Hydra

Hydra is a consulting firm focused on helping agency owners from 100k to 10MM/yr streamline & accelerate growth, achieve more revenue and profit, and reduce stress by implementing a systems-first approach that unlocks growth.

This leads to higher profits, higher founder satisfaction, better employee retention, and gives founders the opportunity to sell or hold for higher, more predictable cash flow.

Co-Founder

Howl Campfires

We exist to keep the forest and the campfire experience alive. 

At Howl Campfires we love traditional campfires, and know just how much spending time around a campfire has positively shaped our lives. Due to the acceleration of climate issues and the almost guaranteed burn bans in the National Forest, we understand the opportunity to burn wood in the forest is becoming limited. 

So we set out to build a propane fire pit that gives you the best qualities of a wood fire: Actually warm, take it anywhere, but operates legally in a burn ban.

As a company Howl Campfires designs and manufactures technologies that make liquid-fuel firepits as enjoyable to use as wood-burning campfires. 

These pits enable users to have no-compromise campfires in the midst of burn bans, without jeopardizing or degrading the land.

Margle Media

I served as President & Co-Owner of Margle Media, a full-service social media advertising agency servicing DTC brands and Fortune 500 clients. Margle works with brands to improve awareness, conversion, and the bottom line by:

-Producing digital content at scale
-Deploying paid social campaigns that convert users into customers
-Configuring systems to improve customer retention & LTV growth

https://www.marglemedia.com/

President & Co-Owner

Pixsuls

We help business owners leverage a proven, results-driven social media strategy to generate more leads, add more clients and increase revenue.

We believe in helping business owners reach their full potential by optimizing their company's online presence. We do so by transitioning our clients into the world of online advertising and captivating audiences through engaging content. 

We know that a company's most powerful asset is its brand story. In a world where consumers become loyal to stories, not products, we strive to put yours at the forefront of every timeline and newsfeed. 

We help our clients develop these stories through strategic messaging and creative content that gives potential customers a reason to click, read, watch, and devote themselves to the story that represents our clients and their businesses.

Pixsuls was acquired by Margle Media in January of 2019.

Founder

West Corporation

•Presented complex data solutions to businesses and took a consultative, solution-based selling approach to fulfill customer needs
•Managed and continually educated a small group of 4-6 Account Executives to ensure they were meeting or exceeding sales quotas
•Responsible for selling high-ticket offers to new and existing clients with contract values exceeding $500,000+ of revenue

Technical Account Manager

•Sold various technology products to new and existing clients over the phone through cold calls
•Built deep customer relationships resulting in regular repeat business
•Finished each month as an Account Executive at or above 100% to quota in multiple categories, best month finishing 400% to quota
•Promoted to Technical Account Manager within two months of hire, also achieved the Rookie of the Month award for exceeding sales targets

Account Manager

Co-Founder @ Hydra | Co-Founder @ Howl Campfires | I Help Agencies & Professional Service Firms Scale Revenue & Profit

Want to know how we're adding 20-40k in new MRR to agencies in 120 days? Let's talk: 

https://grow.workwithhydra.com/leadgensystems?el=nlinkedin

What I'm currently building: 

-Hydra, our consulting firm for digital marketing agencies to increase revenue, profitability, growth & operational efficiency. 

- CleanBooks, a bookkeeping and fractional CFO firm for digital marketing agencies. 

- HOWL Campfires, a 100% made in the USA, utility & design patented, portable propane fire pit that feels just like a wood fire.

Connect with me on Instagram & Twitter: @kirchnr

Not knowing where your next client is coming from is a daunting feeling. 

I lived in that place, until I learned this: 

1. Pick a channel 

The truth no guru will tell you is that ANY lead generation channel works, but I will say, some are easier than others. 

You've got: 

- Warm Outreach
- Cold Outreach
- Paid Ads
- Referrals 

Pick ONE and get to work. The biggest mistake I see is trying to focus on too many channels before cracking one to some degree of success.

Just getting started? Outreach & Referrals
Looking to scale up? Paid Ads 

2. Maximize Volume  

Once you have something that's working, try to maximize before expanding to other channels. It's always easier to do more of what's working before doing new stuff. 

