Key Takeaways<ul><li>Vanspec Marketing was co-founded by three friends from the same university and high school, starting as a side hustle in 2017.</li><li>Initially focused on local small businesses, they pivoted to broader partnerships to scale.</li><li>Strategic partnerships with larger agencies became a major growth lever.</li><li>Networking events and conferences played a critical role in building lasting agency relationships.</li><li>Landon’s weekly goal: book one meeting with someone new in the agency or freelance space to expand his network.</li><li>He recommends leading with value in partnerships—sending referrals before asking for them.</li><li>Vanspec collaborates with the University of the Fraser Valley, bringing on students for real-world client work through practicums.</li><li>The team has hired standout students post-practicum, creating a pipeline of strong talent.</li><li>Two major learnings: <ol><li>The agency world is more collaborative than competitive.</li><li>They should have started hiring account managers and building processes earlier.</li></ol></li><li>A big focus for 2025 is stepping out of day-to-day operations by building scalable processes.</li><li>Landon encourages creating SOPs while doing the work using tools like Loom for efficiency.</li><li>Teaching team members to create their own processes is key for accuracy and buy-in.</li><li>Vanspec now targets more marketing-mature clients and aims to work as strategic partners rather than outsourced marketing departments.</li><li>Communication is Landon’s superpower—and a core value at the agency.</li><li>Project management software (Basecamp) transformed their workflow by streamlining client communication.</li></ul>Tools Mentioned<ul><li>Basecamp – Used for project management and client communication</li><li>Loom – For recording work processes and creating SOPs</li><li>Asana and Monday.com – Mentioned as alternatives for PM tools</li></ul>Check out Landon's agency here:<a href="https://vanspecmarketing.com/">https://vanspecmarketing.com/</a> <a href="https://www.agencyuplift.co/vault">https://www.agencyuplift.co/vault</a> Sean’s Links: 🔗 <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-lang-marketer/">Sean Lang on LinkedIn</a> 🌐 <a href="https://www.agencyuplift.co/group">Agency Uplift Skool Group</a> 🛒 <a href="https://www.socialcommerceclub.com">Social Commerce Club</a>

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 expa...

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