Beating Burnout and Information Overload: How Maxim Rebuilt His Agency Around Clarity and Habits

Running a small agency or service business often feels like juggling flaming torches while riding a unicycle: too many clients to serve, too many platforms to stay across, and way too much “expert advice” coming at you from every angle. In this episode of The Growth Equation, Tristan Wright talks with Media Waffle founder Maxim Claes about how he hit that point of burnout and information overload and then rebuilt his agency around clarity, habits and a tightly defined niche.​

Maxim runs Media Waffle, a boutique marketing agency that partners with beauty and aesthetic clinics to generate consistent enquiries and booked appointments through targeted paid ads and simple automation systems. Rather than trying to be everything to everyone, he now focuses on one core outcome for one type of client: predictable growth for clinics that want more of the right patients coming through the door. That focus did not happen by accident; it came on the other side of overwhelm, second-guessing and a hard look at what kind of business he actually wanted to build.​

When you listen to the episode, you will hear a very familiar pattern for many Australian entrepreneurs: start broad, hustle hard, say “yes” to everyone, then slowly realise it is not sustainable. Maxim openly shares how he went from being effectively a freelancer handling “anything digital” to a business owner with systems, a small team and a clear promise to a very specific market. For agency owners, consultants and service businesses, that journey is both a warning and a roadmap.​

The Power of Niching Down

One of the biggest shifts Maxim describes is the decision to niche into beauty and aesthetic clinics. Early on, he worked across a mix of e‑commerce, lead generation and different industries, which meant constantly reinventing strategies, messaging and reporting for each new client. That scattergun approach created complexity, mental load and a lot of context switching, which are classic ingredients for burnout.​

By committing to clinics, he could standardise core pieces of his service: one style of offer, one set of metrics that matter and one proven lead acquisition system. This allowed him to build deeper expertise in patient behaviour, treatment demand and compliance expectations rather than staying shallow across dozens of sectors. For small agencies, this is a crucial lesson: specialisation does not just help marketing, it makes delivery easier, systems tighter and your value proposition much clearer.​

Maxim also explains that every niche comes with headaches and clinics are no exception, especially around advertising rules and health-related claims. But once you accept that there is no perfect niche, you are free to pick one and go all in instead of endlessly second-guessing yourself and jumping sideways whenever something looks shinier. That commitment is what ultimately reduced his mental clutter and gave him the bandwidth to improve his offer rather than constantly redesign it.​

Habits, Systems and the Momentum Cycle

Another big theme in the episode is the idea of momentum cycles, the familiar waves where things start going well, you hit a target, relax a bit too much, lose momentum, then have to grind to claw your way back. Maxim talks about living through several of these cycles and recognising that the problem was not knowledge or strategy; it was consistency.​

To break that pattern, he started focusing less on big goals and more on small, trackable habits. That includes simple but powerful routines: planning the day before it starts, regularly reviewing metrics and checking in on key parts of his lead generation and follow-up systems instead of leaving them on autopilot indefinitely. This habit-driven approach meant progress was not dependent on motivation spikes or “feeling inspired,” which is crucial when you are trying to grow sustainably rather than in short sprints.​

For agency and clinic owners listening, the message is clear: your systems and habits will do more for your long-term growth than any single tactic or short-term campaign. A good example from Maxim’s world is his focus on the full lead journey: not just generating enquiries, but tracking appointments booked, show-up rates, treatment spend and rebooking behaviour so clinics can see the real return on their marketing. Once those numbers are measured regularly and discussed with clients, the business becomes far more predictable and less emotionally driven.​

Mentors, Information Overload and the Right Kind of Help

Maxim also dives into how mentors shaped his growth, but not in a vague, motivational way. Instead of bouncing between endless courses and programs, he eventually chose mentors who had specifically built and scaled agencies similar to his in comparable markets. That shift from generic advice to highly relevant guidance helped him cut through noise and move faster on things that actually mattered.​

He is candid about the trap many founders fall into: chasing multiple programs, coaches and frameworks at once and ending up in analysis paralysis. When every guru has a “proven system” and much of the advice overlaps or conflicts, it is easy to keep learning without implementing. Maxim’s counter to this is refreshingly simple: learn less, act more. Pick one program or mentor that directly aligns with the problem you have right now, whether that is sales, delivery or operations, and commit to implementing their approach properly before adding more.​

For small business owners, especially in Australia and New Zealand where markets are tight-knit and word-of-mouth matters, a good local mentor who understands your context can be worth far more than a distant celebrity coach. Maxim intentionally chose an Australian-based agency mentor to avoid timezone issues and to get advice grounded in the same regulatory, economic and cultural environment his clients operate in.​

AI, Compliance and the Future for Clinics

The episode also touches on where marketing for clinics is heading and how AI fits into that picture. Beauty and aesthetic clinics operate in a regulated health-related space, which means APHRA and TGA expectations loom large over what can be said in ads, websites and social posts. Maxim talks about using AI tools not just for content, but also to support clinics in checking whether their wording and imagery align with broad compliance guidelines, with appropriate disclaimers and human oversight.​

At the same time, he is clear that AI-generated content alone will quickly become generic. As more clinics and agencies lean on similar tools, the differentiator will not be who has the fanciest tech, but who has the strongest brand, clearest positioning and most human story behind the business. Owners who are willing to show up on video, share their values and build a recognisable personality will stand out in a feed full of polished but interchangeable posts.​

For agency owners and clinics alike, the opportunity is to use AI and automation to handle the repetitive, time-consuming parts of marketing, things like reminders, follow-up and simple content drafts, so they can spend more time on higher-value activities like client care, strategy and relationship building. When implemented well, this combination of technology and human connection can produce exactly what Media Waffle aims to deliver: a simple, effective lead generation system that owners actually understand and trust.​

What This Means for Your Business

If you are an Australian entrepreneur, agency owner or clinic operator feeling fried by constant context switching and information overload, this episode offers a practical blueprint. The main levers are clear: narrow your niche, build repeatable systems around a specific problem, commit to a small set of meaningful habits and find one or two aligned mentors instead of chasing every new framework that pops up on your feed.​

Maxim’s story is a reminder that you do not need a massive team or a complex tech stack to build a strong business; you need focus, discipline and the courage to simplify.

Connect with Maxim Claes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mediawaffle
Company Website: www.mediawaffle.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/media_waffle/

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