The Agency Uplift Podcast
The Agency Uplift Podcast: Agency Scaling Strategies & Growth Tips
Unlock proven frameworks, AI‑powered workflows, and client acquisition blueprints to scale your digital agency from freelance to Fortune. Each week, host Sean Lang, co‑founder of Social Commerce Club and agency growth coach, sits down with a wide array of agency leaders—sharing battle‑tested tactics on profitability, processes, and people management.
Whether you’re aiming to double client retention, streamline operations, or boost ad ROI, you’ll walk away with actionable insights and playbooks you can implement today. New episodes every Monday and Wednesday, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
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The Agency Uplift Podcast
Ep 11: Building Partnerships for Agency Growth, with Landon Gartner of Vanspec Marketing
Key Takeaways
- Vanspec Marketing was co-founded by three friends from the same university and high school, starting as a side hustle in 2017.
- Initially focused on local small businesses, they pivoted to broader partnerships to scale.
- Strategic partnerships with larger agencies became a major growth lever.
- Networking events and conferences played a critical role in building lasting agency relationships.
- Landon’s weekly goal: book one meeting with someone new in the agency or freelance space to expand his network.
- He recommends leading with value in partnerships—sending referrals before asking for them.
- Vanspec collaborates with the University of the Fraser Valley, bringing on students for real-world client work through practicums.
- The team has hired standout students post-practicum, creating a pipeline of strong talent.
- Two major learnings:
- The agency world is more collaborative than competitive.
- They should have started hiring account managers and building processes earlier.
- A big focus for 2025 is stepping out of day-to-day operations by building scalable processes.
- Landon encourages creating SOPs while doing the work using tools like Loom for efficiency.
- Teaching team members to create their own processes is key for accuracy and buy-in.
- Vanspec now targets more marketing-mature clients and aims to work as strategic partners rather than outsourced marketing departments.
- Communication is Landon’s superpower—and a core value at the agency.
- Project management software (Basecamp) transformed their workflow by streamlining client communication.
Tools Mentioned
- Basecamp – Used for project management and client communication
- Loom – For recording work processes and creating SOPs
- Asana and Monday.com – Mentioned as alternatives for PM tools
Check out Landon's agency here:
Get the Growth Spotlight Vault for free and start turning casual client convo's into referrals:
https://www.agencyuplift.co/vault
Sean’s Links:
🔗 Sean Lang on LinkedIn
🌐 Agency Uplift Skool Group
🛒 Social Commerce Club
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