American entrepreneur and business investor, with 12 years+ of experience in starting, scaling, buying, and selling 7 and 8 figure Ecomm Brands and Agencies. 

According to my wife and daughter, I'm also "the best daddy."

I grew up with humble roots in Orlando, FL, and through a work ethic I am incredibly proud of, I've quickly grown to be one of the most respected names in the Digital Marketing Agency space.

I'm currently the Founder of Agency Operators: Level Up, which helps ecomm & digital marketing agency owners go from $1M/yr > $5M/yr without being the main bottleneck.

Previously, I was:

Founder of Family Gifts Co., a multi-8 figure DTC E-commerce brand.

Co-Founder of WKND Investments, a company dedicated to investing in the best $5-$30m/yr USA based DTC e-commerce brands.

Founder of Vatizam, a marketing consulting agency that scales Brands to 7 and 8 figures through funnel optimization & paid traffic.

Kyle Hunt

I've onboarded 500+ clients across multiple 8-figure agencies.

The difference between 4% churn and 40% churn?

Your first 14 days.

Most agency owners treat onboarding like paperwork.

Send a form. Schedule a call. Hope for the best.

Then wonder why clients are frustrated by month 2.

Here's what I see at agencies stuck under $150k/mo:

→ No clear handoff from sales to delivery
→ Clients asking the same questions repeatedly
→ Week 1 chaos that sets the wrong tone
→ Pod leads scrambling without context
→ Founders still CC'd on every email

I ran ops for an agency that onboarded clients in under 24 hours with zero founder involvement.

So I documented the exact checklist we used.

Inside the $1M Agency Client Onboarding Checklist:

→ Day-by-day timeline from signed contract to launch
→ The 5 questions your intake form must ask
→ Handoff template from sales to pod lead
→ Kick-off call agenda that aligns expectations
→ Week 1-4 communication cadence framework
→ Slack channel setup that eliminates noise

This is the same system that helped agencies:

✅ Cut revision requests by 50%
✅ Remove founders from delivery in 90 days
✅ Retain clients 3x longer than industry average

If your onboarding is costing you clients and sanity - this fixes it.

Want the complete checklist?

1. Connect with me
2. Comment "ONBOARD"

I'll send it directly to your DMs.

PS - Your onboarding sets the ceiling for everything else. Fix this first.

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Want me to install this in your agency? Let's talk: https://calendly.com/kyle-agencyoperators/45-min-demo

8-Figure Agency COO | Fractional COO | Helping Ecomm & Digital Marketing Agency Owners Build $5M/yr Self-Managing Profit Machines | Proud Girl Dad | 7-Figure Agency Exit

I'm an ex-8-figure agency COO.

STOP thinking client churn is a sales problem.

It's an onboarding problem.

Most agencies don't lose clients because results are bad.

They lose them because expectations were never set correctly in the first 30 days.

If onboarding is sloppy, everything downstream breaks.

The difference between being stuck at $100k/mo and scaling past $500k isn't more leads.

It's a bulletproof onboarding system.

I'm giving away my complete $500k/mo Agency Client Onboarding Playbook.

This is the exact system we used to turn new clients into long-term retainers:
→ Expectation-lock onboarding sequence (what you promise vs what you deliver)
→ Day 1-30 client roadmap that prevents early churn
→ Kickoff call agenda that eliminates "that's not what we expected"
→ Scope boundary rules clients actually respect
→ SLA & communication framework that protects your team
→ Early-warning signals that flag bad-fit clients fast

This isn't theory.

It's the same onboarding playbook I install when agencies want to scale without replacing clients every month.

Want the $500k/mo Agency Onboarding Playbook?
Connect with me
Comment ONBOARD

I'll send it directly.

PS - Early comments get priority access.

I've modeled agency team structures from $35k/mo to $350k/mo.

Most agency owners hire at the wrong time.

They either wait too long and burn out their team.

Or hire too early and watch their margins collapse.

The real issue? No one knows their actual capacity.

I built a financial model that shows exactly when to hire - down to the dollar.

It maps out:

→ What 60%, 80%, and 100% capacity looks like for your pod
→ The exact revenue threshold that justifies your next hire
→ How pod lead costs change your margins at each stage
→ Gross profit at different client loads (so you stop guessing)
→ The capacity multiplier effect when you add management

This isn't theory.

This is the same model I used to scale an agency to 8-figures while maintaining 40%+ margins.

Without it, you're flying blind on your biggest expense - people.

With it, you know:

✅ Exactly when your current team maxes out
✅ What revenue you need before the next hire
✅ How to grow without destroying profitability

Want the $1M Agency Capacity Calculator?

1. Connect with me
2. Comment "CAPACITY"

I'll send it directly.

PS - This is the model most agencies don't build until they're already bleeding cash.

89% of agencies lose clients because of BAD communication.

11% of agencies do this differently:

Clients say "just one quick thing" at 11 PM.

And your team scrambles to respond.

Here's the truth: Bad client communication kills profit margins.

When everything is "urgent," nothing gets done right.

I've worked with 50+ agencies that struggled with this exact problem.

Endless Slack pings. Scope creep disguised as "quick questions." 

Team burnout from constant firefighting.

So I built the Client Communication SLA Playbook.

This is the exact system that helps agencies: 

→ Set crystal-clear expectations from day 1 
→ Protect team time without losing clients 
→ Define what "urgent" actually means 
→ Handle escalations without founder involvement

Inside you'll get:

SLA Menu by client tier (what you promise vs what you deliver)
Slack rules that actually work (channels, tagging, office hours)
Escalation ladder (pod lead → specialist → founder)
Response templates for setting boundaries professionally
Onboarding language that "locks expectations" immediately
1-page "How to Work With Us" template for clients

Copy/paste ready. Plug it into your onboarding tomorrow.

