Smart Agency Masterclass with Jason Swenk: Podcast for Digital Marketing Agencies

In this episode, Dan Kahn, founder of Kahn Media and TRED, shares valuable insights from his extensive experience in the marketing world, particularly during economic downturns. He reveals how adaptation has allowed him to emerge stronger through various crises. Dan highlights the transformation of his agency culture through remote work and emphasizes the importance of open communication and client partnerships. He also introduces TRED, focusing on experiential marketing in the outdoor recreation sector, showcasing how innovation is crucial in today’s challenging landscape.

Jennifer McPherson, the owner of Chickenango Marketing Solutions, discusses her journey from 27 years in engineering marketing to launching her own niche agency. She shares pivotal strategic shifts that transformed her agency’s growth and emphasizes the power of community and support in overcoming feelings of isolation. With insights into the challenges of entrepreneurship, Jennifer highlights the importance of maintaining a positive mindset and building authentic relationships for both personal and professional success.

Would you like access to our advanced agency training for FREE? https://www.agencymastery360.com/training 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. Sydney Mulligan and Lauren Aquilino are the co-founders of Emmie Collective, a for-hire network of elite independent & freelance marketing, sales, and revops consultants with big tech energy. They share their journey of entrepreneurship, reflect on their backgrounds as former competitors in the marketing industry, and the bond that brought them together. Sydney also recounts her experience of being laid off while on maternity leave, which sparked the idea for Emmie Collective while Lauren discusses her transition from freelancing to building a business as demand for her services grew. In this episode, we’ll discuss: Why the fractional model was the best option for bootstrapping an agency. When should the agency owners stop being the face of the agency? External funding vs. control in agency growth.  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. When Competitors Become Co-Founders Before forming their partnership, Sydney and Lauren worked at competing agencies while also participating in Marketo's customer champion program. Their paths diverged when both eventually left their respective agencies—Lauren to pursue freelance work, initially planning for just 10 hours weekly during summer to rest after quitting her job. However, her freelance business quickly expanded beyond expectations, growing to 20 hours weekly and requiring additional contractor support. Meanwhile, Sydney had taken an in-house position but faced an unexpected setback when she was laid off during her maternity leave. As she navigated the job interview process, she began conversations with Lauren, who was contemplating transforming her freelance operation into a formal business. Lauren recognized Sydney as a valuable potential partner—in fact, the only person she would consider building a business with. After discussing their business vision, they decided it was time to meet face-to-face. Their first in-person meeting in Florida became what they jokingly refer to as their "speed dating" session. During this three-day encounter, they exchanged ideas and developed business plans while Sydney cared for her six-week-old baby. The meeting proved decisive—by the time they both landed back home, they had confirmed their mutual desire to build an agency together. Why the Fractional Model Is Best for Bootstraping an Agency Their participation in the customer champion program helped Sydney and Lauren establish strong reputations within a specialized niche market. With this foundation, they were able to launch their agency business with a strong base of referral clients. One unexpected advantage they discovered was the relative ease of attracting consultants eager to work with their new agency. Anticipating potential staffing challenges typical for startups, they had proactively designed their business model around freelancers and contractors. This strategy allowed them to sidestep the common industry pressure of requiring employees to meet specific billable hour quotas. Instead, freelancers had the flexibility to determine their own workload and schedules. To this day they continue to work with consultants, firmly believing that fractional support provides clients with optimal access to senior specialized expertise. By leveraging fractional experts, their agency effectively addresses specific client challenges, enhances operational efficiency, and frees internal resources to focus on strategic growth initiatives. When Should the Founders Stop Being the Face of the Agency? Balancing Growth and Client Relationships Sydney and Lauren's agency growth eventually confronted them with the challenge of hitting the limit on what they could do by themselves. With the agency growing, more and more clients and consultants coming in, and traveling for events, it just got to be too much. Sydney recalls a particularly stressful period when she felt overwhelmed, unable to keep track of their growing client base and the myriad responsibilities that came with it. They recognized they could no longer manage everything alone. When an agency owner clings to control it causes issues with bottlenecking, even become an operational issue and their agency’s biggest profit leak. For Sydney and Lauren, was time for a change and the first crucial step was hiring a fractional account manager to ensure there was someone else keeping track of every client. This not only alleviated some of the burdens on Sydney but also allowed them to focus on strategic growth rather than getting bogged down in day-to-day operations. It’s not an easy shift to make, and quite tricky for Sydney and Lauren, who built the agency on the back of their own networks and therefore are still the face of it. They continue to wrestle with how much to pull back, risking that clients feel they no longer interact with them. For those facing similar challenges, it's worth noting that even prominent agency leaders like Gary Vaynerchuk maintain their status as organizational figureheads while having minimal involvement in daily operations. This successful transition typically requires thoroughly training team members in core agency values to ensure consistent decision-making and actively promoting team capabilities to clients—emphasizing that a dedicated team provides superior service compared to founder-only support. External Funding vs. Control in Agency Growth After bootstrapping their business, Sydney and Lauren now face the question of whether or not to take on funding to continue to scale. While they recognize the potential advantages that investment capital could bring—accelerated expansion and resources for recruiting top talent—they also remain cautious about the significant tradeoffs involved. Most of all, they worry about the fundamental shift from being independent business owners to essentially working for investors since "once you start raising money, you'll always be raising money"—with a continuous cycle of accountability to external stakeholders. For the time being, they continue to prioritize maintaining complete control over their growth trajectory, preferring the stability and autonomy of their current approach even if it means potentially slower expansion. Do You Want to Transform Your Agency from a Liability to an Asset? Looking to dig deeper into your agency's potential? Check out our Agency Blueprint. Designed for agency owners like you, our Agency Blueprint helps you uncover growth opportunities, tackle obstacles, and craft a customized blueprint for your agency's success.

