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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Scaling Isn’t About Doing More — It’s About Doing Less (The Right Way) with Joaby Parker | Ep #798
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Scaling Isn’t About Doing More — It’s About Doing Less (The Right Way) with Joaby Parker | Ep #798

If you’re the visionary still stuck doing the work, you’re not scaling—you’re surviving. Joaby Parker knows that loop well. From launching his agency straight out of college to nearly burning out and walking away, his story is a masterclass in doing too much, too long.

In this episode, you’ll hear how Joaby broke free from the grind, stopped bottlenecking his team, and built a business that scales without him.

He shares his journey from founding his first agency right out of college to walking away and returning to agency life with a new approach and mindset. He reveals what caused his early plateau, why he left to work client-side, and how returning to the agency world taught him how to lead, grow, and eventually let go of the creative and account management roles that were holding him back.

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Hiring a Sales Team? Why Most Agency Owners Sabotage Themselves (and How to Get it Right) with Travis Hoechlin | Ep #797
Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk

Hiring a Sales Team? Why Most Agency Owners Sabotage Themselves (and How to Get it Right) with Travis Hoechlin | Ep #797

Most agency owners screw up their first sales hire. Why? Because they either hire the wrong person, or refuse to let go of control.

Travis Hoechlin used to think building a sales team was a waste of time—until he realized he was the bottleneck. In this episode, you’ll hear how he went from solo closer to leading a performance-driven team that fuels his agency’s growth.

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Profit vs. Purpose: Why the Future of Business Isn’t What You Think with Jeff Hilimire | Ep #796
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Profit vs. Purpose: Why the Future of Business Isn’t What You Think with Jeff Hilimire | Ep #796

Ever feel like something’s missing from your agency work—even when things are going well? You’re not alone. For many agency owners, fulfillment doesn’t come from the daily grind, but from aligning their work with a deeper purpose. Today’s featured guest always genuinely enjoyed agency life—something he quickly realized was the exception, not the norm. That realization led him to a mission: helping others discover greater meaning in their business journey. Whether it’s through his books, his leadership, or his venture that unites developers to build websites for nonprofits in just 24 hours, he is all about turning intention into action.

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How to Transform Your Agency's Messaging for Maximum ROI with Stephen Woessner | Ep #795
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How to Transform Your Agency's Messaging for Maximum ROI with Stephen Woessner | Ep #795

Are you creating brilliant work but struggling to attract the clients who truly value it? Do you find yourself blending into the agency landscape rather than standing out with a distinct voice?  Running a successful agency today isn’t just about doing great work—it’s about having the right messaging, which requires specificity. In today‘s conversation, our guest, an ROI expert, talks about what separates agencies that plateau from those that scale. With decades of experience and a focus on helping agencies sell smarter and more profitably, he brings a ton of clarity to what it really takes to grow in today’s market.

Are you doing great work but still feel like your agency’s stuck in neutral? The truth is, talent alone doesn’t scale a business. In this episode our guest, Stephen Woessner—author, agency growth strategist, and founder of Predictive ROI—reveals why most agencies hit a ceiling... and how to break through with a smarter, more strategic approach.

From developing a true methodology to showing up with content that teaches, we dive into what’s working now (and what’s not) when it comes to agency growth, client expectations, and scaling with intention. If you’ve ever relied a little too heavily on referrals, be unsure of your niche, or found yourself winging it without a real system—this one's for you. Tune in to learn how to enhance your agency's approach to attracting clients and scaling your business!

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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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How to Build a Remote Agency That Scales—Without Losing Culture or Control with Lisa Larson-Kelley | Ep #792
Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk

How to Build a Remote Agency That Scales—Without Losing Culture or Control with Lisa Larson-Kelley | Ep #792

Is remote agency life really the dream? While many chase the freedom of working from anywhere, the reality is far more complex. In this episode, Lisa Larson-Kelley shares how she built a high-performing remote team—without sacrificing culture, communication, or control.

Today’s featured guest decided long ago that she prefers the remote option and shares what really makes remote work actually succeed. For her, it comes down to two crucial elements:

  1. Creating a solid structure for clear communication and aligned goals

  2. Hiring people who thrive in self-led, remote environments

Tune in to hear how she built these systems into her agency—and how she still prioritizes meaningful, in-person connection to strengthen team culture.

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What Happens When 2 Burned-Out Founders Finally Join Forces? with Devon Hayes & Amanda Joyce | Ep #791
Jason Swenk Jason Swenk

What Happens When 2 Burned-Out Founders Finally Join Forces? with Devon Hayes & Amanda Joyce | Ep #791

What if scaling your agency didn’t mean more stress, but less? Discover how Devon Hayes and Amanda Joyce turned partnership into freedom—and how you can, too. If you’re an agency owner ready to stop grinding and start growing, this episode is for you.

These two entrepreneurs joined forces as partners specifically to navigate this growth journey together—and witnessed how this strategic decision created the growth, impact, and freedom they had always envisioned. Tune in to discover their realization that scaling represented not an additional burden but rather the crucial shift from merely sustaining their businesses to expanding them intentionally and the ongoing challenges they continue to face as they adapt to this exciting new chapter in their entrepreneurial journey.

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3 Moves Your Agency Must Make in an Economic Downturn with Dan Kahn |Ep #790
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3 Moves Your Agency Must Make in an Economic Downturn with Dan Kahn |Ep #790

How are you adapting to the many changes in the industry and society overall? For many, including today's featured guest, this is a golden era for agency business. Of course, not everyone will thrive—success depends largely on your ability to adapt. Our guest has mastered adaptation through several economic downturns over the years and we’ll discuss how he navigated each crisis, and why he firmly believes there has never been a better time to be in the agency business.

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2 Strategic Shifts to Change Your Agency’s Growth Trajectory with Jennifer McPherson | Ep #789
Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk

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.

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Leveraging Fractional Support to Scale Your Agency with Sydney Mulligan & Lauren Aquilino | Ep #788
Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk Scale Your Agency Jason Swenk

Leveraging Fractional Support to Scale Your Agency with Sydney Mulligan & Lauren Aquilino | Ep #788

Have you ever turned to freelancers to grow your agency’s capabilities? What about using fractional support once you realized you couldn’t do everything as the founder and face of the agency? What if the key to sustainable growth isn’t building a massive in-house team, but leveraging the right fractional support at the right time?

Today’s guests are two agency owners who turned a modest freelance setup into a thriving multimillion-dollar business—largely through referrals and the strength of their personal networks. They share how a flexible team of contractors became their secret weapon, offering the agility to scale without the overhead of a traditional agency structure. Tune in to learn how former competitors found a way to build a successful collaboration and why fractional support was a big part of their operation from the start.

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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.