One agency used this and cut after-hours requests by 70% in 30 days.

Another doubled their team's billable hours because they stopped chasing "quick questions."
Want the full playbook?

Connect with me
Comment "SLA"

I'll send it over.

I helped 3 Video Creative Agencies scale from $40k/mo to $100k-200k months in 12 months.

Here's what most creative video agencies get wrong:

They think more clients equals more revenue.

But without the right operations, more clients just means:

→ More revisions eating your margins
→ More editors you can't properly manage
→ More chaos you're personally putting out fires for
→ Revenue growing while profit stays flat

I've worked with 100+ agencies stuck in this exact trap.

The problem isn't your creative work.

It's your backend.

I just documented the exact operations system I've used to help creative video agencies hit $500k/mo while maintaining 40%+ margins.

Inside this Creative Video Agency Operations Blueprint:

→ Editor comp structure that scaled to 100+ edits per month profitably
→ The revision reduction framework that cut rework from 10% to under 3%
→ Fulfillment system that dropped lead time from 24 days to under 10
→ How to price UGC + media buying retainers at $5k+ minimum
→ Capacity framework so you know exactly when to hire your next editor

This isn't theory. This exact system has:

✅ Taken creative agencies from $40k to $200k/mo in 12 months
✅ Maintained 60%+ gross margins at scale
✅ Removed founders from day-to-day editing oversight

If you're a creative video agency doing $30k-200k/mo and want the operations to hit $500k/mo...

This is your shortcut.

1. Connect with me
2. Comment "CREATIVE"

I'll send you the full blueprint.

PS - Repost this for priority access

I've helped 100+ agencies rebuild their operations from scratch.

Most owners at $50-150k/mo are trapped in the same cycle:

→ Every new client means more of YOUR time
→ Onboarding takes 2-3 weeks instead of 2-3 days
→ Deliverables slip because kickoffs aren't standardized
→ You're still the one answering every setup question

The problem isn't your team. It's your onboarding system.

When I was COO of an 8-figure agency, we cut onboarding time by 80% and removed founders from delivery completely.

I've now documented the exact 30-day reset I use with agencies stuck in this trap.

Inside The 30 Day Agency Reset:

→ Day-by-day implementation timeline (what to fix in what order)
→ Client kickoff template that eliminates back-and-forth
→ Handoff system from sales to delivery (no more dropped balls)
→ The 5 onboarding metrics that predict client success
→ Team accountability structure so you're not the backup

This same system has helped agencies:

✅ Onboard clients in under 24 hours
✅ Free up 15+ founder hours per week
✅ Cut first-60-day churn by half

If you're doing $50-150k/mo and still stuck in every client kickoff, this is your way out.

Want the complete 30 Day Agency Reset?

1. Connect with me
2. Comment "ONBOARD"

I'll send it directly to you.

PS - This is the same framework I install during my 16-week programs. Yours free.

I've worked with 40+ agencies doing $100k/month.

The ones stuck between $1-2M all have one thing in common:

They're running on a treadmill.

15% monthly churn means you're replacing your entire client base every 7 months.

That's not growth - that's survival mode.

Most agency owners are bleeding clients because:

→ No early warning system for at-risk accounts
→ Clients churning in months 4-12 (the mid-lifecycle death zone)
→ Zero visibility into satisfaction until the cancellation email hits
→ Onboarding that sets wrong expectations from day one

I ran ops for an 8-figure agency. We cut churn from 15% to under 3%.

Now I've documented the exact system in The 0 Churn Client Operations System.

Inside you'll find:

→ The 4 KPIs that predict churn 30 days before it happens
→ Mid-lifecycle rescue framework for months 4-12
→ Client health scoring template (know who's at risk today)
→ Onboarding sequence that sets expectations correctly
→ Monthly check-in cadence that catches problems early
→ The exact benchmarks

This system has helped agencies:

✅ Cut churn from 18% to 4% in two quarters
✅ Maintain 3-4 year average client retention
✅ Stop the revenue treadmill permanently

If you're tired of replacing clients faster than you can grow...

This is your fix.

Want The 0 Churn Client Operations System?

1. Connect with me
2. Comment "CHURN"

I'll send it directly.

PS - comment first for Priority Access.

Bogdan grew 400% in 1 year. $40k/mo to $200k/mo.

Agency owners hit a wall when they try to scale.

They're crushing it with clients. Revenue is growing. Everything looks great from the outside.

But behind the scenes? It's chaos.

You're firefighting every day. Your team can't replicate your results. You're stuck doing everything yourself because "no one else can do it right.

I just sat down with Bogdan, co-founder of GrowthHub, to break down exactly how he went from overwhelmed founder to running a lean, profitable agency.

In this case study interview, we cover:

→ The bottleneck that was slowing his growth (hint: it wasn't what he thought) 
→ How he moved from doer to leader without burning out 
→ The exact operational shifts that 4'xed revenue in 12 months 
→ Why small tweaks in client acquisition created explosive growth 
→ How weekly reporting reduced stress and increased clarity 
→ The one thing he wishes he'd done sooner

This isn't some theoretical masterclass.

It's a real conversation with a real agency owner who fixed the mess behind the growth.

If you're scaling but feeling the operational pain, this is for you.

Want the full case study interview?
Connect with me
Comment "CASE"

I'll send you the video and a complete breakdown.

