Have you considered how dramatically the rules of visibility, discovery, and referrals have shifted, and what that means for agency owners trying to grow sustainably? How then do you build authority, get discovered, and maintain thought-leadership in a world saturated with AI-generated noise? 

In this episode of The Agency Blueprint podcast, I’m joined by Tom Schwab to discuss one of the most important marketing shifts of our era: the move from traditional SEO to AI-driven discovery. Tom is the founder of Interview Valet, the leading podcast interview agency. He has been called the godfather of podcast interview marketing and is the author of the podcast Guest Profits. He's a frequent speaker and thought leader who challenges traditional marketing wisdom, arguing that today's rules are being truly rewritten by technology and that businesses aren't a funnel away, but one conversation away. 

Listen in to learn why today’s business growth is less about funnels and keywords and more about authentic conversations that establish trust and credibility. You will also learn the importance of creating human-first podcast content that feeds AI algorithms and builds real relationships with potential clients. 

Key Questions: 

• [01:30] How can agency owners ensure they are top-of-mind with trusted sources of recommendations in a world where AI is becoming a primary referral engine? 
• [08:28] How can you optimize your content for AI-driven discovery without losing sight of serving the right clients?  
• [25:22] Are you clear on your niche, your audience, and the measurable outcomes you want to achieve from podcast guesting? 

What You’ll Discover:  

• [02:02] How people now treat AI as a trusted partner and how that impacts referral dynamics. 
• [05:56] Why SEO hacks no longer work and why authenticity, depth, and diversity of topics matter more to AI discovery. 
• [08:48] Studies reveal AI-driven traffic converts nine times higher than SEO, thanks to AI’s high-intent filtering. 
• [12:23] How to build multiple deep content themes, not a single repetitive script, to maximize relevance in AI-driven discovery. 
• [15:30] Tom on credibility: true experts can speak endlessly from lived experience, while pretenders run out of depth in minutes. 
• [18:02] How effective marketing focuses on relationships with ideal clients, not mass outreach or automated efficiency. 
• [22:25] Tom on the growing backlash against influencers and the return to authenticity, sustainability, and real relationships. 
• [26:00] How to start podcast guesting with a clear niche, defined audience, and end goals in mind to maximize impact. 
• [29:50] Understanding that smaller, niche-focused podcasts attract higher-quality clients and foster deeper relationships. 

Connect with Tom: 

• Website
• Offer

Could your profitability improve simply by replacing instinct-driven decisions with clearer financial and operational data?

In this episode of The Agency Blueprint podcast, I break down one of the most overlooked reasons agencies struggle to grow: scaling too fast, too blindly, and with too much gut instinct. I explain why many agency owners fall into the trap of hiring quickly, offering too many services, and over-delivering in an attempt to drive results, when in reality, these habits often erode profit, damage systems, and create long-term instability.  

Don't miss this episode to learn more about how to ground your decisions in financial benchmarks, operational clarity, and incremental improvements. 

Key Questions: 

• [00:32] Are you scaling too quickly out of instinct rather than insight? 
• [02:27] Are you overwhelming clients with solutions when all they need is one clear, stabilizing action? 
• [05:03] Are you unknowingly scaling chaos by growing a broken delivery system? 
• [09:14] Is over-delivery destroying your margins and setting unrealistic long-term client expectations? 
• [11:56] Are you trying to grow a model that isn’t structurally sound yet? 

What You’ll Discover:  

• [01:16] How instinct-driven decision-making leads agencies into chaos, especially as financial stakes grow. 
• [01:53] Why agencies must stop throwing every possible solution at clients when what they need most is a single strategic fix. 
• [03:07] Understanding that scaling isn't about adding more services—it’s about identifying which actions create measurable progress. 
• [04:03] A client case study showing how slowing growth and focusing on profitability created transformational results. 
• [05:39] How focusing on profitability over vanity metrics gives agencies greater long-term freedom and optionality. 
• [07:51] The importance of understanding basic financial statements and benchmarks, even for creative founders who dislike numbers. 
• [09:15] How over-delivery damages margins, creates unrealistic client expectations, and ultimately undermines long-term relationships. 
• [10:34] A home-building analogy illustrating why agencies must strengthen their foundation before trying to expand.  
• [11:56] Dangers of scaling prematurely – why many sub–$2M agencies must fix their model before chasing more leads and revenue. 

