In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes speaks with John-Henry Scherck, the founder of Growth Plays, a B2B SEO and content strategy agency. John-Henry shares his transition from a solo consultant to building a growing agency, despite initially vowing never to hire employees. He discusses the challenges of scaling a strategy-driven service, the importance of hiring experienced talent, and how his approach differs from traditional agency models. The conversation explores the difficulty of getting strategic recommendations implemented, how to align content strategy with business objectives, and the key traits he looks for in hires. John-Henry also delves into personal branding, client acquisition through reputation, and how his agency balances autonomy and structure.

Key Points From This Episode:

[00:01:14] John-Henry’s early mindset: Why he originally resisted hiring.

[00:02:38] How Growth Plays differentiates from traditional agencies.

[00:03:52] The challenges of scaling a strategy-driven business.

[00:04:54] How Growth Plays positions itself in the B2B SEO and content strategy space.

[00:06:08] The hardest part of scaling strategy: Getting recommendations implemented.

[00:07:42] Creating urgency in content strategy to drive execution.

[00:09:50] Aligning strategy with business goals, public earnings reports, and KPIs.

[00:12:11] The importance of one-on-one stakeholder conversations to extract real insights.

[00:15:25] Key hiring attributes: Critical thinking, communication, and autonomy.

[00:18:28] How John-Henry builds a team that counterbalances his own strengths and weaknesses.

[00:20:54] The role of personal branding and word-of-mouth in agency growth.

[00:22:22] Delivering great work as the best marketing strategy.

Links:

John-Henry Scherck on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jhtscherck/
Growth Plays: https://growthplays.com/
Karl Hughes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karllhughes
Production and editing by The Podcast Consultant: https://thepodcastconsultant.com

EP.16 - Scaling a Strategy-Driven Agency with John-Henry Scherck