Hey everyone, today I'm joined by Carl Smith.

Carl is the founder of The Bureau, a community for digital agency leaders focused on connection, support, and operational excellence.

He previously ran a successful agency with a radically autonomous model and now helps shops modernize how they lead, hire, and scale. Carl’s insights come from hundreds of deep conversations with owners navigating the post-AI, post-pandemic world.

I wanted to have Carl on because most agency owners are clinging to outdated models while the industry is reshaping beneath them—and he’s seen what’s working now.

In this episode, we discuss:

Why agency complacency is the real threat in 2026
What the “jellyfish model” teaches about scalable freedom
How AI is making clients savvier than ever
And more...

You can learn more about Carl on LinkedIn.

-----------

Lead Gen is the hardest part of running an agency.

For most, it's unpredictable, it's slow, and it's usually expensive.

Gia flips that.

It's the all-in-one growth platform that turns your existing relationships and client work into a steady pipeline.

Gia automates lead gen follow-up and content, and it's all from the work you're already doing.

You can check it out and get some free bonuses at getgia.ai/dynamicagency

-----------

No one was asking for another community. But I've made one anyway.

So what's different?

The Dynamic Agency Community is designed around access rather than content.

Access to peers who've done it before.

Access to experts who've designed solutions.

Access to resources that have been battle-tested.

And right now, the price for founding members is only $97/year.

Join today so your agency has immediate access to everything you need to grow.

You can join at DynamicAgency.Community.

-----------

Hiring in the agency world is rough. Most job posting sites get you lots of applicants, but with their “easy applying” options, most of those are unqualified. And worse, they don’t understand what it’s like working at an agency.

This is why I created the Agency Job Hub. You can post your positions for free to find applicants looking specifically for agency work, and we already have a growing list of candidates who’ll be notified as soon as you post.

You can list your open positions for free at AgencyJobHub.com.

-----------

Our friends at Parakeeto have a powerful resource that dives into everything you need to know about agency profitability.

This is a must-have for agency owners and operators.

Get the Agency Profit Toolkit for free now!

-----------

Subscribe to the Agency Forward blog on Substack.

We have weekly blog content with practical advice to help you advance your agency.

-----------

Want to level up your agency? Get the Dynamic Offers Email Mini-Course

Explore the 5 of the most common challenges agencies face in today's market.

We're talking about the challenges that lead to no prospects, no recurring revenue, and nothing for people to buy from you.

It's worth reading just for the ideas alone.

5 emails. 5 challenges. 5 strategies to fix them.

Get it at DynamicAgencyCourse.com.

-----------

And if you're ready for 1-on-1 help to create some mind-blowing offers for your agency, visit DynamicAgencyOS.com to schedule a free consultation. Running an agency is tough, but you don't need to go it alone.

085 Carl Smith: Why Traditional Agencies Are Getting Left Behind

Agency Forward