Start with services, build your empire, rapidly grow your online business

Want to rapidly accelerate your online business? Start by providing services.

Building a successful professional service business provides you with ALL the skills you need to tackle any challenge that comes up in your online business. Providing profitable services builds your bankroll, widens your skill-set, and gives you direct feedback from the marketplace.

Start with services, build your empire.

Earlier this year, Miles and I had a podcast conversation about our journey into entrepreneurship. I assumed that our stories would be different, since Miles has a well established and successful product business, and my background was building an agency that provided PPC, SEO, and Analytics services to large companies.

Turns out, our backgrounds were more similar than I had imagined. We both got our start tinkering with WordPress websites, did odd jobs to pay the bills, and built our nest-egg providing services to others. Not only that, but we both amassed enough personal wealth to entirely bootstrap our product businesses years later.

No venture capital here, just years spent exchanging our time for money, and later exchanging that money for freedom. We learned so much by providing services for others, that when it came time to build our own businesses, the journey was easy by comparison. We both had developed deep problem-solving skills, knew how to build strong long-term relationships, and understood the pain points of our customers.

By understanding the pain points in the marketplace, we were able to develop products that solved these problems. And when it came time to sell them? We already had a list of customers waiting to sign up!

At the end of the podcast, Miles developed a mantra: Start with Services.

Start with Services...

Build your bankroll, build your skills, build the business of your dreams.

Let me tell you a secret. There isn't a successful business in the world that was built overnight. There isn't a successful business that purchases a single "guru" program and it makes their business immediately profitable.

Don't buy into the hype, the tactics, or the marketing sizzle. One-trick ponies get shot.

You are laser-focused on making money. But earning $100,000 in revenue is not the same as earning $100,000 in profit.

To build a successful business, you need to think like a CEO, so you focus the right activities that make your business perform better. Focus on profits and long-term building blocks.

Don't just be another freelancer. Don't just be another consultant. Don't just be another agency flying blind.

Take a profit-first approach.

If your goal is to become a highly-paid, respected, and influential consultant I have build a program specifically for you

Introducing the Agency Jumpstart Course. A step by step framework for making your vision a reality

A toolkit for running your agency

Have you ever wished there was an easy button for your agency? This is the next closest thing

Practical, step-by-step guides

Work through all aspects of your business with the help of templates and advice from agency owners just like you

Habit-forming business focus

You spend more time working on your agency than you do sleeping. Start off each day by building a bright future for your company

The secrets of the best agencies

You are about to join an exclusive club of successful agency owners.
Learn directly from a 5-time Inc 5000 fastest growing agency partner

The Agency Course is broken into 5 modules.

Together, it is the only online course in the market that takes a profit-first approach to building, growing, and scaling a one-person consultancy or agency business.

Let's take a look inside.

MODULE 1

Agency fundamentals

Here is what you will discover in Agency Fundamentals

A simple walkthrough of how to interpret a profit and loss statement so you understand the basics. (Your accountant will be amazed by your thoughtful questions).
The TWO accounting statements you need to master to check if your agency is profitable. (And why every agency needs it to evaluate their business performance and ensure they have enough cash in the bank to survive).
A complete thorough deconstruction of what a balance sheet is and all its components. (Plus, the most important equation you should know - the equivalent of E=mc^2).
Why Performance Based Consulting sounds great on paper, but is actually terrible in practice.
A downloadable revenue model calculator to help you determine which revenue model to choose for your services.
Why it’s difficult to scale revenue with big projects. (Hint: Big projects equal more money, but there’s a drawback from a business development perspective that you must know).
The ONE non-negotiable thing your services need to have in order for you to be profitable as a freelancer or consultant.
Why boring industries can sometimes make you the most money. (And how specializing in one boring industry helped my agency effortlessly close sale after sale).

