In episode 132, I talk with Leah Leaves, founder of Alderaan Operations Solutions, where she helps remote digital agencies grow without the grind. Known for her no-fluff, systems-first approach, Leah and her team embed expert operations managers directly into agencies to break bottlenecks, reduce burnout, and build businesses that can scale without the founder in every decision.

We dig into what causes owners to become the bottleneck, the difference between goals, systems, and team accountability, and how every agency—no matter the size—can start building a foundation that prevents burnout and supports growth. Leah also shares how to identify when it’s time to bring in an operator, how to delegate effectively, and why even the best creative agencies need structure to thrive. We wrap by exploring how AI fits into internal operations and why every agency needs an AI Ops roadmap, even if it’s just six months ahead.

Key Bytes

• Burnout often begins with unclear goals and missing systems; clarity is the antidote.

• Leah outlines four agency owner archetypes—the Trusting Optimist, Firefighting Founder, Reluctant Gatekeeper, and Visionary Leader—and how operators help each evolve.

• Delegation isn’t dumping tasks; it’s empowering your team with context and ownership.

• Documenting the “why” behind your systems drives consistency and accountability.

• Operators create the scaffolding for scale—allowing founders to focus on vision, not firefighting.

• Every agency, regardless of size, benefits from an AI Ops roadmap to guide internal efficiency.

• Start with what you already have—processes, checklists, or recurring workflows—and build from there.

• Systems don’t kill creativity; they protect it by removing chaos and decision fatigue.

Chapters

00:00 Intro and welcome with guest Leah Leaves, founder of Alderaan Operations Solutions

02:00 The Star Wars origin of “Alderaan” and Leah’s path from journalism to operations

05:30 From creative to systems thinker: finding flow in operations

08:00 How unclear goals and missing systems cause bottlenecks

10:00 Guardrails vs. micromanagement: empowering the team without overengineering

13:00 The burnout cycle and why delegation is a creative act

15:00 The four types of agency owners and their operational challenges

20:00 Shifting from bottleneck to visionary: the operator’s role in scaling

23:30 Why every agency needs an AI ops roadmap

26:30 Putting “robots” in the org chart and making automation work

29:00 Low-hanging AI wins: onboarding, recruiting, and workflow automation

32:00 Rapid-fire Q&A: distilling systems, theme songs, and unexpected client wins

34:45 Closing thoughts and where to find Leah

Leah Leaves is the Founder of Alderaan Operations Solutions, where she helps remote digital marketing agencies grow without the grind. Known for her no-fluff, systems-first approach, she and her team embed expert Operations Managers directly into agencies to break bottlenecks, reduce burnout, and build businesses that can scale without the founder in every decision.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/1eah1eaves/

https://alderaanenterprise.com/

http://agencyownerquiz.com/

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In episode 131, I sit down with Maiya Holliday, founder and CEO of Mangrove Web Development, a Certified B Corp agency that’s been building websites for change-makers since 2009.

Maiya shares her evolution from self-taught coder to agency leader, how she built Mangrove into a values-driven, fully remote team long before it was trendy, and why B Corp certification serves as an operating system rather than a marketing badge.

We dive into the realities of serving nonprofits and purpose-led organizations, how to balance mission and margin, and how AI is reshaping collaboration between designers and developers. Maiya’s insights are both grounding and inspiring for anyone building a business around impact and intention.

Key Bytes

• B Corp certification can provide structure for how an agency operates—not just a label to display.

• Nonprofit clients aren’t “low budget” if you help them tie digital to their mission, revenue, and reach.

• AI is changing agency workflows fast, but curiosity, ethics, and experimentation keep it human.

• Merging two purpose-driven teams isn’t about scale—it’s about shared values and vision.

Mangrove’s evolution shows that you can stay small, focused, and deeply impactful.

