Most agency owners don’t start their firm because they dream of running a business. They start because they’re skilled – in design, development, writing, strategy, or another creative or technical craft. That was me.
Then one day, they realize they’re running a company. They’ve got staff to manage, cash flow to balance, proposals to write, and clients to keep happy. Somewhere in that mix, growth slows or stops – and they can’t figure out why.
That’s usually when people start searching for an agency growth consultant. And that might be why you’re here.
The problem is, most explanations of what “agency growth consultant” actually means are vague or self-serving. So let’s get practical: here’s what an agency growth consultant really helps with, and what you can start doing yourself to move the needle.
Getting a Grip on the Numbers
The first thing I look at when working as an agency growth consultant is the numbers. Not vanity stats like revenue or headcount – the ones that reveal how healthy your business really is.
If you want to grow, you need to know some basic baselines like:
- Your Real Shop Rate: what you actually make per hour, not what you charge. Extra points for sorting out the delta.
- Revenue per full-time employee (FTE): a key benchmark for team performance; healthy, well-optimized firms are at $140,000.
- Profit margin: what’s left after everything is paid; healthy firms are at 20%.
Once you have those numbers, the story becomes clear. Maybe your projects are underpriced. Maybe utilization is too low. Maybe you’re overstaffed, or your mix of senior and junior roles is off.
Without this visibility, you’re guessing. Every major decision – hiring, pricing, planning – depends on understanding these fundamentals.
Designing a Structure That Scales
Most agencies grow by reaction, not design. They hire because someone quits, or a big project lands, or the team’s overwhelmed. But growth that lasts comes from structure, not scramble.
As an agency growth consultant, one of the most valuable exercises I walk owners through is mapping an org chart – not just for today, but for the next version of their business.
That chart includes:
- Each role and its responsibilities
- Actual salaries (not guesses)
- Target billable rates and utilization
- Desired profit margin
When you line those up, you can see what your current setup earns, what needs to change for the next stage, and what your “ideal” agency looks like.
It also removes the guesswork around whether to hire or sell first. You can model it out. You’ll know, for example, that adding a project manager only works if you grow billings by X or increase utilization by Y.
Growth is based on math – not wishful thinking – and you can take a crack at it yourself.
Sharpening Your Positioning – Like an Agency Growth Consultant Would
If growth has stalled, there’s a good chance your positioning is too broad or vague. You’re doing a bit of everything for everyone, which means no one sees you as the expert.
When I was running my agency, our biggest jumps in growth came after narrowing our focus. Positioning means being able to clearly state:
- Who you’re for
- What you do best
- Why you’re different
A clear position makes everything easier. Marketing hits harder. Sales calls close faster. Clients come in pre-sold on your value.
An agency growth consultant can help refine and test that positioning – but you can start right now. Look back at your projects and clients: Which were most profitable? Which produced your best work? Which matched what you actually enjoy doing? The overlap between those is where your firm should focus.
Building Marketing Habits That Stick
A common secret of an agency’s growth problem is that it is, often, a consistency problem.
You market in bursts. You post on LinkedIn when you feel like it. You send a newsletter every few months. You sell only when the pipeline dries up.
That’s not strategy. It’s survival.
What works is building simple, repeatable habits that align with your positioning:
- Publish something genuinely useful for your audience every two weeks
- Share real project stories on LinkedIn
- Check in with past clients regularly
- Track and follow up on leads every week
These routines are predictable, and that’s their strength. You don’t need a flashy funnel or viral post – just steady, visible effort.
An agency growth consultant can help define these habits, but only you can maintain them.
Stop Selling Like an Owner; Sell Like a Pro Instead
Sales isn’t about being persuasive. It’s about being prepared. Most agency owners treat it like art – each pitch is improvised.
The best agencies treat sales as it should be treated: a systematized process.
That means having:
- A clear, linear sales pipeline
- Documented processes for deal discovery and flow-through
- Pricing and proposal templates
- A CRM you actually use
Once sales becomes a routine, it stops feeling desperate. You’ll know your conversion rates, deal sizes, and close times. With that data, you can forecast revenue, plan hiring, and invest with confidence.
The Real Secret of An Agency Growth Consultant: Doing It Consistently
Everything above works, but only if you stick with it.
When I act as an agency growth consultant, most of my time isn’t spent revealing secrets. It’s helping owners stay focused and disciplined on what matters. The biggest difference between agencies that grow and those that stall is simple: one group builds habits and sticks to them; the other keeps chasing new ideas.
Growth isn’t a mystery. It’s the result of tracking the right numbers, designing a structure that supports profit, owning your positioning, showing up consistently in your marketing, and treating sales like a system.
If you can do that – with or without an agency growth consultant – your firm will go in the direction you want. Up, and to the right.