Episode #92
The Anti Agency Blueprint for Business Growth
Jason Yormark shares how more than 30 years in marketing, including work with major organizations such as Microsoft, ultimately led him to entrepreneurship and the creation of Socialistics. For years, Jason felt like a “square peg in a round hole” professionally and wanted to build something of his own, but the perceived security of a traditional paycheck kept him from making the leap. Rather than abruptly leaving his career, Jason intentionally built a runway . He developed momentum while still employed so that entrepreneurship would be a calculated transition rather than a blind leap. When his final traditional job ended, he committed fully to Socialistics. He credits overcoming fear and committing wholeheartedly as important pieces of eventually building a seven figure business and creating greater freedom in his life. Key Takeaways and Discussion Notes Build a runway before taking the leap. Jason's approach to entrepreneurship centered on mitigating risk. He didn't believe starting a business had to mean immediately abandoning financial security. He built momentum first, creating a stronger foundation before committing full time. Know what kind of business you actually want to build. From the beginning, Jason wasn't interested in simply maximizing revenue. He wanted a business built around relationships, freedom, culture, and meaningful work. That meant accepting that Socialistics might grow more slowly or remain smaller than an agency focused purely on maximizing revenue. Learn to say no. One of Jason's biggest lessons as a business owner has been learning not to accept every opportunity simply because it generates revenue. Early businesses sometimes have to take work they might later decline, but the goal should be reaching a position where the company can deliberately choose the right clients and relationships. Client retention can matter more than client acquisition. Jason deliberately prioritizes long term client relationships instead of operating a “churn and burn” agency model. His philosophy is that choosing the right work and creating mutually beneficial relationships produces deeper partnerships, stronger culture, and a more fulfilling business. Freedom is a business objective, not just a personal benefit. Freedom is Socialistics' number one core value and central to Jason's definition of success. His team is evaluated on the quality of their work and their commitments rather than where, when, or exactly how long they work. Socialistics doesn't even use traditional time tracking, despite the additional challenges that creates when measuring profitability. Build a company that doesn't depend entirely on the owner. Jason was advised early that if he ever wanted the option of selling his company, the business couldn't depend on him. Finding Joanna, his Director of Operations, allowed him to intentionally remove himself from much of Socialistics' day to day operation. Hire for what can't easily be taught. Rather than concentrating primarily on technical skills, Jason looks for what he calls “untrainable traits,” including communication, emotional intelligence, authenticity, and genuine care for other people. Tools and technology can be taught. Those foundational characteristics are much harder to manufacture. Make employees feel like they're building the company with you. Jason wants team members to feel ownership in the business rather than simply seeing themselves as employees. Profit sharing, compensation, autonomy, and culture all support that philosophy. Eliminate friction wherever possible. Jason describes one of his core business philosophies as eliminating the things that interfere with winning and retaining great customers and great employees. That can mean reconsidering long term contracts, workload expectations, traditional agency practices, and anything else that makes it unnecessarily difficult for people to say yes or remain committed. Don't optimize revenue at the expense of the business you wanted to create. Jason acknowledges that Socialistics could potentially make more money with a higher volume, higher churn model. Instead, he deliberately protects capacity so his team has room to think creatively about existing clients. He's comfortable with a potential $3 million to $5 million ceiling if that allows him and his team to maintain the lives and culture they want. Niche down, and sometimes sub niche even further. Jason sees trying to be everything to everybody as one of today's biggest entrepreneurial mistakes. Socialistics eventually focused specifically on nonprofits, and he argues that newer service businesses may benefit from narrowing even further. Becoming highly specialized helps a company cut through competitive noise and establish itself as an authority. Business planning requires commitment after the decision is made. Choosing a niche or strategic direction isn't enough. Jason stresses that business owners need to stay the course rather than continually abandoning their strategy when something else appears attractive. What Does It Take to Be a Business Owner? Jason's answer came down primarily to patience, appetite, and stamina . Most entrepreneurs aren't going to immediately “hit a home run.” Businesses and ideas take time to develop, and goals frequently take longer than anticipated. Jason emphasized that patience shouldn't become analysis paralysis, but owners need the stamina to keep moving when results don't arrive according to their original timeline. Memorable Quotes “I didn't want to chase dollars, I wanted to chase relationships.” “Keeping clients, to me, is more important than winning new ones.” “Ultimately, just learning to say no is one of the biggest things.” “When you're chasing dollars, it just becomes a commoditized business, and it becomes just a grind.” “That's my calling card, is freedom.” “Just do awesome work, live life on your own terms.” “Make sure that the business isn't reliant on you.” “I always look for the untrainable traits.” “I want them to feel like they're building this business together with me.” “To me, it's about eliminating as much friction in business as possible.” “Better to be a big fish in a small pond.” “Sub-niching is the way to go.” “You've got to have the appetite and the stamina to see things through.” “Great things take time to build.” Core Theme of the Episode Jason's approach to business planning isn't about creating the biggest company possible. It's about intentionally designing the business you actually want to own . His decisions around client selection, employee autonomy, leadership, specialization, growth, and even revenue ceilings all come back to that objective. Growth is important, but growth that undermines the owner's original goals isn't necessarily success. The episode ultimately reinforces that effective business planning means knowing what you're building, why you're building it, what you're willing to say no to, and having the patience to stay the course.
