Agency Darlings
by Melissa Lohrer, Meredith Fennessy Witts
Latest episode
053: 2026 State of the Indie Agency - Part 1: Lean by Design
053: 2026 State of the Indie Agency - Part 1: Lean by Design
About this podcast
Agency Darlings is your insider's guide to the agency world - where we spill the tea on everything from profit margins to problem clients. Hosted by agency consultants Melissa Lohrer and Meredith Fennessy Witts, this podcast offers a fresh perspective on growth strategies tailored specifically for women-led agencies.
Whether you're looking to refine your revenue model, increase profit margin or elevate your business to new heights, Agency Darlings provides the guidance and inspiration you need to achieve your goals—on your terms.
For all inquiries, contact us at [email protected]
Episodes
The newest 20 of 58 episodes
- 053: 2026 State of the Indie Agency - Part 1: Lean by Design · 52 min · Episode 53Over six years, indie agency founders rebuilt their businesses from the inside out — leaner teams, a new definition of success, and better pay for the person who built it. This…
- 052: The Decline of Referrals (plus strategies that work) · 40 min · Episode 52Referrals aren’t bad. Some of your best clients came from one. But if referrals are your only path to new business, you don’t have a strategy — you have a waiting room. And when…
- 051: Raise Rates, Cut Clients, and Say No Without Losing Sleep · 40 min · Episode 51In this episode we're breaking down the three decisions that define what your business actually is next year — what you charge, what you keep, and what you let in — plus the…
- 050. Leads That Convert 2x Less — and Cost the MOST Time · 1 h 1 min · Episode 50There's a particular type of lead that does more damage to your confidence than any other: the price shopper. They're not looking for expertise. They're not prioritizing…
- 049. Why Agencies Lose Deals They Should Have Won · 45 min · Episode 49Most agencies are obsessed with finding new leads. They're spending time and money on cold outreach, networking, and lead gen tactics, all while ignoring the goldmine sitting in…
- 048. How I Doubled My Agency by Doing Less with Lauryn Warnick · 1 h 1 min · Episode 48Over the past decade, Lauryn Warnick has quietly built Villain Branding into a trusted partner for high-growth B2B companies navigating moments where brand decisions carry real…
- 047: The Delegation Mistakes That Keep Founders in the Weeds · 47 min · Episode 47Leadership is hard. Leading while running a business, managing a team of freelancers, and trying not to burn yourself out in the process? Even harder. In this episode, Melissa…
- 046. The Confident Pivot: Reinventing Without Burning It Down · 41 min · Episode 46We're seeing it everywhere: nearly every agency we work with is in the middle of a pivot right now or has pivoted in the past year. We're in a particular moment of needing to…
- 045. What clients actually want (and won't tell you) · 1 h 2 min · Episode 45You think you know what clients want. You've read the case studies, perfected your pitch deck, and rehearsed your differentiators. But what if you've been optimizing for the…
- 044. How Big Clients Think (And How Agencies Win Them) · 42 min · Episode 44A lot of agency owners think winning big clients is about fancy credential decks, bigger case studies, or the perfect pitch presentation. It's not. It's a psychology game, not a…
- 043. The Pricing Sweet Spot: Is Your Pricing Too Safe? · 45 min · Episode 43Most agency founders have been charging the same rates since 2021. You've given your team raises. Your costs have gone up. The economy has shifted. But your pricing? Still stuck…
- 042. You Didn’t Start an Agency to Be the Lowest-Paid Employee · 30 min · Episode 42How to actually enjoy the money your agency is making without guilt, chaos, or burnout. That's the conversation Melissa and Meredith are having today, darling—because too many…
- 041. This Is Your Expansion Era: Strategies for Thinking Bigger · 34 min · Episode 41Playing it safe got you here. But thinking small won't get you there. While most agency owners are planning incremental 20% growth, darling, we're challenging you to think…
- 040. The Anti-Pitch Strategy: How to Close Deals Before the Pitch · 48 min · Episode 40Nothing drains boutique agencies faster than the black hole of pitching and RFPs. In today’s episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on a topic that every agency owner privately…
- 039. The High-Performance Hiring Method Every Agency Owner Needs with Natasha Golinsky · 1 h 1 min · Episode 39If you’ve ever hired someone you thought was “the one,” only to watch your team unravel behind the scenes, this episode will feel like a deep exhale. Today, we’re sitting down…
- 038. Your Pipeline’s Quiet — Now What? · 52 min · Episode 38You know that sinking feeling when your sales pipeline starts to dry up? When the big deal you were sure would close suddenly stalls, and your perfectly forecasted month starts…
- The Unfiltered Reality Behind Growth · 29 minIn this episode of Agency Darlings, hosts Melissa and Meredith provide an insider's guide to the ups and downs of the agency world, emphasizing the importance of vulnerability…
- 037. What Sustainable Growth Really Looks Like — with Amy Jackson from TaleSplash · 1 h 3 min · Episode 37The agency world doesn’t reward those who cling to “how it’s always been done.” It rewards the ones brave enough to redesign their business around what actually works — and what…
- 036. Full-Service is a Trap: How to Specialize to Scale · 36 min · Episode 36There’s a sneaky trap that almost every small agency falls into at some point: trying to be everything to everyone. And honestly? We’ve been there too. When you’re in the early…
- 035. Become the CEO of Your Life with Amanda Goetz · 55 min · Episode 35The agency world was never meant to be a one-character show. In a culture that glorifies doing it all at once — CEO, visionary, mom, partner, friend, athlete — we’re often left…
