Beyond the Build

Beyond the Build

by Shawn Johnston

Season 1

Built Around Life

In this episode of Beyond the Build, Shawn Johnston talks with Ashleigh Baron, founder and CEO of Freshly Pressed, about building an agency around your life instead of building your life around the agency. Ashleigh shares how Freshly Pressed started 17 years ago in her basement in Alberta, with an eight month old baby, a bartending job, and a willingness to figure things out before she felt fully ready. The conversation gets into how reputation, high quality work, and client care helped the agency grow almost entirely through referrals, and why the way a project ends is often what clients remember most. They also cover: Why building around your life requires systems, boundaries, and honest time management How self care, family, and business priorities can coexist when they are planned intentionally How leaders can support teams through difficult or uninspiring work without rescuing every problem What younger generations are teaching agency leaders about work, boundaries, and human needs

The Human Side of AI Adoption

In this episode of Beyond the Build, Shawn Johnston talks with Tyler Frans, founder and CEO of Sense of Motion, about what it really takes for organizations to adopt AI beyond the hype, experimentation, and one-off tools. Tyler shares why AI adoption is less of a technology problem and more of an organizational and leadership challenge. The conversation explores what separates teams that are moving forward from those that remain frozen, and why trust, autonomy, curiosity, and the ability to learn quickly matter more than having a perfect implementation plan. They also cover: How a human-centered approach changes the way organizations think about AI What causes organizations to freeze when AI is changing faster than their systems and decision-making processes How experienced people help guide AI beyond average output toward work that is useful, thoughtful, and relevant Why leaders should start small, support the people already experimenting, and treat learning as the first step toward adoption

Words Create Worlds

In this episode of Beyond the Build, Shawn Johnston talks with Amanda Lee Smith, co-founder and CEO of Monday Creative, about building a values-driven agency that can still hold a high performance standard. Amanda shares how Monday evolved from its early focus on outdoor and active brands into a brand insight, strategy, and creative agency working with clients across performance, wellness, education, and purpose-driven consumer spaces. The conversation gets into what it really means to build brands that enhance human potential, and how values show up in the clients you choose, the work you turn down, and the language your team uses every day. They also cover: How values shape client fit and why not every sale is a good sale Why language can create culture, alignment, and a shared way of working Why performance and empathy can coexist inside an agency How agency owners can create more accountability without turning the workplace into surveillance

Built from Scratch. Kept on Purpose

In this episode of Beyond the Build, Shawn Johnston talks with Sarah Jolly, co-founder and managing partner of Jolly Creative Agency, about building a WordPress agency from scratch, staying focused on what you do best, and delivering big projects on time without burning relationships to the ground. Sarah shares how the agency started from a self taught CSS book and a band website, then grew into a tight, long running team that partners out non core services on purpose. The conversation gets into what actually makes delivery work at scale, including why they moved away from wireframes, why content comes first, and how they set clients up to approve faster by doing the heavy lift early. They also cover: Why specializing beats trying to be full service How content first prevents “almost launched” websites How to balance what is best for the business with client capacity How remote work forced sharper systems and better hiring Sarah’s take on AI, including what it can support and what it cannot replace

Better Clients, Better Agencies

In this episode of Beyond the Build, Shawn Johnston talks with Connor Goway, founder of Junction Consulting and president of eLearningU, about what changes when clients get clear on goals and expectations before execution starts, and why that upstream work makes delivery healthier for everyone involved. Connor shares how he moved from running a creative agency to deliberately stepping away, then spending the last decade helping clients get clear on what they actually need before they hire an agency. The conversation gets into why agency client relationships turn adversarial, what creates fear and micromanagement, and how a better process turns delivery into partnership instead of friction. They also cover: How eLearningU grew into a training platform that helps destinations level up local operators How autonomy and psychological safety affect real AI leverage inside teams The two things Connor would prioritize if he were starting an agency today How to set expectations early so agencies can push back, guide, and protect the work when needed.

All In on AI, Without Losing the Humans

In this episode of Beyond the Build, Shawn Johnston talks with Adam Bennett, founder and creative director of Cube Creative Design, about what it takes to run a small, focused agency, and how to use AI as real leverage without losing the humans doing the work. Adam shares how Cube evolved from print into web and content marketing, why he committed to two clear verticals, and how that specialization creates more stability and repeatability in delivery. They also cover: Why vertical focus makes delivery easier How remote and flex time work on a small team Where scope creep shows up and how to set guardrails How Cube uses AI across sales and delivery with human review Why protecting the team is the real priority This episode is a practical look at longevity, focus, and building a healthier agency operating system in a world that keeps moving faster.

The Product Dream

In this episode of Beyond the Build, Shawn Johnston talks with Ben LeDonni, CMO at BMP Media and longtime agency founder, about what changes when you go from owning everything to building inside a larger organization, and what it really takes to productize inside a services world. Ben shares lessons from scaling Creative MMS over two decades, navigating an acquisition, and helping BMP Media evolve its value in the market through vertical demand generation and a new platform called Ignite Demand. We also cover: What Ignite Demand solves, including lead scoring, faster delivery, and better follow through Why product is harder than services, especially time, money, and the long ramp The mindset shift from “build it because it’s cool” to “build it because it gets used” How to keep teams aligned through the “why,” collaboration, and tight MVP focus What agency owners miss about recurring revenue and where real value lives This episode is a grounded look at product building inside services, and the leadership shifts that make innovation sustainable instead of chaotic.

Designing the Environment

In this episode of Beyond the Build, Shawn Johnston sits down with Katerina Lyadova, founder and creative director of Oddbee, to talk about what it takes to protect craft while building a healthy, sustainable design agency. Kat shares how Oddbee grew from an ambitious “let’s make cool work” vision into a distributed boutique team with a strong craft bar, deep trust, and a culture that still stays human under pressure. We also cover: How to hold high standards without burning people out Why “quality is not a lever,” and what to adjust instead What it takes to lead across time zones, including hiring for self regulation How to prevent remote work from turning into silent overwork Culture systems that actually work, including Odd Thursdays and team recognition This episode is a practical look at distributed leadership, psychological safety, and the systems that help creative teams deliver great work without losing the people inside the work.

Systems Save the Creative

In this episode of Beyond the Build, Shawn Johnston talks with Maxwell Krueger, founder of Playbook Creative Agency, about what happens when a creative life turns into an agency, and the real work it takes to build something sustainable without losing the spark that started it. Maxwell shares how Playbook started from small music industry promotions, grew through word of mouth and trust, and evolved into a broader creative and marketing agency. The conversation moves through creative identity, the pressure of being “the standard,” and the turning point where growth requires systems, not heroics. We also cover: – How “above and beyond” turns into a bottleneck – Why SOPs and deliverables change everything – How to define “good” and “done” for the team – How to manage expectations so work gets approved – How guardrails and transparency support leadership

Decision by Committee

In this episode of Beyond the Build, I talk with Seth Fogle, a marketing strategist and sales lead, about why strategy so often outpaces execution, and what actually helps teams close the gap when the work gets real. Seth is a fractional CMO who helps companies scale through performance marketing, full funnel revenue ops, and MarTech stack optimization. He works across startups and larger teams, and he is deep in the day to day reality of turning plans into shipped work. We also cover: Why execution breaks down before the work even hits production How decision by committee and constant pivots slow everything down What unrealistic timelines do to quality, focus, and momentum How trust and clear ownership speed delivery without lowering the bar Where AI helps right now, and where it creates noise without good inputs This episode is a grounded look at what slows teams down in the real world, and how to build execution that stays clear, steady, and repeatable.

1 of 2