How Niching Down Helped This Agency Scale Smarter with Tyler Smith | Ep #848

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Ever wonder how much your agency's growth is limited by staying too broad? Or what could happen if you picked one niche and went all in? Today's featured guest didn't set out to run a food service marketing agency; He followed the opportunities, learned from a few hard lessons selling door-to-door, and eventually discoverd the power of focus.

He'll share how niching down, rebranding, and embracing flexibility helped him grow his agency into a specialized agency serving some of the biggest names in food service and the ways in which he and his team refined the agency's positioning.

Tyler Smith is the president and owner of Matato, a brand strategy and creative marketing agency focused on food and beverage brands in the food service and "away from home" space. His agency helps those brands reach restaurant operators, chefs, and food service directors with smarter, more intentional marketing.

In this episode, we'll discuss:

• The power of positioning.

• The difference choosing a niche made for his agency.

• Flexible selling and empathy in action.

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How Selling Vacuums Led to a Food Service Marketing Agency

Tyler laughs about it now, but his first "sales training" involved knocking on doors and demoing carpet cleaners that cost more than most people's first cars.

While studying advertising, Tyler was sure he wanted to be a graphic designer or copywriter, and while that door-to-door sales job started as a way earn extra beer money, it ended up being a crash course in marketing psychology. He learned how to capture attention, demonstrate value, and handle rejection — all skills that would later serve him as an agency owner.

After college, the 2009 recession hit, and finding a creative job in advertising wasn't easy. So when an agency owner offered him a commission-only sales role, he jumped in. Within a few months, Tyler was closing enough deals to get brought on full-time. Fast forward a decade, and he's now the sole owner of that same agency, rebranded as Matato, now leading a team of specialists helping food brands grow smarter.

The Smart Positioning and Rebranding Transformed the Agency

When Tyler took full ownership, he knew the agency needed an identity that reflected its niche and direction. The old name didn't quite fit anymore.

So he created Matato, a playful twist on "tomato, tomato, potato, potato." It was something memorable, food-related, and (importantly) trademarkable with a clean domain to match. More than a name change, that rebrand was a signal that the agency was doubling down on food service marketing as their core focus.

This was a big move for Tyler as he stepped up as the face of the agency. If you can't own your brand, both emotionally and digitally, you can't expect your clients to trust that you'll own theirs.

From Generalist to Specialist: Why Niching Down Drives Growth

For years, Matato worked with all kinds of B2B and B2C clients. But as they grew, Tyler noticed the most rewarding and most profitable projects were always in food service. So they made the call to go narrow to grow big.

That meant focusing on the brands serving restaurants, distributors, and institutions. Tyler's team helps these brands move from a sales-heavy approach to a true marketing strategy, teaching them how to