#474 Chris LaFay - Founder, Classic City Consulting

In this conversation, Chris LaFay (Founder, Classic City Consulting) shares a decade of hard-won lessons on staying profitable, avoiding bloat, and building an agency that lasts. We dig into “one-glass focus,” why not niching can still be strategic, when to pass on work, partnerships without finders fees, pricing and retainers, and the KPI that quietly compounds new business: intentional outreach.In this episode, you’ll learnWhy “one glass” focus beats scattered growthProject variety vs. “niching down” (and how to niche by systems, not industry)The comparison trap: learning from peers without copy-pasting their playbookWhen referral partnerships work without commissions—and when they don’tThe 4 R’s growth engine: Retain → Reactivate → Referral → Recruit (new)Don’t hire on a hope: catching operational bloat before it sinks marginsPricing, retainers, and the “help agencies look great” strategyThe single KPI Chris tracks in good seasons: weekly intentional check-insHow to handle sunk costs with a “fans-first” lens (Savannah Bananas inspo)Mentorship as a cheat code for clarity and decisive actionChapters:00:00 Intro 09:04 One-Glass Focus: creator energy, momentum, and why projects stay interesting 11:29 Project Variety > Burnout: why new client problems keep the work fresh 14:15 Do You Need a Niche? Niching by WordPress/Shopify & repeatable frameworks 15:32 Peer Comparison Without Copy-Paste: learning from others, keeping identity 18:44 Outreach > Everything: how early agencies stall without consistent relationship-building 25:24 Partnerships Sans Finder Fees: when passing leads is the value (and exceptions) 31:10 Adding Value to Your Agency Network: beyond referrals; community & support 32:17 Risk You’re Glad You Took: the hiring lesson that reshaped the business 37:51 Silencing the Inner Critic: external processing & mentor mirrors 41:22 Most Valuable KPI: weekly intentional reach-outs (and why they compound) 46:55 Action Taker You Admire: David Feldman & decisive leadership 51:49 Sunk Costs & When to Quit: “fans-first” filter + staying lean on OPEXConnect with Chris:Founder – Classic City Consulting Website: https://classiccity.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-lafay/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/7aHdpQXccPOE9YTcDJe4gZConnect with Brian: Web:⁠ https://brianondrako.com⁠ LinkedIn:⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianondrako/If you’re an early-stage B2B Founder, join the Sales Skills For Founders newsletter and learn to “un-suck” at sales, one newsletter at a time. 📨 https://salesskillsforfounders.beehiiv.com/subscribe