Increase until there's either:

A. Diminishing returns
B. You cannot expand further for some other reason 

3. Maintain Activity In Absence Of Results 

The issue is, most people throw in the towel the moment a little adversity creeps in. 

An ad doesn't perform
A domain gets burned
Someone hangs up on you 

All part of the game. 

If you can be in the minority and remain unaffected by a lack of results but continue the activity required, you will come out the other side. 

4. Keep Client Acquisition At The Front

Realize every time you pull yourself away from the activity of finding new revenue, especially as a small business, you are working against yourself. 

This usually comes down to a lack of process or people, requiring you to step in an firefight vs. proactively growing. 

If you follow these 4, you've got a high probability it'll all work out given enough time. 

What's your best acquisition channel right now?

Nicholas Kirchner

3x Agency Owner | 1x Exit | Scaling agencies, consultants & B2B businesses @HYDRA | Founder At HOWL Campfires | DM me "Grow" for more info on our in-person intensives 🚀

Most agencies, consultants & service providers fail at $1M ARR. 

Here's why (and the 3-system fix ⚙️)

After consulting 250+ agencies and multiple exits, I've seen the same operational bottlenecks kill growth every time.

The problem? 

Founders confuse activity with progress. 

But if you get these 3 systems right, scale is inevitable. 

1. Revenue Predictability System

➝Stop chasing shiny objects.
➝Build a machine that generates MRR  & upsells monthly. 
➝ Focus on just a couple of channels and do them very well. 

2. Talent Pipeline System

Most agencies hire reactively when overwhelmed. 

Instead, have a hiring process that whenever new talent is needed, you can have a new, A+ hire placed in days not weeks or months. 

This one really affects people breaking through that 100k-250k range. 

3. Operational Leverage System

➝If you're still the bottleneck at $1M ARR, you've built a job, not a business. 
➝Document everything. 
➝Systemize the repeatable. 

I reduced my involvement from 80 hours/week to 25 hours/week using this approach.

Reality check though:

➝These aren't overnight fixes. 
➝Each system takes 90-120 days to dial in properly. 
➝But here's the truth, most agencies would rather stay busy than get strategic.

Throughout 3 agencies and 1 exit, I learned that sustainable growth requires saying no to 80% of opportunities to say yes to the right 20% listed above.

➝ Leads
➝ People
➝ Process 

What's the biggest operational bottleneck holding your business back? 👇

Lead magnet funnels outperforming VSL funnels for agency lead gen? 

This I'm noticing I’m seeing across our own offers + clients…

If you're running a VSL call funnel right now…

But aren’t running a lead magnet funnel in tandem, you're likely missing out on a lot of easy call volume. 

As market sophistication increases the effectiveness of call funnels will continue to decline..

(yes we still love them, yes they still work haha)

…But this means we need more entry points to our brand/offer.

Think about micro pain points your clients are facing (that have a quick solution) and turn that into your lead magnet. 

Then: 

->Run ads to it on a low budget to start, and aim for $2-5 opt-ins here asking for name, email and phone on the form.
->Call/text all the opt ins in first 5 minutes (easier if you have an SDR)
->Email sequence to all opt-ins

Also:

Your thank you page video will explain that what they just downloaded is great BUT it's not customized to their situation exactly. 

That's where we position the discovery call to customize it to their business.

Built in trust + buy-in + value first = easier sales calls 

-Nicholas

Cold email just changed forever.

For years, the golden rule was simple: No links. No images. No videos.

Because if you included them? 

Straight to spam.

That rule is now officially dead thanks to this one new feature from Maildoso
 
Here’s how it works: 

This new feature automatically replaces your links with safe, spam-free versions.

Which means you can now confidently add:

➝ Booking links (Calendly, Cal.com)
➝ Website URLs
➝ Images hosted via link
➝ Videos (Looms, etc.) 

No more plain-text prison. 

No more handcuffs on your creativity.

And the best part? 

Maildoso’s testing shows that video alone can boost cold outreach results by 3–4x.

Plus, this update is 100% free for all users. 

