How much automation should be integrated into your agency's processes? When is automation a good idea, and when isn’t it? Are your agency services diverse enough to withstand a shifting market? In this interview, learn from one agency owner who has grown her agency making very conscious decisions about what she’ll need to build a business that stands the test of time. From avoiding heavy automation to building a team based primarily in the US while living in Romania, she considers all angles before making long-term plans and has pushed against some trends to find her path. In this episode, we delve into her journey and gather valuable insights on scaling an agency in the dynamic world of e-commerce.

Alina Vlaic is the owner of AZRank, an e-commerce agency that offers tested and successful solutions for launching products across all e-commerce platforms. Alina shares her journey of starting her agency from scratch in 2018 and growing it to a 20-person team dedicated mostly to Amazon sellers, e-commerce businesses, and online entrepreneurs. She discusses the decisions she’s made from the start, to do what felt best for the success of her agency.

In this episode, we’ll discuss:

Choosing flexibility for long-term success.
A global vision with a local agency approach.
Expanding your agency’s toolkit to survive market shifts.

Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio

Sponsors and Resources

E2M Solutions: Today's episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass is sponsored by E2M Solutions, a web design, and development agency that has provided white-label services for the past 10 years to agencies all over the world. Check out e2msolutions.com/smartagency and get 10% off for the first three months of service.

An Unexpected Journey from Amazon Seller to E-Commerce Agency Owner

As an Amazon seller alongside her husband, Alina experienced firsthand the rollercoaster ride of e-commerce - including a devastating low that nearly derailed their dreams. It was during this time that she identified a gap in the market for services that were not being offered in the way she wanted. She saw some things were still missing in the 2017 Amazon landscape and set out to create a service that would address these needs for clients.

After slowly building up her clientele from just a couple of friends to a full team to continue providing services, she found herself having created a business around Amazon sales. It was time to transition from a one-woman show to a structured business and start growing a team.

Bucking the Trend: Choosing Flexibility for Long-Term Success

While her peers rushed to embrace every new technology promising lightning-fast results and the industry pushed for automation at increasingly higher rates, Alina took the opposite stance. Although automation could have helped her grow tenfold, she's made the conscious decision to pump the brakes on this high-speed approach.

The soul of her service lies in its flexibility - a quality she fears would be sacrificed on the altar of full automation. She's not willing to trade the ability to adapt and tailor her offerings for the sake of rapid expansion. Without flexibility, she would not be able to offer efficient services.

Executing a Global Vision with a Local Agency Approach

When Alina set out to build her dream team, she knew that the human touch would be her secret weapon. She needed to ensure her clients received top-notch attention in their own time zones while avoiding the pitfalls of language barriers. If clients weren’t receiving the right answers to their questions or didn’t understand the agency’s survey and processes, nothing would be ultimately accomplished. This is why she made the unusual and daring decision to hire a US-based team run remotely from Romania.

Furthermore, she was also very conscious about empowering her team from the very beginning. One of the smartest decisions Alina has made was letting her current COO and first hire handle the hiring process of the rest of the team. After that, she’s been “in the back seat” as she lets her team take over operations.

It's a transition that many agency owners dream of but few achieve, often finding themselves trapped by their own need for control.

Expanding Your Agency’s Toolkit to Survive Market Shifts

Alina started her agency with a focus on Amazon-dedicated services, but she quickly realized the need to expand into other areas like press articles and content generation. More than a response to market demand, this diversification was a strategic move to mitigate risks associated with relying on a single service offering.

Her decision to diversify her services highlights the importance of staying agile and responsive to changing market dynamics. In today's fast-paced digital landscape, agencies need to be able to pivot and adapt to new trends and technologies. Alina had in mind after seeing many agencies have to completely reinvent themselves once the market changed and their entire business model went down the drain.

By diversifying their services, agencies can not only capture new opportunities but also protect themselves from sudden shifts in the market that could potentially shut down their business overnight.

Do You Want to Transform Your Agency from a Liability to an Asset?

Building a Global Agency Team and Scaling Against the Grain with Alina Vlaic | Ep #721

Smart Agency Masterclass with Jason Swenk: Podcast for Digital Marketing Agencies