In this episode of the Digital Agency Growth Podcast, I’m joined by Eric Baum, founder and CEO of Blue Leads—one of the top HubSpot Solutions Partners globally.
Eric shares the full arc of his journey, from accidentally starting an agency after hacking Yellow Pages spend for his plumbing business, to scaling a team of 40+, to building one of the most successful HubSpot implementations agencies in the world.
We dig into what it actually takes to get out of the sales seat, build second-layer leadership, and scale without losing your mind.
If you’re running an agency, this is a masterclass in letting go, thinking bigger, and staying relevant in a fast-changing market.
⏱️ Timestamps
0:00 – Intro & Eric’s journey from plumbing franchises to marketing
2:30 – How $25K Yellow Pages spend turned into Blue Leads
4:00 – Betting on HubSpot before anyone cared
6:00 – From accidental agency to structured growth
9:00 – Discovering EOS and transforming the business
13:00 – Cash flow traps and scaling mistakes
16:00 – Why most agencies grow like a jigsaw puzzle
18:00 – “Inbound is broken” – what’s working now
21:00 – Strategic partnerships & the Crossbeam approach
23:30 – AI hype vs. actual implementation: where to invest
26:00 – Building your second layer of leadership
30:00 – Letting go of the vine – how to replace yourself
34:00 – What tools and platforms Eric would bet on today
37:00 – If he had to start over, here’s what he’d do
39:00 – The sales team you should’ve hired
42:00 – Where to find Eric online (and why he loves war stories)
🔑 What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- How Eric scaled Blue Leads into a top 5 global HubSpot partner.
- Why inbound is dying—and what’s replacing it
- The leadership move that separates scaling from stalling
- The #1 mistake agency owners make when hiring their first salesperson.
- What happened when their traffic dropped from 300K to 10K/month.
- How partnerships and AI agents are generating leads faster than cold outreach.
- The secret to staying relevant when your clients.
- Why agency growth looks like a jigsaw, not a hockey stick
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