Expert to know: Jeremy Imlach (Q&A Interview)

Jeremy Imlach is a Partner at Argona Partners (based in Indianapolis, Indiana) listed on 50Pros as a top 50 firm in Strategic & Management Consulting.

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In this Q&A, Jeremy shares his in-depth perspective, unique background, robust experiences, and insightful tips.

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How did you get into your industry?

What originally interested me in strategy consulting was working with higher-education professors, specifically in engineering categories, that needed assistance bringing a product or idea to market. Once we noticed this consistency, we decided to start a company focused on helping scale ideas that benefit the environment or local community development

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What inspired you to start your agency?

The inspiration to start Argona Partners came with the concept of impact. Once we saw the difference these ideas and solutions could make, it only made sense to help by bringing our expertise in the mix.

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How do you manage work-life balance as an agency owner or executive?

This is a very difficult concept that I think every entrepreneur truly deals with. Your company/idea becomes your baby, and therefore becomes your life. What has helped me the most is separating my identity from my business, mostly through meditation, and allowing myself time outside of my company to focus on what I enjoy. Life is about exploring and enjoying the Universe, your business is only a small fraction of your reality. If you're struggling financially, find an income to supplement while you are growing to a sustainable revenue level.

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What is the best piece of advice you've received in your career that pertains to your work, and how has it influenced your decisions?

Pursue PASSION, not money.

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What activities or hobbies outside of work do you enjoy that help you recharge and stay creative?

I love to read and write- everything from comics to research studies. I also work on my comic book collection, some gardening, exercising, and spending time with my family (especially my dogs).

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What do you like most about your industry?

Entrepreneurs are a different breed. This is the same with most communities, but being surrounded by like-minded individuals who are willing to support one another makes all the difference.

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What do you dislike most about your industry?

Lack of transparency and honesty. There are a ton of consultants who over-promise and under-deliver, which makes it hard to really establish trust with potential clients in a short amount of time, which extends sales length.

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What do you wish people knew about your industry?

Strategy & implementation go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other and succeed.

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When you first started, how did you get clients?

Personal connections, and a focus on digital representation. It was especially important that our name was listed where people are looking for help.

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...and how do you get clients today?

A ton of referral, but also a focus on networking. As I mentioned earlier, you have to build a high degree of trust with potential clients.

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What is your approach to continuous improvement and learning within your agency?

Plenty of courses, partnerships, campaigns, and feedback collection.

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What is the biggest issue that your firm, or firms like yours, face?

Extended sales cycles

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How do you stay updated on the latest technologies and tools relevant to your industry?

I personally am subscribed to way too many newsletters - but finding there are communities out there that stay on top of this stuff, so being a part of those communities makes it much easier to keep up.

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If a company was looking to hire your firm, or a firm like yours, what questions should they ask themselves as a team before approaching you?

What issues and bottlenecks am I currently experiencing, and what are the root causes of these issues?

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When a company is interested in hiring your firm, how should they approach you and how should they do business with you?

Contact us through argonapartners.com or email me directly, jimlach@argonapartners.com - we are a very small boutique firm that focuses heavily on personal relationship building.

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How do you maintain strong relationships with clients to ensure long-term partnerships?

Constant connection. We absolutely love spending time with our clients and working with them to better their personal and professional lives. We have built such strong connections with our clients, because we are all entrepreneurs helping each other out.

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If someone were thinking about starting their own agency in your industry, what advice would you give them?

Build a system. It's easy to say "what do you need help with? We've got you!" - but that is extremely difficult to sell to someone. Once you have a repeatable process, you can now productize and sell that process.

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What role does networking play in growing your agency's business?

Absolutely huge. As mentioned, networking builds trust, and that is essential to our growth.

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How do you ensure that your team members stay motivated and engaged in their work?

By having a proven process that everyone understands and can execute on without much variance or discrepancies. This is, of course, impossible to do fully. So when there are moments of scope creep, or unforeseen circumstances, having a collaborative game plan is a must.

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What else would you like to publicly share about your firm or agency?

We're here to help! Even if you just want to run some ideas by us and get our opinions, please reach out. There is no pressure, we are just entrepreneurs looking to help fellow entrepreneurs make an impact on this world.