We were lucky to catch up with Jesse Gilmore recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jesse, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?

Before Susan and I connected, she was on the verge of giving up. Ten years into running her own design studio, she felt completely spent. Her agency had become what I call a “monster”—consuming all her time, energy, and even her joy. It was all hustle and grind, but she couldn’t see the return on her efforts. The revenue had been growing, yes, but profitability? That was another story. She was still underpaying herself, caught in a loop of endless tasks, feeling that every day was just more of the same. At one point, she even started to consider a radical option: close the agency for good.

The moment we started working together, it was clear that Susan needed a different way of looking at her business. In our first sessions, I encouraged her to step out of her day-to-day role and start looking at the bigger picture. The way I see it, agency owners are so often trapped in the daily grind that they can’t spot the changes they need. That’s where systems come in—especially systems that allow the business to run without the founder constantly at the helm. For Susan, this meant beginning a process of documenting, standardizing, and eventually delegating parts of her business, step by step.

As we worked together, Susan quickly realized the importance of a mindset shift. As she put it, “One of the things that really has been key to working with Jesse is understanding the mindset shift so you can be doing everything right. If your mind—if your energy—is not involved in it in the right way, you’re not going to get results. Certainly not on the level of doubling your business in six months.” With this renewed perspective, she gradually felt her business shift. Her team felt empowered with clear processes, her workload lightened as she began to delegate, and for the first time in years, she felt in control of her business. One by one, the “fires” she used to put out daily began to diminish, and she was able to turn her attention toward growing her client base instead of constantly managing operations.

The real breakthrough came when Susan’s new business pipeline began to overflow. Where she’d once worried about where the next client would come from, now she had systems in place that not only filled her pipeline but did so predictably and sustainably. Her business doubled within six months—sooner than she had even hoped. The efficiency, the scalability, the team—everything was running better than ever. This success eventually caught the attention of a PR firm, which opened an unexpected door: acquisition.

Initially, Susan had never even considered selling her agency. But with her systems firmly in place and the business thriving without her daily involvement, the timing felt right. She made the leap, and in her own words, it was “the best decision she’s ever made.” Through this journey, Susan went from nearly giving up to not only doubling her business but also achieving the ultimate outcome—building something that could thrive without her, and ultimately, finding the freedom she had been seeking all along.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Jesse P. Gilmore, the founder of Niche in Control, a business coaching and consulting firm designed to help agency owners transition from overwhelmed operators to empowered CEOs. Before founding NiC, I spent years navigating the highs and lows of entrepreneurship and corporate life. Through those experiences, I learned that scaling sustainably isn’t just about working harder—it’s about building systems that allow a business to thrive independently of the founder.

At Niche in Control, we use a targeted approach, focusing on three core issues that keep agency owners stuck in the daily grind: Unscalable Business, Inconsistent Lead Flow, and Micromanaging Teams. These challenges create a cycle of burnout and limit growth potential, making it hard for agency owners to step into the CEO role they envisioned when they first started their business.

Our solution is the Leverage for Growth Method, a framework that tackles these issues head-on and transforms agencies into scalable, self-sustaining businesses. We address each core problem with a specific solution:

Scalable Business – By implementing time control, systematizing operations, and developing scalable offers, we create a business structure that supports growth without founder dependency.
Consistent Revenue – We set up a referral program, LinkedIn outreach systems, and optimize sales processes to ensure a predictable, reliable flow of clients.
Empowered Team – We guide agency owners in hiring the right people, training them effectively, and building a self-managing team that can handle day-to-day operations.
These solutions produce three powerful outcomes: regained time and freedom for the founder, consistent revenue that isn’t reliant on referrals, and a streamlined, empowered team capable of supporting sustainable growth. Our clients are finally able to step out of the weeds and operate as CEOs, with a business that aligns with their lifestyle and aspirations.

What sets Niche in Control apart is our commitment to measurable outcomes. We don’t just hand over theoretical concepts; we work alongside our clients to implement real systems that make their businesses more profitable, efficient, and freeing. The transformations our clients experience speak for themselves. We’ve seen agency owners double their revenue, cut their working hours, and even prepare for successful acquisitions they hadn’t previously considered.

