EP 77: Agency vs in house: When to hire, when to fire

The agency vs in-house debate has burned more brands than it has built.

In this episode, Jimmy Kim and Chase Dimond break down the real decision framework behind one of the most loaded questions retention marketers, founders, and execs ask: should you hire an agency or build the team in-house? They get into when an agency actually makes sense, what you should never outsource, the hybrid model that works at scale, and the red flags that mean it's time to part ways.

EP 77: Agency vs in house: when to hire, when to fire

Here's what we're diving into:

- What agencies are actually good at (and what they aren't)

- The revenue threshold for hiring in-house vs outsourcing

- Why strategy, customer insight, and brand voice should never leave the building

- The hybrid model that works: in-house owns strategy, agency owns execution

- When a project-based engagement beats a retainer

- The five red flags that mean it's time to fire your agency

- A four-question framework for making the call yourself

Thank you our friends at Omnisend, Inboox and eCom Email Certified for sponsoring the podcast!

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eCom Email Certified is a hands-on, results-driven program with a step-by-step guide to mastering retention marketing and driving serious results. Access over 25 hours of learnings and become a certified email & SMS marketer. Use code: SENDIT! for $300 OFF https://www.ecomemailcertified.com/

Explore Inboox.ai, the AI-powered database of 1M+ real ecommerce emails with full HTML, performance data, and trend insights from the fastest-growing Shopify brands. https://inboox.ai/

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00:00 Welcome to the show

02:15 What agencies are actually good at (and where they fall short)

06:03 The case for hiring an agency

08:43 Using an agency for one-off projects

10:30 What you should never outsource

13:18 Protecting your brand voice

15:21 The hybrid model that actually works

18:21 Red flags that mean it's time to fire them

23:44 The gatekeeping knowledge problem

24:24 A four-question framework to make the call

27:09 Recap and final takeaways

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Enjoying the pod? Subscribe to The eCom Email Marketer Newsletter for your weekly dose of retention strategy, actionable insights, & exclusive industry news! http://ecomemailmarketer.com/

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Follow Jimmy & Chase on social!

Follow Jimmy Kim at:

https://x.com/yojimmykim

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yojimmykim/

https://www.instagram.com/yojimmykim/

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Follow Chase Dimond at:

https://x.com/ecomchasedimond

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasedimond/

https://www.instagram.com/chasehunterdimond/

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Contact us at hellosenditpodcast@gmail.com for sponsorships, appearance requests, interviews, or general information!