The Cactus Agency Mini MBA

The Cactus Agency Mini MBA has been specifically designed for agency owners in the early stages of their journey to their first £1M in turnover and beyond.

Having launched your business, you are now focusing on the challenges of scaling the business. You have started to realise that the skills and knowledge that have enabled you to start your agency will not necessarily get you to the next level. You need to invest in yourself in order to invest in the future of your business.

Learning from others who have been in your shoes, and networking with people who are currently on the same path is the best way to equip yourself for future growth.

As the name suggests, the course may act as a primer for those wanting to graduate to the more in depth Agency MBA programme at a later stage, however, there is no requirement to do this. The learning and value you will get from this programme alone, will help you grow your agency and take it to the next level.

The Agency Mini MBA is not intended for freelancers, it is for established agency owners who have grown their business to a certain level but now want to take it further.

The inaugural programme will begin in 2024 and run for 12 months. It will consist of  4 online workshops delivered via Zoom.

The quarterly format allows attendees enough time to absorb and apply the content whilst, crucially, not being distracted and continuing to be able to dedicate the time to the important task of running their agency.

We know that at this stage many agency owners are still working in the business, so attending this course virtually means you don’t lose valuable time travelling.

The Syllabus

Our comprehensive program will provide you with even more in-depth knowledge and skills. It’s a practical course packed with content that you'll be able to apply to your own agency and see real results. In 12 months we will cover a range of topics including:

Meeting 1 - Finance 101
Back to basics on the vital subject of agency finance
Find out what you know (and what you don't)
Learn what is best practice and what others are doing that you might learn from and adopt

Follow up surgery

Meeting 2 - Vision & Strategy
Where are you now?
Where do you want to go?
How will you get there?
Goal setting and Mission, Purpose & Values

Follow up surgery

Meeting 3 - Sales & Marketing
Best practice for client retention and growth, with a guest speaker
Creating a sales culture
The Cactus Lead Gen System and marketing tools

Meeting 4 - Culture & Operations
The importance of culture and leadership
Structure for growth
Building the right processes for efficiency

During each session, you will also receive access to and advice on how to use the related tried and tested Cactus Tools to support your business growth.

Course Delivery

We work with agency owners everyday, we understand how busy you are.  Like you, we use technology to connect, run our business, and navigate our daily lives.

The syllabus will be delivered in four half-day sessions via Zoom.  The sessions will be recorded so you will not miss anything if you cannot attend, but we encourage you to only sign up only with the intention of attending every session.

In addition to learning sessions you will benefit from:

• Exclusive access to the tried and tested Cactus Toolkit

• Two surgery sessions on core financial tools

• Full access to the Cactus Academy training courses (worth £396)

• Peer support in a dedicated private messaging group

• Complimentary copies of the best selling book “Agencynomics” by Pete Hoole & Spencer Gallagher and Gareth Healey’s award winning book “STANDOUT OR DIE” 

Your course leaders

Investment

The most important investment you will make in the Cactus Agency Mini MBA is your time. Only by fully committing to the programme will you achieve your potential.

You must be prepared to commit a minimum of half a day a quarter to attend the sessions and a further day to implement the concepts in your agency.

COURSE FEES

Initial payment to secure your place: £250 + VAT (1st month’s fee)

Followed by 11 monthly payments of £250 + VAT by Direct Debit (starting May 2024).

Applications are now open to a maximum of 18 agency owners.

To be considered to join this programme you will need to satisfy all of the following:

• You must be the founder, majority shareholder, and/or main director (MD/CEO) of an independent agency.

• You must have been operating for at least 1 year.

• You currently employ at least 3 full-time PAYE people.

• You achieved between £250k and £1M turnover in your last financial year.

• You are willing and able to dedicate a minimum of 2 days a quarter to the programme.

No higher education qualifications are necessary. The Cactus Agency Mini MBA is not a formal qualification in itself.