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.
Choosing to Stay Boutique to Retain Control Over Your Agency with Rebekah Edwards | Ep #587
Are you at the crossroads of deciding how big to grow your agency? Bigger isn't always better; in some cases, it makes more sense to create a lifestyle business. It's important to have a clear vision for your agency. For some, that means growing to 7- or 8-figures. However, for others, it means keeping a small, nimble team with lots of control over processes. This is why some agency owners decide to either wait until they feel ready to take on that challenge or continue to thrive as a boutique agency. Today’s guest made the decision to run a small operation where she still feels in control of the agency operations.
COSTLY MISTAKE One Agency Owner Made You Want To Avoid with Valentin Radu | Ep #586
Why do your clients hire your agency? Do you know the struggle or challenge that led them to you? Many agency owners think they know these answers. However, a deeper search could lead you to change your entire strategy. It starts with simply asking clients what they expect and need. Armed with this information you can rethink who and how you're marketing to your prospects. Today’s guest talks about two mistakes he made at his agency and how he learned the importance of defining the client's north star in order to know what they really want.
BOOST AGENCY GROWTH Without Working Yourself to Death with Daniel Englebretson | Ep #585
Are you delegating effectively in order to grow your agency? Do you have a satisfying work-life balance? Or are you working yourself to death? A lot of agency owners hit the early milestones by hustling hard. Many believe they are the only ones capable of doing specific tasks the right way. But this superhero syndrome ultimately gets in the way of your growth and results in being burnt out. Today’s guest saw rapid growth with his agency, hitting the $1 million mark in just one year. However, he shares the toll it took and what he would do differently.
BOOSTING CLIENT RETENTION with the Right Offering with Adam Smith & Laura Hanlon | Ep #583
Does your agency have a defined niche? Do you serve a specific industry or work in a specific vertical offering? We always hear the riches are in the niches, but it's all about balance. Growth comes from serving the right clients with the right offering. Boost client retention when your agency's positioning is clear on who you serve and the solution you provide. After all, you can’t be everything to everyone -- you'll just end up a generalist, 'me too' agency. However, choosing a vertical and horizontal niche might be too limiting at first. Niching down too much and too quickly can leave your business vulnerable to the whims of the market. Today’s guests learned this after seeing exponential growth and then panicking once a change in the algorithm threatened their business niche.
The 4 Reasons Many Digital Agencies Never Scale with Wayne Mullins | Ep #582
Not sure why you're stuck trying to scale your agency? Growth vs Scaling? What's the difference? There are four main reasons some agencies never scale. Today’s guest has accumulated nearly 15 years of experience in the agency business and shares how he stays focused in order to scale. He also shares lessons that helped him get through difficult and why is usually the agency owners standing in their own way of scaling.
Evolving from a SaaS Agency to a Successful Email Marketing Agency with Robert Dodd | Ep #581
Considering adding software as a service to your offering? Do you have a SaaS idea in mind? Having proprietary agency software is a great way to meet the needs of your clients. However, building it is no easy task and often takes longer than expected. Today’s guests created an email marketing system which led to building their agency back in the early 2000s. They share lessons learned and challenges overcome in the process of building their email marketing agency out of a SaaS model.
Finding TRUE PASSION & PURPOSE in Your Agency with Laura Hutfless | Ep #580
Do you have passion for your agency and clients? Have you identified your agency's purpose? Do you know your why and does your team buy into your vision? One agency had a hard time with this and decided to begin a startup incubator to fill the void. The results have been amazing for the agency, the team, and their clients. She managed to create a very cool agency model that both creates opportunities for startups with a lot of potential and also provides investment opportunities for her staff, even in the early stages of their careers.
How a Webinar Pro Boosted SALES-QUALIFIED LEADS with Joel Erway | Ep #578
Do you have an irresistible offer that generates leads? What if you had a pipeline full of qualified leads? Webinars can help you get the attention of your ideal prospects. They are a great tool to attract clients and offer value. However, there’s a possibility you end up over-educating your audience unless it's done right. Today’s guest built a career in webinar coaching and designing high-ticket offers to generate sales. It took him years to identify how he was failing to attract the qualified leads he needed to maximize his sales. But now he shares his script for creating a power offer that will get you tons of sales-qualified leads.
Unlocking the POWER OF AI for Creatives and Agencies with Carl Cleanthes | Ep #577
Are you feeling threatened by AI? Are you worried that it could replace your agency's creative work? There are so many uses for artificial intelligence and it is here to stay. So it's time to embrace it and unlock the power of AI for your agency's growth. From creating meeting summaries to building websites, there are so many applications people aren’t talking about yet. Today’s guest has explored many of these tools at his agency and offers a few tips on the ones you should be testing to become more productive.
Boost Your Agency's Success with the Power of BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE with Shirin Oreizy | Ep #576
Did you know that applying behavioral science to your agency's work will result in better outcomes for your clients? By utilizing research-backed methodologies, you'll gain a competitive advantage. With extensive research on how to decipher customer thought processes, behavioral science is an incredibly useful tool for influencing and predicting their behavior.
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.
