Smart Agency Podcast: The #1 Digital Marketing Agency Podcast for Social Media, SEO, PPC & Creative Agencies Podcast Por Jason Swenk arte de portada

Smart Agency Podcast: The #1 Digital Marketing Agency Podcast for Social Media, SEO, PPC & Creative Agencies

Smart Agency Podcast: The #1 Digital Marketing Agency Podcast for Social Media, SEO, PPC & Creative Agencies

De: Jason Swenk
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The popular agency podcast has been around since the beginning of 2014 and covers everything from starting a successful digital marketing agency to selling your marketing 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, in addition to the expertise of his guests. He covers topics that help growing agencies scale to the next level by providing the resources he wishes he had while growing his agency.Jason Swenk, LLC Economía Gestión y Liderazgo Liderazgo
Episodios
  • How to Build an Agency That Doesn't Depend on You with Ted Harrison | Ep #897

    How to Build an Agency That Doesn't Depend on You with Ted Harrison | Ep #897
    Apr 15 2026
    Would you like access to our advanced agency training for FREE? https://www.agencymastery360.com/training Are you struggling to scale your agency or are you unknowingly the thing holding it back? At what point does your growth stop being a systems problem and start becoming a leadership one? Today's guest shares what it to break through those ceilings. After scaling quickly off the back of a strong network, he made the critical decision to systemize everything before growth turned him into the bottleneck. By leveraging documentation in a smart, intentional way, he built a foundation that allowed the agency to grow without everything running through him. In this conversation, he unpacks the realities of working with enterprise clients, the often uncomfortable shift from operator to CEO, and why—despite all the noise, AI is actually increasing the need for human judgment, taste, and leadership, not replacing it. Ted Harrison is the CEO and founder of Neuemotion, a fast-growing B2B creative agency working with enterprise brands. Before launching his agency, he spent seven years at Twitter (later X), where he led advertiser production, helping global brands create better-performing content at scale. After navigating the chaos of a major corporate transition, Ted left to build an agency where he could control decisions, scale creative impact, and architect a business on his own terms. In this episode, we'll discuss: Avoiding the trap of confusing early traction with a scalable model Leveraging documentation early Enterprise clients as a double-edged sword Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources E2M Solutions: Today's episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass is sponsored by E2M Solutions, a web design and development agency that has provided white-label services for the past 10 years to agencies all over the world. Check out e2msolutions.com/smartagency and get 10% off for the first three months of service. Toggl: Most agencies are losing 15–30% of their profit every year: lack of time tracking, messy manual timesheets, scope creep, untracked revisions, and all those "quick" client requests that never get billed. Toggl has created a fast, interactive way to uncover exactly where your margins are leaking. Start your investigation now at toggl.com/smartagency and use the code SMARTAGENCY10 at checkout for a 10% off annual plans. The Hidden Trap of Scaling Expertise Leaving Twitter a year after the acquisition ultimately created opportunities for Ted's newly founded agency. Many had left long before him, had already found new jobs, and proved to be valuable contacts for potential clients. Ted tapped into this powerful network, and the access to enterprise clients helped him build momentum and fast growth. However, that same advantage creates a structural risk: those clients don't initially trust the agency, they trust you. This is where most founders get stuck. They confuse early traction with a scalable model. In reality, they've just extended their personal brand into a slightly larger container. The real challenge is transferring trust. If you don't systemize your thinking, your decision-making, and your taste, every new client reinforces dependency. The agency grows, but so does the founder's involvement. And eventually, growth slows, not because of demand, but because of capacity. Documentation as a Scaling Weapon (Not a Nice-to-Have) Luckily for Ted, by the time he started the agency, he already understood the importance of documenting processes, which has helped him greatly as he initiates his transition out of operations. Instead of relying on shadowing, tribal knowledge, or ad hoc training, Ted documented his thinking through a book, internal frameworks, and structured onboarding. Every new team member consumes that context upfront. This does two things most agencies miss: First, it compresses onboarding time. Instead of months of "figuring it out," team members immediately understand how decisions get made. Second, it creates consistency without rigidity. The team isn't copying Ted, but they're operating from the same mental model. This is the difference between delegation and true scale. Without documentation, you're forced to stay involved because no one else "thinks like you." With it, you create a system where people can make aligned decisions independently, while still bringing their own perspective. The Operator → CEO Shift Is Uncomfortable (But Necessary) Ted is currently in the most dangerous phase for any founder: the transition from doing to leading. At ~20–30 employees, the cracks start to show. You can't be in every decision. You can't touch every client. And you can't be the quality control layer anymore. This is where many founders regress. They step back in when things break. They reinsert themselves into delivery. They become the "fixer" again. But that behavior reinforces the very bottleneck they're trying to escape. The real shift is ...
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    34 m
  • Why Most Agency Acquisitions Fall Apart (And What Buyers Actually Want) with Azim Nagree | Ep #896

