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Marketing Agency Exposed Podcast


May 5, 2022

Subtitle:

Today we dive into the world of all things hybrid, looking at how things have changed since the pandemic and whether those changes have had a positive or negative impact on our businesses. We dive into hybrid scheduling, standup, sheds, and more on this week’s episode.

 

Summary:

On today’s episode, we explore working remotely and hybrid schedules since the pandemic as well as their effects on our businesses. We discuss some of the tools we use as well as some key tips and tricks to help your team all be on the same page. We also talk about the importance of having a healthy culture and atmosphere and some of the ways you can do that with a hybrid team. It’s important to think about how to engage your team and make sure they feel connected, even in small ways. We also dive deep on alternative work spaces and how they could change all businesses in the future. There have been lots of changes in how we work because of the pandemic, and it’s important to analyze the effects these changes have and how to move forward.

 

Top 3 Curtain Pulls in this episode: 

  • Be intentional with your time.

It can be challenging to coordinate and interact with your coworkers when each member of your team is on a different hybrid schedule. This is why it’s important to intentionally set aside time to bond and spend time with your team within and outside of work as well as making yourself available for their needs and questions. “Be intentional about asking ‘what are the things that we can do to keep that culture going’.”

  • Figure out what kind of schedule works best for you and your team.

Hybrid can make intentional interaction challenging and this is where scheduling plays a role. Once you and your team figure out the best schedule, it will be much easier to cultivate a healthy culture and team atmosphere despite different day to day agendas. “We let people set their schedules when they're in when they're out. But we coordinate our team to be in around the same days.”

  • Get your team on the same page.

Because of the distance that hybrid schedules can create, ensuring that your team is on the same page is vital. Ken talks about the role that his daily standups with his team played during the height of the pandemic and how it helped unify the team and give them a starting line. “It's way more important if you're remote because you just don't know where the starting line is, and you don't know when you're on the same page.”

 

For more tips, discussion, and behind the scenes:

 

About The Guys: 

Bob Hutchins: Founder of BuzzPlant, a digital agency that he ran from from 2000 -2017. He is also the author of 3 books. More on Bob: 

Brad Ayres: Founder of Anthem Republic, an award-winning ad agency. Brad’s knowledge has led some of the biggest brands in the world. Originally from Detroit, Brad is an OG in the ad agency world and has the wisdom and scars to prove it. Currently that knowledge is being applied to his boutique agency. More on Brad:

Ken Ott: Co-Founder and Chief Growth Rebel of Metacake, an Ecommerce Growth Team for some of the world’s most influential brands with a mission to Grow Brands That Matter. Ken is also an author, speaker, and was nominated for an Emmy for his acting on the Metacake Youtube Channel (not really). More on Ken: 

Show Notes:

[0:31] Bob opens this week’s episode with a discussion about outsourcing and remote work.

[2:11] Bob talks about how 5 by 5 creates their hybrid schedule.

[2:50] Ken talks about his daily standup with his team as well as how they do hybrid scheduling.

[5:00] Ken dives into the importance of his team’s daily standup and the role it played when the team was fully remote. “If you don't have something like that, I feel like there's no start line” “It's way more important if you're remote because you just don't know where the starting line is, and you don't know when you're on the same page.”

[7:47] Bob starts a discussion analyzing the differences between working remote before and after the pandemic.

[10:26] Brad talks about his tech team in Romania. “We've been like a family, I go over there from time to time and break bread and hang out with everyone.”

[15:16] Brad breaks down how his agency, Anthem Republic, does their hybrid scheduling. He also talks about the importance of body language.

[17:47] Brad talks about his project management tools and how he schedules his weeks.

[19:51] Bob talks about the system at 5 by 5 for project management and how his schedule works out. He also asks, “How do you maintain a healthy culture, team atmosphere, all those things in a hybrid environment?”

[22:27] Ken says that ensuring that your hybrid agency’s culture is healthy, “Can be so hard unless you're really intentional. It'll sneak up on you.”

[23:05] Bob discusses some ways to engage your team that will keep the culture going in a hybrid environment.

[25:07] Bob talks about the increased efficiency of hybrid agencies. “I've been on a lot of wasted zoom time. But the other side of the coin is, I think it's counter intuitively made us more efficient.”

[27:27] Ken asks the guys, “ if you had to start from scratch, would you choose everyone in person? Would you you know, just have a hybrid where you have people everywhere?”

[28:50] Ken then asks, “The money that gets spent on offices, is that good? Is that money well spent for an agency?”

[30:29] Brad says that the financial plan for your business is what helps each agency decide if investing into a physical office is best.

[32:22] Bob begins a discussion about alternate work spaces when he mentions his desire for a shed in his backyard that can be his own private office space.

[38:09] Bob says that it’s important to not be in a static environment everyday because, “it goes in line with what we do. People hire us to come up with something different and unique and creative.”

[41:30] Bob says, “We'd love to hear from our listeners. Reach out to us. We'd love to hear what you're doing. Please continue to give us reviews.” 

[41:51] Brad wraps up this episode and adds, “Yeah, also make sure you subscribe on YouTube!”