Test. Optimize. Scale.

Digital Niche Agency
  • 4.6 (10)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Listen as industry leaders and pioneers share their insights and experiences of growing their businesses to scale using marketing. Find out what to test, what to optimize, and when to scale as they speak with Jason Fishman, SVP Digital Strategy, DNA - Digital Niche Agency.

  1. 3D AGO

    EP. 236: Tom Ruwitch - Why Your Marketing Repels Prospects Instead of Attracting Them

    Most marketing fails not because of the platform, the budget, or the targeting. It fails because the story is feeble. Tom Ruwitch is the founder of Story Power Marketing and Implementum. He co-founded Sports Huddle in the late 90s, growing it from 2 to 85 people in 18 months and raising $5.5M in venture capital before exiting. He then founded MarketVolt, an email marketing software and agency he ran for 19 years before selling in 2019. Today he helps businesses build story-powered content that attracts, engages, and converts. In this episode: Why most marketing repels prospects instead of attracting them The three E's: Empathize, Envision, Enable The PLAN framework: Promise, Lesson, Anecdote, Next Step Why boring, info-dump content is the number one headwind for business growth The difference between brand marketing and direct response and why you need both How the Honda Super Bowl ad added 225,000 Facebook followers in one week How to build story-powered content at scale using AI without falling into the mushy middle How storytelling applies to investment campaigns, capital raising, and community building Download a free PDF of Tom's book Story Power Marketing: yourgiftfromtom.com/jason More resources and free tools: storypowermarketing.com Strategy, tech, and team: implementum.net About Tom Ruwitch: For nearly a quarter of a century, Tom has helped businesses attract leads, engage prospects, close sales, and maximize relationships. He founded MarketVolt in 2001, one of the earliest email marketing platforms and agencies in the industry, and ran it for 19 years before selling. He now leads Story Power Marketing, where he helps businesses discover, power up, and scale their core business story across every channel. Follow Tom on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomruwitch/ Check out his website: https://storypowermarketing.com/ About Test. Optimize. Scale.: Hosted by Jason Fishman, Test. Optimize. Scale. is the podcast for entrepreneurs, marketers, and founders who want to grow smarter. Every episode breaks down the strategies, frameworks, and real-world lessons behind successful brands, campaigns, and capital raises. Subscribe:https://www.youtube.com/@DigitalNicheAgency Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-niche-agency Website: digitalnicheagency.com CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction 1:02 Tom's background: Sports Huddle, $5.5M raised, 85 employees in 18 months 3:25 Building one of the first email marketing agencies in 2001 5:30 The number one headwind for business growth: feeble content 7:47 Stop talking about yourself: putting the focus on the prospect 10:00 The three E's: Empathize, Envision, Enable 12:10 Using story to guide a prospect through a buying journey 13:00 The kitchen contractor and the mother-in-law story 17:52 How story-powered marketing works across digital channels 20:29 Using indirect storytelling to let prospects project themselves 22:00 Why the human brain connects with stories: the John Wick example 24:11 Where brands get it wrong with storytelling 26:18 Stop overcomplicating it: the biggest storytelling mistake 27:30 Branding versus direct response: the Goodyear Blimp problem 29:20 What good direct response marketing actually looks like 32:01 Community building and storytelling in investment campaigns 34:14 The Honda Super Bowl ad and 225,000 new followers in one week 40:06 The PLAN framework: Promise, Lesson, Anecdote, Next Step 44:00 The executive coach delegation story: before and after done right 48:49 How to test and optimize your stories over time 52:12 How story powers content at scale 56:09 Eugene Schwartz: copy is not written, it is assembled 58:54 Where to find Tom and get the free book

    1h 3m

  2. APR 21

    How to Earn the Exit You Want | Ep. #235 with Nick Avaria | Test. Optimize. Scale.