In this engaging conversation, Spencer Powell, Founder of Builder Funnel and a digital marketing expert, shares his transformation from a direct mail business to a thriving agency. He discusses the power of productized offers to expedite the sales cycle and qualify clients effectively. Spencer reveals insights on mastering pricing strategies, optimizing client acquisition, and refining sales processes. Tune in for practical tips on enhancing conversion rates and crafting enticing offers that make it easy for prospects to say 'yes'.

In this conversation, Tim Riddle, founder of Discover Blind Spots, offers invaluable insights into effective client communication. He highlights common pitfalls that agency owners face and stresses the importance of building genuine relationships over simply making sales. Tim shares his journey in starting his agency, the significance of recognizing communication blind spots, and the art of adapting messages to individual client preferences. He emphasizes that successful client engagement hinges on storytelling, active listening, and proactive relationship-building.

In this enlightening discussion, Alex Hultgren, a seasoned fractional CMO with extensive experience in both client and agency roles, shares his journey from corporates like Ford to founding his own agency. He emphasizes the critical elements of successful client-agency partnerships, focusing on trust, communication, and creativity. Alex reveals why he prioritizes autonomy over explosive growth and dives into the benefits of flexible agency models with contractors. Listeners will gain actionable insights to deepen client relationships and refine service approaches.

Khushbu Doshi, COO of E2M Solutions, shares her expertise in AI-driven agency operations. She reveals how customized AI agents have boosted productivity by 20%, streamlining tasks and enhancing client experiences. Khushbu discusses innovative approaches to onboarding and quality testing, crucial for agency success. She also highlights the importance of leveraging tools like ChatGPT for insightful competitor analysis, and encourages agencies to embrace lesser-known AI technologies for a competitive edge. This conversation is packed with transformative strategies for modern agencies.

In this engaging discussion, Lindsay Halsey, owner of Pathfinder SEO, shares her journey from ski patroller to SEO expert. She tackles the hot topic of whether AI is rendering SEO obsolete, revealing that it's actually transforming the field. Halsey emphasizes three core principles that remain vital: user experience, high-quality content, and external validation. She explains how agencies can adapt their strategies amidst AI advancements, arguing that SEO is far from dead—it’s evolving with the digital landscape.

Jacob Baadsgaard, founder of Disruptive Advertising, talks about his journey in data analytics and performance marketing. He shares valuable lessons on building the right team, emphasizing that expertise isn't everything. Jacob reveals the challenges of navigating client relationships, managing pricing structures, and the importance of amicable partner splits. He discusses the impact of narrowing down target audiences, finding alignment, and the psychological hurdles of separating personal identity from business decisions. A must-listen for agency owners!

Tom Denford, co-founder and CEO of ID Comms, shares his expertise in connecting brands with the right agency partners. He discusses the pitfalls of speculative work and proposes resetting client expectations to foster fairer relationships. Tom emphasizes the importance of aligning agency capabilities with client needs and outlines four essential questions to consider before pitching. He also advocates for targeting clients that align with agency strengths to drive growth and success, moving away from ego-driven choices.