I've been reading Humanocracy on a recent trip and it's one of those books that puts language to something most of us have felt for years but never quite named. Here's the premise. Most organisations (including most agencies, even small ones) are built on bureaucratic principles. We don't think of it that way, because we associate bureaucracy with corporates and government departments. But the authors make the case that bureaucracy isn't about size. It's about a set of design choices:...

When the business needs to outgrow the founder Scaling is often talked about as a reward. In reality, it is a responsibility. By the time founders identify with this profile, the agency usually has momentum. Revenue is meaningful. The team is sizeable. Clients rely on the business in serious ways. What worked before still works, but not reliably enough. Scaling is not just 'more' One of the most common mistakes at this stage is assuming scaling is simply about doing more of what already...

Agencies rarely grow in a straight line, most evolve by accident. You win a new client and bring someone in. A new service looks...