#72: From Amazon Seller to Agency Builder: Lessons from Insiders
Most agency owners say they want freedom.
Very few are actually building for it.
They’re stuck in delivery, Stuck in Slack, Stuck approving every campaign, every client email, every tiny decision. If they disappear for a week, the whole thing wobbles. If they disappear for a month? It breaks.
In this conversation with Sebastian Edwards, CEO and co-founder of Insiders, we unpacked what it actually takes to build an agency that scales past you operationally, culturally, and financially.
This isn't a theory. This is what happens when a former Amazon seller decides net profit matters more than vanity metrics, and when a founder rebuilds his entire team from scratch to create real autonomy.
If you care about agency scaling, operations, client acquisition, and profitability, this is a blueprint worth studying.
The Real Benchmark: Why Sales Don’t Matter (But Net Profit Does)
Most agencies optimize for the wrong number.
On Amazon, it’s ACoS. In service businesses, it’s revenue. In SaaS, it’s MRR.
But as Sebastian bluntly put it: sales just mean Amazon makes more money with you.
The real benchmark? Net profit.
That single shift changes everything:
Every PPC decision is judged against profitability.
Every client relationship starts with financial transparency.
If there’s no access to seller data (like Sellerboard), they won’t even engage.
Think about that.
Most agencies will take the deal and “figure it out.”
Insiders won’t start unless they can see the scoreboard.
That mindset forces better client acquisition filters and stronger positioning. It also eliminates misaligned expectations from day one.
For agency owners, the lesson is simple:
If you don’t define success clearly and financially, you’re optimizing noise.
And when you optimize noise, you burn team energy, client trust, and margin.
First Principles Operations: Why They Spent a Month on “What Is CPC?”
One of the most counter intuitive parts of this conversation was this:
They spent over a month dissecting one concept: CPC (cost per click).
Not the definition.
The mechanics.
How is it calculated?
What’s the bidding algorithm?
Can you proactively manipulate it?
When does it become a strategic weapon?
That’s first principles thinking.
Instead of inheriting industry “best practices,” they rebuilt their system from scratch. They layered:
Bid levels
ACoS
CTR
CPC
Search frequency rank
Search volume
Conversion rate
Seasonality
Historical trend data (2–5 years)
All mapped into decision frameworks that inform each bid change.
That’s not automation.
That’s engineered operations.
For agencies, this is the difference between being a specialist operator and a system architect.
If your team can’t explain why a metric moves and how it influences profitability, you don’t have operations. You have execution.
The Hardest Shift in Agency Scaling: Rebuilding the Team From Scratch
Here’s where most founders fail.
They build a team fast.
They hire for cost.
They tolerate “good enough.”
They manage chaos.
Sebastian did that.
Then he tore it down.
He rebuilt the agency with:
12 A-players
Mostly former Amazon sellers
A tight cultural fit
High accountability
Clear authority and responsibility
Payroll increased 9x in one year.
Most founders would panic at that.
But here’s the key: operational drag disappeared.
Instead of putting out fires, he had people bringing him solutions. Instead of managing tasks, he was building systems. Instead of reacting, he could step back and think.
That’s real agency scaling.
It’s not about squeezing margin from underpaid labor.
It’s about building a team that increases enterprise value.
The “Lion Diet” Strategy: Intense Sprints + Strategic Withdrawal
This was the moment that stopped me.
Sebastian described his work rhythm as the “lion diet.”
Lions don’t grind 16 hours a day.
They hunt intensely for 15 minutes, then rest.
In practice, that means:
2–3 months of intense building
Followed by complete disconnection
No laptop
No smartphone
A literal Nokia 3310
Zero Slack, email, or calls
For a month.
Most agency owners can’t disconnect for a weekend.
But here’s the important context:
This freedom wasn’t accidental.
It was engineered.
