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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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
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Dan Martell
Author of Buy Back Your Time. Influential coach in SaaS startups.
Are You Treating AI as Mission-Critical — Or Just Dabbling in It? With Paolo Vidali | Ep #793
AI isn’t coming for your agency—it’s already here. And if you haven’t set clear guidelines for how your team (and your clients) engage with it, you’re already behind. In this episode, one agency founder shares how he went from AI skeptic to strategic adopter—rewriting his workflows, client communications, and pricing strategy to future-proof his business.
Join us as we explore how to move beyond simply offering AI-enhanced services—and start leveraging AI to boost profitability, streamline operations, and establish your agency as a leader in this new era.
2 Strategic Shifts to Change Your Agency’s Growth Trajectory with Jennifer McPherson | Ep #789
Do you feel stuck in your agency journey? Are you trying to figure out the next step to grow? Don’t know what you don’t know but you DO know something is holding you back? These can be hard questions to figure out when you feel you have little to no support to help you identify areas of improvement and make necessary changes. This featured guest felt her agency was doing well with their defined niche, and capabilities. However, something was missing — as an owner, she felt isolated. This all changed when she joined an agency owner community where she could openly share her doubts and struggles while receiving actionable feedback and support.
This pivotal decision transformed not only how she operated her business but also accelerated her personal development as a leader. Discover her experience building a business, the defining moment when she first identified as a true entrepreneur, and the two critical pivots that marked significant milestones in her agency's growth trajectory.
Speed Up Your Sales Cycle with a Productized Offer with Spencer Powell | Ep #787
Do you have a sales system in place for showcasing your agencies services at a low-cost price point that creates an easy “yes” for your prospects? Many agencies are giving away insights in order to land big projects. However, a well-crafted foot-in-the-door offer helps you close clients faster by giving them a taste of what it’s like to work with your agency, but also allows you to qualify whether a prospect is the right fit for your agency and team.
Today’s featured guest shares how productizing his offer helped streamline his sales process and communicate a clear value proposition. Furthermore, after building his strategic foot-in-the-door offer, he’s been testing different pricing models to make it an easy “yes” for prospects while still attracting high-quality clients.
Keep Clients Longer: 2 Key Elements of Effective Client Communication with Tim Riddle| Ep #786
How often and effectively do you communicate with clients? What strategies are you implementing to build trust and develop lasting relationships to retain good clients? We all have blind spots in business, and today's featured guest identified one of the most significant ones for business owners is client communication and how messages succeed or fail to get through effectively.
He’ll share his journey of starting a business with the mission of helping business owners identify and repair communication gaps with clients to forge stronger relationships and discuss how he found his niche. He'll also address common communication blind spots that undermine client relationships and emphasize why agency owners must remember that this is fundamentally a relationship business—one where building connections should precede any sales pitch. Join us for insights into marketing, communication, and the importance of addressing blind spots in both business and life.
Navigating Pricing Strategies & Acquisitions to Build a THRIVING AGENCY with James Pietruszynski | Ep #747
Are you ready to elevate your pricing strategy and focus on quality over quantity? There are certain things that will only get easier with experience. Yet, all agency owners should be aware of how crucial it is to adapt your pricing model and client acquisition strategy to ensure long-term success. Today’s featured guest will share milestones that changed his agency’s growth path, the things that had to change along the way, and why continuous improvement and evolving capabilities are the best way to adapt to a changing market.
Moving from Retainers to Productization to Increase Agency Profitability with Bob Afsari | Ep #746
Are you tired of the endless cycle of client demands and shrinking margins? How can you elevate your agency from a service provider to a strategic partner? Today's guest shares how he identified an untapped market opportunity that revolutionized his business approach. His experience shows how focusing on internal brand strength, selective client relationships, and strategic pricing can transform an agency's profitability and market position.
Should You Productize Agency Services? Navigating the Risks and Rewards with Matthew McIver | Ep #722
Have you clearly defined your service offering to the extent that you can productize it? Or do you prefer to customize your approach for each client’s needs? Which strategy aligns better with your agency's objectives and overall success? Today's featured guest transitioned from providing highly customized services, which impacted his team's ability to meet deadlines and adhere to budgets. He has since adopted a productized model and is currently exploring how to effectively present differentiated pricing tiers. Join us as we delve into invaluable insights on launching and scaling a creative agency, optimizing your service offerings, and gracefully managing a co-founder's exit.
Navigating an Agency Acquisition for Rapid Growth with Leah Messina | Ep# 710
How do you anticipate the agency owner's role evolving during an acquisition process? Our featured guest today has undergone a significant transformation, transitioning from white label to a more comprehensive service offering and shifting from project-based to retainer-based services. Now, she embarks on a new journey for her agency as she navigates a strategic acquisition.
Mastering CLIENT ACQUISITION for Agency Growth with David Baeza | Ep #705
Do you have a clear understanding of the client acquisition channels you’ll need to grow your agency? Today’s guest found great success with his agency and, for a long time, didn’t have to worry about client acquisition. More recently, he’s been focusing more on setting up the channels that will guarantee his agency’s growth and continued success. Tune in to learn more about his commitment to quality over rushing to ship subpar work.
The Keys to Staying Relevant in a Competitive Agency Landscape with Marlo Fogelman | Ep #702
What does it take for a business to not only survive but thrive over the course of decades? In the challenging world of business, most companies struggle to reach the one-year mark. Today’s guest has steered her business through over two decades of growth, demonstrating the ability to pivot and take calculated risks. Tune in to learn about her journey and the changes in the marketing.
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.