    Why Most Agency Acquisitions Fall Apart (And What Buyers Actually Want) with Azim Nagree | Ep #896
    Apr 12 2026
    Would you like access to our advanced agency training for FREE? https://www.agencymastery360.com/training Why are more agencies selling right now? If this trend has made you think about selling, is it because the market is hot… or because you've outgrown your role? If you're seriously thinking about selling your business, you should know that it'll ultimately come down to whether it can survive without you, and whether you want it to. Today's featured guest breaks down what's really driving the surge in agency acquisitions right now. He goes beyond surface-level multiples and unpacks what buyers actually look for, why most founders sabotage deals during diligence, and how AI is quietly separating premium agencies from the rest. This conversation will challenge how you think about growth, ownership, and your role in the business. Azim Nagree leads M&A Origination at Herringbone Digital, a private equity-backed platform acquiring and scaling digital marketing agencies. Originally trained as an M&A lawyer in Australia, Azim quickly realized he didn't enjoy the legal side of deals, but loved the strategy and deal-making behind them. Over the past 5–6 years, he's focused exclusively on agency acquisitions, working with founders navigating exits, partnerships, and scale. He brings an operator-meets-investor perspective, understanding both what founders want and what buyers actually value. In this episode, we'll discuss: Why are PE firms interested in agencies? 3 filters most agencies won't pass. The silent deal killer Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources This episode is brought to you by Wix Studio: If you're leveling up your team and your client experience, your site builder should keep up too. That's why successful agencies use Wix Studio — built to adapt the way your agency does: AI-powered site mapping, responsive design, flexible workflows, and scalable CMS tools so you spend less on plugins and more on growth. Ready to design faster and smarter? Go to wix.com/studio to get started. Herringbone Digital: If you're thinking about exiting now, planning a few years ahead, or just want to understand your options, you should know about Herringbone Digital. They're not a typical financial buyer. They're operators who actually understand what it takes to build and scale an agency because they've done it themselves. Their approach is simple: invest in great founders, protect what's already working, and help agencies scale faster. Go to https://www.herringbonedigital.com/swenk and start the conversation. The Real Reason Agencies Are Getting Acquired Right Now There's a massive misconception in the market that agency acquisitions are happening because agencies suddenly became more attractive. That's not the full picture. What's actually happening is a capital problem, not an agency problem. Private equity is sitting on over $1 trillion dollars of unallocated capital. That money has to be deployed. And agencies, when structured correctly, check a lot of boxes: recurring revenue, strong margins, and fragmented markets ripe for consolidation. That's why you're seeing more deals. Not because every agency is valuable, but because capital is aggressively looking for places to go. However, you can't assume that just because deals are happening, your agency is ready to be bought. It's likely not. Buyers aren't just looking for revenue. They're looking for structure, predictability, and independence from the founder. If your business still relies on you for sales, delivery decisions, or client retention, it's not an asset. It's a job with revenue attached. And buyers know the difference immediately. 3 Filters Every Serious Buyer Uses Most founders think deals come down to valuation. In reality, every serious buyer is evaluating three things before they even care about price: 1. Strategic Fit Why does this deal exist? If there's no clear reason, new market, new capability, better economics, it's dead on arrival. Buying (or selling) just because it "feels like the right time" is how bad deals happen. 2. Cultural Fit This is the one founders underestimate the most. You're not just selling a business. You're entering a relationship that could last years. If there's friction early, it doesn't get better later. And forcing alignment for the sake of a deal almost always ends badly. 3. Financial Reality This is where the truth shows up. You can't "position" your way past bad numbers. Buyers will find churn issues, margin leaks, and unstable revenue during diligence. Trying to hide it just wastes months, and kills trust. The strongest sellers aren't perfect. They're transparent. The Silent Deal Killer: Founder Behavior During Diligence Here's something most people won't tell you: Deals don't usually fall apart because of numbers. They fall apart because of founder behavior during the process. Diligence takes 3–6 months. And during that time, many founders mentally check out. They...
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    39 m
  • The Identity Crisis Killing Agencies (And How to Rebuild Before It's Too Late) With Jonathan Lewis | Ep #895

