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
June 10, 2025
EP.33 - Garrett Mehrguth on Scaling, Acquiring, and Staying Sharp
In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes sits down with Garrett Mehrguth, founder of Directive and Abe, to unpack what it really takes to build, scale, and sustain a high-performing digital agency. Garrett shares w...
June 3, 2025
EP.32 - Mastering LinkedIn for Agency Growth with Aman Ghataura
In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes speaks with Aman Ghataura, founder of The Media Engine, about his evolution from a number two in a digital agency to starting and scaling his own business. Aman shares how h...
May 27, 2025
EP.31 - John Doherty’s Journey to Sustainable Agency Growth
In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes speaks with John Doherty, founder of EditorNinja. John recounts the winding path from running a marketplace agency to building a thriving productized editing service. The tw...
May 20, 2025
EP.30 - Marketing Without the Nonsense with Susan Tyson
In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes speaks with Susan Tyson, a fractional CMO and author based in Chicago. Susan breaks down how small business owners can handle marketing strategy without fluff or jargon. Wit...
May 13, 2025
EP.29 - Leading & Growing with Trust with Patty Campagna
In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes sits down with leadership coach and entrepreneur Patty Campagna to explore what makes entrepreneurial leadership unique—and challenging. Patty shares her journey from corpor...
May 6, 2025
EP. 28 - Writing With Purpose with Michael Drew
In this episode of Retained Trust , host Karl Hughes is joined by Michael Drew, founder of Book Retreat and a veteran of the publishing world with over 130 New York Times bestsellers under his belt. Michael opens up about his...
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