What should the first 30 days with a marketing agency look like?
Access, baselines, priorities, and a 30-day plan beat “we’ll optimize as we go.” Here’s what good onboarding looks like for service operators.
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Revenue Operations
Budgets, metrics, attribution, and the operating model behind predictable revenue. How $1M–$10M service businesses turn marketing spend into a system they can plan around.
What marketing agency contract red flags should you check before you sign?
Account ownership, termination, auto-renew, and scope vagueness show up before performance does. Operator checklist—then have your attorney review.
ReadWhat are the signs your marketing agency isn’t working?
Missed forecasts, vanity dashboards, and no revenue metrics are signals—not vibes. Use this operator checklist before you renew or replace anyone.
ReadRetainer vs fixed-fee marketing: what are you actually paying for?
Hours, retainers, and % of spend buy activity. Fixed-fee models buy a scoped system. Here’s how operators should compare incentives—before they sign.
ReadWhat should a marketing agency RFP scorecard include before you sign?
Score agencies on systems, measurement, and commercial model—not pitch decks. Use this operator RFP checklist in writing before you hire anyone.
ReadHow do you evaluate a marketing agency before you sign?
Agency churn peaks at agencies that sell tactics, not systems. Use this checklist before you sign—then apply if you want fixed-fee infrastructure.
ReadCAC vs. LTV: how much you can actually afford to spend on a customer
A budget percentage tells you what you're spending. CAC and LTV tell you whether that spend makes money. The unit-economics math every service business should run.
ReadOne agency vs. five vendors: the hidden cost of fragmentation
An ads guy, an SEO consultant, a content freelancer, a web developer: five invoices, zero accountability. The hidden costs of fragmented marketing.
ReadMarketing attribution for service businesses: a practical guide
A practical, no-jargon guide to marketing attribution for service businesses: call tracking, form tracking, CRM, and what good-enough actually looks like.
ReadThe only 5 marketing metrics that predict revenue
Impressions, reach, and engagement don't pay your team. The five marketing metrics that actually predict revenue, and the vanity metrics to stop reporting.
ReadWhat percentage of revenue should you spend on marketing?
The real 2026 benchmarks for service-business marketing spend: why the percentage is the wrong starting point, and how to set a budget your margins sustain.
ReadThe revenue system: why marketing tactics fail without structure
Most service businesses don't have a marketing problem: they have a structure problem. The system that turns fragmented tactics into predictable revenue.
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