PS - This is the same playbook I've used across multiple agencies. Works every time.

I'm an ex-8-figure agency COO.

Your weekly leadership meeting is either your biggest leverage point or your biggest time waste.

Most agencies run meetings that go nowhere.

→ Hour-long status updates nobody needed
→ Same problems surface week after week
→ Leaders leave confused about priorities
→ Zero accountability between meetings
→ Decisions made but never executed

I've sat through hundreds of these meetings. Most are broken.

The fix isn't meeting less. It's meeting with structure.

After running leadership huddles across 100+ agencies, I documented the exact agenda that keeps meetings under 30 minutes and actually drives results.

Inside the Weekly Leadership Meeting Agenda:

→ The quick wins opener that puts leaders in decision-making mode
→ Who-what-when checklist that kills accountability gaps
→ Yesterday's targets review framework - learn why you missed, not just that you missed
→ The 1-minute rule for handling issues without derailing the meeting
→ Time tracking check-in that eliminates end-of-month surprises
→ Roadmap review structure that keeps priorities visible

This is the same meeting framework that helped agencies:

✅ Cut leadership meeting time by 50%
✅ Surface problems 30 days before they explode
✅ Get teams executing without constant follow-up

If your leadership meetings feel like a waste of time - they probably are.

Want the complete Weekly Leadership Meeting Agenda?

1. Connect with me
2. Comment "HUDDLE"

I'll send it directly to your DMs.

PS - This works whether you have 2 leaders or 20

Early in my Agency Owner days, I made the classic mistake. Client loved working with me, so when I handed them to a new strategist, I just... introduced them on a call.

"Hey, meet John. He's great. He'll be taking over your account."

The client smiled, said nice things, then slowly disengaged over the next 6 weeks.

The problem wasn't John. It was that John was a stranger who hadn't earned anything yet.

So I changed the process.

Now the new person works on the account for 2-3 weeks before the client knows they exist. They're running strategy, making optimizations, doing the actual work while I provide oversight.

The goal is simple: create a win. Increased spend, better ROAS, faster delivery. Something measurable.

Then the transition call sounds completely different:

"Hey, I want to introduce you to John. He's actually been the strategist on your account the last two weeks. You've seen the increase in spend and revenue during that time? That was John. I was just oversight, making sure he followed our process. As you can see, he did an excellent job."

Now John isn't a stranger. He's the person behind their recent results.

I also position the change as an upgrade. "We're moving you to a dedicated team structure. Same people working on your account every day. Faster delivery, deeper understanding of your business, one main point of contact."

People really respond to the word "dedicated."

I also tell them there might be some turbulence during the transition, but once it's set up, results will be better. I don't promise perfection. I promise improvement.

Pricing stays the same. Contract stays the same. Current work continues. The only thing changing is they're getting a more focused team.

That's the install. Takes about 3 weeks to do it right.

I've helped scale 3 agencies past $3M ARR.

Multi-year clients.

Stable MRR.

No churn panic.

STOP thinking retention is about "getting better results."

Most agencies don't lose clients because performance drops.

They lose them because nobody manages the relationship after onboarding.

The danger zone isn't month one.

It's months 4-12.

That's when:
Momentum fades
Expectations drift
Clients stop feeling progress
Churn emails come out of nowhere

I acquired and scaled an agency to 8-figures.

The difference between constantly replacing clients and compounding revenue wasn't more sales.

It was installing a retention system.

I'm giving away my complete $500k/mo Agency Client Retention Playbook.

This is the exact system we used to keep clients for years:
→ Client health scoring system (spot churn before it happens)
→ Monthly check-in cadence that prevents silent dissatisfaction
→ Mid-lifecycle reset call agenda (months 3-6)
→ "At-risk" save call framework that actually works
→ Expectation recalibration scripts when things drift
→ Rules for identifying bad-fit clients early

This isn't theory.

It's the same retention playbook I install when agencies say:

"We're signing clients... but we can't seem to keep them."

Want the $500k/mo Agency Client Retention Playbook?

Connect with me
Comment RETENTION

I'll send it directly.

PS - Early comments get priority access.

I've audited 100+ agencies between $1-3M.

90% have the same problem:

They're not broken. They're just unaudited.

Most agency owners at this level are drowning in operational chaos:

→ Chasing fires instead of building systems
→ No idea which metrics actually matter
→ Team accountability is a guessing game
→ Processes exist in your head, not on paper

The fix isn't working harder. It's knowing exactly where to look.

After 5 years as an 8-figure agency COO, I built a 90-day audit framework that identifies the gaps killing your profit and sanity.

Inside The 90-Day Ops Audit Checklist:

→ The 5 leading metrics that predict problems 30 days ahead
→ Team structure audit to find hidden capacity leaks
→ Client delivery scorecard (are you actually hitting targets?)
→ Weekly reporting cadence template - plug and play
→ The accountability framework that removes you from firefighting
→ Quick wins checklist to get 10+ hours back immediately

This exact process has helped agencies:

✅ Cut audit time from 15 hours to under 3
✅ Identify the same 5 problems hiding in plain sight
✅ Double EBITDA in 90 days by fixing what actually matters

If you're stuck between $1-3M and feel like you're working IN the business instead of ON it - this is your starting point.

Want the complete 90-Day Ops Audit Checklist?

1. Connect with me
2. Comment "AUDIT"

I'll send it directly to you.

PS - The problems at your stage are predictable. This checklist shows you exactly where to look first.

Worked with an agency doing $2M. The founder's Slack looked like a 911 dispatch center.

