Ep 11: Building Partnerships for Agency Growth, with Landon Gartner of Vanspec Marketing

Key TakeawaysVanspec 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 MentionedBasecamp – Used for project management and client communicationLoom – For recording work processes and creating SOPsAsana and Monday.com – Mentioned as alternatives for PM toolsCheck out Landon's agency here:https://vanspecmarketing.com/ Join the Agency Uplift group: https://www.agencyuplift.co/join 👉 Get new episodes right to your inbox - click here 👈