How often do you pause to examine whether growth is actually strengthening the business or simply stretching it thinner? Is your agency growing in size but shrinking in strength because of external pressures, or because your internal systems were never built to sustain real scale? 

In this episode of The Agency Blueprint podcast, I’m joined by Nick Avaria to discuss why so many agencies become less profitable as they grow. Nick is a serial agency entrepreneur who has scaled multiple agencies past seven and eight figures, buying and selling seven along the way. He has merged leadership teams and cultures and now helps agency owners escape burnout and build highly profitable, scalable businesses.  

Listen in to learn why agencies churn clients, not because of poor results, but because of poor service leadership. You will also learn how operational clarity directly shapes performance, accountability, and long-term scalability. 

Key Questions: 

• [01:00] How could your agency grow its revenue year after year yet still see shrinking margins and increased chaos? 
• [04:36] Are you defining “service” too narrowly, focusing on creative output instead of client leadership, communication, and insight? 
• [19:50] Are you truly facing a lead-generation problem, or is a deeper systems issue creating bottlenecks that you’re misdiagnosing? 
• [27:34] Is your agency tracking the right amount of data, or have you crossed into the zone of information overload where metrics no longer drive behavior? 

What You’ll Discover:  

• [01:32] The three core levers that determine pricing power, client retention, and long-term profitability: brand, price, and service. 
• [05:00] How exceptional performance can still result in client loss if communication and responsiveness fail. 
• [06:13] The three tiers of insights (marketing, business, and industry) and why they are essential to client leadership. 
• [09:25] The three pillars of service (education, experience, and expectation-setting) that shape a client’s long-term loyalty. 
• [12:24]  The key dashboards agencies must maintain, including revenue forecasting, capacity management, and business development projections. 
• [18:15] Why many agencies are data-averse, and how creative leaders can become more confident with metrics. 
• [20:40] A clear ranking system for diagnosing agency issues: data first, people second, client lifetime value third. 
• [22:21] The importance of shared language within teams, aligning expectations so performance becomes measurable and objective. 
• [25:06] How to differentiate between employee performance issues and management failures caused by a lack of clear direction, tools, or training. 
• [27:58] How data should be used to adjust behavior and decision-making, not to overwhelm teams with endless numbers. 

Connect with Nick: 

• LinkedIn
• 5-Hour Training
• 8-Figure Agency Operations

How much of your agency’s “positivity” is actually hiding unspoken frustration or declining performance? How would your culture change if every team member received honest feedback delivered with clarity and care?  

In this episode of The Agency Blueprint podcast, we discuss how agencies often swing between two extremes: brutal, demoralizing negativity on one end and sugar-coated, avoidant positivity on the other. We further explain how agencies that avoid direct conversations end up with chaos, resentment, and poor output disguised behind smiles and praise. 

Listen in to learn more about how to create a feedback culture rooted in honesty, transparency, and ownership. 

Key Questions: 

• [02:27] What do you feel like causes agencies to start spiraling into the position of toxic positivity? 
• [05:38] Where does it become a problem to give too much positive or negative feedback, and where can that balance be found?  
• [16:24] Are agency owners afraid of losing team members from being too direct? 
• [21:44] Are you holding onto outdated methods simply because they’ve worked before, even though your market has evolved past them? 

What You’ll Discover:  

• [01:27] How leaders often overcorrect, becoming either too direct or overly gentle, and the importance of finding the healthy middle. 
• [03:10] How different people respond to positive vs. negative feedback and how this impacts agency leadership. 
• [06:22] Why the balance between positive reinforcement and corrective feedback is rooted in honest communication. 
• [08:02] Why avoidance destroys performance and how leaders can shift toward acknowledgement without sugarcoating. 
• [11:19] How true A-players crave candid critique and reject coddling, helping leaders identify who belongs on their team. 
• [13:31] The importance of setting the right environment, private, contextual, and intentional, before giving constructive critique. 
• [15:36] How withholding “the why” behind decisions limits your team’s ability to grow independently and think creatively. 
• [16:31] The fear of turnover – why protecting culture and quality outweighs keeping the wrong people. 
• [18:20] A real-world agency example showing how toxic positivity breeds entitlement, resistance to change, and cultural instability. 
• [21:44] The discomfort teams feel when asked to grow beyond their comfort zone and how to navigate that tension with clarity and consistency. 
• [23:09] How industries advance and why agencies must avoid getting stuck in outdated creative or operational standards. 
• [25:32] How agencies must shift from outdated, tedious processes to modernized systems that enhance both client and employee experiences. 
• [28:01] The importance of psychological safety, where team members feel safe to grow, without removing accountability. 

