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…

Raising the Standards: The Importance of SOPs with Robert Brill | Ep #695
Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk

Raising the Standards: The Importance of SOPs with Robert Brill | Ep #695

Are you prepared to elevate your agency team and pave the path to success? As your agency expands, the need to grow your team becomes inevitable, and having standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place beforehand can save you a lot of headaches.

Today’s guest went through a rapid growth phase with his agency and found he was ill-prepared to delegate responsibilities and clearly define tasks. As a result, he lost employees and clients but has since learned that SOPs should be in place before hiring and that a good SOP takes him out of the process as quickly as possible. Tune in to gain valuable insights on navigating the complexities of scaling an agency effectively.

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Losing Money as a Business Plan? Forging Long-Term Client Relationships with Kim Lawton | Ep #693
Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk

Losing Money as a Business Plan? Forging Long-Term Client Relationships with Kim Lawton | Ep #693

Do you prioritize new clients or building lasting relationships? Would you be willing to lose money on a client in order to build a long-lasting relationship? Today’s guest has built two successful agencies banking on the power of planning for the long term instead of focusing just on the numbers. She’ll explain how she and her partner formed their vision of an agency where people could do their best work, clients felt heard, and it would all translate into business. Tune in to learn all about the visionary approach that led her and her partner to success.

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What Do All Successful Agencies Have in Common? How to Separate from the Pack with Tim Condon | Ep #692
Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk

What Do All Successful Agencies Have in Common? How to Separate from the Pack with Tim Condon | Ep #692

What sets high-performing agencies apart from their low-performing counterparts? How are you positioning your agency for success? Our guest today is a seasoned business executive with extensive experience in product marketing and sales leadership. In his current role, he collaborates with agencies and gains insights into what separates successful ones from the rest. Tune in to gain valuable perspectives on agency performance and growth strategies.

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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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Pat Flynn on Whether You Should Start a Podcast in 2024. Insights from Smart Passive Income Podcast Host | Ep #689
Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk

Pat Flynn on Whether You Should Start a Podcast in 2024. Insights from Smart Passive Income Podcast Host | Ep #689

Is the fear of failure holding you back from taking the first steps to establish your brand? Are you hesitating to start a podcast because you believe it would only be worthwhile if it garners millions of downloads? Our guest today is a true trailblazer in the podcast industry, having successfully built a thriving agency around his initial decision to create a show dedicated to entrepreneurs. Tune in for an insightful conversation on the power of pushing boundaries and the value of trying new things in the ever-evolving world of podcasting and entrepreneurship.

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Build the Confidence and Agency Team Needed to Succeed with Torey Azure | Ep #687
Motivation Jason Swenk Motivation Jason Swenk

Build the Confidence and Agency Team Needed to Succeed with Torey Azure | Ep #687

Do you trust yourself to lead your agency to success? Does your team follow your lead on the decisions you make to get there? Today’s agency owner has successfully grown his business over the years, gaining more and more trust in his decisions as he accumulated more experience. Although he doesn’t regret past decisions, he realizes he could have retained a majority stake in his company and made it on his own had he trusted himself like he does now. Tune in to learn about his experience in growing his agency and how he built the confidence to succeed.

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Knowing When to Let Go is the Key to Agency Growth with Suken Shah | Ep #684
Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk

Knowing When to Let Go is the Key to Agency Growth with Suken Shah | Ep #684

Would you say your agency is like your baby? Could you be so emotionally attached to your business that you may be stifling its growth? Today’s guest will share his experience growing an agency and the turning points that allowed him to make real progress in its growth. From learning to communicate his agency's vision in a way that inspired buy-in to the surprising struggle of carving out space for a personal life amidst the chaos of entrepreneurship, his biggest challenge was letting go of the belief that he alone was the driving force behind its success. Tune in to learn his valuable lessons and tips for agency success.

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Avoiding The Revenue Trap: Prioritizing Agency Profit with Robert Berkeley | Ep #682
Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk

Avoiding The Revenue Trap: Prioritizing Agency Profit with Robert Berkeley | Ep #682

Are you fed up with the revenue roller coaster? Ready to get off and build an agency business model focused on sustainable profits? Maybe you’ve heard the saying "revenue is vanity and profit is sanity". Our featured guest today experienced significant sustainable growth after breaking free from the “revenue trap”. By shifting the focus from revenue to the bottom line, he saw a remarkable shift, leading to financial stability and long-term sustainability. Tune in to discover how this agency owner navigated through adversity, turned his business around, and expanded his team to more than 700 members.

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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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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.