Business
Phillip Reinhardt and David Bosley, CEO and Co-founder of PBJ Marketing, sit down with host Austin Willman to break down what it actually means to be a transparent agency of record (AOR) today. Fifteen-plus years into running their agency together as best friends, the two share how they built a business around radical transparency, a curated partner network, and an unusual use of AI: as an internal quality-assurance layer that knows every client's brand voice, history, and preferences inside and out.
The conversation covers PBJ's discovery QA onboarding process, why curiosity is the number one trait they hire marketers for, and how they've kept their friendship intact through fifteen years of co-founding a business. Phillip and David also open up about agency culture, remote team building, quarterly open-book meetings, and the leadership lessons that came from losing employees before they learned to prioritize people alongside performance.
Topics covered:
- What a transparent agency of record actually does
- Using AI as a client knowledge base and QA gatekeeper
- PBJ's two-hour discovery onboarding process
- Building agency culture with a fully remote team
- Why curiosity is the top hiring trait for marketers
- How co-founders preserve a friendship through business conflict
Get Your Exclusive AIO Growth Plan - We’ll kick off with a Live AIO Audit to see how shoppers find you, followed by Competitor Research to steal their spotlight: https://lunacal.ai/team/dws/dws-meetings
In this episode, we discuss:
00:00 - 00:10: Introduction
00:10 - 02:10: What Is a Transparent Agency of Record (AOR)?
02:10 - 03:47: How PBJ Manages Multi-Agency Client Partnerships
03:47 - 04:55: PBJ's Lean Marketing Tech Stack
04:55 - 07:16: Using AI as a Client Knowledge Base and QA Layer
07:16 - 08:32: Becoming Wise Counsel for Every Client
08:32 - 10:26: Inside PBJ's Two-Hour Discovery Onboarding Process
10:26 - 12:21: How the Co-Founders' Styles Complement Each Other
12:21 - 13:36: The Hard Times: Friendship Over Business
13:36 - 14:37: Systematizing Leadership and Culture
14:37 - 17:08: Building Culture From the Team Up
17:08 - 19:35: Work-Life Balance and Open-Book Transparency
19:35 - 22:04: Core Values: Results, Empathy, and Honesty
22:04 - 24:26: Meeting Clients Where They Are
24:26 - 25:40: Why Curiosity Is the Top Trait They Hire For
25:40 - 27:39: Remote Team Building and Regional Networking
27:39 - 29:56: Cross-Training and Mentorship Inside PBJ
29:56 - 31:40: What They're Glad They Didn't Wait On
31:40 - 33:38: Closing Thoughts and Where to Find PBJ
Connect with Phillip Reinhardt and David Bosley
Phillip Reinhardt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phillipreinhardt/
David Bosley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbosleyjr/
PBJ Marketing: https://pbjmarketing.com/
FOLLOW US
Website: https://www.digitalwebsolutions.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/digiwebsol
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dws_global
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-web-solutions./