Module 2

business development

Here is what you will discover inside of our business development module

16 lead generation tactics that require ZERO cold calling.
The single most important lead generation tactic that allows you to position yourself INSTANTLY as the expert just by association.
Complete deconstruction of how your prospective client thinks about their problems and how you can leverage that into your sales pitch.
The SINGLE most important concept for service businesses to understand in order to easily hit income targets. (Not only that, but it provides you income security for long term strategies and service growth.)
The TEN sales metrics every consultant or service business needs to track in order to understand the full sales picture and its impact on profits. (Miss one of these and you will be flying blind during your sales cycle).
The ingredients of a great sales pitch deck to persuasively communicate the value your service provides to prospective clients.
The ONE thing you NEED to do if you are just starting out as a service business. (No, it is not blogging, creating business cards, or networking. Hint: It starts with the letter H.)
The THREE biggest mistakes service businesses make when marketing their website and how to fix them. (And 5 tactics that will easily improve your website’s homepage so you avoid the kitchen-sink marketing syndrome).
How to leverage knowledge of client budget cycles into your sales process so you can intercept them when they are most likely to buy. (Plus, use my Client Budget Cycles framework to track client’s budget cycles and stay top-of-mind during the sales cycle).
Why most agency’s revenues come from 2/3 of existing clients and how client relationships are the difference factor between you and your competitors.
The Bad Client checklist and the Sauer Principle (80% of the pain in your butt comes from 20% of your clients)

module 3

growing your agency

Grow your agency the right way with these jumpstart lessons

Why agencies fail in making clients happy with the work they deliver.
The 9 critical questions you should ask your clients during the onboarding process to manage client expectations.
The FOUR components of project management. (And why accountability is the most important as your agency grows).
How to receive timely payments from clients. (And the impact of client payment terms on your cash flow).
My secret to effective Statements of Work that I painfully learned over my 10+ years as an entrepreneur that you can learn and implement right away.
Discover when you can afford an employee using the RHC metric so you know EXACTLY when to hire a new employee from a financial perspective. (And three detailed examples of how the RHC metric affects your profit margins).
Discover the right time to hire an employee from an operations standpoint with the 8-step Hiring Flow Framework, so you recognize the exact moment when you should or should not hire an employee.
The best advice my CFO gave me while growing my agency (Hint: Timing is everything when it comes to profitability.)
Common pitfalls to avoid when being a subcontractor. (Agencies are not without hubris, discover common mistakes that can kill your profits when you become a subcontractor!)
Why you should involve your employees in your marketing and business development instead of only a few people doing it, and 4 agencies who do this well.
The truth about retaining employees and how to determine if you should or should not give your employees a raise. (Sometimes you have to say NO even to your top performers - remember you’re a business and need healthy profit margins)

module 4

long term planning

long-term building blocks need to be in place in your business - We teach you:

The THREE different phases of building an agency. (And the biggest lessons I learned as a "solopreneur" and agency owner).
The advantages and disadvantages of each business entity using the Choice of Entity Chart so you are informed when you talk to your lawyer and accountant.
The difference between an affiliate and a business partner. (And the most common rookie mistake I see consultants make).
How to deal with your existing business partners and the 4 things you need to consider in case you decide to end your partnership.
The 8 decisions executives make and the primary responsibility of your company’s shareholders.
The THREE types of businesses that could potentially acquire your business and how each one goes about acquiring an agency business.
The organizational chart that my own agency used for years and the largest role that made up 75% of employees.
How to apply the 80/20 rule to your services using The Profit Opportunities Framework so you know which are bringing REAL profits and which are not worth offering anymore.
How to create a customer success strategy that you can easily reproduce, so the best clients keep working with you in the future.
The only way of knowing if your agency is successful or not, and the importance of comparing your actual budget versus your projected budget.
The #1 regret I had when my agency started experiencing massive growth. (Do this early in your business, and you will be able to support new clients and employees with grace)

module 5

don't get your ass kicked

Here are 5 ways to make sure don't get your a** kicked in the agency business

Understand why not all revenue is good revenue
Make a choice in your business between creating a platform or providing services
Don't try to scale your culture too quickly
Every agency must these 8 business planning building blocks in place before growing (and we provide a checklist to make sure you have addressed them all)
Be sure to differentiate your services, and use third-party recognition whenever possible