Just go to your profile, click the icon, and enable “Global Custom Domain Tracking.”

And you’re set! 

Let me know if you’re taking advantage of this 👇

I helped a multi-million dollar agency 2x their revenue in 5 months.

And the secret comes down to these 3 things: 

➝Having the right offer that the market wants right now
➝The right systems that can scale client volume seamlessly
➝The right revenue model to capture maximum LTV

I broke it all down step-by-step in a complete case study for you to apply to your own business. 

Comment "CS" and I'll send it over!

Most agencies let deals die without realizing it.

I see this everywhere.

Working with 100+ agencies & consultants, the same pattern emerges: 

Prospects sit untouched for weeks.

No real pipeline management. 

No urgency. 

Meanwhile, prospects go cold and competitors swoop in.

But the agencies that are growing month over month? 

They have dialed-in follow up systems.

They have opportunities automatically flagged when deals go inactive or untouched. 

Here's what that looks like: 

→ Pipeline automatically highlights deals that haven't been touched in X days 
→ Visual alerts (cards turn pink/red) when prospects need attention 
→ Customizable thresholds based on your sales cycle 
→ No manual tracking or spreadsheet maintenance required

Fortunately, there’s an easy tool that does all of this for you. 

Copper automatically tracks deal inactivity and visually flags opportunities that are slipping.

When a deal hasn't had any interaction for your set threshold, it gets highlighted in your pipeline. 

No guessing. 

No manual tracking.

Just quick ID & action taking. 

Bottom line? 

You close more sales when your follow up is on point. 

This post is sponsored by Copper.

I sell B2B.

And this is the playbook I’m running to book 50+ meetings per month.

1. Run paid ads to lead magnets + video sales letters 
2. Pixel everyone who visits your site/landers 
3. Run remarketing ads across FB, Google, YT, LI, etc. 
4. Build email nurture sequences for all of your opt-ins with case studies/social proof
5. Record 1 YT video per week
6. Email your list promoting the Youtube Video. 
7. Point all YT video traffic back to VSL. 
8. Use Opus Clip to take YT video into short form.

Gives me coverage across channels without too much complexity. 

- Nicholas

The difference between agencies & consultants that charge $50k/mo. and those stuck charging $2k/mo. comes down to positioning.

Positioning Playbook

The moments I’ve been the happiest building businesses 

Has nothing to do with the amount of money I made 

Or reaching a big accomplishment

It’s always been the feeling of positive momentum

->That one thing is stacking onto the other.
->That the next breakthrough is coming. 
->That something even bigger is on the horizon. 
->The feeling of excitement when somethings clicking 

There’s a lesson in there somewhere. 

Anyway…

Saturday morning reflection. 

Anyone else like the pursuit & momentum more than the end thing? 

-Nicholas

Unpopular opinion: Following up "just to check in" is killing your sales.

Everyone teaches persistence. 

"Follow up 7-12 times!" "Stay top of mind!"

But here's what actually happens:

You become the annoying vendor they avoid.

After selling my agency and consulting 100+ founders, I discovered something counterintuitive:

The best salespeople don't follow up more. 

They follow up smarter.

❌ Most founders: "Hi, just checking in! Any updates?"
✅ Top performers: "I saw [specific trigger event]. This changes X for you..."

The difference? 

Value in every interaction vs. wasting their time.

Stop checking in. 

Start adding value.

Your prospects don't need more reminders that you exist. They need more reasons to care.

The moment you switch from "How can I help you remember me?" to "How can I help you right now?" - everything changes.

What value are you bringing in your follow-ups?

Something funny happens when you decide to hone your positioning & avatar down. 

You finally say “this is it” THIS is who we’re working with. 

Or “ok, this is the offer we’re gonna sell” 

You start getting opportunities for things that are custom & outside your offer. 

And they might pay very well. 

I get it - it’s hard to say no to the money. 

So here’s what I do in these situations. 

I either. 

Turn down the work entirely, because your positioning relies on your ability to defend what you do vs. what you don't. 

OR charge a premium on that work because you have to design and entirely new process to service it, which is an opportunity cost for just doing more of your current thing. 