Have you considered that your agency’s biggest growth opportunity might be hiding in the simplest place, the moment a prospect reads your reviews? Could the most powerful conversion lever be the one almost every business overlooks? 

In this episode of The Agency Blueprint Podcast, I’m joined by George Sweatlitz to explore how AI can transform one of the most overlooked conversion levers in modern business: review responses. George is an operator-turned-builder who knows what it takes to solve problems at scale. He led strategy at Sarah Lee, earned his MBA from Harvard, and later ran a 220-location business where he saw firsthand how challenging it is to deliver consistent results across hundreds of touchpoints.  

Listen in to learn how traditional review-management tools fail by producing repetitive, shallow, or inauthentic replies that actually lower consumer trust. You will also learn how the right AI systems can raise conversion rates, strengthen brand trust, and allow teams to focus on high-ROI creative work rather than repetitive tasks.

Key Questions: 

• [08:55] What makes a problem a good fit for AI? 
• [11:06] Are you missing out on creative opportunities inside “boring” tasks like review management? 
• [14:18] How did you think about utilizing AI to actually deliver a better output than what humans would have been able to do consistently? 
• [18:57] What guardrails do you need to set so AI enhances your brand instead of creating the uncanny-valley effect? 

What You’ll Discover:  

• [01:48] George on why most businesses lose customers at the review stage, even when all their other marketing touchpoints are strong. 
• [04:39] The evolution of review responses, plus the “fact library” system — a structured, brand-controlled way to make AI responses authentic, relevant, and deeply useful. 
• [07:30] Why reviews matter more than websites and why brands must actively engage instead of letting two strangers talk. 
• [09:13] Why breaking big problems into solvable micro-components enables AI to outperform humans in specific tasks. 
• [12:08] How review responses can become a creative conversion tool and not just an administrative task. 
• [14:37] The ‘uncanny valley’ problem of AI – why overly emotional or human-like AI responses often feel disingenuous. 
• [19:31] How the fact-library model evolved from simple if-then logic to multi-layered reasoning as models improved. 
• [22:28] He explains the importance of repeatability and predictable performance before scaling. 
• [23:59] Exploring new innovations, such as using AI to personalize review-request messages and improve conversion rates. 

Connect with George: 

• Website

What if the real competitive edge in the AI era isn’t the tools you adopt, but the intelligence you already possess? And what if the agencies that win are the ones that stop chasing novelty and start refining their own IP instead? 

In this episode of The Agency Blueprint Podcast, I break down what’s hype, what’s real, and what truly matters for agencies seeking long-term relevance, higher profitability, and sharper differentiation in an AI-driven era. I also explain how the real power emerges when we combine logic, frameworks, and unique agency IP with AI’s ability to process massive amounts of information. 

Don’t miss this episode if you’re an agency owner ready to move beyond AI overwhelm and into true implementation.

Key Questions: 

• [01:34]  Are you chasing AI tools because of FOMO, or are you building real impact into your workflow? 
• [04:18] What parts of your agency’s process rely on human thinking, and what parts could AI reliably synthesize? 
• [10:45] What would a lean, meaningful AI stack look like for your agency specifically? 
• [12:30]  Are you fully leveraging your own data to build a powerful agency-specific knowledge layer? 

What You’ll Discover: 

• [01:34] The rapid churn of AI tools and why chasing novelty over strategy keeps agencies stuck in low-impact adoption cycles. 
• [03:48] How agencies can break their expertise into micro-components that AI can support without taking over human thinking. 
• [05:32] How AI becomes powerful when layered beneath your agency’s IP, helping designers, strategists, and writers gather insights faster. 
• [06:52] The specific ways AI can accelerate desktop research, creative prototyping, brand storytelling, and persona testing. 
• [08:12] The crucial difference between short-term efficiency and long-term differentiation, and why agencies must think on both timelines. 
• [09:22] How saved hours can be pocketed, used to reduce price, or reinvested to produce more valuable and higher-fidelity client work. 
• [10:45] How to build lean AI stacks that integrate directly into your workflow rather than disrupt it. 
• [12:30] Understanding that you’re sitting on massive pools of undervalued data that could become powerful differentiators with the right AI tools. 
• [13:04] Why the real frontier is not tools, but embedding AI into your unique process in a way that makes your value irreplaceable.

