In this episode, hosts Peter Kang and Sei-Wook Kim dive into the core habits that have driven their agencies' success over the years. From structured team reviews and client communications to proactive outreach and financial discipline, they break down 10 essential routines (plus a few bonus ones) that help agencies improve continuously, stay aligned, and grow sustainably.
Peter and Sei-Wook share personal stories and practical advice on implementing habits like After Action Reviews, weekly biz dev meetings, monthly newsletters, and quarterly business reviews. They also explore how these habits compound over time, strengthen culture, prevent problems, and unlock new opportunities.
Whether you're a solo operator or leading a team, this episode offers an actionable framework to build consistency, accountability, and resilience into your agency's DNA.
Key Moments
1. How After Action Reviews turn project learnings into process improvements.
2. Why weekly business development meetings keep the pipeline full and the team aligned.
3. The role of monthly all-hands meetings in celebrating wins and maintaining morale.
4. How consistent weekly outreach emails can lead to multi-million dollar opportunities.
5. Using monthly newsletters to stay top-of-mind with clients and partners.
6. The importance of weekly client account check-ins to anticipate issues and opportunities.
7. How Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) deepen client relationships and unlock growth.
8. Why "mining the bottom"—addressing underperformers—is crucial for culture.
9. The value of client feedback surveys in improving service and offering.
10. Setting and reviewing annual and quarterly goals to drive focused growth.
Real Talk Takeaways
1. Habits compound. Small, consistent actions lead to big results over time.
2. Debrief everything. Learning from wins and losses prevents repeat mistakes.
3. Outreach is everything. Relationships built today can save your business tomorrow.
4. Culture is performance. Tolerating underperformers drags everyone down.
5. Goals need rhythm. Annual vision without quarterly check-ins is just a wishlist.
6. Cashflow isn't optional. Weekly finance reviews prevent surprises.
7. Always be recruiting. Even if you're not hiring, stay connected to talent.
Timestamps
00:00 – Welcome to Agency Habits
00:52 – Habit #1: After Action Reviews
02:32 – Habit #2: Weekly Business Development Meetings
04:39 – Habit #3: Monthly Team Meetings
06:46 – Habit #4: Weekly Outreach Emails
09:19 – Habit #5: Monthly Newsletter Emails
11:16 – Habit #6: Weekly Client Account Check-Ins
13:37 – Habit #7: Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs)
16:58 – Habit #8: Mining the Bottom (Performance Management)
19:21 – Habit #9: Client Feedback Surveys
21:02 – Habit #10: Annual & Quarterly Goal Setting
23:55 – Bonus Habits: Weekly Finance Reviews, Org Chart Reviews, Always Be Recruiting, Utilization & Forecasting
31:07 – Wrap-up and where to learn more
Notable Quotes
"A lot of what makes agencies successful are not just one-off big actions, but consistent activities that compound over time."
"The weekly outreach email is a multi-million dollar habit."
"If you're allowing underperformers to continue, you're dragging the entire culture down."
"Reserves aren't for funding losses, they're for timing mismatches."
"Goals without a plan are just a wishlist. You have to work backwards from the number."
Links & Resources
Peter Kang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkang34/
Sei-Wook on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seiwookkim/
AgencyHabits Website: https://www.agencyhabits.com/
AgencyHabits on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/agencyhabits/
Barrel Holdings Website: https://www.barrel-holdings.com/
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