Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Anthony.
Chris, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hi, Chris Anthony here, am the Founder/ Head Of Growth of Wealth Ideas Agency, a digital marketing agency specializing in helping business owners accelerate growth and scale online fast through a combination of effective digital marketing strategies.
Our success comes from following scientifically tested and proven systems and strategies for continuously scaling digital marketing campaigns, optimized to reduce customer acquisition costs and significantly increase ROI.
Wealth Ideas Agency initially took its roots in the digital marketing space as a Facebook advertising agency working with eCommerce & corporate brands such as Coca-Cola, Jumia, Vodafone, and Honda.
Struggling to maintain stable revenues and generate enough leads through traditional means of prospecting (cold calling, networking, etc), we set about automating the agency’s lead generation to build more consistency across the agency.
Within a year Wealth Ideas Agency went from a one-man band to a team of ten.
Three years later, we cracked $5M in revenue.
It became clear that the traditional means of the lead generation just weren’t going to cut it and that if I wanted more time and revenue I would need to automate my lead generation much like how I was building processes around every other part of my business.
In 2018 Wealth Ideas Agency took a pivot to start working with agencies, helping them to implement the same processes and systems we developed.
300+ agencies and freelancers later, it’s fair to say we know a thing or two about how to successfully grow an agency in today’s market.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Looking back now it’s clear that there were some missing elements in my business.
For starters, I lacked processes – let me rephrase that – I didn’t know what processes were or how they should be set up, and therefore I had zilch in my business.
Secondly, I lacked a consistent and reliable lead generation pipeline. I was dependent almost entirely on word of mouth and referrals, which were so sparing that when I did get a lead I was so desperate for the cash (cause I didn’t know how long the lead drought would last) that I would take on clients that were just not a great fit.
I was also so afraid of losing that lead that I’d start discounting my prices.
The “ah-ha” moment really came when I started to think “hold up, if I can help my clients get leads and customers through Facebook ads (this was the service I was offering), then why can’t I do it for my own business!”
Easier said than done.
I spent almost seven months and tens of thousands of dollars (money I really didn’t have), trying to crack a system to generate leads. My failure to achieve this started to manifest itself into imposter syndrome – for who was I to offer Facebook advertising services if I couldn’t even do it for myself!!
It was on my final attempt (thanks universe) when things “cracked”. I woke up the next morning with three leads booked into my calendar and nearly choked!
What soon followed was an insane period in my life where I would be on about 6-8 sales calls per day, closing clients left and right.
As you know, we’re big fans of Wealth Ideas Agency. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I first started as a freelancer offering digital marketing and web design services back in 2012, there was virtually nothing online about the topic. I did what most freelancers do back then, go online and plaster their services on one or more of the big freelance sites with a professional bio and a snazzy profile, thinking it’s only a matter of time before the offers start rolling in and that barely worked for me.
It hit me when I learned that many of the freelancers bid at the bottom dollar for projects, just so that they can be seen and considered. Even if they do manage to win the bidding war and get selected for a project, the site often requires outrageous service fees, demanding as much as 20% from projects!
And I thought to myself there has to be a better way, not until 2015 that I discovered the agency model, and 1 month later I launched my digital marketing agency.
After launching my agency in 2015 I had to figure everything out on my own and this meant I made some pretty epic and expensive blunders along the way. Was I meant to hire before cash flow could sustain it or wait till I had enough clients and then hire quickly? How did the big boys land the million-dollar contracts and what sort of margins should I be working towards? I didn’t know any of these things back then and I was just winging it.
With the boom of the internet and pure online markets, it’s been a gold rush for agencies and now the opposite can be said – there is almost too much information online about how to grow this type of business that it can be overwhelming. Not surprisingly, most of this information comes from “gurus” who have never actually built or managed agencies themselves – leading many down a costly road of misguided advice.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
One of my favorite childhood memories is spending time with my family, where I first learned the value of hard work and looking out for one another. Those moments gave me a strong foundation and still influence how I approach business and relationships today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wealth-ideas.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wealthideasagency/
- Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/WealthIdeasAgency/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/wealthideasng
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLRJLifxmIc8kZqdTGdy_6g?view_as=subscriber
- Other: https://forum.wealth-ideas.com/
