In this episode of The Orita Podcast, Aaron Schwartz sits down with Rachel Jacobs “the e-commerce agency whisperer” and founder, of Ecommerce Agency Growth & Ecommerce Partnerships, for a brutally honest look at what it really takes to build, scale, and sell an e-commerce agency. From retainers and operations to M&A and partnerships, Rachel pulls back the curtain on how the best agencies run and why most never get there.

Together, they unpack:

• Retainer-first models, how agencies move from one-off projects to durable, scalable recurring revenue

• Tacticians vs. operators, why so many founders become the bottleneck and how to build the layer that frees them

• Agency consolidation, what’s driving niche rollups, service “amputations,” and the coming wipeout of low-value shops

• Niching with intent, how to move from “all things to all people” to a focused offer that commands premium pricing

• Partnerships that work, why tech–agency relationships fail, and how to become the partner everyone wants to bet on

• Choosing tech & AI, how smart agencies evaluate tools, turn data into real strategic insight, and avoid the hype cycle

• Community as a moat, how Rachel built a 20,000+ strong agency network and why “rising tide lifts all ships” is a business strategy

If you’re an agency founder, e-commerce leader, or SaaS operator trying to navigate a crowded ecosystem, understand where to focus, and build a business that’s sellable (not just busy), this episode is your playbook.

👥 Meet the guest Rachel Jacobs, Founder of Ecommerce Agency Growth & Ecommerce Partnerships, advisor, community builder, and “agency mother” to thousands of e-commerce shops worldwide

🎙 Hosted by Aaron Schwartz, Co-Founder & Co-CEO at Orita.ai

🎧 Chapters 00:00 Rachel Jacobs: From Brand-Side Burnout to “Agency Whisperer” 02:47 Reinventing Agency Consulting: What Actually Works Now 05:18 Retainers That Stick: How Smart Agencies Build Predictable Revenue 07:57 From Lonely Founder to Global Tribe: The Power of Agency Community 10:38 Agency Extinction or Evolution? Surviving Consolidation & Market Chaos 13:21 Specialize or Stall: Why Generic Agencies Get Left Behind 16:08 Knowing When to Quit: Cutting Services, Clients, and Dead Weight 18:56 What’s Next for Agencies: Rachel’s Forecast for the Next 3–5 Years 19:10 Operator, Builder, or Innovator? The 3 Types of Agency Owners 20:58 Owning Your Niche: How Category-Leading Agencies Think 23:13 The Pivot: Moving from “We Do Everything” to “We’re the Best at This” 23:40 What Great Brands Expect from Great Agencies 25:17 No More “Throw It Over the Fence”: Fixing Sales-to-Delivery Misalignment 26:13 Drowning in Tools: How Agencies Navigate a Saturated Tech Stack 28:01 Spotting the 1%: How to Identify True Innovators vs. Copycats 30:26 Partnerships That Print Money (Instead of Waste Time) 32:27 Intentional or Transactional? The Real Difference in Winning Partnerships 35:07 Simplicity v Chaos: How to Make Real Progress in Your Agency Business

🌐 Check out Orita.ai for more episodes of The Orita Podcast, where we sit down with the most interesting operators, marketers, and founders in e-commerce to talk about what’s working right now. Hosted by the Orita team. Orita uses machine learning to help brands send smarter, more profitable marketing, by figuring out who actually wants to hear from you and when.

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