Smart Agency Masterclass Podcast with Jason Swenk
Bi-weekly interviews, strategy, and advice for building your marketing agency the smart way.
The popular agency podcast has just turned 10 years old and covers everything from starting a successful agency to selling your agency.
#1 Agency Leadership Podcast. Check Out Our Past Guests.
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Seth Godin
Best selling Author of Purple Cow, This is Marketing, Linchpin, Permission Marketing
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Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist of Canva and former Apple chief evangelist
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Gino Wickman
The creator of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and author of Traction.
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Mike Michaelowicz
Best-selling author of Profit First and Clock Work
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Neil Patel
Founder of CrazyEgg, Kissmetrics, and other multimillion dollar companies
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Joey Coleman
Recognized for his expertise in customer retention & enhancing client loyalty
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Amy Porterfield
Renowned online marketing expert and educator
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Pat Flynn
The leaders in the podcast space
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Jay Baer
Best Selling author of Talk Triggers, Hug Your Haters, and one of the best speakers
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Todd Herman
Coach to Elite pro athletes, leaders, and public figures
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Dan Martell
Author of Buy Back Your Time. Influential coach in SaaS startups.
Maintaining a Small Client Roster for Big Agency Success with Nick Francis | Ep #769
How do you measure your agency’s success? Awards and accolade? Top-line revenue and big name clients? What if we told you a more focused and lean approach could be the best path. Today’s featured guest realized the importance of finding a "sweet spot" in the agency world, so he moved to focusing on quality over quantity. He talks about the challenges of maintaining a small client roster and the benefits it brings. In his business model, his agency is providing consistent, high-quality work and building strong partnerships. Learn valuable insights on leadership, innovation, and the importance of a good relationship building.
Boosting Agency Efficiency with the Help of AI Integration with Manish Dudharejia | Ep #768
Are you integrating AI in your agency processes in the most effective ways? What sort of opportunities are you missing by not integrating AI into your agency’s systems and processes? There’s no going back from AI, so you might as well embrace it as it continues to evolve the ever changing agency landscape.
While many agencies have begun incorporating AI tools, numerous opportunities remain unexplored, and the technology's full potential is still emerging. Today's featured guest brings unique insights as an agency owner who has fully embraced AI's transformative power. Through his continuous study and practical implementation of AI solutions, he has gained valuable perspectives on how this technology is fundamentally altering agency operations—from team structures to client expectations. Tune in for practical insights for agency leaders looking to harness AI's potential while adapting to the evolving demands of the digital marketplace.
Insights on Agency Hiring: Finding the Right Fit and Knowing When It’s Not with Justin Hall | Ep #767
Have you defined the who in your agency’s growth journey? What are you using to guiding the type of team that will grow your agency to it's full potential? This guest quickly discovered that attracting the right talent—especially individuals excited to join a small, fledgling agency—was far more challenging than expected.
Learn the valuable lessons he’s learned about hiring, the qualities he looks for in candidates to drive his agency’s success, and why he emphasizes the importance of acting swiftly when a hire isn’t the right fit.
Empowering Your Agency Team: Creating a Clear Growth Path for Success with Warren Wilansky | Ep #764
Do your employees have a clear path for growth within your agency? Do they feel supported, empowered, and fulfilled in their role? Today's featured guest shares insights from his journey transforming his agency team structure that resulted in thriving for the business, his team, and himself.
After years of struggle, this agency CEO took ownership of his role and developed a strategic approach to employee motivation and development. By reimagining annual reviews and creating meaningful growth opportunities, he shifted from an environment of stagnation to one of continuous improvement. In this interview, learn the benefits of offering a clear path for growth within your agency, and how to improve your team’s experience during annual reviews. He also shares how to get yourself out of sales — if that’s something you want — and why you need to keep doing what you love.
