Chris LaFay

⚡Want to build a business that actually works? My team at Motive11 can help—websites, systems, and strategy for modern entrepreneurs → https://motive11.comAgency founder Chris LaFay joins me to talk about growing a web business from small-town freelancing to seven figures, the power of sharing experience instead of advice, and what it really takes to scale sustainably without losing yourself.🔗 Connect with Chris LaFay:Website: https://www.classiccity.netLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrislafayX: https://x.com/chrisjlafay  🔗 Connect with Mark Szymanski:Website: https://markszymanski.coFacebook: https://mjs.link/FBInstagram: https://mjs.link/IGLinkedIn: https://mjs.link/LIX: https://mjs.link/XYouTube: https://mjs.link/YTAbout the show:Fueled By Progress is a podcast about candid conversations with builders, creators, and curious people—focused on decisions, disciplines, and stories that move us forward.If you’re new here, welcome. If you’ve been here since episodes recorded in my car—thank you. We’re still just getting warmed up 💪Host --- Mark Szymanski: https://markszymanski.co/linksVideo/Audio Production --- Nathaniel DeHaven: https://elevatedmultimedia.comChapters:0:00 Intro and why I film first conversations1:12 Meet the guest Chris LaFay and Classic City Consulting3:11 How we got connected through Andy Milligan4:30 Accountability partner dynamic and daily check-ins6:40 Experience vs advice and why stories land better8:46 Lessons from Entrepreneurs’ Organization on sharing experiences10:46 My learn try share motto and staying authentic12:10 What I’m excited about now daily shorts streak hits 10013:20 Documenting life systems and personal website roots15:03 Chris’s background slow and steady agency growth16:25 Content ramp up and finally starting a podcast18:58 Framing the studio and committing to a setup20:06 Content to drive Classic City sales the game plan21:17 Collaborations and mini series with agency partners22:52 The dual CTA idea and jabs before the right hook24:05 My path agency vs creator split and tradeoffs25:27 Chris’s origin suburbs of Atlanta and early freelancing27:12 Pricing mindset shift charging more with confidence29:21 Scaling to 1.3M and hard lessons on expenses30:53 Selling to CMOs vs founders and changing rooms33:04 College path MIS degree and real world skills35:39 First WordPress class and stepping up to teach37:49 From Dreamweaver to WordPress becoming the core stack41:26 Shopify side work and where it fits42:53 What Chris does today founder CEO head of sales44:38 Relationship driven sales and creating a repeatable engine48:04 Why ads waited the need for a foot in the door offer50:14 ICP clarity B2B SaaS with complex content models52:18 Component libraries CPTs and empowering marketing teams54:50 How they entered B2B SaaS referrals and Slack groups56:40 Personal sites as scratch pads and short posts59:28 Substack vs WordPress and owning the home base1:02:44 Personal brand ideas fractional consulting with founders1:05:20 Building new lines of business inside existing engines1:06:56 Community and mentorship possibilities1:07:24 Wrap up and where to find Chris LinkedIn and Classic City