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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Why Delegating AI Could Be the Fastest Way to Kill Your Agency with Brandon Na | Ep #801
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Why Delegating AI Could Be the Fastest Way to Kill Your Agency with Brandon Na | Ep #801

Is your agency falling behind in the AI revolution—while competitors pull ahead? If you’ve handed off AI adaptation to your team and progress still feels sluggish, you’re not alone.

The uncomfortable truth? Delegating AI could be the biggest threat to your agency’s future.

Today’s guest, Brandon Na, has seen firsthand how agencies rise—or fall—in the face of disruption. From early SEO days to the AI era, he’s learned what it really takes to lead through change. And it starts with not outsourcing the future.

Many employees feel more fear than excitement about AI—worried it could signal the end of their careers. Instead, agency owners should be very involved in this process and actively try to identify team members who are excited to learn about AI and already experiment with it on their own time. The agencies that will thrive aren't the ones that delegate AI innovation down the chain of command but the ones that build transformation strategies around those natural innovators.   

Brandon Na is the founder of Seattle Organic SEO, as well as a venture capital pro and acting CMO. His path into agency life started with a simple desire to never have to do cold sales. So instead, he hacked his way into visibility through SEO. This path took Brandon to South Korea, where he helped scale an education company by 1,400%. He eventually returned to the U.S., launched his agency, and dominated the search rankings in a matter of months—all from a handshake mentorship deal with a guy exiting the space.

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Are You Treating AI as Mission-Critical — Or Just Dabbling in It? With Paolo Vidali | Ep #793
Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk

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.

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Is AI Killing SEO as an Agency Service? 3 Core Principles of SEO with Lindsay Halsey | Ep #783
Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk

Is AI Killing SEO as an Agency Service? 3 Core Principles of SEO with Lindsay Halsey | Ep #783

Is SEO still a viable service offering? If you’re an SEO agency, are you at risk for extinction? With AI taking over many industries at the moment, it’s no wonder people are asking if it’s rise means the death of SEO. Today’s featured guest is an SEO expert that found her path into the industry after discovering her passion for tech. She discusses how AI is reshaping the SEO industry — not eliminating it, but transforming its execution and potential. The fundamental principles that have always driven search engine optimization continue to matter, though their implementation evolves alongside technological advancement. Tune in to gain insights into how forward-thinking businesses are adapting their SEO strategies to thrive in this new environment, and gain practical insights for navigating this shifting digital terrain.

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Boosting Agency Efficiency with the Help of AI Integration with Manish Dudharejia | Ep #768
Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk

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.

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Break Free from the Grind to Build an Agency that RUNS WITHOUT YOU with Jim Matuga | Ep #742
Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk

Break Free from the Grind to Build an Agency that RUNS WITHOUT YOU with Jim Matuga | Ep #742

Are you trapped in the exhausting cycle of "monthly chases," constantly pursuing short-term goals at the expense of long-term vision? Today’s featured guest stood on the brink of giving up, worn down by the relentless pursuit of monthly numbers and decided to shift focus with a ten-year plan to start building an agency that could run without him. marketing.

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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.