Launching an agency during a global pandemic was not Bryan Philips’ plan, yet it became his defining moment. Quarantine turned into opportunity, and his vision for a results-driven agency began to take shape.
Bryan focused on B2B companies, startups, professional services, and SaaS teams. He saw businesses with strong products but unclear messaging, and built systems that transformed their marketing into predictable growth engines.
His journey reflects resilience, adaptability, and clarity. By embracing technology, guiding clients with honesty, and keeping results at the center, Bryan shaped an agency that thrives in constant change and competitive markets.
Starting in Quarantine
Bryan Philips never imagined launching his agency during a global crisis. He recalls, “I started the agency at the beginning of the pandemic. The company I was working for pulled back on marketing but still wanted to keep working with me.”
The timing was unexpected. He had always planned to build his own agency, but not under those circumstances. Quarantined in a Sydney hotel for five weeks, he used the isolation to set everything up. “So I made the jump while quarantined… and used that time to set everything up,” Bryan says.
That moment became the turning point. What started as a necessity quickly grew into a vision. He built the foundation for a business that would help companies communicate their value more clearly and consistently.
Finding His Niche
Bryan chose to work with B2B companies, startups, professional services, and SaaS teams. He explains, “These businesses usually have good products but struggle to show their value in a clear, consistent way.”
– From launching an agency in quarantine to speaking on global stages, Bryan Philips presenting at the DigiMarCon Digital Marketing Conference.
He saw that these companies relied on predictable pipelines, and strong marketing systems could make a real difference. Strategy mattered here. “It’s a space where good strategy actually moves the needle, so it’s a natural fit for the kind of work we do,” Bryan notes.
This focus allowed him to carve out a niche where results were measurable. His agency became known for building systems that not only attracted leads but also converted them into long-term growth.
Wins and Challenges
One of Bryan’s proudest achievements was helping clients rank on page one for high-intent searches. He says, “These rankings directly drive revenue, not just traffic. It proves the work isn’t theoretical.”
The impact was clear: qualified leads, reduced reliance on paid ads, and a competitive edge for clients. These wins showed that his strategies worked in practice, not just on paper.
But success came with challenges. The hardest part was keeping up with constant change, especially with AI evolving so quickly. Bryan explains, “The way I’ve handled it is by staying flexible and not getting stuck on old methods. I focus on how our clients’ customers think and buy, because that doesn’t change as quickly.”
By keeping customer behavior at the center, he was able to decide which new tools or approaches were worth adopting. Flexibility became his shield against uncertainty.
Lessons and Tools
Bryan remembers one tough project: telling an AI startup that their entire HubSpot setup was wrong and needed rebuilding. “It wasn’t an easy conversation, but it had to be said,” he recalls. From that, he learned his real value was guiding clients toward outcomes, even when advice was uncomfortable.
His agency relies on three key strategies:
- People: understanding what clients truly need, not just what they think they need.
- Process: building repeatable marketing systems that remove guesswork.
- Tech: choosing tools that are simple, effective, and practical.
And three tools became central to operations:
- Asana for project organization and visibility.
- Fathom for recording calls and pushing action items directly into Asana.
- ChatGPT for turning rough ideas into clear plans and documents.
Together, these strategies and tools created a framework that supported both growth and client trust.
Growth and Values
Looking ahead, Bryan wants a predictable way to bring in new clients. Referrals have worked, but he aims for steadier pipelines through ads and outbound strategies. Retention, however, has always been strong. “People stay when they trust you and see progress, and that’s something we’ve always done well,” he says.
Cloudways has been central to his agency’s operations. Bryan explains, “Cloudways stood out because it had everything I needed: strong performance, flexible plans, and support that was far better than what I’d experienced with the other providers.” Features like low-cost servers and CDN compatibility helped him solve client site speed issues and improve search visibility.
– Bryan Philips uses Cloudways to optimize client website performance, improve load times, and support scalable agency growth.
He contrasts Cloudways with other hosts: “Most hosts either give you almost no room to fine-tune anything or they expect you to be an AWS engineer to get basic tasks done. Cloudways sits right in the middle.” That balance of control and support made it the most dependable option.
His advice for new agency founders is simple: “Focus on progress over perfection. Ship work, get feedback, keep improving, and stay close to what clients actually need.”
And his guiding motto remains: “People first, process second, tech third. If you get the order right, everything else becomes easier.”
Interested in working with In Motion Marketing? You can connect with Bryan Philips on LinkedIn or through their website. We recently interviewed him as part of our Agency Spotlight series.
Mansoor Ahmed Khan
Been in content marketing since 2014, and I still get a kick out of creating stories that resonate with the target audience and drive results. At Cloudways by DigitalOcean (a leading cloud hosting company, btw!), I lead a dream team of content creators. Together, we brainstorm, write, and churn out awesome content across all the channels: blogs, social media, emails, you name it! You can reach out to me at [email protected].
