Episodes
March 25, 2025
EP.22 - Building Scalable Sales Teams for Agencies with Karlie Morien
In this episode of Retained Trust , host Karl Hughes speaks with Karlie Morien, a seasoned sales leader specializing in lead generation and sales development. Karlie shares her journey from sales in the SaaS industry to build...
March 18, 2025
EP.21 - The Reality of Recruiting & Hiring with James Hornick
In this episode of Retained Trust , host Karl Hughes sits down with James Hornick, Chief Growth Officer at Hirewell, to talk about hiring trends, employer prestige, and why LinkedIn feels like a necessary evil. James shares h...
March 11, 2025
Building Trust and Scaling Agencies with Manuel Weiss
In this episode of Retained Trust , host Karl Hughes reunites with his business partner, Manuel Weiss, to share insights on scaling digital service agencies. They discuss lessons learned from recent acquisitions, the importan...
March 4, 2025
EP.19 - From Niche to Growth: A Path to Agency Expansion
In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes sits down with entrepreneur and agency expert Sam Shepler, founder of Testimonial Hero, to explore the ins and outs of building, scaling, and acquiring service-based busines...
Feb. 25, 2025
EP.18 – Profitability & Planning: Joey de Wit on Smarter Agency Finances
In this episode of Retained Trust , host Karl Hughes speaks with Joey de Wit, founder of AgenCFO, a fractional CFO service specializing in helping agencies master their finances. Joey shares his journey from corporate finance...
Feb. 18, 2025
EP.17 - Scaling Success: Agencies, AI, and Acquisition with Corey Northcutt
In this episode of Retained Trust , host Karl Hughes sits down with Corey Northcutt, a serial entrepreneur and Chief Optimization Officer at Orbit Media Studios. Corey shares his journey from founding a hosting company in col...
Feb. 11, 2025
EP.16 - Scaling a Strategy-Driven Agency with John-Henry Scherck
In this episode of Retained Trust , host Karl Hughes speaks with John-Henry Scherck, the founder of Growth Plays, a B2B SEO and content strategy agency. John-Henry shares his transition from a solo consultant to building a gr...
Feb. 4, 2025
EP.15 - Financial Clarity for Agencies with Paul Seaton
In this episode of Retained Trust , host Karl Hughes speaks with Paul Seaton, founder of AgencyFi, which provides outsourced accounting and CFO services for digital and creative agencies. Paul shares his journey from Deloitte...
Jan. 28, 2025
EP.14 - Unlocking the Power of PR: Aidan Sowa on Sales-Driven Strategies
In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes speaks with Aidan Sowa, founder and CEO of VelvetVoice PR. Aidan shares his unique journey from running a lead generation agency to building a thriving PR firm. He dives int...
Jan. 21, 2025
EP.13 - Breaking Down Business Books: Tevia Hoalst on Smarter Financial Management
In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes welcomes Tevia Hoalst, founder of TeKoda Accounting, for an engaging conversation on the world of small business finance. Tevia shares her journey from the restaurant indust...
Jan. 14, 2025
EP.12 - 12 Books That Shaped My Entrepreneurial Journey
In this solo episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes takes a departure from his usual guest interviews to share a deeply personal and structured discussion on the 12 books that have most influenced his journey as an entre...
Jan. 7, 2025
EP.11 - Exploring the Entrepreneurial Maze with Bob Tripathi
In this episode of Retained Trust , host Karl Hughes speaks with Bob Tripathi, founder of Digital Sparx Marketing, about his fascinating journey through corporate roles, entrepreneurial pivots, and building a thriving marketi...
Dec. 31, 2024
EP.10 - The Agathist Mindset: Kyle Shevlin on Balancing Passion and Profit in Agency Life
In this episode of Retained Trust , host Karl Hughes sits down with Kyle Shevlin, founder of Agathist, a software development agency specializing in React and React Native. Kyle shares his journey from freelancing and full-ti...
Dec. 24, 2024
EP.09 - From Intern to Industry Leader: George Zlatin’s SEO Story
In this episode of Retained Trust , host Karl Hughes sits down with George Zlatin, co-founder of Digital Third Coast, a Chicago-based SEO and digital marketing agency. George shares his unconventional entry into the digital m...
Dec. 17, 2024
EP.08 - Building Trust Through Authentic Content: David Flanagan's Story
In this episode of Retained Trust , host Karl Hughes sits down with David Flanagan, founder of The Rawkode Academy and a veteran in developer advocacy. David shares his entrepreneurial journey, from building a niche YouTube c...
Dec. 10, 2024
EP.07 - Mastering Business Finances with Chris Gwinn
In this episode of Retained Trust , host Karl Hughes sits down with Chris Gwinn, founder of Midwest CFO, a fractional CFO firm helping small businesses thrive by optimizing financial strategies and preparing for growth or exi...
Dec. 3, 2024
EP.06 - Building Resilience: Kon Kruglyak on Staffing Challenges and Entrepreneurial Growth
In this episode of Retained Trust , host Karl Hughes speaks with Kon Kruglyak, founder of Candidate IQ, about the realities of starting a staffing business in challenging economic times. Kon shares his journey from corporate ...
Nov. 26, 2024
EP.05 - Building Beyond Boundaries: Kurt Schnakenberg's Journey from Chicago Brass to ADBM
In this episode of Retained Trust , host Karl Hughes sits down with Kurt Schnakenberg, co-founder of Chicago Brass and ADBM, to discuss his entrepreneurial journey and the innovative approaches he’s using to redefine his indu...
Nov. 19, 2024
EP.04 - Building Businesses That Last: Karl and Manny’s Journey
In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes invites his business partner and close friend, Manuel Weiss, to share their dynamic journey of entrepreneurship, partnership, and building lasting businesses. From Manuel’s ...
Nov. 12, 2024
EP.03 - From Sales to Startup: Jared Gibson’s Insights on Building a LinkedIn-Focused Agency
In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes is joined by Jared Gibson, co-founder of Outworks, a marketing agency helping founders and executives build influence on LinkedIn. Jared shares his transition from a traditi...
Nov. 5, 2024
EP.02 - Building Strong Roots: Shannon Beasley on Local SEO and Growth Strategies
In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes sits down with Shannon Beasley, founder of Acorn to Oak Strategies, to discuss her path from a biomedical engineering student to a local SEO agency owner. Shannon shares how...
Oct. 28, 2024
EP.01 - Navigating Personal Branding with Sunny Shah: Community, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship
In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes sits down with Sunny Shah, founder of SunnyCreators, a digital marketing and personal branding agency. At just 28, Sunny has built his name in Chicago’s entrepreneurship and...