What if the real path to agency growth isn’t working harder, but thinking more irrationally? And what if your biggest breakthroughs are hiding inside the constraints you’ve been trying to avoid? 

In this episode of The Agency Blueprint, I’m joined by Ben Gaddis to explore why agency growth depends less on heroic effort and more on systematic, scalable thinking. Ben is the former CEO of T3, co-founder of SuperStep Capital, and co-author of Embracing Irrationality. He took his agency from a boutique creative shop to a $50M powerhouse before merging with a $350M firm and eventually transacting with Blackstone. 

Listen in to learn how small one-degree shifts in pricing, productization, positioning, and delivery can alter an agency’s trajectory without the instability of a massive overhaul. You will also learn about team dynamics, creative culture, psychological safety, and the importance of creating space for unconventional thinkers inside your agency. 

Key Questions: 

• [05:22] Are you empowering your most innovative team members, or accidentally pushing them toward starting their own competing firm? 
• [07:29] What are your thoughts on the risk factors and opportunities of letting something go live without fully thinking through every single potential nuance of it? 
• [13:37] Can you define what a premier agency is and why most firms today lack the traits of a premier agency? 
• [25:43] What outcome is your creativity aiming to deliver, and have you defined it well enough for a client to trust it? 
• [32:03] If you treated an innovative project differently from day one, how would that reshape your team’s engagement and the quality of the work? 

What You’ll Discover:  

• [01:39] Ben explains why large organizations struggle to innovate and how this applies to agencies of all sizes. 
• [03:42] The “one-degree decisions” concept — how small shifts can accumulate into massive business transformation over time. 
• [06:05] Why rejecting innovative team members causes them to leave and potentially become stronger competitors, and how to prevent this. 
• [08:05] How to clearly define what tiny piece of your delivery model is changing so teams don’t feel overwhelmed or threatened. 
• [11:47] How leaders can frame meetings to encourage big ideas by stepping back and allowing others to think freely without constraints. 
• [13:48] The traits of a premier agency: point of view, methodology, and the ability to attract top talent and elite clients. 
• [14:57] Why agencies resist specialization and how fear of losing opportunities often leads to a watered-down, generic market presence. 
• [17:19] How most agencies present the same pitch, and clients can instantly tell when a firm lacks true differentiation. 
• [19:58] How small teams can win massive enterprise clients if they have unmatched expertise in a narrow domain. 
• [22:56] The power of clarity and repeatability – why clients prefer agencies with proven systems rather than teams who “figure it out” as they go.  
• [24:54] Debunking the myth of creativity as personal art and reframing it as a service tool. 
• [28:17] Why bold innovation projects often lead to significantly higher long-term revenue, even when they initially look risky on paper. 
• [32:30] How agencies can define outcomes in ways that command attention, even from the most disengaged person in the pitch room. 
• [35:11] Ben on how a 5% innovation investment became a powerful marketing engine that attracted attention, created standout case studies, and accelerated inbound demand. 

Connect with Ben:  

• Websites
• LinkedIn
• Book: Embracing Irrationality

How can you maximize the value of your business through mergers, acquisitions, and the “second bite” opportunity? Most agency owners today are seeking an opportunity to cash out some equity while continuing to play an active role in scaling their business.

In this episode of The Agency Blueprint podcast, I’m joined by Todd Taskey to discuss how deals are structured, why private equity loves specialized agencies, and how “the second bite” often ends up being larger than the first payday. Todd is a seasoned M&A advisor and investment banker who has spent over two decades guiding agency founders through lucrative exits and growth-focused partnerships.

Listen in to learn how smaller agencies can attract the right buyers with specialization, strong client retention, and scalable sales systems. You will also learn how AI is reshaping agency margins and valuations,  eliminating low-level tasks, and allowing agencies to scale profitably.

Key Questions:

• [01:12] What exactly is the second bite, and how can agency owners benefit from it beyond their first sale?
• [03:45] What types of deals are most common for agencies today—strategic, private equity, or conglomerate roll-ups?
• [08:25] Which types of agencies are most attractive to private equity firms right now, and which ones are struggling?
• [15:16] How is AI changing agency valuations? Is it just hype, or does it create lasting value?
• [23:07] What areas should agency owners strengthen in the next 2–3 years to maximize valuation?