    The Identity Crisis Killing Agencies (And How to Rebuild Before It's Too Late) With Jonathan Lewis | Ep #895
    Apr 8 2026
    Would you like access to our advanced agency training for FREE? https://www.agencymastery360.com/training Are agencies becoming obsolete? We don't think so. However, the traditional agency model isn't just evolving, it's breaking. Today's featured guest believes the core of every business is dying and that agencies that want to adapt and win need to adopt the mindset of rebuilders. He shares why agencies have been in decline for over two decades and what it actually takes to rebuild a business that survives AI, commoditization, and shifting client expectations. Tactics alone won't help because, at its core, this shift is about identity, positioning, and stepping into a new role as someone who doesn't cling to the old model but actively creates the next one. Jonathan Lewis is the President of McKee Wallwork, a brand strategy and implementation firm. Starting as an unpaid intern, Jonathan worked his way up to eventually acquiring the agency from its founders. Over the past decade, he's led the firm through a major repositioning, moving away from traditional agency work toward upstream strategic advisory. His perspective is shaped by firsthand experience navigating succession, industry decline, and the current AI-driven disruption. In this episode, we'll discuss: The declining agency model Why identity is the real problem Moving upstream The rebuilder mindset Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources E2M Solutions: Today's episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass is sponsored by E2M Solutions, a web design and development agency that has provided white-label services for the past 10 years to agencies all over the world. Check out e2msolutions.com/smartagency and get 10% off for the first three months of service. Toggl: Most agencies are losing 15–30% of their profit every year: lack of time tracking, messy manual timesheets, scope creep, untracked revisions, and all those "quick" client requests that never get billed. Toggl has created a fast, interactive way to uncover exactly where your margins are leaking. Start your investigation now at toggl.com/smartagency and use the code SMARTAGENCY10 at checkout for a 10% off annual plans. The Agency Model Has Been in Decline for Years Most agency owners think the pressure they're feeling is recent, but it's not. Jonathan makes a strong case that the traditional agency model has been declining since the early 2000s, starting with the collapse of mass media dominance and accelerating through the rise of the internet, social media, and now AI. The old model was simple: control distribution, create decent creative, and scale results through reach. That model is gone. Today, agencies are fighting for perceived value in a world where clients question everything: speed, cost, necessity, and even whether they need an agency at all. This shows up in commoditized RFPs, price pressure, and constant comparison to cheaper or faster alternatives. The frustration many founders feel isn't personal failure; it's structural misalignment. They're trying to win using a model that no longer works the way it used to. The Real Problem Isn't AI, It's Identity A lot of agency owners are blaming AI for the disruption. That's not the real issue. The deeper problem is identity. Most agencies are built by craftspeople, designers, developers, media buyers who tie their value to the tools they use. When those tools become automated or commoditized, it creates an identity crisis. If your value is "I build websites" or "I run ads," you're in trouble. Because now those things can be done faster, cheaper, and in some cases better, without you. Your value is not the tool. Your value is the thinking before and after the tool, the judgment, the strategy, the ability to define what should be built and why. Moving Upstream: From Execution to Worldview In 2018, Jonathan and his team made a critical shift. They stopped trying to compete on execution and moved upstream into strategy, specifically, helping clients define their worldview. This is where things get interesting. AI can generate outputs. It can execute tasks. But it still depends on inputs, the prompt, the context, the perspective. That's where agencies have leverage. Instead of being the ones producing deliverables, they became the ones shaping direction. Helping clients answer: Who are we? What do we stand for? Who are we actually trying to reach? What matters most? From there, everything downstream becomes easier, whether it's done by internal teams, AI, or external vendors. This shift moves the agency from vendor to strategic partner. And more importantly, it removes them from the commodity trap. AI Is a Multiplier, Not a Replacement Jonathan takes a grounded view of AI. AI increases productivity dramatically. But historically, when something becomes more accessible, demand increases. Lower cost per unit doesn't eliminate demand; it expands it. The opportunity isn't in resisting AI. It's in ...
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    33 m
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