Episode Summary
In this episode of An Agency Story, host Russel Dubree welcomes Erik Reagan, co-founder of the B2B brand agency Focus Lab and founder of Built on Purpose, a consultancy focused on helping organizations create meaningful cultures. Erik shares how his agency evolved from a two-man design firm to a 30+ person remote-first team—by putting people and culture at the center of everything.
This episode dives deep into what it truly means to build a values-driven agency. From defining actionable core values to celebrating team wins with custom patches, Erik’s leadership lessons are grounded, authentic, and proven in practice.
Biggest takeaways
- Core values only matter if they’re visible daily—Erik’s team literally earns embroidered patches for living them.
- Great culture is measurable—from weekly pulse checks to “high-five” counts and third-party surveys.
- Investing in people pays back in profit—talent retention, client loyalty, and brand integrity all flow from a healthy workplace.
Agency Info
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Company: Focus Lab
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Guests: Erik Reagan, Bill Kenney & & Will Straughn
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Year Started: 2010
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Employees: 26-50
When you get positive feedback from an employee that it is a great place to work or that they appreciate this aspect of the culture or that benefit or this mindset or whatever, that stuff is, it’s just fuel. It’s pure fuel for me to just keep doing that type of work.
Erik Reagan
Key Takeaways
Core Values Should Be Operational, Not Aspirational
Focus Lab doesn’t just list core values—they live them. From their early “core standards” to their fully integrated value system today, Erik emphasizes the need to embed values into daily decisions and behaviors.
“The values don’t matter if they’re not used. They become powerful when they become language.”
Recognition Drives Culture—But Only When It’s Specific
Forget generic praise. Focus Lab encourages team members to give targeted high-fives tied directly to values—like “Lead with Courage” or “Practice Transparency.” These are tracked weekly and celebrated in meetings.
“We literally count the number of specific shoutouts tied to our values. It’s a small thing that shows a big picture.”
Rituals Build Belonging
Focus Lab created a custom “patch system” that rewards team members for exemplifying values—with unique, collectible patches. These moments become cultural milestones.
“You can’t buy these. They’re only earned from inside the team. That’s what makes them meaningful.”
Mistakes Can Spark Your Biggest Culture Wins
Erik opens up about a vision-casting presentation that fell flat during a team retreat. That misstep led him to adopt the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), which now guides Focus Lab’s strategic direction.
“I was ready to drive home that night. It bombed. But it pushed me to build better structure and clarity. I’m grateful for it now.”
Culture Is Measured in Moments—and Metrics
Along with public praise and personal development budgets, Focus Lab uses tools like Lattice and surveys from Great Places to Work to gauge employee engagement and sentiment.
Show Notes
- Built on Purpose: builtonpurposehq.com
- Book Mentions: Traction by Gino Wickman (EOS framework)
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