at risk

• What baseline salary you should actually be taking as an agency founder

• When it's financially safe to take bonuses without accidentally putting yourself in the red next month

• How to create guilt-free spending that fuels your leadership instead of depleting it

...this one's for you.

This episode is brought to you by:

Copilot | Get two months free with code DARLINGS at https://try.copilot.money/darlings

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Why Founders Struggle to Pay Themselves What They're Worth

(00:03:15) The Founder Treat Rule: Recurring Guilt-Free Joy

(00:08:12) Stats That Prove Founder Compensation Drives Business Success

(00:09:11) Creating a Base Salary + Bonus Structure That Works

(00:14:00) The Profit Threshold Rule for Guilt-Free Distributions

(00:18:00) Percentage-Based Systems That Normalize Founder Pay

(00:21:00) Creating Your "Fun Account" and Treating Yourself Intentionally

(00:24:20) Why Your Joy Matters for Business Expansion

Want To Dive Deeper On These Topics?

• Apply to join our exclusive Agency Darlings Slack Community: agencydarlings.com/community

• Join our agency advice column: agencydarlings.myflodesk.com/signup

Connect with Melissa & Meredith:

• Waverly Ave: waverlyave.com

• Instagram: instagram.com/waverlyave.co

• Le Chéile: lecheile.co/contact

• Instagram: instagram.com/lecheile.co

Playing it safe got you here. But thinking small won't get you there. While most agency owners are planning incremental 20% growth, darling, we're challenging you to think exponentially bigger. Because your biggest year isn't going to come from optimizing what you're already doing. It's going to come from completely reimagining what's possible.

In this solo episode, Melissa and Meredith break down four research-backed strategies that outperforming companies use to achieve breakthrough growth. Not the "work harder" advice you'll find everywhere else. Not the "double down on what's working" conventional wisdom. This is about expanding your identity, taking bigger bets, and building the confidence flywheel that makes massive growth feel inevitable instead of impossible. We're talking about the 10x thinking model, identity expansion, strategic big bets, and the confidence flywheel that compounds your wins.

If you've ever wondered...

• Why incremental thinking keeps you stuck in the same revenue range year after year

• How to break free from the "safe option" mentality that's actually holding your agency back

• What it actually takes to make this your biggest year without burning out

• Why the version of you who runs a multi-million dollar agency makes completely different decisions

• How to build momentum that makes bold moves feel natural instead of terrifying

...this one's for you.

This episode is brought to you by:

Copilot | Get two months free with code DARLINGS at https://try.copilot.money/darlings

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Welcome to Your Expansion Era

(00:05:12) The 10x Thinking Model: Why Bigger Goals Force Innovation

(00:09:45) Identity Expansion: Becoming the Person Who Runs That Business

(00:14:32) The Big Bet Principle: Fewer Moves, Bigger Impact

(00:19:28) The Confidence Flywheel: How Small Wins Build Momentum

(00:25:06) Taking Bold Risks and Creating an Expansion Culture

(00:31:42) Your 10x Goal Challenge and Accountability

Want To Dive Deeper On These Topics?

• Apply to join our exclusive Agency Darlings Slack Community: agencydarlings.com/community

• Join our agency advice column: agencydarlings.myflodesk.com/signup

Connect with Melissa & Meredith:

• Waverly Ave: waverlyave.com

• Instagram: instagram.com/waverlyave.co

• Le Chéile: lecheile.co/contact

• Instagram: instagram.com/lecheile.co

Nothing drains boutique agencies faster than the black hole of pitching and RFPs. In today’s episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on a topic that every agency owner privately obsesses over, but very few talk about honestly: why pitches rarely convert, why proposals don’t win business, and why most agencies are building their entire biz dev system on a process that statistically works against them. We’re ending the season with a powerful reframe. Because stepping into a new year with your old RFP mindset is just… not the vibe, darling.

If you’ve ever wondered…

• Why you're prioritizing RFPs when they’re actually draining your time, margins, and confidence

• Why your beautifully crafted proposals aren’t converting

• What influences (or limits) your win rates more than any pitch deck ever could

…this one’s for you.

