Your audience gets practical ideas they can implement right away—and that they remember long after your event ends.
Karl Sakas helps established agency owners make better high-stakes decisions about growth, leadership, their role, and what comes next.
His talks combine pattern recognition from hundreds of agencies with practical recommendations audiences can apply immediately.
Speaker at 250+ events, in 28 states and four countries
Worked with 600+ agencies on every inhabited continent
5-star event feedback, for virtual and in-person talks
Author of 4 books and 500+ articles
“Karl drew record ticket sales [and] has shared fantastic value at our flagship conference for agency owners.”
Carl Smith
Owner, The Bureau
“Every time I hear Karl speak, I come away with something I can apply directly to my work… and truly enjoy the experience.”
Julia Golomb
Head of Agency Events & Communities, E2M
“[Even when Karl’s closing keynote] was the only thing standing between attendees and the open bar—he kept the room engaged and had people staying through the final session.”
Ian Harris
Founder, Agency Hackers
Why agency event organizers keep booking Karl
Karl is a repeat speaker for organizers at 4As, Agency Hackers, The Bureau, HubSpot, and others.
Built specifically for agency audiences
Whether a keynote or an executive retreat, Karl speaks to the decisions agency owners and leaders are actually wrestling with—from AI and changing business models to leadership, owner dependence, and long-term value.
Practical ideas with clear next moves
Attendees leave with more than information or inspiration. Karl helps them see what matters, decide what to do next, and translate the ideas into practical action.
Prepared, responsive, and easy to work with
As a long-time event organizer himself, Karl understands what happens behind the scenes. He is organized, collaborative, and focused on making both the organizer and the audience successful.
Programming Topics for Agency Events
Every talk is tailored to your audience. Recent and upcoming topics include:
Is Your Agency Strategy as AI-Ready as Your Tactics?
Connect AI adoption to the bigger questions about your agency’s business model, leadership structure, economics, succession, and the owner’s role.
How Owner Decisions Shape Agency Value (and the Metrics That Show It)
See how everyday decisions about profitability, leadership, client mix, and owner dependence affect what the agency becomes worth over time.
Stop Being the Bottleneck: Which Agency Role Should You Delegate Next?
Identify what should come off the owner’s plate first, what should stay, and how to make the transition without everything falling apart.
How to Build an Agency That Doesn’t Need You in Every Client Conversation
Reduce client dependence on the owner while strengthening account leadership, trust, and accountability across the team.
Build a More Valuable Agency—Whether You Sell, Step Back, or Stay
Create more options by improving leadership, profitability, and owner independence before a sale or transition becomes urgent.
Make Better High-Stakes Decisions When There’s No Clear “Right” Answer
Use context, priorities, and judgment to make consequential decisions when the obvious answers are incomplete—or conflict with each other.
Formats and Event Types
Karl delivers in-person or virtually—with a keynote, breakout, workshop, panel, or facilitated session.
Keynotes
Workshops
Fireside Chats
Panels
And more
Agency conferences
Agency mastermind groups
Agency communities
Quarterly meetings
Webinars
Reviews from Agency Event Organizers
You—and your attendees and members—will be glad you booked Karl for your next event.
“After I saw Karl speak in Denver, I was like, ‘I need to get this guy to Portland.’ He breaks things down into simple things that you can do to run your agency more effectively. I sold my agency; I’m still nodding my head, going, ‘I wish I’d known that earlier. It would have been really helpful’.”
Kent Lewis
Executive Director, NextNW
“Karl’s presentation at our Agency Rainmaker Forum at UC San Diego was one of the highlights of the event. He delivers highly valuable content in a wonderful, magnetic way.
He scored 5 out of 5 on our team’s evaluation. While attending, he also looked for ways to add value to all he interacted with.
We want him back again and again.”
Henry DeVries
Host, Agency Rainmaker Forum
“Karl is crushing his [Ask Me Anything]. I’ve seen him speak many times before but forgot how valuable his presentations are.”
Jon Sasala
President, Hypha
“Karl closed our inaugural Miami event and gave the conference a strong finish.
Even in the final slot—when his talk was the only thing standing between attendees and the open bar—he kept the room engaged and had people staying through the final session.
His ideas clearly resonate with agency owners, and the conversation continued well after the session. Karl delivers practical, actionable insights. I’d happily have Karl back.”
Ian Harris
Founder, Agency Hackers
“As an event organizer and community manager, you want to attract great humans who are energized by helping your members.
Karl has shared fantastic value with The Bureau since 2014, including at our flagship conference for agency owners. More recently, Karl drew record ticket sales for his Agency Growth Workshop while innovating a new event format.
I’m so grateful Karl is in The Bureau—and when you give him a chance, I bet he’ll help your community, too.”
Carl Smith
Owner, The Bureau
“Karl is a compelling public speaker who shares unique wisdom with his audience. During his Q&A segments, he takes challenging questions and offers concrete, actionable answers rooted in real-world examples from his many years as an agency advisor. Every time I hear Karl speak, I come away with something I can apply directly to my work… and truly enjoy the experience.”
Julia Golomb
Head of Agency Events & Communities, E2M
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Published Author
Karl has written four books on agency leadership and growth.
