The 3 Stages Where Most Agencies Fall Apart

Most agencies don’t plateau because the offer stops working.

Or the market shifts.

Or competitors get ahead.

They plateau because the systems that got them here can’t take them further.

There are 3 structural thresholds where this always happens:

→ 12 people
→ 24 people
→ 50 people

Here’s what breaks at each stage—and what has to evolve if you want to scale past $3M:

Stage 1: The 12-Person Plateau

This is where the founder is still in every room.

You’re selling, delivering, approving, and cleaning up.

 You have traction, but growth is painful.

What it feels like:
• Nothing moves without you
• You’re stuck in Slack and client inboxes
• You haven’t had a real day off in months

What to fix:
• Hire a project manager (not a “COO”)
• Build a weekly ops tracker
• Record your delivery steps—Loom + Notion is enough

Your goal is to have a team that can deliver the service without you so you can focus on sales and marketing

Stage 2: The 24-Person Plateau

Now you’ve got “departments,” but no real managers.

You’re still the bridge between everyone and everything.

What it feels like:
• Endless meetings and “quick questions”
• You’re the only one solving cross-functional problems
• Team growth feels heavier, not lighter

What to fix:
• Appoint functional leads with ownership—not tasks
• Define 3 KPIs per team (delivery, churn, utilization)
• Step out of client comms completely

Your goal is to remove yourself from any agency process.

You’re no longer involved in daily operations.

You think strategically, lead quarterly, and focus on enterprise value.

Stage 3: The 50-Person Plateau

This is where founders burn out—or get stuck.

The old systems collapse under complexity.

You’re reacting instead of leading.

What it feels like:
• Hiring is messy
• Culture is slipping
• You’re losing visibility into numbers and reporting lines

What to fix:
• Hire a real finance lead (bookkeepers aren’t enough)
• Install a 3-layer org chart (execs → managers → doers)
• Standardize hiring, onboarding, reviews
• Start grooming your exec layer to replace you in ops

The goal:

You’re not just acting like a CEO—you’re becoming the owner.

You’re building for optionality, succession, and potential exit.

If you’re hitting one of these ceilings, it’s not a talent issue.
It’s a system issue.

Reply with “OWNER” and I’ll send you a private breakdown of which stage you’re in—and what to do next to unlock scale.