47 unread messages before 9am. Clients texting his personal cell. Team members DMing him questions their pod lead should've answered.

He thought he was being responsive. He was actually training everyone to never solve anything themselves.

When anyone can ping you directly, your org chart is just a suggestion.

So we changed three things.

His pod lead started owning Slack. Client questions go there first. Specialists only get tagged when it's actually technical.

He set response times and told clients what to expect. Top tier gets 2 hours. Everyone else gets 4. No response time means your real policy is "respond instantly to everything." 

His specialists stopped living in Slack. They check it twice a day. The rest of the time they do the work he actually sells.

Questions dropped. Fires stopped landing on his desk. His team started solving problems without asking permission.

Your pod lead should own client communication. Your specialists should stay focused. You should only see real emergencies.

I've helped 4 B2B lead gen agencies scale past $100k/mo.

The ones who break through have one thing in common:

Their operations match their ambition.

Most B2B lead gen agency owners are stuck in the same cycle:

→ Pipeline is full but fulfillment is drowning
→ Every new client adds more chaos, not more profit
→ SDRs burning out faster than you can hire them
→ Spending 95% of your time in fulfillment instead of growth
→ Revenue climbs but margins keep shrinking

I've seen this pattern destroy agencies doing $30k-200k/mo.

The fix isn't more clients. It's better backend systems.

I just documented the exact operations playbook for B2B lead gen agencies ready to hit $500k/mo.

Inside the $500k/mo B2B Lead Gen Agency Operations Blueprint:

→ The fulfillment structure that keeps clients "taken care of" without you
→ SDR capacity calculator so you hire at the right time, not too late
→ Proactive vs reactive client management framework
→ Quality control system that cuts revision requests in half
→ The metrics dashboard built specifically for lead gen delivery
→ Hiring process for A-player SDRs and account managers

This system has helped agencies:

✅ Double revenue in 90 days while improving margins
✅ Remove founders from day-to-day fulfillment
✅ Scale from $40k/mo to $130k/mo without adding chaos

If you're a B2B lead gen agency owner tired of trading growth for sanity...

This is your operations upgrade.

Comment "LEADGEN" and I'll send it over.

(We need to be connected for me to DM you)

P.S. - Repost this and I'll prioritize your DM

3 words that destroy agency margins: 'Let me check.'

I talked to an agency owner last week who was frustrated his team couldn't answer client questions without looping him in.

Turns out his AMs were great communicators. Smooth on calls. Clients liked them.

But none of them actually understood the service.

So every technical question became a relay. Client asks. AM says "let me get back to you." AM pings the strategist. Strategist explains. AM translates it back. Something gets lost. Client follows up. Repeat.

He was paying for account managers but getting expensive messengers.

We restructured. Put a senior lead in the client-facing seat instead. Someone who could actually answer questions on the call.

Within two months, client calls got shorter. Follow-up threads dropped. And his team stopped pinging him for every scope clarification.

The agencies I work with that charge premium prices almost always have experts running client relationships. Not translators.

If you're hiring AMs, look for people who already understand the work. You can teach project management. Teaching deep expertise takes years.

Communicator-only AMs can work as a stopgap on small accounts. But once that pattern hits your core clients, you're quietly trading margin for convenience.

A $3,500/month hire just cost one agency $100,000.

I was on a call last week with a performance agency doing about $1.2M. They wanted to add GoHighLevel CRM integrations to pre-qualify leads before sending them to clients.

The math looked great on paper. $3,500/month for a specialist, margins still at 67%. Easy yes.

Then I started asking questions.

Every single client would need custom integrations into their existing CRM. Salesforce, HubSpot, whatever they're running. Data quality depends on sales reps correctly tagging leads. Training required. QA process needed. And if anything breaks, they're relying on outside experts to fix it.

"What happens if this automation breaks on your biggest client?"

That client was worth $100,000 a year. One failed automation. One screwed up lead flow. One frustrated client who decides they've had enough.

The spreadsheet modeled labor costs. It didn't model losing a flagship account.

I work with an agency that does CRM integrations and HubSpot work. Everything is custom. Everything. Per client. The productized agency they're trying to build doesn't exist with that service in the mix.

They can absolutely get to multiple 7-figures without this. Fewer things, done exceptionally well.

If you want to test something like this, do it the simplest way possible. A Typeform for lead scoring. One willing client. Prove the value before you build infrastructure.

You don't need more services to charge more. You need more value from what you already do.

Your strategist is on every client call. That's why your agency is stuck.

I see this constantly with agencies doing $1M-$3M.

The strategist is brilliant at strategy. So you put them on client calls "because they know the work best." Then they're in Slack answering questions. Then they're managing the team because "they understand what needs to happen."

Six months later, your $120K strategist is spending 60% of their time on work that doesn't require their expertise.

They're context-switching all day. Doing shallow work. Burning out. And you're overpaying for tasks that don't need their skill level.

I want my strategists doing strategy. Not sitting in Slack. Not on client calls. Not managing people.

That's what a pod lead is for.

The pod lead owns client communication, team management, delivery targets, and capacity. They run the pod like it's their own little business.

The strategist? They own briefs and overarching strategy. Period.

Here's the thing most agencies miss though...

This split only makes sense when strategy is a full-time job. In a creative agency where you're producing concepts, campaigns, and content constantly? Absolutely separate these roles.

But in a lead gen or LinkedIn agency where strategy might be 5-8 hours a week? Combining strategist and pod lead into one role is actually the right call.

The decision isn't about titles or what sounds right on an org chart. It's about actual hours and workload.

