In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes speaks with Aman Ghataura, founder of The Media Engine, about his evolution from a number two in a digital agency to starting and scaling his own business. Aman shares how his early agency experiences shaped his understanding of growth, and why he believes personal branding—especially on LinkedIn—is the most undervalued opportunity for agency owners today. The conversation explores cold email challenges, leveraging lead magnets, and AI’s growing role in agency operations. Tune in for a practical breakdown of long-term marketing strategy, client targeting, and building a consistent inbound pipeline.

Key Points From This Episode:

[00:00:00] Aman reflects on transitioning from number two to starting his own agency.

[00:02:31] Insights gained from leading inside someone else’s business.

[00:04:41] Why personal branding is the overlooked growth channel.

[00:07:28] LinkedIn as a golden opportunity for impressions and inbound leads.

[00:09:20] Why most agency owners don’t commit to personal branding.

[00:13:17] The changing landscape and difficulty of cold email.

[00:17:27] LinkedIn spam detection and outreach effectiveness.

[00:20:24] Balancing long-term strategy with chasing growth hacks.

[00:25:26] Aman’s lead magnet strategy for driving inbound leads on LinkedIn.

[00:29:40] Creating problem-aware audiences and converting them to clients.

[00:31:01] Why unclear ideal client profiles hold agencies back.

[00:36:58] Experimenting with niche messaging without changing your whole business.

[00:40:15] Incorporating AI in content production and agency workflows.

[00:43:23] Why larger companies outsource risk as much as output.

[00:47:33] Using AI to generate content faster without compromising quality.

[00:49:03] Revisiting “The E-Myth” and applying it to agency growth.

Links:

• Aman Ghataura on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amangrowth/?originalSubdomain=uk
• The Media Engine: https://www.themediaengine.co/
• Karl Hughes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karllhughes
• Production and editing by The Podcast Consultant: https://thepodcastconsultant.com