How I Started My First Agency

When I started my agency Mr. Youth fresh out of college I used to pick up my office phone when it rang(which was at the foot of my bed), change my voice, and act like I was the office admin.

I would tell the caller to hold on while I went to get “Matt,” and then 30 seconds later of me just staring at my phone, I would pick up the phone as myself and start the call. I grew that agency until it was acquired although at one point during the 2008 financial crisis, I was a few days from shutting down the entire company and had to put the entire payroll on my credit card.

I’m often asked, “How do you start?”… so I thought I’d share this…

1 — Find incredible people with heart and commitment that believe in what you’re doing. If they don’t believe in what you’re building, then you should consider hiring someone else who does.

2 — Trust your employees, empower them, and get out of their way. I realized no matter how hard I worked as a CEO, I could not grow without letting amazingly talented people do their thing.

3 — Instill trust and confidence with your clients. Trustworthy relationships where you continually over-deliver is the name of the game

The below video was an excerpt from an Entrepreneur Magazine interview in 2015