So before you restructure anything, audit this:

How many hours per week does your strategist actually spend on true strategy work?

If it's under 10 hours, maybe you combine roles. If it's 25+ hours, you need to protect that time and get someone else handling everything else.

Role clarity isn't an HR exercise. It's how you stop paying senior rates for junior work.

What percentage of your strategist's time is actually spent on strategy?

The highest-margin agency I've seen this year has a terrible secret:

3 pods. No team leader.

I was talking to a creative agency owner last week who just crossed six figures monthly for the first time.

When he showed me his numbers, I asked the obvious question: "How are your margins this high?"

His answer was honest.

"Because I'm the lead for all three pods."

The ideal structure is dead simple.

Each pod has three roles: creative strategist, editor, creative coordinator.

One graphic designer serves all three pods. One media buyer serves all three pods.

No middle management. No senior layers. No bloat.

Every new client plugged into the same structure. That's how you 7X without chaos.

But he also told me something else.

"The exchange for high margins is stress."

He's in every client call. He's the bottleneck on every decision. His team is capable, but they're structured to need him for everything.

This is the part nobody talks about when they brag about margins.

You delay the leader hire because the math looks better without it. And it does... on paper. But you're not accounting for the hidden cost of your own time and sanity.

Most owners look at a pod lead at $10K/month and think it's a margin killer. But when that pod lead removes 90% of client comms from your strategists and editors, capacity goes up. You can add 2-3 more clients at the same price point.

Suddenly the hire becomes profit-positive.

The other thing he nailed: one creative coordinator per pod.

He told me sharing creative coordinators across pods "becomes a constraint very quickly and increases lead time... things delay and billing gets messed up."

When a creative coordinator owns multiple pods, compensation gets blurry too. Performance-based pay stops making sense when nobody knows which pod drove results.

One creative coordinator per one pod = clean accountability.

If you're running pods without dedicated pod leads right now, you're not wrong. Just be honest about the tradeoff.

Your margins are high because you're cheap labor, not because your org chart is smart.

I've helped 40+ agencies transition to pods. The advice that works for most of them almost sank one last month.

$1.8M creative agency, solid team, ready for pods. My standard playbook says put your biggest problem clients in the first pod. Fix the chaos there, prove the model works, roll it out everywhere else.

I've given that advice dozens of times. It usually works.

But when I looked at their client roster, I stopped.

Two clients made up 55% of their revenue. Both were in the "problem client" bucket.

The framework I normally use, Fire-first, assumes your revenue is reasonably distributed. Lose one client during the transition is painful, but survivable. When your largest clients are dramatically larger than everyone else... it's def a big gamble.

There are really a few ways I've seen agencies approach this:

1. Fire First... biggest problem clients in the pod first. High impact, high risk.
2. Strongest Clients First... pilot with clients who already love you. Lower risk, slower relief.
3. Service Line Split... pods around services instead of client groups. Rarely works due to client crossover.
4. Single Pod + Flex... one creative pod plus a flex team for one-off projects. Short-term patch only.

For this agency, we went hybrid. Wait until a real pod lead is hired and validated. Start acting like pods internally without announcing anything to clients. Then launch with their strongest relationships first.

Their best clients already trust them. If there are bumps during transition, those clients give them grace. The enterprise accounts stay in the legacy structure until the model is bulletproof.

If your top two or three clients make up more than 40% of revenue, fire-first is probably the wrong call. Start with the clients who'll forgive you while you figure it out.

"I don't do meetings" is the fastest way to get cut from my hiring pipeline.

Last week I'm on a call with an agency owner evaluating a 37-year-old creative strategist. His ads were absolutely smashing it. His copy would blow most candidates out of the water.

Then the owner asks about daily syncs.

"That would be a dealbreaker for me."

His reasoning: Flow state disruption. Claims he loses 30-45 minutes after every meeting. "I'm a grown adult, I don't need check-ins." Prefers Slack-only. Says this is why senior talent leaves agencies.

Honestly, in most agencies he's probably right.

Most agency meetings are 30-45 minute founder monologues where you get told what to do and have zero ability to impact change. That's micromanagement. That's worth hating.

But a 5-15 minute daily huddle is completely different.

It's for surfacing problems early. Collaborating on solutions as a team. Redirecting resources before a small issue turns into a week-long fire. Process improvement that comes from the team, not dictated from the top.

Slack can check if tasks are done. It can't facilitate live problem-solving. It can't help junior team members get unstuck before they struggle alone for three days.

When someone refuses that... They're telling you they only want to do the craft part of the role. On their terms.

That makes them an excellent freelancer. It makes them a terrible team hire.

The owner's decision? "I don't think I'm going to carry on. I don't see him changing."

My response: "It seems like you really like the job as a freelancer. Maybe not being part of a team is what's for you."

Your best performer on paper can be your worst hire for culture. Skill doesn't override fit.

Jordan West

E-Com Investor & Podcast Host | Multiple Exits| Avid Golfer, Biker + Hiker | Dad Of 3 | CEO + CMO | Mastermind Host

My Journey 
When I was 23 I decided to buy a Taco Del Mar restaurant... I knew I had made a huge mistake at 2pm the first day when only 3 customers had walked in... (and two of them were my parents haha) 
For 5 years I worked hard to grow sales every way I could think of and in the end, tripled our revenue which still didn't seem to matter on the profit side. (I lost a lot of money 💰)

The one thing that I seemed to be the best at in the restaurant endeavor was marketing and getting people in the door. 

