{"podcast":{"title":"Follow The Yellow Brick Road","slug":"follow-the-yellow-brick-road-7056493","podcast_index_feed_id":7056493,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/follow-the-yellow-brick-road/","website_url":"https://followtheyellowbrickroadpodcast.com/","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/4c54bc52-27db-4657-8c91-caf35a4d3f86/Untitled-design-11.png","author":"Emma Rainville & Mitch Barham","episode_count":98,"summary":"Follow The Yellow Brick Road is the podcast for founders who want a clear path to turning clicks into customers. Hosted by Emma Rainville (Founder of Shockwave Solutions, Wizard of Ops) and Mitch Barham (Founder of Barham Marketing, Wizard of Ads), this show breaks down what actually drives growth — from acquisition to conversion to operations. Emma brings the systems and execution behind businesses that run without the founder in the day-to-day. Mitch brings the ads and acquisition that turn attention into revenue. Together, they connect both sides — so your business doesn’t just get clicks, it converts. If you're serious about scaling your business — subscribe and follow the path.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-15T10:21:18.337187+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/follow-the-yellow-brick-road-7056493"},"episode":{"title":"Hiring an Agency? This Is Where You’ll Get Burned.","slug":"hiring-an-agency-this-is-where-you-ll-get-burned","published_at":"2026-02-24T20:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/follow-the-yellow-brick-road-7056493/hiring-an-agency-this-is-where-you-ll-get-burned","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/follow-the-yellow-brick-road-7056493","url":"https://followtheyellowbrickroadpodcast.com/","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/79e27f0b-6832-48f2-9e58-517c3055dc0d.mp3","summary":"Most founders don’t lose money because they hired a bad agency. They lose money because they hired wrong, scaled wrong, or expected outcomes without understanding the mechanics behind them. In this episode of Special Ops Podcast, Emma Rainville sits down with Mitch Barham to unpack what agency ownership really looks like behind the curtain — and what founders must understand before blaming, firing, or replacing their team. We cover: → Why agencies gain experience faster than in-house teams → The real reason most agency relationships fail → How to tell in 60 seconds if you're talking to a junior team → What questions to ask BEFORE signing a contract → Why scaling fast creates bigger fires (merchant accounts, inventory, middleware, cash flow) → The importance of clear deliverables, outcomes, and accountability → What happens when founders override proven strategy Whether you’re hiring an agency, managing one, or thinking about firing one — this episode gives you the operator-level perspective most founders never hear. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro: Why founders start blaming their agency 1:07 What owning an agency actually teaches you 3:06 Choosing the right clients (and avoiding the wrong ones) 11:36 Founder red flags & the “asshole tax” 17:54 Agency vs owning your own brand 21:32 Scaling fast: what actually breaks 24:10 What to ask before hiring an agency 27:58 Deliverables, outcomes & accountability 32:23 Final operator takeaway 🎯 Download the Hiring Agencies Checklist (FREE) Inside the Visionary Vault, you’ll get the exact checklist referenced in this episode — designed to help you vet agencies the right way. 👉 https://specialopspodcast.com/visionary-vault Get in Touch with Emma Rainville: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@specialopspodcast Instagram: https://www.in…","meta_description":"Most founders don’t lose money because they hired a bad agency. They lose money because they hired wrong, scaled wrong, or expected outcomes without under…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2049,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/follow-the-yellow-brick-road-7056493/episodes/hiring-an-agency-this-is-where-you-ll-get-burned/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/follow-the-yellow-brick-road-7056493/hiring-an-agency-this-is-where-you-ll-get-burned.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}