My podcast interview with host Sean Lang
Key Takeaways:
- Gene started in e-commerce in the late ’90s before transitioning to digital marketing.
- The book The E-Myth Revisited was a major turning point in shaping how he built his agency.
- Building an agency from scratch was chaotic; it felt real only once clients started relying on him.
- Early struggles included educating clients about why they needed websites and SEO.
- Gene leaned heavily on networking, including BNI and local chambers of commerce, to grow Samson Media.
- Remote teams were central from the beginning, with a preference for U.S.-based freelancers.
- Responsiveness and speed were critical success factors when hiring and managing teams.
- Test projects proved more reliable than interviews when hiring.
- Gene successfully sold Samson Media in 2021 and stayed on as a consultant for two years post-sale.
- A major selling point was recurring SEO revenue, not just one-off web projects.
- He now runs Fleur de Lis Consulting, helping other agency owners prepare their businesses for sale.
Listen to the 30-minutes interview here:
