Many digital agency owners attempt (in the very beginning…or longer) to take any client that has money. They want the experience and they want to get a portfolio. But commonly this leads to a path down the wrong road. Even if you are not a digital agency, you can benefit from today’s interview.

Gary George started his agency in 1998 and began to focus on his network in the music business.  Discover what Gary did from there to “landing the big names” and how he pulled himself out of the trenches.

In this episode, here’s what we’ll cover:

• What was his first strategy and how did that grow his business?
• How was his agency different from the beginning?
• Will he ever work for free or at a discounted fee?
• What two things are really driving traffic for his clients right now?
• What is content marketing according to Gary?
• How to grow huge lead gen models, according to Gary
• Has he ever been in a place where he was “spinning his wheels” in his business?
• Why his company has a plethora of tutorials.

Gary’s Target Audience: Gary’s target market is celebrities within the entertainment industry who he has worked with in the past. A-list musicians, artists and other notables who are ready for explosive growth with their companies.

Gary’s multimedia agency has been so successful for a number of reasons, the most important of which has been his ability to niche down and help his clients do the same. Though they often initially resist his suggestions on becoming laser-focused on a particular type of audience, Gary’s results back up his suggestions. And when his clients have success, they become believers.

When beginning his digital agency, Gary did something not many people do: he went after the biggest fish in whatever sea he was fishing in at the time. He knew if he got the biggest name in that industry and helped that person succeed, everyone else in that same market would be knocking on his door.

Gary’s early days began when he took an internship and then a sound engineering job working with rap and R&B artists like Jay-Z and Mary J Blige. He loved his work and loved what he was doing every day, but he knew deep down it was just a stepping stone.

And in 1998, he took that next step and began Blazin Media. He kicked off his company by offering to work with the same celebrities he was working with – only with Blazin Media he provides multimedia services for them.

Blazin Media is really a compilation of all the things Gary loves to do: photography, music, social media and serving others. After Gary had brought all of these talents and hobbies of his together, he had to look at how to grow the business. He had great clients and was doing great work, but he realized the thing that would take him to the next level would be to automate and create systems across the board. Once he did, Blazin Media really took off.

Practical & Actionable (at 25:21):

When asked what practical and actionable advice he’d give, Gary says “the number one thing that helped me get out of the trenches was systemizing and automation. That is the key to pulling yourself out of the business, so you can work on the business and not in the business.”

“The biggest pointer I can give to everyone out there: automate and delegate and also systemize.” For his staff, he creates tutorials and videos on how to do everything; he passes those on to new hires and that’s how they get trained.