Andrew Spikes is the owner of Missio, a digital marketing agency whose mission is to glorify God with digital marketing. As a rapidly growing business (highest ranked Christian digital marketing agency two years running on the Inc 5000 list), Andrew shares powerful insights into building a team around culture and mission. You can learn more about Missio here and you can connect with Andrew on LinkedIn.
Key Takeaways
- Missio is a fast-growing Christian digital marketing agency, twice named to the Inc. 5000 list
- Andrew emphasizes the importance of core values, profit focus, and work-life balance for entrepreneurs
- Key advice: Start as a side hustle, build a savings cushion, and be ~80% confident before going full-time
Topics
About Missio and Its Growth
- Digital marketing agency with a mission to "glorify God with digital marketing"
- Serves organizations led by Christian leaders who bring faith to work
- Named to Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies twice
- Grew from 13 team members to 35, now all remote
Hiring and Team Building
- Initially hired all 1099 contractors, later transitioned leadership/key roles to W2
- Learned the importance of hiring for both mission alignment AND technical skills
- Now uses testing (Wonder, OMG) to assess cognitive ability, personality, motivation
- Implements regular 1-on-1s (30-60 min) where team members set agenda
Core Values and Culture
- 5 action-oriented core values: Execute with excellence, Love your neighbor, Make a difference, Think like an entrepreneur, Take ownership
- Uses core values in hiring/firing decisions and performance discussions
- Emphasizes servant leadership and refers to "team members" not "employees"
Financial Management
- Early mistake: Focused on revenue growth without profitability, nearly broke business
- Now tracks operating ratio (OR) for different business functions
- Aims for 10-20% OR for success management, 50% for cost of labor in social media
Work-Life Balance
- Sets clear start/stop times for work day
- Involves spouse as sounding board for business decisions
- Advises using entrepreneurial flexibility for family time (e.g. afternoon dates)
Advice for Entrepreneurs
- Start as a side hustle to prove the concept without full financial pressure
- Build a $100k savings cushion before going full-time
- Be ~75-80% confident in business before leaving your day job, not 100%
- Read entrepreneur autobiographies (e.g. Shoe Dog, Ride of a Lifetime) for inspiration