What You’ll Discover: 

• [01:30] Todd explains the concept of the second bite, where selling equity today can lead to a bigger payday in the future.
• [04:15] The difference between selling to large holding companies versus partnering with private equity-backed strategic buyers.
• [06:59] Why many agency founders end up enjoying their businesses more after a partial sale.
• [08:50] The verticals private equity firms are most eager to acquire, and why niche specialization wins.
• [11:38] How agencies are using vertical focus to create irresistible acquisition stories.
• [15:40] How AI is reshaping agency operations, cutting costs, and boosting margins without replacing strategic thinking.
• [19:46] How agency owners should weigh the choice between pursuing higher margins or lowering prices to gain market share.
• [23:34] The three pillars of maximizing agency value: strong sales, high retention, and healthy margins.
• [26:13] Todd warns against assuming you can hire a CEO and exit cleanly—buyers see that as a red flag.

Connect with Todd:

• LinkedIn
• Podcast: Second Bite

Do you leverage emotional, client-centered storytelling to transform your sales process? Stories resonate more than stats, and you, as an agency owner, can use them as a strategic sales tool rather than just a creative tactic.

In this episode of The Agency Blueprint podcast, we discuss how to leverage stories that build trust, spark excitement, and make your agency unforgettable. We explain how by framing sales conversations around transformation stories, case studies, and third-party proof, you can help potential clients see themselves in the narrative.

Listen in to learn the difference between pitching and storytelling, why context matters, and how to strategically curate stories in advance so they feel authentic and memorable.

Key Questions:

• [01:52] Why is storytelling more impactful than just listing results or stats?
• [03:23] What’s the difference between pitching and telling a strategic story?
• [05:02] How do you use third-party stories to connect with a prospect’s pain points?
• [12:27] What types of proof (beyond testimonials) can you use to make clients feel confident in their decision?
• [14:26] What does it take to tailor a story so the prospect feels invited into your world?

What You’ll Discover: 

• [02:06] Why emotions are the real drivers of memory and decision-making, not dry statistics.
• [03:23] Why bragging about yourself in a pitch pushes prospects away, while telling a client’s story draws them in.
• [05:02] The importance of focusing on transformation and connecting client pain points to powerful success stories.
• [07:31] Third-party selling framework: start with the negative emotion, explain the challenge, describe your process, and end with the positive result.
• [09:25] Understand why numbers alone make you forgettable, but stories make you memorable and trustworthy.
• [10:36] An airplane analogy illustrating how clients first need belief that success is possible before they trust you to deliver it.
• [12:40] Why convincing rarely works and how to use social proof, testimonials, and case studies to let prospects persuade themselves.
• [15:01] How testimonial videos and real client stories can provide the final validation prospects need before committing.
• [19:48] How to curate stories strategically so they feel natural in the moment but are actually carefully designed for maximum impact.

Are you one of those agencies that spend impulsively, based on gut feeling, or delay investments out of fear and uncertainty?

In this episode of the Agency Blueprint podcast, I explain how agency owners can use operational budgets as a growth tool instead of just a tracking sheet. I further explain how to structure budgets around multiple outcomes—flat (if nothing changes), trend-based (aligned with current growth trajectory), and goal or stretch budgets (aimed at ambitious targets). 

Don't miss this episode to learn how to weigh investments using a risk-to-value calculus, prioritize based on ROI, and know when to greenlight or cut an initiative.

Key Questions:

• [00:33] Are you spending intentionally to grow your agency or just burning through cash without a clear ROI?
• [03:43] Are your budgets simply tracking expenses, or are they guiding your strategic decisions?
• [08:15] How do you prioritize which investments to make first when several opportunities compete for your resources?

What You’ll Discover: 

• [01:20] The concept of using multiple budget scenarios—flat, operational, goal, and stretch—to create a growth-ready plan.
• [02:02] The importance of aligning budgets with business trends rather than relying solely on past performance.
• [03:43] Understanding that budgets are not just for tracking, they are tools to guide decision-making and strategy.
• [04:50] The “risk-to-value calculus” to evaluate investments in people, tools, or new services.
• [06:40] The importance of setting clear timelines to measure whether an investment is working or if it should be cut.
• [08:15] How to prioritize competing investment opportunities by weighing ROI, time cost, and likelihood of success.
• [10:47] How to reverse-engineer growth goals into budgets by mapping revenue sources, retention rates, and hiring needs.