    90% of agencies never sell, and most owners who do sell hate the price they get. This episode breaks down the boring work that separates the rare agencies that actually exit well from the ones that underperform. Our guest Nick Avaria is the founder of Agency Acquisitions out of Vancouver, Canada. His goal is to help reward people in agencies for their hard work, whether they're agency owners or employees. He developed "The Agency Economics Thesis" that has scaled multitudes of successful companies.  www.agencyacquisitions.io | LinkedIn:   / nickavaria   What you'll learn: →Why the best-run agencies are the ones about to be sold, and how to build that way on purpose. →The churn math that can double or quadruple your top line without adding a single new client. →What actually separates the 3-in-10,000 agencies that reach $10M in revenue. →The 100-day client onboarding philosophy that builds habitual trust. →The "bathtub effect" quietly killing your retention between sale and first monthly meeting. →The three types of insights every B2B client needs, and why missing one gets you fired. →The $100 pen problem and why your best work still loses the client. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:00 Meet Nick Avaria 02:00 The #1 Rule: Run It Like You're Selling It 04:00 Work On the Business, Not In It 06:00 Escaping the Adrenaline Junkie Trap 08:00 Growth Thresholds: What to Let Go at Each Level 09:00 Why Only 1 in 10 Agencies Actually Sell 11:00 Why Owners Let Their Agencies Slowly Die 12:00 The Three Levers of Valuation 14:00 The Churn Math That Doubles Your Revenue 17:00 Only 3 in 10,000 Agencies Hit $10M 18:00 Middle Management: The Boring Work Nobody Does 22:00 The Surf Trip: What Real Ownership Looks Like 25:00 Why Churn Spikes When You Scale 27:00 The Power of Quarterly Strategic Reviews 28:00 The Three Types of Insights Clients Need 30:00 Why B2B Buyers Aren't Logical 31:00 The 100-Day Onboarding Philosophy 35:00 The Bathtub Effect 38:00 The $100 Pen Problem — Test, Optimize, and Scale is hosted by Jason Fishman, CEO of Digital Niche Agency. New episodes every week covering digital marketing, growth, and entrepreneurship. Subscribe: @digitalnicheagency   Instagram: digitalnicheagency   LinkedIn: digital-niche-agency   #AgencyLife #MarketingAgency #Entrepreneurship #BusinessExit #ClientRetention #SaaSMarketing #BusinessGrowth #TestOptimizeScale

    41 min

  3. APR 10

    EP #234- August Biniaz: Why the Inferior Product with Better Marketing Always Wins

    Most people think the best product wins. August Biniaz disagrees, and he's built a multi-million dollar real estate private equity firm to prove it. August is the Chief Investment Officer and co-founder of CPI Capital, a real estate private equity firm with two verticals: multifamily value add (Tampa Bay, San Antonio, Austin) and build-to-rent development. In this episode, he breaks down the returns (15–20% multifamily vs. 25–30% BTR), the investor psychology behind raising equity, and the exact marketing systems that helped CPI scale from zero to a cross-border investment platform serving Canadian and US accredited investors. Whether you're building a fund, a company, or a brand — this episode is about the infrastructure behind growth. 🔑 What you'll learn: → The difference between multifamily value add and build-to-rent (and when to use each) → Why US multifamily beat the S&P 500 for 20 years — and what's changing now → How CPI Capital finds and qualifies accredited investors → The know-like-trust framework for converting prospects into LPs → Why tariffs caused 70% of their Canadian investors to almost walk — and what brought them back → EOS/Traction: the growth operating system CPI runs on 🏢 About August Biniaz: August Biniaz is the CIO and co-founder of CPI Capital, a real estate private equity firm focused on US multifamily and build-to-rent development in Tampa Bay, San Antonio, and Austin. He is a LinkedIn Top Voice and host of the Real Estate Investing Demystified podcast. 🔗 cpicapital.com | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/augustbiniaz/ 📌 Chapters: 0:00 – Introduction 0:44 – August's background: from broker to home builder 3:26 – Discovering real estate private equity and US multifamily 4:41 – CPI Capital: the two verticals explained 7:25 – Multifamily vs. build-to-rent: what returns actually look like 9:57 – Timeline and exit strategies for BTR development 12:10 – Why diversification across asset classes matters 13:21 – The equity problem: how CPI started raising capital 15:43 – Building a brand around your executive team 18:53 – Know, Like, Trust: the investor acquisition framework 20:04 – Finding your investor avatar 23:19 – How CPI qualifies leads (the 3 questions they ask) 25:35 – Canadian vs. US investors: the 70/30 split 29:32 – Current market analysis: rates, oversupply, distress 33:41 – Why multifamily fundamentals are still strong 36:07 – Growth strategy: the EOS / Traction framework 38:01 – Big Hairy Audacious Goals and quarterly rocks 40:28 – Building the right team (fractional roles, Slack, Asana) 41:45 – How to scale without shiny object syndrome 44:42 – Final thoughts: marketing beats product, every time — Test, Optimize, and Scale is hosted by Jason Fishman, CEO of Digital Niche Agency. New episodes every week covering digital marketing, growth, and entrepreneurship. Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@DigitalNicheAgency Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalnicheagency/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-niche-agency/ #RealEstateInvesting #MultifamilyInvesting #BuildToRent #PassiveIncome  #RealEstateSyndication #PrivateEquity #TestOptimizeScale

