You Don’t Need Permission. You Need a Plan. (A Founder’s 40-Year Playbook) with Dr. James Gregory

Описание: Dr. James Gregory spent 40 years proving that brand = enterprise value.

In this episode, Jim walks through the real story: starting an agency at 23 with $300, building alongside his wife (and business partner), publishing thought leadership that taught the market how to hire them, creating the Core Brand Index to quantify reputation, and eventually selling the firm, then going back to earn a doctorate in statistics to understand (and defend) the models he’d been selling for decades.

If you’re an agency owner thinking about growth, M&A, or an eventual exit, this conversation is a blueprint for building intangible value that buyers actually pay for.

We cover:
How Jim started on Madison Ave with $300 (and why that matters)
Turning an agency into a differentiated consulting business
Thought leadership as a go-to-market weapon (and the “secret” behind his book cadence)
An acquisition that accelerated growth, plus the overhead mistake that nearly killed momentum
The Core Brand Index: measuring reputation and connecting it to financial outcomes
The “one naysayer” problem in boardrooms and what Jim would do differently
Selling the business: why the best buyer is often the closest “like-you” competitor
Post-exit purpose: avoiding the void by building a second creative career (fiction, publishing, and pace)
Jim’s take on AI: helpful tool… and a wrecking ball for craft

Resources / links:
Dr. James Gregory’s site: JamesRGregory-Books.com
Books mentioned: Small Fortunes, Zephyr’s War, Killer App, Ghost Town

If you’re an agency owner who wants to scale through acquisitions (without draining cash at close):

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