But, I wouldn’t just take on custom work without these two considerations. 

If you’ve got something working, doing something other than that, better, is probably costing you more than the shiny object will make you. 

Just my .02

Nicholas

You just pitched a $25K/month retainer.
 
The prospect says, “That’s too expensive.”
 
Most agencies panic.
 
They start discounting or justifying the price.
 
Big mistake.
 
Here’s how to handle it like a pro:
 
🛑 DON’T say:
 
❌ “We can lower the price.”
❌ “But we do a lot of work for that amount.”
❌ “Let me explain why it costs this much.”
 
✅ DO say:
 
🔹 “Expensive compared to what?” (Force them to clarify.)
🔹 “Price aside, are you 100% confident this would get you to X goal?"
🔹 “If this investment generated $500K+ in revenue, would $25K still feel expensive?”
 
Most pricing objections aren’t about cost.
 
They’re about uncertainty.
 
Your job isn’t to lower the price.
 
Your job is to increase the perceived value.

"Let me think about it." 

Kills more deals than 'No.'

But most founders treat it like a polite maybe, and let it slide.

That’s where deals go to die.

When you hear it, you have a tiny window to flip uncertainty into clarity.
And no, the answer isn’t to “give them space.”

It’s to dig, with confidence and precision, until the real objection surfaces.

Here’s how to do it without sounding pushy:

🛑 Never say:

 ➝ "Okay, just let me know."
 ➝ "Is there anything else I can send?"
 ➝ "I'll follow up later this week."

✅ Instead say:

 ➝ "Just to clarify, what specifically do you need to think about?"
 ➝ "If this solved [specific pain point], would you still need time?"
 ➝ "Just so I’m clear, are you thinking about the price or the solution itself?"

Prospects rarely need time. 

They need certainty.

Your job is to give it to them, in the moment, so you leave the call with a decision, not a question mark.

Close deals faster. 

Lose fewer to limbo.

Win Wednesday from inside the Hydra Growth Collective...

One of our clients Brendan just hit 3 back-to-back record revenue months inside his agency. 

But not just revenue. 

Profit. 

In fact he banked more profit last month than he did in 2024 as a whole…

And he’s about to do it again this month. 

What we changed: 

-> Pricing model to improve profitability 
->Team compensation model to drive performance (which makes him more money) 
-> Client acquisition system + offer structure (he’s got leads begging to work with him) 

Extremely proud of the progress we’ve made so far. 

Time to compound it ⏳

Proximity is the ultimate cheat code.

Any time I've made quantum leaps in business, it's been a product of being around people who already have what I'm chasing. 

When you’re in the room with people who’ve already achieved what you want, you shortcut years of trial and error.

Our mastermind has over 20 agencies, consultants & service providers doing 7–8 figures in revenue.

 That means every week, we:

➝ Share strategies that are working today, not recycled advice from 5 years ago.
 ➝ Honest, candid feedback from people who actually know what they’re talking about.
 ➝ A level of accountability you simply can’t fake.

Here’s the thing:

You can grind in isolation for years…

Or you can sit at the table with people who’ve already paved the road you’re trying to walk.

The difference?

One is guessing.

The other is knowing.

When you’re surrounded by the right people, the right moves become obvious. 

If you’ve been stuck at the same level for too long, it’s probably not a lack of discipline, talent, or work ethic.

It’s a lack of proximity to people who already have what you're chasing. 

Get in the right room.

Your future self will thank you.

You’ve been told the game is simple: 

Send more cold DMs, drop a slick VSL, 1 call close, repeat.

Because more volume, more clients, more revenue, right?

But that old belief set has collided with reality.

➝ Your prospects have been burned and jaded. 
➝ They don’t trust your ads. 
➝ They ghost your emails. 
➝ They scroll past your “value bomb” threads. 

By the time you get them on a call, they’re already comparison shopping and tire kicking.

And that’s why client acquisition isn’t a volume game anymore.
It’s a trust game.

And if you don’t change how you build that trust, you’ll keep spinning your wheels while less-qualified competitors close your prospects.

