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 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:
  1. The agency world is more collaborative than competitive.
  2. 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 Mentioned

• Basecamp – Used for project management and client communication
• Loom – For recording work processes and creating SOPs
• Asana and Monday.com – Mentioned as alternatives for PM tools

Check out Landon's agency here:

https://vanspecmarketing.com/

https://www.agencyuplift.co/vault

Sean’s Links:

🔗 Sean Lang on LinkedIn
🌐 Agency Uplift Skool Group
🛒 Social Commerce Club