By Dennis Yu | May 14, 2023
Running an agency is hard work—but it doesn’t have to be chaos.
My friend Landon Bates knows that firsthand. At just 23, he’s already been through the highs and lows of building a social media marketing agency from scratch. While the internet is full of “overnight success” stories, Landon shares what really happens behind the scenes—and how to avoid the same mistakes most new agency owners make.
From Door-to-Door Sales to Digital Marketing
Landon started hustling early, doing door-to-door sales in high school. That grind taught him the fundamentals of communication and persistence. At 18, he bought a social media course from Tyler Lopez and jumped headfirst into agency life.
When his first few clients in California started seeing results, he packed up and moved there to build momentum—and connections. Like many agency owners, he quickly learned that while the business looked glamorous from the outside, keeping clients and cash flow steady was a different story.
Tools like Vendasta can help, but they don’t solve the core problem: agencies live or die by client results.
The Accidental Niche That Changed Everything
Landon’s pivot to real estate marketing wasn’t planned. A friend’s father—a realtor—gave him a shot at running ads. The results were impressive and sparked Landon’s obsession with generating real estate leads through social media.
He began promoting his work in Facebook groups, showing real examples instead of empty promises. That early success snowballed, turning an accidental opportunity into a focused niche.
But even with a few wins, Landon faced the same challenge many new marketers encounter: proving results before having a portfolio.
His advice? Work for free first. Get measurable wins, document them, and then charge. Credibility comes from proof, not persuasion.
Lessons from Early Failures
Landon’s toughest lesson came when clients didn’t follow up with leads he generated. This problem plagues nearly every service-based business—especially real estate agents without sales systems.
Even top agents sometimes made only a dozen calls over months of partnership. No ad campaign can fix that. That’s why, in our Agency Management Course, we emphasize building complete systems—not just running ads.
Landon also learned that persuasion only works if you’re actually providing value. His background in copywriting helped him craft compelling offers, but the real key was delivering something people truly wanted. “If your offer’s great,” he says, “you don’t have to sell—it sells itself.”
The Hard Truth About Running an Agency
Landon warns young adults not to romanticize agency life.
It’s not “easy money,” and copywriting talent alone won’t save you. You need to manage ads, build landing pages, sell to clients, handle invoices, and train your team—all while learning to lead.
He spent years grinding through rejection, unpaid bills, and skeptical clients who’d been burned by bad agencies. It took relentless persistence to break through.
Client calls that went nowhere were frustrating, but necessary. “If you’re not on calls, you’re not closing deals,” Landon says. The key was developing patience and understanding that every “no” was practice for the next “yes.”
Practice What You Preach
Eventually, Landon realized he didn’t just want to market for real estate agents—he wanted to be one. By becoming a licensed agent himself, he gained firsthand insight into what his clients actually faced.
That credibility made his marketing far more authentic. He no longer had to guess what worked; he lived it.
He saw the same pattern among successful friends like Ryan, who ran a decorative concrete company and an agency serving that industry. Those who “did the work” before selling it always outperformed those who just sold theory.
Behind the Glamour: The Real Work of Content
Many young marketers see conferences, brand collabs, and “networking trips” as vacations. In reality, it’s business.
When our team attends events, we’re there to build brands—ours and our clients’. We call it the “Content Factory” process: capturing interviews, documenting stories, and turning those into social content that drives real business results.
The leaders we work with—like Bradley, Tommy Mellow, and Daryl Isaacs—know we’re not just tagging along. We’re producing, promoting, and amplifying their reputations. That’s why they treat us as partners, not followers.
Freedom is great—but it requires discipline. Without an office or a boss, many young adults struggle. Landon thrives because he treats his freedom like a responsibility. “You’ve got to be your own manager,” he says. “No one’s coming to check your homework.”
Scaling Beyond Yourself
As your agency grows, your job shifts from doing the work to delegating it. Your time is too valuable to compete with $3-an-hour labor.
That’s why our Virtual Assistant Hiring Program exists—to help agency owners train reliable global teams. Think of yourself as the waiter between client and kitchen: you take the order, communicate clearly, and ensure the result exceeds expectations.
That’s how you scale without burning out.
Final Thoughts
Landon Bates’ journey is a reminder that success in social media marketing takes time, humility, and grit. You can’t shortcut experience—but you can learn from those who’ve already walked the path.
His message to young entrepreneurs:
“Don’t chase easy money. Build real skills. Serve others first. The rewards will follow.”
About Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is a former search engine engineer who has managed over a billion dollars in ad spend for brands like Nike, Red Bull, and State Farm. He’s on a mission to create one million digital marketing jobs through partnerships with universities and professional organizations. His Dollar a Day and Content Factory frameworks power local marketing campaigns across thousands of small businesses.
Learn more at BlitzMetrics.com.
Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is the CEO of Local Service Spotlight, a platform that amplifies the reputations of contractors and local service businesses using the Content Factory process. He is a former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on Google and Facebook ads for Nike, Quiznos, Ashley Furniture, Red Bull, State Farm, and other brands.
Dennis has achieved 25% of his goal of creating a million digital marketing jobs by partnering with universities, professional organizations, and agencies. Through Local Service Spotlight, he teaches the Dollar a Day strategy and Content Factory training to help local service businesses enhance their existing local reputation and make the phone ring.
Dennis coaches young adult agency owners serving plumbers, AC technicians, landscapers, roofers, electricians, and believes there should be a standard in measuring local marketing efforts, much like doctors and plumbers must be certified.