Fast forward to 2014 when my wonderful wife Carmen (definitely my better half) started a modest baby clothing line and was selling at craft markets. 

I asked if I could test running a few ads on Facebook... and the rest is history. I learned every up-and-coming strategy and tactic and helped grow the small start-up to a multi-million dollar company and still growing!

Since then we have acquired multiple DTC brands and have built an agency (upGrowth Commerce) to service our brands as well as others who are in a similar situation to us!

In 2019 we started the podcast "secrets to scaling your e-commerce brand" which is now in the top 50 business/marketing podcasts in multiple countries including Canada and the United States.

I love connecting with people, so please connect. (I do have a no a**holes policy though, so don't connect if that's you.) 

I talk all about scaling businesses using paid ads on “Secrets To Scaling Your E-Commerce Brand”.

Chief Executive Officer

If you’re on TikTok Shop and you don’t use Reacher you are playing on hard mode!! 

But first a story… 

Last month I was in Vegas for business

 Bora Mutluoğlu and Jerry Qian flew out separately from SD and SF just for the night. 

Took me out for dinner. 
Hung out all night. 
Just because. 

I am so proud to have been their advisor. 

They will surpass any business success I’ve ever had very shortly. 

This is what I live for. 

So back to Reacher 

They have built every single feature I have asked for to build creator communities on TikTok Shop and beyond for brands. 

They are the obvious outreach tool for every brand (and it’s not even close) 

If I were a competitor I would just quit tbh 😆🤷‍♂️

They are on another plane. 

This isn’t sponsored - except maybe a friendship sponsor lol! 

Anyway just wanted the world of LinkedIn to know how much I appreciate these guys! 

I will bet on whatever they do in the future.

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This is wild 👇🔥🔥
We have an internal channel at Social Commerce Club when new clients partner with us…

No word of a lie - that channel has been pinging at least 3-4x per week for the last couple of months.

Needless to say… we continue to hire 😆🤷‍♂️

This is super important for every single brand wanting to launch TikTok Shop  in 2026. 👇

If an agency tells you that you’ll be profitable in the first three months… 

RUN!!! 

Your goal in the first three months is…

1. Build the muscle 
2. Build a creator community 
3. Build momentum

That’s it! 

But… once you get momentum you’ll start seeing insane traction. 

And that’s when it gets fun! 

Thats what my team at Social Commerce Club loves for!!

2025 year in review (this will be juicy 😆🙌🏻) 
Highlights first (in order of importance) 👇

1. 4th baby arrived (me pictured trying to remember how to hold a new born ❤️) 

2. Acquired TUFF Media - unreal founder in Parker Kump and incredible team! Made Parker CEO (he’s a way better day to day operator than me)

3. Worked and scaled over 100 brands at Social Commerce Club - became one of the top 5 “gold status” TikTok Shop agencies in NA. 

We Should be the only platinum in Jan.

4. Founder/CEO Advising - worked one on one with 13 founders - mostly SAAS. 5 exits, 3 got into accelerators. (I’m waitlisting founders for this year btw - DM me if interested)

5. Acquired Roasberry to become Halo - the first omni channel decision engine for DTC brands (launching soon) 

6. Socials - over 10 million impressions between LinkedIn, X, YouTube etc 

7. Health (should have put this second but I’m typing and well…) 

Continued to not drink (highest leverage move and it’s not even close) 

Installed a “daily hike” into my work day - best new habit. 

Read/listened to over 50 books.

8. YouTube/podcasts - was only on 10 external podcasts (need to change that this year) 

Published 40 YouTube videos + 52 podcasts of Secrets To Scaling Your E-commerce Brand 

9. Friends (this should have been 3rd lol) 

Moved cuties 4 hours away and intentionally have made some amazing friendships even at 39! 

We’ve hosted at our house least 20 times since we’ve moved and made a lot of ribs and brisket!! 

Lowlights

1. Said yes too much that took away from my main goals.

2. Didn’t spend enough time one on one time with my kids. 

3. Worked too much on things that didn’t matter to ME. 

4. Made some poor cultural hiring decisions that I had to walk back (read fire) 🔥 

Ok that’s it! 

What was your 2025 highlight?

I’m going to be honest 😢
In Aug… we were churning a lot of clients and not hitting expectations…

September we made some Big personnel decisions and it changed everything!! (Not like things were terrible before) 

Seeing my Social Commerce Club team working at this level makes me realize that they ARE the number one world class team for TikTok shop IMO 

Oh also… Parker Kump taking over as CEO has helped too!! 😆🤷‍♂️

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“How should I think about sampling on TikTok Shop?” 👇 
We get this question from brands at Social Commerce Club constantly…

So... Here’s the framework we use. (probably save this one) 🔥 

Step 1: Stop treating sampling like a checklist
It’s not…

It’s an investment decision!! 👏 

Step 2: Use metrics as inputs

Not gates.

Yes, we look at…

→ Recent GMV
→ Post rate
→ Content quality
→ TikTok signals

Step 3: Zoom out and get the full context

Creator-side questions: (here's where the gold is people!!)

→ Is their content good enough to sell anything
→ Do they post like it’s a job… or like it’s a hobby
→ How long have they been on the platform
→ Do they engage in the community
→ Is there an obvious use case for the product
→ Does the page feel like someone who “gets it”

Brand-side questions

→ What’s the goal (GMV max vs brand control - this is something we contantly need to think about with the types ad size of brands we work with at Social Commerce Club)
→ What’s the sampling budget + volume we aligned on
→ Do unit economics work (COGS, shipping, margin)
→ Do we have inventory to support this
→ Does the category fit their audience
→ How aggressive does the brand want to be

Step 4: Make the bet

Every product we send is an investment!!!
We place it where it has the highest chance of creating real value…

Now (performance)
Or later (relationship)

And if you’re unsure…

That’s normal.

