Episode Summary
In this episode, host Russel Dubree sits down with Nora Schlesinger, the CEO of Growth Machine, a boutique SEO content agency. What makes Nora’s story unique? She didn’t found the agency—she inherited it mid-flight and had to learn to fly the plane while building the engine.
Nora discusses:
- Her untraditional path from marketing consultant to baking blogger to agency CEO.
- How she earned trust, took ownership, and eventually bought out the original founder.
- The painful but necessary lessons in finance, sales, and leadership she had to learn along the way.
Agency Info
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Company: Growth Machine
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Guest: Nora Schlesinger
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Year Started: 2017
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Employees: 26-50
When you’re a small business, I really believe that the owner has to have a lot of visibility, if not a full knowledge of how to do every job.
Nora Schlesinger
Key Takeaways
A Nontraditional Path to Ownership Can Still Lead to Success
Nora didn’t set out to become an agency owner—but when the founder of Growth Machine stepped down, she stepped up. Her background in consulting and operations helped her keep the agency running, even when she didn’t feel “ready.”
“It was extremely risky—but it turned out okay.” — Nora Schlesinger
Ignoring Finance and Sales Comes at a Cost
At first, Nora avoided involvement in sales and financials. But once the cracks started to show, she had no choice but to learn and rebuild from scratch.
Culture-Fit Hires Can Make or Break Your Growth
Nora found that hiring sales reps without cultural alignment was a misstep. Bringing on a fractional VP of Sales with shared values helped reestablish process, rebuild confidence, and improve performance.
“Now we have momentum I’ve been trying to build for two years. The right people changed everything.” — Nora Schlesinger
Show Notes
- Nora’s baking blog: acleanbake.com
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