I recorded a video where I break down the exact system I’ve used to consistently land 5–7 high-ticket clients per month without spamming, chasing, or playing the content hamster wheel. [Link In Comments]

You’ll discover: 

➝ Why today’s buyer is wired not to trust you, and how to flip that to start closing deals
➝ The one shift that makes cold traffic feel warm before you even speak
➝ How to craft an offer so specific it kills objections
➝ How “trust assets” shorten your sales cycle in half
➝ The truth about why your ads aren’t converting anymore 

If you’re still trying to brute-force client acquisition with hustle and volume…

This just might be the wake-up call you didn’t know you needed.

Video link in comments 👇

Ever heard “Never use links, images, or videos in cold email. You’ll land in spam.”

The #1 rule of cold email is now dead.

Here’s how to 3-4x your cold outreach replies without hiding your Calendly link, demo video, or screenshots…

AND land in the inbox. 

Until now, putting anything clickable in your first cold email was a deliverability death sentence.

➝ Booking links? Spam.
➝ Loom videos? Spam.
➝ Image testimonials? Spam.

That ends today.

Maildoso just launched Global Custom Domain Tracking, and it changes everything.

This new feature automatically replaces every link in your cold emails with a safe, spam-free version that inboxes love.

Your message still looks and feels 100% yours, because it is.

No generic tracking domains. 

No red flags to filters.

And yes…you can finally:

➝ Embed booking links in your first email
➝ Drop Loom videos to instantly build trust
➝ Add images, testimonials, and visual proof without tanking deliverability

And here’s the kicker, it’s 100% free for all users.

Just go to your profile settings, click your profile icon, and toggle “Global Custom Domain Tracking” ON. 

That’s it.

No more “I’ll send the link later”. 

No more watching prospects lose interest between touchpoints. 

You send better emails, you get more positive responses, and you close more deals.

You just pitched on your sales call. 

The prospect replies: "Let me think about it."

Most founders freeze.

They mumble “Sure, take your time,” or just leave the call hanging.

Huge mistake.

Here's how to confidently turn that hesitation into commitment:

🛑 DON’T say:

❌ "Okay, just let me know."
 ❌ "Is there anything else I can send?"
 ❌ "I'll follow up later this week."

✅ DO say:

🔹 "Just to clarify, what specifically do you need to think about?"
 🔹 "If this solved [specific pain point], would you still need time?"
 🔹 "Just so I'm clear on my end, are you thinking about the price or the solution itself?"

Prospects rarely need more time.

They need more certainty.

Your job isn’t to wait passively.

It's to proactively uncover what's holding them back, and remove it.

You have minutes, not days, to save the sale.

When a prospect says, “Let me think about it,” most founders nod politely.
 They give them “space.”

 They promise to follow up later in the week.

By then, the deal is cold.

The moment they say it, you are on the clock.

Their excitement, attention, and urgency are peaking right now, not tomorrow.

If you wait, you are fighting against:

 ➝ Their shifting priorities.
 ➝ Other offers landing in their inbox.
 ➝ The simple fact that life gets busy.

The answer is not to push harder. 

It is to act faster.

Here is the 3-question framework to break hesitation while they are still engaged:

 1️⃣ “What specifically do you need to think about?”
 2️⃣ “If we could remove that uncertainty now, would you be ready to move forward?”
 3️⃣ “Is your hesitation about the price, the solution, or the timing?”

Prospects rarely need more time.

They need your help making the decision while all the context is fresh.

Every minute you wait after “Let me think” costs you closing power.

Strike while the iron is hot and close before the clock runs out.

Every level of growth requires you to become someone different. 

-> Sometimes it's not about new skills. 
-> Or new connections. 
-> Or new deals. 

It’s about becoming new version of you. 

Something I’ve had to do multiple times is re-invent myself to support the next level. 

And this requires you leaving behind old: 

->Relationships 
->Habits 
->Mentalities 

And that’s okay…

Because without that - you’re signing up to get more of what you’ve been getting…

Instead of the next level you’ve been wanting. 

Change is the only constant. 
Embrace it vs. shy away from it. 

It’ll change everything for you. 

Nicholas

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