How to Build an Agency That Doesn't Depend on You with Ted Harrison | Ep #897

In this episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass, Jason Swenk interviews Ted Harrison, founder of New Motion, a digital marketing agency launched in October 2023 after Ted's tenure at Twitter and X. Ted shares his origin story, detailing how the turmoil at X under Elon Musk’s leadership motivated him to seek autonomy and control over his decisions. He leveraged his extensive network from his time at Twitter to quickly secure high-profile clients like Salesforce, even before formally launching his company. A key theme throughout the conversation is the importance of building systems and documentation—especially through his book *Entrepreneurial Creativity* and a custom course—to scale without relying on his personal involvement. Ted emphasizes that while AI is a powerful tool for forecasting, content cleanup, and internal knowledge management, it cannot yet replicate human taste, emotional intelligence, or brand integrity, especially in enterprise-level creative work. He also discusses how AI is reshaping roles rather than replacing them, urging agency owners to focus on reskilling and evolution. The episode concludes with Ted’s candid take on the absurd payment terms of big corporations and his decision to pivot to smaller, better-paying clients—highlighting the often overlooked business realities of agency work.