Ep 059 – Aalap Shah, 1o8 Agency – The Spirit of an Agency

Featuring: Aalap Shah, 1o8 Agency

In this episode, I sat down with Aalap Shah from 1o8, a minority-owned digital agency. Aalap shares his journey to agency ownership, starting with his background in accounting and e-commerce. He discusses how he fell in love with marketing and eventually started his own social media agency. Aalap also talks about the recent acquisition of Heart Creative, which adds content production capabilities to 1o8. He emphasizes the importance of the pillars of values that his organization stands for, how culture and community are imperative in his agency, and the value of certifications like being a minority-owned business. Aalap also shares his passion for giving back and his love for running and nature.

Key Takeaways

• Agency ownership can happen by accident, as it did for Aalap Shah, who started his agency after realizing he wanted to work for himself • Acquiring another business can help fill gaps in services and provide new opportunities for growth • Building a strong culture and community within an agency is essential for success • Certifications, such as being a minority-owned business, can open doors and lead to new business opportunities • Giving back to the community and being involved in philanthropic efforts can be a valuable part of an agency's mission • Finding a hobby or activity, like running, can provide personal fulfillment and balance in the midst of running a business

Chapters

00:00 Accidental Agency Ownership 05:35 The Meaning Behind 1o8 09:35 Building Pillars of Expertise 13:36 Driving Consumer-Based Traffic 22:33 The Power of Looker Studio for GA4 26:27 The Value of Niching Down

Aalap Shah is a Chicago-born entrepreneur, public speaker, philanthropist, and the founder of 1o8, a fresh digital marketing start-up focused on deepening brand awareness and increasing sales for amazon + e-commerce companies nationwide. Aalap and his team at 1o8 have worked with companies like Gildan, Sweet Leaf Tea, Vetnique Labs, OHi Superfood Bars and Tio Gazpacho—just to name a few.

Aalap happily shares his personal entrepreneurial story and his passion for crafting digital strategy, creating content, navigating the ever-evolving digital marketplace, and captaining the entrepreneurs’ life at events far and wide. As a registered CPA and the child of Indian immigrant-entrepreneurs, business is a key part of Aalap’s DNA and integral to his own personal American Dream. Aalap started his first business, a toy store, at the age of 23. Maneuvering the marketplace while building his business’ brand awareness sparked a love of marketing and promotion. Aalap worked in digital marketing for years thereafter, and is now the strategic brain behind 1o8, an amazon and ecomm focused growth agency in Chicago.

He has served as a keynote speaker, workshop moderator, and panelist at engagements with the National Business Education Association, Clickz, Social Media Week, Media Post, and Bloggers Week Summit and for companies such as Sears, Northwestern University, and DePaul University.

Contact Aalap on his website for 1o8 Agency, Heart Creative, or on LinkedIn.