Pull someone in.

Pressure test it!

I hope that helps... questions?

Last month... I found an INSANE stat about TikTok Shop creators that EVERY brand needs to understand before going HARD on the platform. 👇 

1. there are OVER 3.5 million creators signed up on tiktok shop

2. Here's the part that will blow your mind... 

Of those 3.5 million creators... 

less than 50K of them produce more than 1k of GMV (sales) a month. (thanks to Bora Mutluoğlu and Reacher for the numbers btw)

First... I have been saying this for the last 2 years. 

There are so few AMAZING creators. 

Second - your job as a brand is to find these creators and keep them happy and working for your brand. 

We've known this as the case at Social Commerce Club for the past 2 years and built an INSANELY high performing network. (that we plug new brands into from day 1) 

The next thought I have is around strategy if you can't get those creators to pay attention. 

This isn't something that I talk about that often TBH. 

BUILD YOUR BRAND CONTENT on your TikTok page 

Seriously. 

Get someone fulltime to crank out at least 10 videos a day. (stay away from fully AI btw - TikTok is deprioritizing that right now) 

Look at your competitors top performing content creators on @FastMoss and use those videos as inspo for your brand. 

Am I saying don't work with affilaites?? 

No not at all! 

Affilaites are so important to your overall strategy. 

What I AM SAYING is... 

Control what you can at first. 

And you can control your own brand content and how much you put out daily. 

So do that. 

Know a brand thinking of launching on TikTok Shop in 2026? 

Send them this post - it may help them understand the platform that much better!

THIS IS A JOB POST FOR Social Commerce Club 🔥 
The more TikTok Shop agencies appear on the scene... the more I realize that 99.9% of them just don't get it. (or the broader market)

This is a great opportunity for us at Social Commerce Club - but also really sucks for the broader DTC community trying to enter the channel! 

The ONLY THING I THINK ABOUT DAILY is on increasing capacity (because as you know... demand is not our problem! 

And to do that... we need people to join us that RAISE THE BAR (not just meet it which generally weeds out 99% of people) 

So... we are hiring for the role of "social commerce strategist" 

What is it? 

You work directly in between our brand partners and our creator community. 
You help BIG brands enter the social commerce world on Tiktok shop driving both massive AWARENESS but also massive amounts of net new customers and revenue. 

Who are you? 

your friends call you "tenancious" "can learn anything" "won't settle for good enough" "can take on any challenge" "methodical is getting results" 

What have you done in the past? 

Titles may have looked like "brand strategist" "growth strategists" "director of ecomm" etc. 

If that's you... I'm going to tag in Klaryssa Pangilinan, CPHR 

1. Connect with her. 
2. Tell her that Jordan West said you should message. 
3. Tell her why you would be a fit for Social Commerce Club
4. Let's goooooooo 

Also would love a share and tag anyone you know may be a fit (ps... the best usually already have a job)

What’s up with That smile? 
Well let me tell you… 👇

A few things 

1. Social Commerce Club is going to be the biggest TikTok Shop agency in NA this year 

2. I have an amazing leadership team and CEO at SCC 

3. I love doing what I do on a daily basis 

4. I get to work with some of the biggest brands in the world. 

5. I am launching the biggest disruptive tool for brands since iOS 14.5 

6. I love my life 

That’s why I’m smiling … but tbh I would be smiling if everything was in shambles too - it’s a skill 😆🤷‍♂️

I have a confession LinkedIn…
This time last year…

I hired…

A ghost writer! 😆😢🤞

And you know what? 

They wrote better than me. 

They got better engagement. 

They saved me time!! 

But you know what?? 

After 2 months… it felt kinda weird. 

It wasn’t me.

I missed the habit of writing every day. I felt less articulate. 

Same thing with experimenting with AI 🤖 content. 

Sure - it works ish - but it’s not me. 

And I LOVE articulating ideas. 

I had lost my voice. 

So I went back to writing daily and let me tell you… best decision ever!! 

It’s not for everyone - I get it. But it’s for me!! 

Anyone else gone through this??

TikTok shop growth is hard. I want to break down EXACTLY how to do it in 2026 for any brand.

Hot take for 2026 👇

AI is better than you at UGC 

But… I don’t think it matters. 

Why? 

It’s not real.

It may work for a short time… but in the end, humans want humans. 

We love watching each other struggle and overcome. 
 
The messiness - the pain. 

It’s built in. 

One of my biggest takes is that AI content will be completely deprioritized in 2026 - because people are spending less time online as a result. 

Thoughts?

🔥 2026 predictions (you may not want to read these if you don’t like change e-commerce brands)

1. AI UGC on social media will be almost completely deprioritized and companies that make AI UGC will struggle (plus there will be some big consumer lawsuits similar to to ADA level lawsuits IMO) 

Also as an aside AI written content here on LI will be deprioritized (we all hope lol) 😂 

2. 95% of enterprise brands (read household names… not DTC darlings though some may take it more seriously before it’s too late) will enter TikTok Shop in some form. 

This one is interesting because I obviously have a lot of insider knowledge at Social Commerce Club and it’s wild. 

3. The Ads that work on paid social will HAVE to be proven out on organic social first. Brands will return to organic first (again why I am obsessed with TTS) 

4. Organic Facebook reach is back baby!! Post at least 2 reels a day! 

5. MTA as a measurement system will die and more wholeistic measurements will take its place (read halo etc) 

6. Meta and TikTok will demand even more creative in their pursuit of personalized ads. (Hmmm where can a brand get thousands of videos to use across channels???) 