Bonus Module

sales jumpstart

And Finally, here are some of the many awesome takeaways from Sales Jumpstart

How to immediately recognize when leads are worth your time, and when you should pass on an opportunity
How generating inbound leads is the best way to grow your first $1 Million on revenue, and why you don’t need to resort to cold-calling to get there.
How to evaluate the characteristics of your most profitable customers and find more of them through outbound marketing (and when to niche down)
Watch Jeff critique the outreach emails he received from service providers over a 3-month period (and learn what you should absolutely NOT do in your outreach)
Healthy business metrics - the two metrics that immediately show that you have a healthy business
An exclusive look at our revenue projection process, grading system, and how you can use this system to project your revenue for the next 12 months
My 11-step process that I use to evaluate every sales prospect (Hint: if a lead doesn’t pass at least 10 of these tests, they are not a prospect)
A 9-point checklist for what you MUST include in your pitch deck
The right order to share your slides, and how to build a narrative that keeps the attention of your prospects for the entire pitch
13 considerations for making virtual pitches effective (and some of the biggest mistakes I made over the years)
The 9-step process you need to go through when creating an estimate (and a checklist to keep you on track)
The difference between broke service professionals & those who get paid their due
My strategy for closing a $100k/year deal with one simple email (and how that contract has generated over $700k in revenue to date)

This course is for entrepreneurs who are seeking:

A roadmap and action-based planning tools to help grow into a healthy business
To create a business that can successfully run without them
To remove all the "winging it" from financial forecasting
To develop a new habit of regularly "working on the business"
To understand the process the building a high-functioning team
To avoid making common mistakes that negatively affect profits
To avoid getting their asses kicked

This course may not be for you if...

You aren't serious about taking your income to the next level
You aren't ready to commit to the regular habit of "working on your business" for at least an hour every day of the week
Your agency has already achieved over $10 million in revenue and has over 100 employees
You are not planning to develop in-demand skills that allow you to thrive as a consultant and agency owner

60 Day Money Back Guarantee

Join Today! It's 100% RISK FREE. If you complete Agency Jumpstart Course, and still don't find it valuable for your business, email our support for a refund. Show us that you completed all of the video lessons and worksheets, and we'll happily refund your full payment.

The Agency Jumpstart Course is the only course out there that walks you through a proven step-by-step using a profit-first approach to starting and growing your consulting business.

The "Services First" Package for friends of Miles Beckler

(Normally ~~$1,297~~)

Miles-negotiated price: $997

Want to start off your business the right way? Then this program is exactly what you need. Join today to receive lifetime access to the following business-building tools.

5 Core Agency Jumpstart Modules ($1,997 Value)
20+ Workbooks and Frameworks
Private discussion forum and Facebook Group Access
Sales Jumpstart Course ($497 Value)
One 60-minute video call with Jeff

$997 (One Payment - Save $199)

$299 (Four Monthly Payments)

Lock-down 60 minutes of one-on-one time with Jeff

(Normally ~~$1,797~~)

Miles-negotiated price: $1,197

Schedule a 60-minute call with me to hash-out a personalized plan for building your business. Not only that, but you will get lifetime access to the full Agency Jumpstart program as well.

5 Core Agency Jumpstart Modules ($1,997 Value)
20+ Workbooks and Frameworks
Private discussion forum and Facebook Group Access
Sales Jumpstart Course ($497 Value)
One 60-minute video call with Jeff

$1,197 (One Payment - Save $199)

$349 (Four Monthly Payments)

These business owners have grown their businesses in 2018 with the help of Agency Jumpstart Course

Abe Kurian

Creative Web Results

After taking Jeff's Agency Course, using tips, techniques, and selling points within the course, I was able to pitch the value of Advanced Analytics option to a large auto dealership group and win a monthly retainer agreement worth $60,000. From Jeff's Course alone, I have realized a return on my investment of 6,000%. The videos and course materials are easy to understand plus implement. If you are a Digital/Marketing Agency, Freelancer, Business Owner or anyone that is serious about learning and getting paid for their skill's, Jeff's course will help you get there.

Rosemary Ugboajah

Neka Creative

For seven years of business ownership, my knowledge was derived from occasional input from mentors and trial and error. Taking the Agency Course has had a great impact on my business. It took out the guess work. I learned new strategies, acquired new tools and gained confidence in what I was already doing well. The agency course has helped me grow my business.

