Cody C. Jensen talks with Jason Barnard about scaling with soul.
Scaling with Soul! Cody C. Jensen, Founder and CEO of Searchbloom, reveals how to build a $900 million client-generating agency without sacrificing your values. Drawing from his experience as a former Google employee and 10+ years scaling an award-winning search marketing agency, Cody shares his proven framework for growing teams from 3 to 25+ employees while maintaining ethics and transparency. Discover why he banned the word "client" from his company, how to replace yourself strategically at each growth stage, and the six core values that drive lasting relationships and industry-leading retention rates.
In this episode, you'll discover:- The leadership transition points that make or break scaling companies- Why bespoke services and scale aren't enemies when done right- How to embed your team directly with partners for maximum results- The "two pizza rule" for effective team management- Why AI agents enhance human expertise rather than replace it- How transparent communication drives $900M+ in client results
This conversation offers a blueprint for entrepreneurs who want to scale their business without losing their soul or compromising their values.
#ScalingWithSoul #SearchMarketing #SEOAgency #EthicalBusiness #TeamBuilding #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #DigitalMarketing #Entrepreneurship #AgencyLife #BusinessValues #ScaleUp #StartupGrowth #BusinessStrategy #Podcast #FastlaneFounders #CodyCJensen #Searchbloom
What you’ll learn from Cody C. Jensen
This episode was recorded live on video July 1st 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LLA0BGXbwg
Links to pieces of content relevant to this topic:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1265-searchbloom-digital-marketing-and-seo-strategies/id562518965?i=1000700534958https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scaling-a-digital-marketing-agency-with-white-hat/id1360621621?i=1000698844372Cody C. Jensen
Transcript from Cody C. Jensen with Jason Barnard on Fastlane Founders And Legacy. Scaling with Soul
[00:00:00] Jason Barnard: So I'm looking at the screen. I can see scaling with soul. AI doesn't have a soul.
[00:00:07] Cody C. Jensen: Does not have a soul.
[00:00:08] Jason Barnard: Agential AI doesn't have a soul. So there's another contradiction going on there. So how do you scale with soul and use AI?
[00:00:17] Cody C. Jensen: I think number one, recognizing AI for what it is. As you said, It does not have a soul.
[00:00:25] Cody C. Jensen: It is literally a machine. You're having conversations with a computer that has very little knowledge as it relates to being a human, right. It can only learn from humans itself and then over time, it can teach itself more and more. So scaling with soul starts, I believe with leadership, top down.
[00:00:48] Jason Barnard: So you have a soul.
[00:00:51] Cody C. Jensen: I have a soul. Yes.
[00:00:53] Jason Barnard: So describe your soul to me, because then that becomes the vision of the company that passes down to the leadership.
[00:00:58] Cody C. Jensen: Exactly. Yeah. So my soul, I suppose is based on ethics and white hat practices, doing things the right way from the beginning and not taking any shortcuts, knowing that failing is not failing unless you stop. These are parts of like my makeup, if you will. And that's where we took those values or innate things about me and about some of our other leadership team and created our core values.
[00:01:35] Narrator: Fastlane Founders and Legacy with Jason Barnard.
[00:01:39] Narrator: Each week Jason sits down with successful entrepreneurs, CEOs, and executives and get them to share how they mastered the delicate balance between rapid growth and enduring success in the business world. How can we quickly build a profitable business that stands the test of time and becomes their legacy?
[00:01:58] Narrator: A legacy we're proud of.