Summary

In this solo episode, host Sean Lang breaks down why your agency’s “secret sauce” can’t live only in your head. If you want to grow, exit, or simply stop being the bottleneck, you need to transfer your expertise into systems, scorecards, and SOPs. Sean shares a step-by-step method for turning intuition into documented processes while still protecting creativity.

Takeaways

• Secret sauce in your head makes you valuable; secret sauce in systems makes the agency valuable.
  
  
• Codification boosts speed, consistency, and quality.
  
  
• Role scorecards tie expectations to measurable outcomes.
  
  
• Onboarding and SOPs apply to both employees and contractors.
  
  
• Creativity can coexist with standardization by defining “creative zones.”
  
  
• Delegating ownership frees the founder from being the hero.

Agency Uplift - Free Stuff to Scale Your Agency:

https://www.agencyuplift.co/sop (I saved $20K/mo using this system)

Summary

In this episode, Sean Lang sits down with Andrei Stoica, founder of Stoica, to explore the realities of building and running a digital agency. Andrei shares his journey from freelancing with his brother to scaling an agency serving global B2B tech clients. He opens up about the challenges of building trust as an Eastern European agency working with U.S. companies, the importance of honesty and focus in service offerings, and the personal transformation from freelancer to CEO. From leveraging referrals and free resources to building culture, setting boundaries with clients, and learning to accept help, Andrei highlights the lessons he’s learned in a decade of agency ownership.

Key Takeaways

• Building trust starts with giving value first, even before money changes hands.
  
  
• U.S. clients are often easier to work with but require overcoming cultural trust barriers.
  
  
• Eastern Europe has strong technical talent due to education systems and English fluency.
  
  
• Agency owners should focus on strengths instead of trying to do everything.
  
  
• Clients often ask for tactics, but agencies must redirect to strategy to avoid poor results.
  
  
• Higher-paying clients are often more committed and easier to satisfy.
  
  
• Saying "no" to bad-fit clients is critical for long-term sustainability.
  
  
• Shifting from freelancer to CEO requires mindset growth, not just tactical skills.
  
  
• Accepting mentorship, therapy, and help from others accelerates growth.
  
  
• Agency success isn’t just revenue, it’s building culture and partnerships.

Check out Oliver's agency here:

Stoica

https://www.agencyuplift.co/email

Agency Uplift - Free Stuff to Scale Your Agency:

https://www.agencyuplift.co/sop (I saved $20K/mo using this system)

Key Takeaways

• Most agency founders start as specialists, not business builders.
• Many agencies begin by delivering services, then scramble to find clients and hire, without proper systems in place.
• Without foundational frameworks, growth leads to chaos—hiring without SOPs, inconsistent delivery, and client churn.
• Core values, positioning (ICP), and financial management are essential foundational frameworks.
• Operational frameworks (like processes, project management, hiring) should come after foundational work.
• Scaling activities like automation and partnerships only work if operations and foundations are already strong.
• Skipping foundational work results in endless cycles of growth followed by breakdowns.
• Core values are the DNA of your agency—they influence every decision and define culture, hiring, client fit, and marketing.
• Redefining core values at Sean’s agency broke them out of a growth plateau and shifted their entire positioning.

Agency Uplift - Free Stuff to Scale Your Agency:

https://www.agencyuplift.co/sop (I saved $20K/mo using this system)