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 12 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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Dan Martell
Author of Buy Back Your Time. Influential coach in SaaS startups.
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Gino Wickman
The creator of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and author of Traction.
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Neil Patel
Founder of CrazyEgg, Kissmetrics, and other multimillion dollar companies
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![Uri Levine]()
Uri Levine
Co-founder of Waze
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Joey Coleman
Recognized for his expertise in customer retention & enhancing client loyalty
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Mike Michaelowicz
Best-selling author of Profit First and Clock Work
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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
The Agency Incubator Model: How to Fund SaaS Products Through Clients Instead of Investors with David Carnes | Ep #904
Are you running multiple things at once and wondering why none of them are moving as fast as they should? Are you still the one every project, every client, and every decision routes through, no matter how many people you have on your team?
Over nearly three decades, today’s featured guest didn’t just run an agency. He turned it into an incubator, spinning up multiple SaaS companies, a mobile app, and an accessibility tool, all funded and validated through a model most founders have never tried. In this episode, he’ll get into how he built products without outside investors, why the bottleneck is always at the top of the bottle, and what it actually took to step out of the operator seat after 28 years in it.
How to Build an Agency That Doesn’t Depend on You with Ted Harrison | Ep #897
Are you struggling to scale your agency or are you unknowingly the thing holding it back?
At what point does your growth stop being a systems problem and start becoming a leadership one?
Today’s guest shares what it to break through those ceilings.
After scaling quickly off the back of a strong network, he made the critical decision to systemize everything before growth turned him into the bottleneck. By leveraging documentation in a smart, intentional way, he built a foundation that allowed the agency to grow without everything running through him.
In this conversation, he unpacks the realities of working with enterprise clients, the often uncomfortable shift from operator to CEO, and why—despite all the noise, AI is actually increasing the need for human judgment, taste, and leadership, not replacing it.
The Identity Crisis Killing Agencies (And How to Rebuild Before It’s Too Late) With Jonathan Lewis | Ep #895
Are agencies becoming obsolete? We don’t think so. However, the traditional agency model isn’t just evolving, it’s breaking. Today’s featured guest believes the core of every business is dying and that agencies that want to adapt and win need to adopt the mindset of rebuilders. He shares why agencies have been in decline for over two decades and what it actually takes to rebuild a business that survives AI, commoditization, and shifting client expectations. Tactics alone won’t help because, at its core, this shift is about identity, positioning, and stepping into a new role as someone who doesn’t cling to the old model but actively creates the next one.
AI Is Reshaping Agencies. Staying Average Will Kill Yours with Brian Hansen | Ep #891
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how agencies operate. However, the real shift isn’t just about tools. It’s about structure, mindset, and leadership.
Today’s featured guest has taken the time to explore how agencies are adapting to AI, why many agencies will struggle to survive the shift, and how founders must evolve alongside the technology.
From building AI-native workflows to maintaining authentic brand connections in an automated world, the conversation highlights a central theme: agencies that stay curious and adaptable will win. Those that cling to “the way we’ve always done it” won’t.
How Forward-Thinking Agencies Win with SEO, GEO, & LLMs with Terry Zelen | Ep #886
AI is either the end of agencies… or the biggest opportunity we’ve had since the internet. Most agree it’s the second one.
Agencies that are winning right now are combining SEO, GEO, AEO, and LLM optimization so they show up everywhere decisions are being made. They’re using AI to increase leverage, not replace thinking. And they’re restructuring their teams around strategy, insight, and proprietary data instead of repetitive task work.
Today’s featured guest will discuss why SEO isn’t dead (it just grew up), the biggest mistake agencies are making with AI, how to 10x output without adding headcount, and why your unique data is the unfair advantage that separates you from every other agency prompting ChatGPT and hoping for magic.
Can AI Help Your Agency Win Fortune 10 Clients Instead of Replacing Your Team? With Gilad Bechar | Ep #884
Most agencies are asking the wrong question about AI.
They’re asking, “How many people can this replace?” when the better question is, “What could my team do if all the busywork disappeared?”
Today’s featured guest unpacks how he’s embedded AI across a 12-year-old agency, why it’s increased hiring instead of reducing it, and what it actually takes to make AI stick culturally, not just technically.
If AI Can Do the Work Faster, What Should Agencies Be Selling? With Eric Weidner | Ep #871
If AI can now write, design, and build faster than your team, what does a profitable agency actually sell next? Most agency owners have experienced a weird mix of excitement and anxiety about AI. On the surface, it feels like everything is changing overnight, including websites, content, search, development, and even how clients perceive value. Underneath that panic, though, there’s a calmer truth: the fundamentals of running a great agency haven’t changed at all. The tools have.
Today’s featured guest talks candidly about where AI actually helps agencies, where it’s wildly overhyped, and why agency owners who focus on systems, relationships, and leverage will win while everyone else burns out chasing shiny tools.
How to Survive Google Updates, AI Disruption, and Scale a Local SEO Agency with Joy Hawkins | Ep #869
Do you feel constantly worried about shrinking organic visibility, heavier ad pressure, and constant change? Running an agency has never been a straight line. Platforms change, algorithms shift, and what worked five years ago can quietly stop working overnight. Today’s featured guest knows that reality and will share her journey from agency employee to founder of a 43-person local SEO agency, along with her honest perspective on Google, AI, remote teams, and why growing bigger can actually create more freedom and impact when done for the right reasons.
Why Clients Keep Asking for Deliverables and What They Actually Need with Niecolas Biggi | Ep #861
Why do clients keep asking for deliverables they don’t actually need? How to get them to focus on the outcome instead of the task list? Every agency owner has had clients show up asking for a website, SEO, or a million social posts, when what they actually need is something much deeper: more leads, more profit, more time back, and a business they’re proud of again.
Today’s featured guest broke down how he built an 11-year-old shop that delivers exactly that. We dig into why small businesses really hire agencies, why “selling SEO” is a trap, and how simplifying complex work can make your agency more profitable, more trusted, and a hell of a lot easier to run.
Why AI-Enhanced Agencies Are Outpacing AI-First Pretenders with Michael Davern | Ep #858
AI is changing the agency landscape faster than most owners can keep up with. Tools are popping up daily, clients are asking if rates should drop, and your team is either fired up or freaked out. Today’s featured guest talks about what it takes to build an agency that thrives in a world obsessed with shiny new tech, where the edge is not more tools. It is better leadership, human connection, and an incubator mindset that keeps them ahead without drowning in the noise.
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.