This episode is brought to you by:

Copilot | Get two months free with code DARLINGS at https://try.copilot.money/darlings

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Kicking Off the Season With Momentum & Fresh Energy

(00:06:19) The Hard Truth About Pitches, Proposals & Why They Rarely Convert

(00:22:08) Why RFPs Feel Like Momentum—but Rarely Move Your Business Forward

(00:28:21) How Many Pitches Should You Actually Say Yes To?

(00:38:42) Best-in-Class Pitching: How to Show Up Like the Obvious Choice

Want To Dive Deeper On These Topics?

• Apply to join our exclusive Agency Darlings Slack Community: agencydarlings.com/community

• Join our agency advice column: agencydarlings.myflodesk.com/signup

Connect with Melissa & Meredith:

• Waverly Ave: waverlyave.com

• Instagram: instagram.com/waverlyave.co

• Le Chéile: lecheile.co/contact

• Instagram: instagram.com/lecheile.co

If you’ve ever hired someone you thought was “the one,” only to watch your team unravel behind the scenes, this episode will feel like a deep exhale. Today, we’re sitting down with Natasha Golinsky, the powerhouse founder behind On Purpose Projects, to talk about the part of agency ownership that most founders quietly struggle with: building a reliable team you can actually trust.

Natasha is known for her non-bullshit, radically practical approach to leadership — the kind that comes from a decade of running a full-stack development agency, managing a 100% contractor team across time zones, and surviving real life: divorce, single-income seasons, motherhood, and a breast cancer diagnosis that changed everything. She’s lived the founder reality that so many women-owned agencies face but rarely talk about out loud: the exhaustion, the pressure to hold everything together, and the fear of letting go of control when the business depends on you.

In this conversation, she walks us through the exact hiring and team-building method that has given her something almost unheard of in agency life: ten years with zero turnover — not one contractor has ever quit. It’s not luck. It’s not magic. It’s not “manifesting the right people.” It’s a system. A sharp one.

You can get Natasha’s complete hiring system and learn how to find, interview, hire (and fire) virtual contractors like a pro at

https://onpurposeprojects.gumroad.com/l/virtualcontractorsgameplan

If you’ve ever wondered…

• Whether the people you're hiring are the right fit or just the easiest to find

• If your contractor team needs a real system for accountability and expectations

• What it would take to finally delegate yourself without everything falling apart

…this one’s for you.

This episode is brought to you by:

Copper | Get 15% off any annual plan with code DARLINGS at https://copper.com/agency

Chapters:

(00:00:00) The Real Challenge of Building a High-Performance Team

(00:05:18) Natasha’s Hiring Method: From 100 Applicants to the Perfect Fit

(00:22:42) Filtering for the Right People and Setting Expectations That Actually Work

(00:31:40) How To Set Expectations When Your Processes Aren’t Perfect (Yet)

(00:37:12) The Two Non-Negotiables Every New Agency Owner Needs in Place

(00:41:20) Stepping Out of the Doer Role and What It Really Takes to Let Go

(00:50:56) Finding Your Number Two: Letting Them Lead and Loving the Result

Connect with Natasha:

• Website: https://onpurposeprojects.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natashagolinsky/?originalSubdomain=ca

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natashacgolinsky/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@natashagolinsky-onpurposep2435

• Upwork: https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~01a1f03fb7162975e1

Want To Dive Deeper On These Topics?

• Natasha’s Hiring Process Course:

You know that sinking feeling when your sales pipeline starts to dry up? When the big deal you were sure would close suddenly stalls, and your perfectly forecasted month starts to look like a desert? We’ve all been there, darling. In this week’s episode, we’re naming it, reframing it, and turning it into your next big growth moment.

We call it Pipeline Panic — that all-too-familiar moment when the phone stops ringing, the leads slow down, and your brain starts catastrophizing every possible worst-case scenario. But as we unpack in this conversation, those slow seasons aren’t proof you’re failing; they’re proof you’ve been in business long enough to see the natural rhythm of growth, rest, and renewal.