    47 min

  4. MAR 27

    EP #233- James Wolff: What you need to know about the dramatic shifts in capital raising

    Most founders raise capital the wrong way. This episode explains why — and what to do instead. James A. Wolff is a partner at Greenspoon Marder LLP, a NASA and NIAC award recipient, and one of the sharper minds working at the intersection of securities law and emerging technology. He spent years on the founder side before becoming an attorney, and that experience shapes everything about how he approaches deals. In this episode, James breaks down what goes wrong when founders raise capital without the right legal infrastructure in place — from unfiled Form Ds to missing AML/KYC checks to IP assignment gaps that kill future due diligence. He explains why downloading templates from the internet creates liability founders never see coming, why AI tools can't replace experienced legal counsel when the stakes are this high, and how "legal debt" compounds just like technical debt if you ignore it early. We also get into the future of capital formation, the shift away from traditional VC structures toward family offices and private market indexes, and what a cohesive capital strategy actually looks like for companies building in AI, robotics, Web3, and frontier technology. What we cover: - Why safe agreements without attorney support create serious downstream risk - The "governance trifecta" every early-stage founder needs - How to think about Reg CF, Reg D 506(c), and Reg A+ as tools — not just checkboxes - What tokenized offerings and Web3 raises require beyond standard compliance - How marketing and legal need to work together on solicitation exemptions - Where the VC landscape is heading and what it means for founders raising now Check out the full episode! Social and Website: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesanthonywolff/ Website: http://www.gmlaw.com

    1h 4m

  5. MAR 13

    EP #232- Gene Eidelman: We have an opportunity to take on a social issue and say, we have a solution

    In this episode of Test. Optimize. Scale, Jason Fishman sits down with Gene Eidelman, co-founder and CEO of Azure Printed Homes, to discuss how 3D printed housing could reshape the future of construction. Gene shares his journey from real estate developer to startup founder and explains how his company is building homes faster, more efficiently, and with less waste using factory-based 3D printing. The conversation explores the housing crisis, rebuilding after disasters, solving homelessness, and how new construction technology could dramatically lower the cost of building homes. They also dive into lessons from launching and scaling a startup, raising capital through crowdfunding, and what founders should know about building products that truly resonate with customers and investors. If you are interested in housing innovation, startups, crowdfunding, or the future of construction, this episode is packed with insights. Key topics - The origin story of Azure Printed Homes - Why traditional construction is slow, expensive, and inefficient - How factory-based 3D printing changes the economics of housing - Using modular construction to build homes faster and reduce waste - Rebuilding communities after fires and disasters - Addressing homelessness with scalable housing solutions - The role of design and aesthetics in affordable housing - Lessons from raising millions through investment crowdfunding - How founders can identify the right customer and investor personas - What it really takes to scale a startup in a traditional industry Takeaways - Housing construction has changed very little in decades, creating opportunity for innovation - Factory-built homes can reduce costs, timelines, and construction waste - Solving social challenges like housing shortages requires both technology and execution - Crowdfunding can create a powerful network of investors, customers, and supporters - Strong founding teams with complementary skill sets improve startup success - Scaling a company requires the same persistence and effort as starting one - Understanding your audience is essential for both fundraising and product growth - Real innovation in construction must still navigate permits, financing, and regulations Social and Website: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geneeidelman/ Website: https://azureprintedhomes.com/ Reg CF: https://wefunder.com/azure

