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.

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We host some of the smartest minds in business…

Waze Co-Founder, Uri Levine, Falling in Love With The Problem Not the Solution | Ep #691
Selling Your Agency Jason Swenk Selling Your Agency Jason Swenk

Waze Co-Founder, Uri Levine, Falling in Love With The Problem Not the Solution | Ep #691

What would you do if you sold your agency tomorrow? Are you clear enough on your purpose that you could keep on creating value? Today’s guest is the founder or a beloved app that changed the way people drive nowadays. He eventually sold that company but hasn’t stopped looking for ways to improve people’s lives through his startups. He’ll share what he’s learned from failure, why he was out of the company as soon as he sold, and why you should always look to understand users to create real value. Tune in to learn valuable insights into building successful startups.

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Building a ‘Sellable’ Agency By Branding Your Processes with John Warrillow | Ep #678
Selling Your Agency Jason Swenk Selling Your Agency Jason Swenk

Building a ‘Sellable’ Agency By Branding Your Processes with John Warrillow | Ep #678

Gary Vaynerchuk and Steve Jobs both became the face of their brand, but could this marketing strategy cost you when it’s time to sell your agency? How can you avoid becoming the brand to build a ‘sellable’ agency? Today’s guest is an entrepreneur who has successfully started and sold four businesses. He discusses the value of personal brands in relation to company success and delves into the challenges faced by service companies in building assets compared to tech or SaaS startups. Tune in to learn about common mistakes made by agency owners when considering selling their businesses and the pitfalls of an obsession with scale.

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Navigating the Highs and Lows of SELLING YOUR AGENCY with David Rodnitzky | Ep #661
Selling Your Agency Jason Swenk Selling Your Agency Jason Swenk

Navigating the Highs and Lows of SELLING YOUR AGENCY with David Rodnitzky | Ep #661

Are you getting ready to sell your agency? Are you looking into potential buyers? How will you protect your interests in an M&A process? Today’s guest has a lot of experience, and even a book, in this area having sold the same agency twice and coming out mostly unscathed from the initial failed deal. He’ll share some of the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of selling your agency and the challenges of managing a large agency team. Tune in to gain valuable insights on navigating the process of selling your agency.

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Agency GROWTH Without Compromising Boundaries with Caitlin Copple | Ep #636
Scale Your Agency, Selling Your Agency Stacey Green Scale Your Agency, Selling Your Agency Stacey Green

Agency GROWTH Without Compromising Boundaries with Caitlin Copple | Ep #636

Are you looking to grow your agency fast while maintaining a work-life balance? Eager to start mastering boundaries without compromising growth? Today’s guest talks openly about growing her agency to over $1 million while fiercely protecting her personal life by establishing clear boundaries. She highlights the ongoing need for self-awareness to identify where these boundaries may be “leaky” and the importance of having people on the team who understand the challenges you face. Learn tangible tactics for aligning your agency’s growth with your personal well-being.

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The Surprising Accessibility of Acquisition as an Agency Growth Strategy with Jon Bast | SAM | Ep # 630
Selling Your Agency Stacey Green Selling Your Agency Stacey Green

The Surprising Accessibility of Acquisition as an Agency Growth Strategy with Jon Bast | SAM | Ep # 630

Have you ever considered acquisition as a growth strategy? What about acquiring five or even ten other agencies in order to grow? A lot of agency owners consider M&A for growth but think there are financial barriers preventing them from taking the leap. However, have you ever considered M&A as more of an investment strategy? In this episode, our guest shares his insights on the power of mergers and acquisitions in the agency industry. He discusses how he initially thought M&A was only for businesses with large amounts of cash but now realizes the surprising accessibility of acquisition and how it is more achievable than he thought. He also shares his hands-on experience purchasing companies with lower EBITDA values and how it has the potential to significantly boost his own company's EBITDA.

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Break Into a New Niche with a Strategic Agency Acquisition with David Hernandez | Ep #621
Selling Your Agency Stacey Green Selling Your Agency Stacey Green

Break Into a New Niche with a Strategic Agency Acquisition with David Hernandez | Ep #621

Have you thought about expanding into a new industry? Ever wonder about buying another agency for their expertise and book of business? Even for an established agency, it can be difficult to break into a new space. However, a strategic agency acquisition can save a lot of time and effort. Today's guest found an agency acquisition was the ideal way to break into another niche. In this conversation, he shares some of what he learned from his agency acquisition and some lessons learned along the way.

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Rapid Agency Growth that Led to a Lucrative Acquisition Offer with Daniel James | Ep #609
Selling Your Agency Stacey Green Selling Your Agency Stacey Green

Rapid Agency Growth that Led to a Lucrative Acquisition Offer with Daniel James | Ep #609

How do you get noticed by big brands? And eventually, get noticed by big agencies for an acquisition offer? It's all about making decisions that put the client first. That is what this guest shares in his story about starting out in the early days of social media, finding a hole in the industry,  and how his agency's rapid growth led to an unexpected acquisition offer.

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How RECESSIONS OFFER OPPORTUNITIES for Digital Agencies | Ep #589
Scale Your Agency, Selling Your Agency Stacey Green Scale Your Agency, Selling Your Agency Stacey Green

How RECESSIONS OFFER OPPORTUNITIES for Digital Agencies | Ep #589

2023 recession talk: pull back or grow? For the first time ever, Jason Swenk, agency owner, advisor, podcast host, and speaker, is interviewed on his own show! Darby turns the tables on him in this episode, where they discuss mistakes, regrets, and the path to becoming an advisor. Jason also talks about why he feels recessions offer opportunities. He shares his views on an economic downturn and how you can grow when others give up. Don't let fear take over, be proactive and tune in!

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SURVIVING A MERGER: How to Safeguard Your Digital Agency & Team with Gus Wagner | Ep #575
Scale Your Agency, Selling Your Agency Stacey Green Scale Your Agency, Selling Your Agency Stacey Green

SURVIVING A MERGER: How to Safeguard Your Digital Agency & Team with Gus Wagner | Ep #575

Do you have trusted referral partners? Every considered merging with an agency partner? A merger can be a good way to expand your service offering, but surviving a merger is a whole other thing. The right partner gives you access to highly skilled professionals, more creative ideas, and proven methods to maximize success. Today's guest found a great, longtime partnership. However, when it came time to merge their agencies, both opted to maintain ownership of their individual entities. He explains the thought process behind this decision and the road that led to his eventual acquisition.

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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.