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
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.
Can You Scale an Agency Without Relying on Retainers? With Eric Baum | Ep #825
Agency veteran Eric Baum hit a wall scaling Bluleadz. After shifting to project-based work, reworking his cash flow strategy, and implementing EOS, he broke past the $5M plateau. Now he’s on track to hit 8 figures with 80% project work.
What You’ll Learn
Why project work doesn’t have to mean unpredictable revenue
What “no man’s land” is—and how to escape it
How to build systems that support scale without burning you out
Why CSMs might be the key to long-term profitability
How to turn past clients into your most reliable revenue stream
Key Takeaways
Project work isn’t the enemy: Bluleadz flipped their model after COVID. Now 85% of revenue is from projects—but structured payment terms keep cash predictable.
EOS fixed the chaos: Eric was stuck between $1M–$5M in revenue. EOS brought structure, accountability, and growth.
Milestone billing = freedom: They moved away from deliverable-based payments. Now they get 100% of project fees before delivery finishes.
Don’t leave cash on the table: Eric admitted they ignored past clients for too long. Just by reselling old customers, they could double or triple revenue.
Triple-team model wins: Sales, Implementation, and Customer Success Managers each own part of the client journey. This model boosted LTV and team focus.
Strategic partnerships are scaling fuel: Bluleadz isn’t just riding HubSpot’s coattails. They’re diversifying leads through inbound, referrals, and partnerships.
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.
Cracking Profitable Agency Growth with Shannon Fitzgerald | Ep #667
What fears or limiting beliefs hold agency owners back from pricing their services assertively? What critical ingredients are you missing to confidently quantify value? Today’s guest co-founded a small yet highly profitable creative agency in less than four years by starting out with a clear concept of the value she provides. Charging according to your worth is usually a difficult subject for many agency owners, as it gets to the core of how they value their work. However, establishing your value and pricing it accordingly sits at the heart of every agency's growth potential. Tune in to learn how starting out with a clear idea of your pricing will help you find your ideal audience faster and weed out bad prospects.
Unpacking the Formula for Increasing AGENCY PROFITABILITY with Marcel Petitpas | Ep #646
Is your agency's profitability falling short? Do you lack clarity about your real margins? Many agencies struggle to maximize performance due to a core issue - not accurately calculating gross margin. Misconceptions around margin math sabotage profits. Today’s guest specializes in increasing agency profitability by solving the single but costly problem of suboptimal agency margins. He shares how he helps agencies boost margins by correcting common errors in delivery margin calculations.
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.