    53 min

  6. MAR 6

    EP #231- Sharif Bennett: Filmmakers need to be more business savvy

    In this episode, Sharif Bennett, co-founder of CineBlock, shares insights on how regulated investment crowdfunding is transforming entertainment financing. Discover how fans and investors can directly support and profit from film projects, revolutionizing traditional Hollywood funding models. Key topics - The origin story of CineBlock and its founders - Problems with traditional film financing and how crowdfunding addresses them - The role of blockchain in ensuring transparency and security - Building communities of investors and fans around films - The impact of industry consolidation and the need for alternative funding - Strategies for filmmakers to leverage social media and fan engagement - The future of theaters and how fan investment can revive cinema - The importance of understanding community pain points and marketing - Scaling and optimizing crowdfunding campaigns for success - The cultural shift towards creator and fan empowerment Takeaways - Crowdfunding can democratize film financing, allowing fans to invest directly. - Blockchain technology provides transparency and security for investors. - Building a community around a project increases engagement and funding success. - Fan investment can help revive traditional theaters and boost box office sales. - Understanding your community's pain points is crucial for effective marketing. - Scaling should prioritize improving user experience and customer satisfaction. - Data-driven decisions are essential for optimizing campaigns. - The future of entertainment lies in creator-fan collaboration and empowerment. - Industry consolidation makes alternative funding methods more vital. - Early community engagement and marketing are key to successful launches. Chapters:  00:00 Introduction to Titl and Real Estate Innovation  06:45 Addressing Industry Inefficiencies  13:30 The Role of Blockchain and AI  20:15 Strategic Partnerships and Market Acceptance  27:50 Automating Title Searches  34:05 Building a Digital Land Registry  40:20 Rebranding and Market Perception  46:55 Future of Real Estate Technology Social and Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharif-bennett-99b1a449/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/cineblock/ https://www.cineblockfilms.com/

    47 min

  7. FEB 24

    EP #230- Ori Ohayon & Tory Ricalis: Streamlining Real Estate Transactions Using Blockchain Technology

    In this episode, Jason Fishman hosts Ori Ohayon and Tory Ricalis, co-founders of Titl, to discuss how blockchain and AI are transforming real estate transactions. They share insights into their journey from identifying inefficiencies in traditional property dealings to developing a platform that streamlines title searches and reduces settlement times. The conversation covers the challenges of integrating new technology in a legacy industry, the importance of strategic partnerships, and the mindset shifts required for innovation. Ori and Tory also delve into the role of AI in automating processes, the impact of rebranding on market acceptance, and the future of real estate technology. Takeaways: Blockchain and AI can significantly reduce real estate transaction times. Strategic partnerships are crucial for gaining industry acceptance. Rebranding can enhance market perception and adoption. Automating title searches with AI improves accuracy and efficiency. Building a unified digital land registry offers a single source of truth. Flexibility and customization are key to meeting client needs. Long-term planning and resilience are essential for success. Chapters:  00:00 Introduction to Titl and Real Estate Innovation  06:45 Addressing Industry Inefficiencies  13:30 The Role of Blockchain and AI  20:15 Strategic Partnerships and Market Acceptance  27:50 Automating Title Searches  34:05 Building a Digital Land Registry  40:20 Rebranding and Market Perception  46:55 Future of Real Estate Technology Social and Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tory-ricalis-548818118/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/oriohayon/ https://titl.co/

    47 min

  8. FEB 24

    Ep. 229- George Rivera: The New Way of Delegation is Transferring Ownership

    In this episode, Jason Fishman interviews George Rivera, an entrepreneur and author, discussing the transformative power of the "buy back time" framework. George shares his journey from burnout to building a $50 million company while working just 30 hours a week, emphasizing the importance of strategic delegation and systemization. They explore the challenges of balancing business growth with personal life, the significance of letting go of control, and the mindset shifts necessary for sustainable success. The conversation also delves into optimizing business operations, the role of effective team management, and the impact of personal development on professional growth. Takeaways: - Strategic delegation is key to freeing up time and reducing burnout. - Conducting a time audit helps identify low-value tasks to delegate. - Hiring the right team and firing fast can accelerate business growth. - Optimizing copywriting and advertising is crucial for scaling. - Mindset shifts are necessary to build a business that supports personal goals. - Systemization and process improvement lead to sustainable success. -Balancing work and family life enhances overall well-being. -Personal development is integral to professional growth. - Embracing change and letting go of control fosters business expansion. - Building a business engineered for freedom and impact is achievable. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to the Buy Back Time Framework 06:45 Overcoming Burnout and Achieving Balance 13:30 The Power of Strategic Delegation 20:15 Conducting a Time Audit for Efficiency 27:50 Building and Managing an Effective Team 34:05 Optimizing Business Operations 40:20 Mindset Shifts for Sustainable Success 46:55 Balancing Work and Family Life Social and Website: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-rivera-53b3296/ Website: https://buybacktimeformula.com/branding

    49 min
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4.6
out of 5
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Listen as industry leaders and pioneers share their insights and experiences of growing their businesses to scale using marketing. Find out what to test, what to optimize, and when to scale as they speak with Jason Fishman, SVP Digital Strategy, DNA - Digital Niche Agency.

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