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.
-
![]()
Seth Godin
Best selling Author of Purple Cow, This is Marketing, Linchpin, Permission Marketing
-
![]()
Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist of Canva and former Apple chief evangelist
-
![]()
Gino Wickman
The creator of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and author of Traction.
-
![]()
Neil Patel
Founder of CrazyEgg, Kissmetrics, and other multimillion dollar companies
-
![Uri Levine]()
Uri Levine
Co-founder of Waze
-
![]()
Joey Coleman
Recognized for his expertise in customer retention & enhancing client loyalty
-
![]()
Mike Michaelowicz
Best-selling author of Profit First and Clock Work
-
![]()
Amy Porterfield
Renowned online marketing expert and educator
-
![]()
Pat Flynn
The leaders in the podcast space
-
![]()
Jay Baer
Best Selling author of Talk Triggers, Hug Your Haters, and one of the best speakers
-
![]()
Todd Herman
Coach to Elite pro athletes, leaders, and public figures
-
![]()
Dan Martell
Author of Buy Back Your Time. Influential coach in SaaS startups.
Why Hitting $1M Won’t Save Your Agency (and What Will) With Justin Rashidi | Ep#832
Are you an agency owner chasing the $1 million mark, believing that milestone will finally transform your business? Today’s featured guest once felt the same way—until he got there and discovered it was all a myth. Hitting seven figures looked like success on paper, but behind the scenes he was burning himself out just to keep things afloat. In this episode, he reveals the processes that helped him escape that no man’s land, the critical lessons he learned about hiring, and the one thing he would do differently if he had the chance to start over.
Launch a Second Agency While Still Growing Your First One? with Greg Peters | Ep #830
Would you ever run two agencies at once? What if splitting your brand was the smartest way to protect and grow both?
Today’s featured guest spotted a booming opportunity in a regulated market—but knew that advertising those services alongside his work for conservative and tech clients could hurt his existing agency. His solution? Launch a separate brand. The move paid off as the regulated market surged during the pandemic.
He shares what it’s like to manage rapid growth, why he built a true people-first culture from day one, and how he stays optimistic even when agency life gets messy.
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.
Supercharged Agency Growth Over 250% with an Effective Hiring Structure with Samir Balwani | Ep #632
Have you hit a growth ceiling? Looking to supercharge your agency growth? Eager to learn from someone who grew over 250% in three years? In this episode, our guest shares his against-all-odds journey of growing his agency by over 250% for the past three years. He pulls back the curtain on how investing in personal growth, seeking support, and building a senior leadership dream team helped propel this growth. From perfecting their hiring structure to clearly defining each new role, you’ll learn their step-by-step blueprint for scaling successfully. He also stresses the importance of investing in communities, coaches, and your own development as an agency leader. Discover how to get urgent insights on shattering growth barriers from someone who’s been in the scaling trenches. It’s time to spark your agency's growth story.
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.
