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