Most agencies assume that once they hit a certain revenue milestone, things will finally feel easier.
More stability. More confidence. More room to breathe.
And yet, that’s often not what actually happens.
I’ve watched agencies reach the exact same revenue number and end up in completely different lived realities. One feels grounded, intentional, and steady. The other feels brittle, reactive, and constantly “on.”
Same revenue. Very different experience.
And the difference usually has nothing to do with talent, ambition, or effort.
What Actually Separates Those Two Agencies
When you look closely at agencies that land in very different places at the same revenue level, the distinction isn’t how hard they’re working.
It’s the growth logic underneath the business.
Some agencies are built to grow through volume. They depend on constant acquisition, output, and expansion. Motion is what keeps things upright, and when things slow down, pressure rises quickly.
Others are built to grow through depth. They compound value through trust, fit, and relevance over time. The work reinforces the relationships. The relationships reinforce reputation. And the business becomes steadier because fewer things are competing for attention at once.
👆That underlying logic quietly shapes how the business behaves as it grows.
It influences how work is structured and sequenced over time.
It affects whether the agency becomes increasingly fragmented or more focused.
It determines whether decisions are made reactively in response to demand, or intentionally in service of direction. And it largely dictates whether growth creates resilience or fragility when pressure shows up.
This is why two agencies can hit the same milestone and experience it so differently.
Same revenue doesn’t mean the same business.
A Concrete Contrast at $1M
In the first episode of my new series on the podcast, I walk through a very concrete contrast between two agencies that both reach $1M in revenue.
On paper, they look identical. Same top-line number. Same external marker of success.
But the way their businesses actually function couldn’t be more different.
One reaches $1M through a higher number of smaller engagements. As the business grows, coordination demands increase, context-switching becomes constant, and the agency relies on motion to maintain stability.
The other reaches the same revenue with far fewer clients, deeper work, and longer relationships. That continuity allows decisions to reinforce one another over time instead of competing for attention.
What matters here isn’t which agency is “better.”
It’s what this contrast reveals about how agencies are designed to grow and why growth can start to feel heavier instead of lighter, even when things are objectively going well.
What This Episode Helps You See More Clearly
This conversation isn’t about tactics or quick fixes. It’s about understanding the mechanics underneath agency growth.
In the episode, you’ll hear more about:
- Why revenue milestones don’t automatically create stability or ease
- How growth can increase pressure even when an agency is technically “successful”
- The unspoken assumptions behind most agency growth advice
- What the $1M contrast reveals about different ways agencies are structured to grow🎧
If you’ve ever felt uneasy about the version of success the agency world keeps promoting, this episode will help you put language to that feeling. Not to tell you what you should want. But to help you understand why what you want might actually make sense.
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