Want to know what it takes to build, scale, and sell your agency?
Retained Trust is a weekly podcast where host Karl Hughes goes deep with digital service business owners to uncover the habits, tactics, and strategies they’ve learned to grow successful companies. Along the way, you’ll hear about Karl’s journey running and acquiring niche digital agencies as he learns from guests with a variety of backgrounds and experience levels.
Recent Episodes
Dec. 2, 2025
The Four-Hour Life and the Realities of Passive Income with Dan Andrews
In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes speaks with Dan Andrews—entrepreneur, podcaster, and co-creator of the Tropical MBA and Dynamite Circle. Dan recounts his entrepreneurial journey from corporate frustration ...
Nov. 18, 2025
Inside the Lab: Trials and Takeaways from a Challenging Quarter with Manuel Weiss
In this episode of Retained Trust , host Karl Hughes sits down with his co-founder Manuel Weiss for their quarterly update. They open up about recent challenges and wins across their portfolio, especially the contrasting traj...
Nov. 4, 2025
Scaling Smart: Inside adbm.agency’s First 1.4 Years
In this episode of Retained Trust , host Karl Hughes reconnects with Kurt Schnakenberg, founder of adbm.agency, to reflect on the agency’s growth, challenges, and pivotal lessons from its first 1.4 years. Kurt discusses the r...
Oct. 21, 2025
Financial Precision: Chris Gwinn on Year One of Midwest CFO
In this episode of Retained Trust , host Karl Hughes reconnects with Chris Gwinn, founder of Midwest CFO, to explore what he's learned in the first year of building his fractional CFO firm. Chris shares how refining driver-ba...
Oct. 7, 2025
Jon Schroeder’s Path from Tech to Wellness
In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes speaks with Jon Schroeder, founder and CEO of Joy Fluent. Jon shares the journey behind BrewJoy, a new plant-based product designed to prevent coffee-related teeth stains, a...
Sept. 23, 2025
Scaling Developer Trust with Jake Ward
In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes speaks with Jake Ward, founder and CEO of Data Protocol, a platform supporting developer education and experience. Jake shares his path from public affairs to tech entrepren...
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