It required:
Clear systems
First-principles SOPs
A leadership layer (including a CEO who now runs operations better than he did)
A culture of authority and ownership
When he stepped away the first time, it was uncomfortable. Slack temptation. Checking in
But after a week, something shifted: peace.
And every time he returns from that month off grid, he comes back with a strategic roadmap through the year end.
This is the strategic advantage most founders never experience:
Silence creates clarity.
Clarity creates direction.
Direction creates leverage.
You cannot build long term profitability if you’re permanently reactive.
The A-Player Hiring Framework (That Most Agencies Won’t Follow)
Let’s break down how he hires.
1. Character > Competency
Skill can be trained.
Characters cannot.
He looks for:
Proactivity
Hustle
Ownership mentality
Cultural fit
The ability to stay in the fight (Black Friday, 9 hour war rooms)
He’s called candidates at 3 a.m. to see how they respond.
Not to test sleep cycles but to test personality under pressure.
That tells you everything about their long term operational fit.
2. Deep Vetting Through Network Intelligence
Because he hires from within a known ecosystem (Romanian Amazon sellers), he:
Calls former collaborators
Reviews actual stores
Analyzes performance history
Cross verifies reputation
This isn’t “post a job on LinkedIn and pray.”
It’s controlled client acquisition but for talent.
If you’re serious about agency scaling, your hiring process must be as rigorous as your sales process.
3. Authority + Responsibility (Not Micromanagement)
Here’s the real unlock:
Give people both responsibility AND authority.
Most founders give responsibility.
Very few give authority.
If a team leader sets a $100,000 Black Friday budget and a bidding strategy, he consults but doesn’t override.
If it fails, the pain belongs to the decision maker.
If it succeeds, so does the upside.
This does three things:
Increases engagement
Encourages experimentation
Removes founder bottlenecks
When founders constantly grab the keyboard to “fix it,” they teach the team one thing:
Don’t think. Just execute.
That kills innovation.
And it kills scalability.
The 70% Rule: The Mindset That Unlocks Delegation
This is a powerful mental shift for founders:
If someone can do the task at 70% of your level, it’s a win.
Why?
Because:
Two people at 70% outperform one founder at 100%.
The organization becomes stronger than the individual.
The brand becomes the asset, not you.
If you can’t accept 70%, you’ll never escape delivery.
And if you never escape delivery, you don’t own an agency.
You own a job with overhead.
Step by Step: How to Start Fixing Your Team Today
If you feel like you’re dragging your team behind you, start here:
Step 1: Redefine Success in Financial Terms
Tie every campaign, service line, and client to profitability not vanity metrics.
Step 2: Audit Cultural Misalignment
Ask:
Would I willingly spend 10 hours a day with this person for the next 3 years?
If not, you have a long term liability.
Step 3: Assign Real Authority
Pick one team lead.
Give them a decision domain.
Stop overriding.
Step 4: Implement the 70% Rule
Delegate aggressively.
Let performance compound.
Step 5: Schedule Strategic Withdrawal
Even if it’s 3 days.
No Slack. No inbox.
Use it to think, not consume.
That’s how you shift from operator to architect.
The Bigger Lesson for Agency Owners
This entire conversation reinforced something I’ve seen repeatedly working with agency founders:
The ceiling of your agency is not marketing.
It’s not sales.
It’s not even delivery.
It’s you.
Your tolerance for mediocrity.
Your inability to release control.
Your failure to define profitability clearly.
Your reluctance to rebuild when necessary.
Agency scaling isn’t about adding clients.
It’s about upgrading systems and people.
Operations drive margin.
Margin drives freedom.
Freedom drives strategic clarity.
And strategic clarity is what allows you to scale on purpose not by accident.
If you’re serious about building something that can grow beyond you, start with this question:
Am I building a business or protecting my comfort zone?
The answer will determine your trajectory and your freedom.
If you want to go deeper, you can run the full version at agencyuplift.co/mini.
Even if you never book a call, the clarity alone is worth it.
