MSMP 69: Nick Jordan on Scaling Up

What Does MSMP 69: Nick Jordan on Scaling Up Talk About?

In this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast, Mads talks with Nick Jordan about scaling his SEO agency, Content Distribution, from a solo operation to a team of 25. Nick shares the pressures of managing a growing team, including the need to develop managers who focus on people skills rather than technical skills. They discuss the importance of niching down to charge premium prices, which enables better service delivery and sustainable growth. Mads emphasizes the value of internal promotions and grooming employees for leadership roles, drawing from his own early mistakes with external hires. The conversation also covers the challenges of pricing in the SEO industry and the need for agencies to underpromise and overdeliver.

I often say that when I think about promotion, especially to management positions, I tend to hire internally.Mads Singers

Who Is Featured on MSMP 69: Nick Jordan on Scaling Up?

Nick Jordan is the founder of Content Distribution, an SEO agency that helps clients rank on page 1 for tens of thousands of keywords. Originally a sales and product person at early-stage startups, he transitioned into marketing and later started his own agency. With a team of 25, Nick focuses on scaling the business while maintaining quality. He is open about his challenges and lessons learned, making him a relatable and insightful guest for entrepreneurs navigating similar growth paths.

What Are the Key Takeaways From MSMP 69: Nick Jordan on Scaling Up?

• Hiring internally reduces risk and allows you to groom employees for management roles over time.
• SEO agencies should niche down and charge premium prices to deliver world-class service and build a sustainable business.
• Managers promoted from technical roles need to develop people skills to handle the pressures of scaling.
• Higher prices enable agencies to invest in detailed case studies that demonstrate dramatic results.
• Encouraging entrepreneurial thinking among employees helps foster innovation and ownership.

It’s much better to charge more, which allows you to spend more on delivering world-class service to your clients.Mads Singers

Is MSMP 69: Nick Jordan on Scaling Up Worth Listening To?

This episode is highly recommended for entrepreneurs and managers navigating the challenges of scaling a business. Mads and Nick provide practical advice on internal hiring, pricing strategies, and developing managers. The candid discussion about mistakes and pressures makes it relatable and actionable. Listeners will gain insights into building a sustainable agency culture and avoiding common pitfalls in growth.

Who Should Listen to MSMP 69: Nick Jordan on Scaling Up?

• SEO agency owners
• Startup founders
• Marketing managers
• Entrepreneurs scaling teams

What Are Listeners Saying About This Episode?

I live in the SEO world and so it’s always a pleasure to chat with someone about SEO, but even better when I can combine that discussion with another topic close to my heart: building and scaling companies.

That’s why my guest for this episode of Mads Singers Management Podcast, Nick Jordan, had so many interesting things to share about his journey.  Originally a sales and product guy at early-stage startups he wanted to make a move into marketing instead.  After a stint as a freelancer he saw some things he could leverage into making his own agency, and now, a few years later, he’s got a team of 25 at Content Distribution, helping clients rank on page 1 for tens of thousands of keywords.

Nick admitted that he already feels the pressure of managing a team of 25 and has a core of managers he has developed so that he does not have any direct management of his team of writers.  I told him that at various inflection points on the way up to 100 he’s going to feel those same pressures, but that as long as he made sure his managers gained more people skills as they were promoted (instead of focusing on technical skills) those pressures will be manageable.

I often say that when I think about promotion, especially to management positions, I tend to hire internally.  Then not only do I generally know what I am getting with an individual person, but there’s less risk that the person will fail, as I will have been grooming them via opportunities to take on more responsibility that I proactively give out over a period of working with them.  I learned this lesson fairly early on in my outsourcing business.  I got blinded by an amazing resume when I was looking for my second hire.  It cost me a lot of time to admit my mistake and a lot of money to replace that bad hire.

Speaking of a lot of money, we also talked about how many SEO agencies undercharge and underdeliver.  Instead of niching down into something specific and charging a premium for their expertise in that topic, these firms tend to take on all kinds of clients and use most of their retainer to deliver and hence aren’t really building a sustainable business.  Nick agreed with me that it’s much better to charge more, which allows you to spend more on delivering world-class service to your clients.

It’s always fun to be able to say you chatted with someone early in his/her growth trajectory.  Nick and his team seem to be doing a lot of things right, and he’s not afraid to admit when he’s gotten some things wrong and wants to improve.  That’s always great to see and just one more reason I think you’ll enjoy this episode.

Key Learning Points:

1. Nick shares some of the pressures of managing 25 people - 4:50

2. Mads notes the importance of niching down in order to be able to charge more - 9:22

3. Nick adds that higher prices also allow for case studies, which show dramatic changes and take a lot of time to track - 12:18

4. Nick talks about the early days of his business and why he waited before taking on more clients - 22:10

5. Nick and Mads give various reasons why they prefer to make internal hires - 23:30

6. Mads pitches the importance of encouraging entrepreneurial thinking among employees - 27:50

7. Mads shares an early big management mistake he made with his outsourcing business - 32:40

8. Mads credits DISC with helping him learn about people much sooner than others can usually - 44:27

9. Mads talks about the most important thing to help a manager with after you promote them - 49:23

10. Mads talks about the crucial stage of the company: when it’s not about the owner anymore - 52:55

Connect with Nick Jordan

1. Content Distribution

2. Facebook
3. Instagram

4. Twitter