Meet Jason Shader Smith | Founder & Principal, The MLH Agency

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jason Shader Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jason, what do you attribute your success to?
A lot of people say to hire folks who can help you with your weaknesses. While that can be helpful, I also believe in hiring people who excel in your strengths, too. Doing this, especially early on, frees up your most valuable asset — your time. You can then use that time to grow your business, tackle things only you can do, and give yourself some grace and work/life balance.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The MLH Agency is a full service marketing and PR agency aiming to be a one stop shop. We are all about empowering small and medium-sized businesses with resources that usually only big agencies have access to. What sets us apart is our flexibility and our dedication to our clients – our ability to say yes to any ask. We know every business is different, so we take the time to tailor our approach to fit each client’s unique needs, and pivot as necessary.

The hardest part was just figuring out where to start. There’s no step-by-step guide for launching a business, and I’m not really a “business plan” type of person–that’s just not how I work. I trust my gut and dive with both feet in.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d start by taking them to my go-to spot: Clayton Members Club. I’m a proud founding member and serve on the membership committee. It’s my home away from home. After that, we’d have to visit Red Rocks when there isn’t a show going on — it’s so surreal without the crowds. And for dinner, it’s either Jacques for French food – or, even though it sounds unexpected, Denver has incredible sushi! Temaki Den serves the best hand rolls I’ve ever had. (Though, full disclosure, I haven’t been to Japan…yet😉)

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to my mom, who always reminded me to “MGD and MLH” — make good decisions and make life happen. That’s actually where the name of my business came from. Business runs in my blood, and family means everything to me. I’m the third generation in a family business and my cousins have built a multi-generational one, too. I even get to partner with some family on deals, which is super special. I like to think it would make my grandparents, who are no longer with us and who started our family business back in Florida, incredibly proud.

Website: https://www.themlhagency.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themlhagency/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-mlh-agency

Image Credits
Photos from Denver Startup Week – Kalen Jesse
Jason’s Headshot – Daniel Brenner
Photo of Jason Wearing Sunglasses – Josh Vertucci
Photo with Andrea Schumacher – Brendan Pike