Is It Time to Rebrand Your Agency? When, Why, and How to Rebrand with Jim Heininger | Ep #763
Is your agency in need of a rebrand? Many of us are accidental agency owners who threw together a brand without fully understanding our niche or service offering; starting with just a basic name and logo. As the agency evolves this may signal the need for a strategic brand refresh. Today’s featured guest runs a rebranding agency and shares the scenarios that could justify a rebrand, the difference the right will name make for clients to differentiate you, and share some rebranding strategies to keep in mind.
Hiring an Agency COO and Balancing the CEO-COO Dynamic with Brittany Filori | Ep #762
Do you need to get yourself out of agency operations so you can work ON the agency rather than in it? Are you stuck in processes and fulfillment when you should be looking at growth? It might be time to hire for the role of COO to ensure your agency's success. A Chief Operating Officer plays a pivotal role in an agency's development, significantly reducing the CEO's operational burden. However, timing is crucial – agencies should carefully consider their growth stage before initiating the search for a COO, and thoroughly understand the position's complexities to ensure an ideal match.
Successful AI - Human Collaboration: Where Technology and Creativity Intersect with Marc Beckman | Ep #761
Is artificial intelligence revolutionizing business operations or threatening the carefully crafted storytelling techniques developed over decades? As many businesses struggle with integrating AI while maintaining authentic connections, today's featured guest offers valuable insights from his perspective as both an agency leader and AI advocate as well as someone who can see some of the fatigue caused by the ever-growing demand for constant information that has been aided by AI and the availability to create content faster and efficiently. He shares the ways he is integrating AI technology into his own agency, and why he believes it won’t work when it comes to replacing the human touch. Learn about his vision for AI use in business, the trends he sees changing in consumer preferences in social media, and how agencies can adapt to AI.
Maximizing Event Speaking: How to Generate Leads While Sharing Expertise with Dale Bertrand | Ep #760
Are you leveraging public speaking to grow your brand? Have you considered expanding your reach by having team members represent your company at events and interviews? Today’s featured guest has transformed public speaking from a marketing tactic into a primary source of business leads. Tune in to learn the common fears that keep agency owners from speaking at more events, the type of speaker you should be to attract more business, and why you should consider building a team willing to share their expertise and promote your agency at events or interviews.
Uncovering the Gold Mine in Your Agency’s Email List with Reade Milner | Ep #759
Have you dedicated time to ensure the health of your email list? If you've built a 15,000-person email list for your business—that's a huge accomplishment! But what if that list isn't performing? If your open rates are as low, that number becomes meaningless. It's not about the quantity of subscribers, but the quality of your engagement. Moreover, if you’re not consistently delivering valuable content that keeps you top-of-mind as a problem-solver, then you're not maximizing the potential of your list.
Today's featured guest shares his insights on effective email marketing strategies, including optimal content delivery frequency, list maintenance best practices, and how his agency has evolved over the past decade. Drawing from his experience, he advocates for email marketing as a reliable channel that doesn't depend on unpredictable social media algorithms. He believes many companies are overlooking a gold mine by fixating on new client acquisition while neglecting their existing client base.
The Secret to Longevity: Building Trust and Overcoming Skepticism with James Loomstein | Ep #758
Do you face a lot of skepticism from clients who have been disappointed by agencies before? How do you go about gaining their trust? After seven years running his agency, today’s featured guest still lists that mistrust as one of his primary challenges and talks about his strategic approach to overcoming this hurdle: combining client education with precise problem identification to deliver time-saving solutions that truly impact their businesses. This approach not only helps rebuild trust damaged by previous agency experiences but also positions marketing as a genuine catalyst for business growth.
Join us as we explore how agencies can move beyond surface-level marketing solutions to become trusted partners in their clients' success stories.
About the Show
The popular agency podcast has been around since 2014 and covers everything from starting a successful agency to selling your agency. What makes this podcast a must-listen is Swenk’s background as the founder and CEO of an agency for over a decade. Swenk brings his own experience to the table, besides the expertise of his guests. He mostly covers topics that help growing agencies scale to the next level.
YOUR HOST
JASON SWENK
Smart Agency Masterclass
Jason is a family man who also happens to have created a couple big marketing agencies, helped thousands of agency owners, and had a big agency exit too.
