How Tom Perry Productised Sherpa and Found 20% Growth After 15 Years
- Chris Bantock
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
After fifteen years running Sherpa, Tom Perry had built an enviable agency, respected, busy, profitable. Yet under the surface, he felt the familiar strain that creeps in when success becomes complex.
“We were doing everything for everyone,” he says. “Partner marketing, content, demand gen, strategy… 33 separate services on the list. It was hard for the team to know what we stood for, each project was a new start and sometimes harder for clients to see the value clearly.”
That realisation triggered a bold decision: to productise Sherpa’s entire service offering, cutting from thirty-one services to just three. It wasn’t about shrinking, it was about sharpening.
From Everything to Excellence
The transformation wasn’t smooth at first. Tom admits there was hesitation inside the business.
“We’d built a culture of ‘yes’. If a client asked for something, we’d find a way. But the team quickly realised that focus gives them power. Suddenly, everyone knew exactly what good looked like, and they could measure themselves against it.”
With clarity came confidence and growth. Sherpa has seen more than 20% year-on-year growth since the shift. Utilisation is now above 70%, and the agency’s profitability and delivery consistency are stronger than ever.
“Clarity has been good for business, but also for morale,” Tom adds. “People aren’t juggling fifteen things anymore.”
A Scalable Model for a Global Team
While Sherpa’s core team sits at around twenty people, the agency operates through a global contractor model, something Tom believes gives them both agility and depth.
“We’ve built long-term relationships with marketing & demand gen specialists all over the world,” he explains. “They might technically be contractors, but they feel like part of the family. We work very hard at maintaining our culture with all our stakeholders,- suppliers, staff, contractors and advisors alike."
The ‘Human Sandwich’ Approach to AI
Tom’s approach to technology reflects the same pragmatism.
“We call it the ‘human sandwich,’” he laughs. “AI in the middle, humans on either side.”
At Sherpa, AI handles the heavy lifting: analysis, structuring, and even first drafts. Then human judgment, empathy, and creativity step in to elevate the work.
“AI isn’t about replacing people,” Tom says. “It’s about freeing them up to focus on higher-value work.”
Scaling With Purpose, Not Panic
Sherpa’s evolution has also reshaped how Tom thinks about his own role as a founder. The next chapter, he says, is about building an asset, not just running a business.
“The goal now is to build Sherpa so it could operate without me if I stepped away. That doesn’t necessarily mean selling, but I want us to have the option.”
He’s thinking in three-to-five-year horizons, developing systems, predictability, and leadership capacity that reduce dependency on him.
“It’s about maturity,” he reflects. “We’re past the freestyling stage, this is about scaling with purpose.”
The Power of Clarity
If he could speak to his younger self, Tom’s advice would be simple.
“Get clear sooner. Focus is your friend. It took me too long to realise that saying ‘no’ is the only way to make ‘yes’ mean something.”
For Tom, success today isn’t about chasing endless growth; it’s about control, calm, and confidence in the model.
“We’ve built a business that’s calm, profitable, and scalable. That’s what success looks like for me right now.”
About Sherpa
Founded by Tom Perry, Sherpa is a specialist partner marketing agency helping technology vendors and their partners grow together. With a global team and over 15 years in business, Sherpa continues to redefine how complex partner ecosystems communicate, collaborate, and convert.
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