On the Agency Operators Podcast, Pasha speaks with Jessica Wright, CEO of A02, about navigating agency acquisitions and the operational realities of transitions. Jessica shares her 20-year Amazon and e-commerce background, from a toy manufacturer to an accelerator that acquired brands, then Seller Labs, and ultimately into A02 through two acquisitions.
They discuss why merging teams is often harder than a true acquisition, the importance of retaining people and culture alongside clients, and why waiting to make redundancy cuts can prevent costly mistakes.
Jessica highlights software transitions—especially ad tech—as a major risk area due to data loss and learning curves that can drive churn, and emphasizes using team feedback, cost analysis, and realistic client communication expectations. She also contrasts client communication changes (email/phone vs Slack) and how setting boundaries and response expectations reduces chaos.
00:00 Welcome and Setup
00:52 Jess Career Journey
03:37 Hardest Merger Lessons
06:45 People and Role Redundancy
08:07 Software Migration Pitfalls
09:19 How to Track Integration
14:14 Client Communication Changes
16:49 Slack Expectations and Boundaries
20:07 Wrap Up and Contact Info
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