Sean Power

Digital Marketing Freelancer

The course is incredible so far and worth every penny (and then some). It feels like getting an MBA specializing in agency/service-based business -- which probably saved me the $80K I contemplated on an actual MBA.

Alvaro Berrios

Full Circle Marketing

I learned more in this course than I have pretty much all the other courses I’ve taken in my life. The great thing about this course is that everything is actionable. It’s not all theory, it’s all actionable and Jeff makes it very easy to take action with the handouts and spreadsheets.
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The biggest thing that the Agency Jumpstart Course saved me from was instead of entering into a partnership with another freelancer, I decided to remain independent. Based on what I learned from the course, and the personal feedback I got from Jeff, I broke off that relationship amicably. It saved me from making irreversible mistakes with my business. That alone was worth a lot of money that I could have wasted in the future.

And if you are worried about the investment, this course can easily save you tens of thousands of dollars of mistakes in the future. Depending on how big those mistakes are, it could even be hundreds of thousands of dollars. I feel confident in saying that it can save you tens of thousands of dollars over just a few years.

Fred Pike

Northwoods Software

Jeff’s course is like getting an MBA in running an Agency. Intense, thorough, rich in detail, and taught by someone who has lived the agency life and started and scaled a successful agency. This is not theoretical knowledge – these are hard-learned lessons, taught by an entrepreneur who is excellent at teaching.

Andres Ruul

Holini

At first, I was skeptical about the course as it was quite a significant investment for a starting business with no income. But I do not regret it at all.

You don't know what you don't know, and the Agency Jumpstart Course is a perfect journey to get a good overview of all the main building blocks needed to build a successful agency. To be honest, we just copied most of the strategies, and it helped us to create a foundation to become Estonias top AdWords agency in only 10 months. So, money well spent :)

Your questions about Agency Course

Can I complete the Agency Course at my own pace?

Each module consists of two weeks of video lessons, followed by a third week for reflection. The two weeks of videos will each have concepts that you can immediately apply to your business during the reflection week. This course is designed for maximum action.

This course is designed for accountability and success. It is important to participate in a timely manner (following the lessons as scheduled) to maximize the value you receive.

How much time do I need to dedicate?

We recommend our students to dedicate one hour per weekday (during non-reflection weeks) to complete course materials.

Will you have a module on how to decide which market to serve in my agency? I am starting my business from scratch.

Yes. Lesson 8 of Jumpstart 1: Agency Fundamentals covers the importance of serving a specific market. This could mean you decide to serve the B2B or B2C market. Or you could select a certain industry niche. Or a specific service niche.

In this lesson we evaluate niche opportunities for digital agencies, and provide a framework for you to evaluate each opportunity ahead of you.

Throughout the course, you will learn how to position your business in a powerful way in order to maximize your profit and the value you deliver to clients.

Will one of the modules be business ops-focused?

We have an entire module dedicated to business operations. We cover how to onboard new clients and add process (including checklists, templates, project management tools) and how to set expectations.

Another video discusses the importance of client relationships and how to focus on the long term. The next lesson focuses on how to use client successes as case studies and marketing materials to draw in more clients.

And we round it out by providing a lesson on cash flow and how important it is to agency survival. We provide models you can use to project your own cash flow.

Will you be covering financials vs hiring process in the course?

Yes. Of course, the answer will depend on the employee’s salary and their role within your organization. We examine different scenarios for projecting employee headcounts against cash-flows based on your business goals.

Will your course cover what a real team looks like? I want to remove myself from day-to-day operations to focus on building my business.

Yes. When you’re trying to scale, carefully choosing your team members and the roles they play within your organization is critical. Who you hire will be contingent upon what your goals are for the business. In this course you will identify your goals first so that you’ll be prepared to know who your next hire is and why.

We cover all aspects of building a team from first hire through filling out your entire organization chart. Lessons 4 and 6 of Jumpstart 4: Long Term Planning are particularly helpful in the business planning process and come complete with accompanying downloadable templates.

It's time to get registered for the Agency Jumpstart Course