If you’ve ever wondered…

• What do I do when my pipeline slows down?

• How can I tell that my agency is actually evolving?

• When panic hits, how do I keep up momentum?

…this one’s for you.

This episode is brought to you by:

Metricool | Get 30 days free on any Premium plan with code DARLINGS at https://metricool.com/darlings/

Copper | Get 15% off any annual plan with code DARLINGS at https://copper.com/agency

Chapters:

(00:00:00) When the Pipeline Slows Down

(00:11:39) The Data Behind the Dip

(00:16:29) Reframing Struggle as a Sign of Staying Power

(00:20:39) Redefining Growth Beyond the Numbers

(00:31:13) Creating Momentum Without the Hard Sell

(00:44:30) From Panic to Power: Building Momentum Together

Want To Dive Deeper On These Topics?

• Apply to join our exclusive Agency Darlings Slack Community: agencydarlings.com/community

• Join our agency advice column: agencydarlings.myflodesk.com/signup

Connect with Melissa & Meredith:

• Waverly Ave: waverlyave.com

• Instagram: instagram.com/waverlyave.co

• Le Chéile: lecheile.co/contact

• Instagram: instagram.com/lecheile.co

In this episode of Agency Darlings, hosts Melissa and Meredith provide an insider's guide to the ups and downs of the agency world, emphasizing the importance of vulnerability and empathy, especially during challenging times. They discuss the pressures of balancing work and personal struggles, particularly around the holidays, and share personal experiences of grief and loss to highlight the significance of being compassionate towards oneself and others. The episode encourages listeners to recognize the human side of business growth and to practice gratitude and understanding towards their teams and clients.

00:00 Welcome to Agency Darlings

00:22 Starting the Conversation: Vulnerability and Challenges

03:29 The Impact of Personal Struggles on Professional Life

06:04 Navigating Grief and Work

10:30 Finding Balance and Avoiding Burnout

24:07 The Importance of Gratitude and Reflection

26:00 Closing Thoughts and Community Impact

The agency world doesn’t reward those who cling to “how it’s always been done.” It rewards the ones brave enough to redesign their business around what actually works — and what actually matters. In this powerful conversation, we sit down with Amy Jackson, founder and CEO of TaleSplash, to talk about what it really looks like to evolve your agency in real time.

Over the past year, Amy has made bold shifts in her business, from niching into health, family, and safety brands to restructuring her team, rethinking her client criteria, and raising her rates with confidence. But what makes her story resonate so deeply isn’t just the transformation itself; it’s the honest, intentional way she approached every step.

If you’ve ever wondered…

• How do I identify a niche that actually energizes me?

• What would happen if I stopped chasing volume and focused on building relationships?

• Am I defining success based on what I want, or on vanity metrics?

…this one’s for you.

This episode is brought to you by:

Metricool | Get 30 days free on any Premium plan with code DARLINGS at https://metricool.com/darlings

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Niching Down Without Closing Doors

(00:10:03) Learning Before Locking In

(00:14:48) Defining the Right Fit

(00:21:34) Redefining Success on Your Own Terms

(00:30:35) Pricing with Conviction

(00:38:16) Standing Your Ground with Premium Clients

(00:46:48) Boundaries Build Better Businesses

(00:53:32) Evolving the Team, Reclaiming the Role

Connect with Amy:

• @TaleSplash on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talesplash

• Amy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyfjackson/

• TaleSplash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/talesplash/

• Website: https://www.talesplash.com/

Want To Dive Deeper On These Topics?

• Apply to join our exclusive Agency Darlings Slack Community: agencydarlings.com/community

• Join our agency advice column: agencydarlings.myflodesk.com/signup

Connect with Melissa & Meredith:

• Waverly Ave: waverlyave.com

• Instagram: instagram.com/waverlyave.co

• Le Chéile: lecheile.co/contact

• Instagram: instagram.com/lecheile.co