How I'd Start a 1-Person AI Agency in 2026 | Ricky Solanki | #35

The Agency Giants Podcast - Episode 35 (Ricky Solanki) __________________________________________ He's spent 17 years building an agency: 50 staff, 400 clients at its peak. If he were starting again in 2026, he'd run the whole thing with one person… & make more money! In this episode of Agency Giants, Ricky Solanki, founder of Push Group, walks through exactly how he'd build a 1-person AI agency from scratch. • Why one person & a few AI agents can now run an entire client end to end. • How he'd actually start from $0 using Claude Code. • The marketing engine he'd build from day one (Automated funnels, lead magnets, & the free channel almost every agency still ignores!) Ricky's LinkedIn:   / rickysolanki   Push Group: https://www.pushgroup.co.uk/ __________________________________________ Get your next 10 clients, guaranteed 👉 https://www.affluent.academy/?utm_sou... __________________________________________ FREE Agency Owners Community: https://www.skool.com/agencyowners __________________________________________    • The Agency Podcast   __________________________________________ 🎧 Stream on your favorite audio platform: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0jmr989... Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/64e... __________________________________________ Follow us on all platforms: Instagram:   / agencygiantspodcast   Facebook:   / agencygiantspodcast   TikTok:   / agencygiants   __________________________________________ 00:00 Ricky's 17-Year Journey Building Push 06:26 The AI Catalyst: Repositioning the Agency & Winning Over the Team 09:05 Core Services, Client Acquisition & Paid Growth Roadmaps 18:55 Expanding Internationally: Greece, Dubai & Lessons Learned 22:31 Change Management & Building the "DIAL" AI Operating System 31:04 Build vs Buy: Software Costs, Claude Code & Margin Pressure 38:50 Licensing Your Tech, Facilitating In-House Moves & Pricing 46:53 Protecting Human Brilliance & the New "Diamond" Team Structure 52:34 Where to Start With AI: Begin With Claude & One Process 55:10 The Next Five Years: Two Businesses & Building From $0 1:04:29 Prioritising, Productizing Internal Tools & Staying Nimble 1:08:59 Exit Plans, Life at 50 & Rapid Fire Questions