AGENCY OWNER. BIGGER DECISIONS.

GROWTH IS ONLY GOOD IF YOU WANT THE BUSINESS IT CREATES.

Marketing and creative agency owners are often told to scale. The harder question is whether the next stage will make the agency healthier. A bigger client list can concentrate risk; another layer of management can create confusion; and a new service line can distract from the work that actually earns a margin.

After founding Anvil Media in 2000, I spent 22 years making real choices about people, clients, leadership and growth. In 2022, Anvil merged with Deksia. That is a relevant operating history, not a claim that every agency should pursue an acquisition or follow my decisions.

If you have been looking for a business coach for agency owners, my approach is more specific: independent founder advisory for the choice on your desk. We can question the assumptions behind an agency growth plan, not sell you a playbook or promise an exit.

THREE QUESTIONS AN AGENCY FOUNDER SHOULD BRING.

Which work is really profitable? Separate high revenue from strong contribution margin, and ask whether scope, client concentration or delivery capacity are distorting the picture.

What still depends on you? Identify where accounts, proposals, hiring or difficult conversations wait for your permission. See the founder-dependency advisory for a deeper way into that question.

What kind of agency do you want in three years? Owner-operated, leadership-led, partnered or positioned for a possible sale can each call for different decisions today. You do not have to arrive with a polished presentation; bring the trade-offs and the numbers you are comfortable discussing.

To understand my background, explore the Anvil lessons and my experience. To prepare a single decision, use the free decision worksheet.

THE WORK IS ON THE RECORD.

This advice grows out of operating an agency, not simply observing one. The real tests included building a team, changing the culture when it wasn't working, and deciding whether a merger was the right next chapter.

Lessons from the mistakes. In my April 2026 NextNW article on six agency strategies that did not work, I reflect on losing touch with client delivery, balancing sales and service, and protecting culture when revenue pressures rise. Those are real decisions I had to face, not generic growth rules.

Growing and choosing clients. In a published Cloudways founder interview, I explained why selective, sustainable growth mattered more to Anvil than winning every large account.

Building a healthier organisation. My conversation with Session Interactive explores values, accountability, and the hard work of changing agency culture.

Thinking about an exit. I shared lessons from Anvil's 2022 merger with Deksia in an Inc. article. That is experience worth discussing, not a template or a guarantee that selling is right for you.

Explore the business stories or the interview archive before deciding whether my advisory approach fits your situation.

ONE DECISION OR AN ONGOING RHYTHM.

Start with a $750 standalone 90-minute session or ongoing $600/month advisory with one prepared 90-minute conversation and planning worksheet each month. Explore the format and terms.