For potential clients, followers, and fans, I want you to know that NiC is here to help those who are ready to scale without sacrificing their quality of life. We believe that business success and personal freedom can coexist, and we’ve built our entire approach around making that possible.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Building my reputation in the market was a process of trial, discovery, and constant refinement. When I first started Niche in Control, I didn’t have a narrow focus; I was just determined to help businesses streamline their operations and get results. My first major breakthrough came with a copywriting client. At the time, their processes were taking weeks to complete, but with a fresh systems approach, we reduced their turnaround time from three weeks to one. That experience was eye-opening, and I began to see the potential impact of systematizing agency workflows.

From there, I started working with a digital marketing agency owner whose business was stuck at $15,000 per month. Applying my method, we restructured his operations, and within nine months, he was consistently generating $100,000 monthly revenue. That success validated the core of my approach and pushed me to dig deeper into what made these transformations possible. I reverse-engineered the results, analyzing which elements created the biggest shifts, and thus the second version of what is now the Leverage for Growth Method was born.

Over the years, I took this approach to each new client, treating each engagement as an opportunity to refine and strengthen the method. I kept what worked, discarded what didn’t, and adapted the process based on the real-world challenges agency owners faced. After five major iterations and over 70 clients, we’ve distilled the method down to a precise system that pinpoints the root causes of agency bottlenecks and addresses them systematically. We’re now on our sixth iteration, integrating AI to further enhance efficiency, scalability, and predictability for our clients.

This scientific, adaptive approach—testing, analyzing, and improving with every client interaction—has been fundamental to building our reputation. Niche in Control became known not just for getting results but for having a proven, evolving methodology that has been battle-tested across dozens of agencies. It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution; it’s a carefully crafted approach built on years of data, experience, and a commitment to what truly works.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Resilience has been a central theme in my journey, and it’s the reason Niche in Control exists today. Years ago, when I first transitioned from corporate life to entrepreneurship, I faced what felt like a constant uphill battle. My first businesses were passion-driven, but they quickly became overwhelming, consuming more and more of my time and energy without providing the freedom I’d hoped for. I worked tirelessly, believing that if I just pushed harder, I’d succeed. But instead, I found myself burnt out, wondering if the freedom I wanted as a business owner was even possible.

After shutting down my first venture, I spent time reflecting on what had gone wrong. I realized I had been trying to do everything myself, thinking no one could do it as well as I could. That mentality created a business that was dependent on me for every task, leaving me no room to step back, breathe, or grow. It was a hard lesson to learn, but I knew I had to change my approach if I wanted to build something sustainable—not just for myself, but for other business owners who were going through the same struggle.

With that insight, I went back to the drawing board. I immersed myself in understanding systems, delegation, and scalability. My corporate experience taught me about processes and structure, but it took time to adapt those lessons to the dynamic, high-stakes world of entrepreneurship. Little by little, I built the foundation of what would become the Leverage for Growth Method. Every success and failure along the way added a new layer of resilience, and with each client, I refined the approach further, staying committed to a vision of operational freedom.

Launching Niche in Control wasn’t just about creating a business—it was about solving a problem that had once held me back and helping other agency owners avoid the same burnout and frustration. My “why” comes from that experience of nearly giving up, of wanting something different not just for myself, but for others in the trenches. It’s what drives me to keep evolving, to keep finding better solutions, and to make the process of scaling a business something that empowers, rather than drains, agency owners.

That journey through burnout, reflection, and rebuilding taught me that resilience isn’t just about pushing through hard times. It’s about stepping back, recalibrating, and staying committed to a vision, even when the path isn’t clear. Today, Niche in Control helps agency owners break free from the struggles that once held me back, giving them the freedom to lead their business without being chained to it. That’s my “why,” and it’s the reason I’m as passionate today as I was on day one.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nicheincontrol.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessepgilmore/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLR9twFUjg-_sO6s4SHVOVdlvuLLZO0t5A
• Other: https://events.nicheincontrol.com/