"The value of an hour of your time as an agency owner, if you're growing, is never going backwards."
In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray “The Martian” MacKenzie joins Kuba to discuss the challenges and strategies for agency owners scaling their businesses beyond 10 full-time employees (FTEs).
Gray shares valuable insights on both the psychological and operational aspects of this critical growth phase.
If your agency is past the 10 FTE threshold—or close to it—this is a must-listen to prepare you for the obstacles that you’re about to navigate.
Episode Insights:
💡 The "messy middle" for agencies is typically between 10-30 employees
💡 There are specific skills owners need to develop at this stage: prioritization, forecasting, decision-making, and clear communication
💡 Creating the next layer of leadership is crucial to reduce direct reports and manage growth
💡 Move out of delivery roles first, and focus on the growth side of the business
💡 Building robust systems and processes is key to supporting consistent delivery and hiring
💡 Implementing capacity and workload tracking becomes critical at this stage
💡 Leaning into your agency's unfair advantage is crucial for sustainable growth
Resources Mentioned:
🌐 Gray’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graymackenzie/
🛠️ ClickUp: https://www.clickup.com/?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-309-gray-10-fte-wall
🛠️ EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System)
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What is Agency Journey?
How do world-class agencies continue to grow profitably and hit their goals, even through the choppy waters and challenges of agency life?
How do leaders like Tiffany Sauder, Marcus Sheridan, Jay Acunzo, Shama Hyder, David C. Baker, Nikole Rose, and Zeb Evans think?
Join Agency Journey host Jakub Grajcar as he interviews agency operators and leaders to share insights, actionable tips, and hilarious stories from the builders who live in the agency trenches.
Each episode focuses on crucial aspects of growing an agency like building the right team, delegation, project management, client success and retention, and operating frameworks like EOS.
Brought to you by ZenPilot: we help lead your agency through the final project management implementation you’ll ever need. Book a call to learn more at ZenPilot.com/Call.
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