7. Agentic commerce will push 30% of referrals for big brands on DTC (get ready for the bots folks) 

8. Social Commerce Club will be the only platinum partner on TikTok Shop and triple in size this year and I AM here for it!! 

What did I miss??

BRANDS!!! DON'T GO ON TIKTOK SHOP! 
YES YOU HEARD ME RIGHT! 

Until you have this in place... (yes I hate the hook I just did too lol!) 

1. Your fulfillment needs to BE dialled. If you start out and don't have this (the most overlooked part of TT shop) dialed you will get penalized and in a HUGE WAY! 

Like one of my old mentors says "it's all in the set-up" 

Having your back-of-house operations right from day one...

shipping, returns, SLAs, and stock sync—is non-negotiable. 

TT Shop doesn’t care if you’re learning. 

Miss your fulfillment window? You’re getting flagged! 

2. Your listings need to sell WITHOUT a scroll.
 
Clear titles (keyword-optimized, benefit-led).
5+ high-res images.
500+ character descriptions that SELL.

This is your storefront. Optimize it like your life depends on it.

3. You need a bulletproof creator outreach + content system.
 
One-off creator outreach is NOT a strategy.
 
You need:

A CRM to manage collabs.

My number one recommendation (and it's not even close) is Reacher 
Automated follow-ups.
spark ads collection 
etc etc 

Ps - think minimum 200 samples a month for the first 3 months. 

Remember top TikTok Shop creators are the 80/20 of the 80/20!

3 things in life and business that matter WAY MORE than money 💰👇

1. Autonomy - I would take freedom over money basically any day - your time is so much more valuable than you treat it. 

2. Friendship - there’s a crazy stat about males in their 30s and the lack of friends most people have. 

I have felt this in the past but made a concerted effort to push against it! 

3. Who you work with (and why the pic of Parker Kump) 

At Social Commerce Club I have one person that reports to me - Parker. That’s it. 

And TBH he is above my level - pushes me daily and is just a blast to work with. 

I’ve had partners in the past that aren’t at the same level and it is painful. 

If that’s you and a partner - you need to have the hard conversation NOW - it doesn’t get better. ❤️‍🩹 

I will never again work with someone I don’t enjoy and isn’t at my level or above (that included advisory clients) 

Life is too short. 

Btw… do the above and you’ll probably have more than enough money 🤷‍♂️

Ok what’s your thing that’s more valuable than money?

Brands sleeping on TikTok Shop…
Here’s what you need to understand 👇 

1. This is a legitimate channel for legitimate brands. (we should know at Social Commerce Club)

2. 2 out of the top 3 products AOV is above $200 (so you can't see it's just for cheap junk) 

3. Social commerce is the future 

Live shopping 
Creator driven commerce 
Affiliate style commissions 

If you’re on the fence… 

This is your sign

A brand we work with had over 20k affiliate  videos in November alone 👇

There are levels to this stuff on TikTok Shop guys! 

My biggest concern is the lack of amazing agencies out there to fill the massive need. 

I am still wanting to launch a way to help agencies understand how to run this service - DM me if you’re interested or want to know more (also for all of you who have dmed me do it again to get to the top of my inbox lol)

Was off my phone for a week 
No LinkedIn 🔥🔥🔥
Had 37 DMs waiting for me…

3 were from people not pitching me and that I needed to respond to 

What has happened to LinkedIn??

Remember when Saratoga Spring Water Company went viral?? 

A creator posted a hilarious video about their morning routine and it ended with him dunking his face in this water 

They sold out everywhere. 

It’s just water. 

If they can do it… so can you 😆

Because most of you who follow me have great products that people love. 

But what’s the Easiest way to go viral Jordan?? 

Well TikTok Shop of course!! 

This is why I’m obsessed at Social Commerce Club and why the biggest brands in the world are entering the platform. 

Thoughts??

One of my next life goals is to open the Canadian YC - I already have the whole plan built out and it’s WILD 

Canadians are so underrated. 

Canada 🇨🇦 is so underrated

Co-founder at Crustdata (YC F24) | Real-time B2B data for AI Agents

The Canadian YC Mafia has raised more than $919.6M in total funding.

You don't need to move out of Canada to build the next big company.

These YC founders built companies from Canada that operate at a global level. They attracted top talent and sold into international markets without needing to relocate. Location is no longer a constraint. The companies coming out of Canada today prove that world-class outcomes can be built without leaving Canada for the Bay Area.

Using Crustdata’s People Search API and Funding API, we identified the 8 most funded Canadian YC companies with founders currently based in Canada:

SRTX (Makers of Sheertex) - $251M - Katherine Homuth (now at Oomira)
CoLab - $177M - Adam Keating, Jeremy Andrews
Ready Education (Acq. by Collabco) - $162M - Danial Jameel, Alice Dinu, James Dang (now at Saris AI) 
Vidyard - $90.8M - Michael Litt Devon Galloway
Validere - $66.5M - Nouman Ahmad, Ian Burgess
Nomic Bio - $59.2M - Milad Dagher, Jeff Munzar, Arya Tavakoli
Fiix - $57.5M - Khallil Mangalji, Zain Manji, Arif Bhanji (now at Lazer Technologies)
Mino Games - $55.6M - Sasha MacKinnon

Did we miss anyone who should be part of the Canadian YC Mafia?

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Kyle Hunt

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