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

Surviving a 70% Loss In Agency Revenue. From Panic to Purpose with Melany Robinson | Ep #880

February 15, 2026·28 min·1 clip

Melanie Robinson says COVID caused a 70% drop in revenue overnight.

An agency growth opener kicks things off like a small alarm. The clip quickly turns to the people choices that decide whether an agency scales with help or drags the wrong crew along. Jason and Melanie start with early hiring panic, then get into the quieter, harder question of who belongs in the company, the community, and the room. The boat metaphor earns its keep. Melanie describes people who understand their seat as part of a whole, instead of staring only at their own job. That kind of person is rare. Jason ties it back to agency hiring, especially the early stage feeling of being grateful that anyone wants to work with you. After enough bad fits, the bar changes. Availability is not enough. The filter becomes shared beliefs, road trip trust, and a better sense of who should be close. The mastermind gets the same treatment. Jason says the community used to let almost anyone in, then learned the room only works when the right owners are picked. There is sponsor noise. The Wix Studio read sits in the middle, but the strongest thread is still the founder talk about fit, standards, and scale. Elevate adds context too, with Jason pitching a Phoenix event for seven- and eight-figure agency owners sharing what works, what fails, and how to get out of the weeds. The end loosens up with audiobooks, author narration, Matthew McConaughey, and tennis before Jason returns to the agency-owner room. The point is plain enough: scaling takes strategy, but it also takes a sharper call on who gets a seat in the boat.

As heard by us

A hiring story built around a simple boat-and-road-trip test for fit.

Melanie Robinson frames hiring as a test of character after an agency has already paid for the wrong choices. Her boat-and-road-trip example gives the advice its clearest shape: look for people who share core beliefs, show up for others, and are not only looking out for…

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Why you'd press play

You want a steadier filter for hiring and community after getting burned by the wrong people.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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