Chapters

00:00 Intro: From coder to CEO

01:00 The origin story of Mangrove Web

03:30 Becoming a Certified B Corp

06:00 Lessons from the certification process

09:00 Staying accountable to B Corp principles

11:00 How competition has evolved in the B Corp space

14:30 Why Mangrove focuses on nonprofits & foundations

17:30 Pricing and positioning in the nonprofit world

20:00 The role of AI in Mangrove’s workflow

23:00 How design and dev are converging

27:30 Internal AI tooling vs. client-facing tools

30:00 Building trust as a strategic digital advisor

32:20 Rapid fire: remote work, creative parenting, and common myths

34:50 Closing thoughts

Maiya Holliday, CEO and Founder of Mangrove Web Development is a creative leader and collaborator who crafts digital solutions to augment the impact of changemakers. She is a self-taught coder with over a decade of hands-on experience. Maiya aligns folks toward actionable goals that help articulate and communicate their organization’s purpose and impact on the web, with people, planet, purpose and equity at the core. She has led over 200 website projects for changemakers and purpose-driven organizations.

Maiya led Mangrove to become a Certified B Corp in 2016 and has since championed the cause of socially and environmentally conscious businesses deepening their impact. She values working alongside a diverse team of talented people who are passionate about what they do.

A Bay Area native, Maiya now lives in the mountains of Truckee, CA with her husband Shaun and little humans Terner and Miles. You might also find her in Oakland or Australia, where she tends to show up a regular basis.

http://mangrove-web.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maiyaholliday/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/mangrove-web/

https://www.ai4np.org/

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY IGNITION. START YOUR FREE 14 DAY TRIAL ignitionapp.info/agencybytes-trial Use Code OUTSIGH25 to save 50% off!

In this episode, I got to talk with Rahul Raj, founder of 5&Vine. They help challenger brands win. It’s in their DNA and their whole reason for showing up each day. Our conversation dug into the nuances of living in your niche, how to define the edge of that niche, and how they evaluate wavering outside of the laser focus of who they work with. Rahul spoke about the inherent risks of being too deeply niched what tier diversification means to them, and how they define it. We went on a side tangent about the lack of authenticity in personal communication, specifically on social media.

Takeaways

Building a purpose-driven agency focused on helping challenger brands make a positive impact in the world

The importance of authenticity, community, and engagement in brand building

Challenges of staying true to a niche and the risks and opportunities presented by AI

The responsibility of leveraging privilege to help others

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

01:10 The Journey of Five and Vine

05:23 Building Brands that Better the World

06:18 Staying True to a Niche

09:27 The Importance of Authenticity and Learning from Mistakes

11:18 Diversification and Engaging the Team

14:51 The Role of AI in Branding

22:41 Navigating Risks and Opportunities

26:09 Final Thoughts and Rapid Fire Questions

In this episode, I sat down with Aalap Shah from 108, a minority-owned digital agency. Aalap shares his journey to agency ownership, starting with his background in accounting and e-commerce. He discusses how he fell in love with marketing and eventually started his own social media agency. Aalap also talks about the recent acquisition of Heart Creative, which adds content production capabilities to 108. He emphasizes the importance of the pillars of values that his organization stands for, how culture and community are imperative in his agency, and the value of certifications like being a minority-owned business. Aalap also shares his passion for giving back and his love for running and nature.

Key Takeaways

• Agency ownership can happen by accident, as it did for Alib Shah, who started his agency after realizing he wanted to work for himself

• Acquiring another business can help fill gaps in services and provide new opportunities for growth

• Building a strong culture and community within an agency is essential for success

• Certifications, such as being a minority-owned business, can open doors and lead to new business opportunities

• Giving back to the community and being involved in philanthropic efforts can be a valuable part of an agency's mission

• Finding a hobby or activity, like running, can provide personal fulfillment and balance in the midst of running a business

Chapters

00:00 Accidental Agency Ownership

05:35 The Meaning Behind 108

09:35 Building Pillars of Expertise

13:36 Driving Consumer-Based Traffic

22:33 The Power of Looker Studio for GA4

26:27 The Value of Niching Down

Contact Aalap:

https://1o8.agency

https://heartcreative.co

linkedin.com/in/shahaalap