Agencies are losing up to 58% of their workday to inefficiencies like emails, unnecessary meetings, coordinating work, and scattered processes according to Asana’s 2023 Work Global Index. The solution? Structured, collaborative workflows that boost productivity by 25% and speed up projects by 30%.

After 7 years of helping agencies scale, I’ve seen the same challenges hold them back—profitability leaks, lack of systems, and founders stuck in the weeds. Here are 7 key lessons to help agencies run more efficiently, improve margins, and create sustainable growth.

For agencies that have surpassed the point of the 12-15 full-time-equivalent (FTE) employee mark, having an effective leadership team is the difference between failure and success. And this is where leveling up your leadership teams becomes invaluable. 

With many agencies facing market challenges and decreased profits recently, it's worth considering how to gain from an experienced Operations role without committing to the full salary (and employee expenses) of a Director of Operations or COO. 

Cue the growing popularity of Fractional Operations for agencies. 🙌

Listen, I get it - documentation isn’t a sexy word. Maybe the thought of it makes you roll your eyes. But it’s one of the most important things you can start doing in order to make your agency more efficient. So are you taking all the steps you should to get things right?

One of the biggest frustrations I've observed owners wrestle with is figuring out how to work on their business and not in it.

This is a crucial distinction to make if owners want to scale their agency and not find themselves as the bottleneck. 

A metric is telling you two things: where you’ve been, and where you might be going. If you’re barely treading water, these metrics can help your feet find solid ground.

When it comes to keeping teams and internal processes organized, many business owners and leaders feel stuck in the weeds. From managing work roles and expectations, to making sure historical knowledge gets passed on, business owners have a lot on their plate. 

One of the foundational items I make sure agencies have in place at the start of an engagement is a clear Organizational Structure and making sure all the supporting infrastructure is in place.

In WeConsult’s experience with helping agencies, we’ve found three common mistakes that occur within their operational management that contribute to profitability leaks. You can find those mistakes below and how to fix them. 

With the sheer amount of PM tools out there in the world, it can feel impossible to select the right one for your agency! Just choosing one at random will probably leave you scratching your head or frustrated at the functionality. We take a look at the process to choosing the perfect tool and how to implement it flawlessly!

One thing I did not have on my 2020 bingo card was hiring two new employees during a pandemic. I feel really lucky to have had that opportunity in this context. Now that the onboarding is done and our new teammates are humming along with client work, I took a look at the hiring process and lessons I learned. Take a look at three key takeaways that I’ve highlighted to save your agency time and money when hiring a new team member.

Have you ever brought in a new contractor and realized your onboarding process is WAY disorganized? Maybe it’s outdated or simply non-existent. This is a common problem with a simple solution: process documentation! It can be easy to waste time or make mistakes here, so we’ve outlined 8 mistakes you should avoid as you invest in process documentation.

How did 2019 end for all of you? Did you have any unexpected changes in revenue or profitability? Nobody likes to see those numbers sink. I’ve seen agencies focus on their revenue and become obsessed with decline. But if you’re only looking at revenue and not profitability, you can miss the trees for the forest.

Maybe you’ve heard someone say, “She is definitely going to challenge this idea; she’s an 8” or “He’s an INFP, so he will understand where you’re coming from and get it.” What’s this have to do with agency operations? Well, as service-based businesses, the entire company rests on the personality and skills of your amazing team members. Using a test to understand everyone’s personality types, teams can work more effectively, efficiently, and can set teams up to astonish their clients.

For the last decade my experience as an Operations Manager has taught me that a tool you loved 5 years ago might be outdated now! And it’s not just the tools that have changed. For those who have been involved in agency operations, you know how many moving pieces there are to track and manage. With everything that must be juggled as an agency evolves, it is crucial to find resources that help relieve the workload!

Glassdoor is a great place to get to read about people’s experience as an employee and talk about things that matter in the workplace. Things like their coworkers, processes in place, benefits and pay, their relationships with their manager, whether there’s a good work/life balance, and most importantly whether they approve of the CEO! Today we take a look at the underlying messages of negative company reviews, and how we can avoid these mishaps in our own agencies.

Did you know that 82% of small businesses that have failed cite cash flow as a major issue? 😟 We’ve seen businesses close their doors, or face some really hard decisions because of a lack of cash. Whether or not you are in this camp, we guarantee that having more cash on hand will open up more opportunities for your agency.

We’ve all seen the job descriptions of companies looking for those magical unicorn employees; those rare beasts who create masterful designs with ease, write code proficiently, are amazing at managing people, are best friends with the clients, can grow accounts, all while being incredibly organized.

Need a manager to help your teams do their best work? Hiring internally can save you the stress and costs of an extensive hiring process. But are there any hidden costs? Sometimes a superb employee doesn’t make a superb manager. Hiring the right manager can prevent turnover and protect your bottom line.

We’re often asked to recommend / implement tools to make business operations more efficient. Constantly chasing after the “best” tool can leave your team frustrated and can actually be a drain to your bottom line. While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all app, it is helpful to hear from others you trust in the industry as you choose which ops tools to use.

Are you an agency owner who is still handling the daily operations for your team? Does your organization have operations responsibilities spread over multiple people? It might be the right time to start looking for an operations manager! Join us as we take a look at how you can know when it’s the right time to bring on an ops person. Not sure what an operations manager would do? Don’t worry, we cover that, too!

To create a true partnership with your clients, you need to establish clear boundaries early and whenever necessary to keep the rules of engagement top of mind. Situations where clients push past unsaid expectations are completely preventable. So why not set yourself and your team up well from the start with clear rules at the kickoff?

Just like your personal finances, having a budget in place for your company will help guide your day to day decisions and set you up for success! Make the choices today to know where your dollars are going and reclaim confidence over those intimidating metrics.

Annual employee reviews are like a two-sided coin. On one hand, I love how those special meetings allow you to really dig into the technical and soft skill growth of employees. On the other hand, why do we do them so infrequently? Isn’t this type of personal connection something managers should be doing on an ongoing basis?!

There’s a good chance that if you’re part of a leadership team, you’ve been charged with making critical decisions. After the hundredth decision of the day, your executive function is probably struggling. But what if there is a solution? What if you could prevent decision fatigue and utilize your team better?

There are many benefits of remote work for the employee and the company, but these benefits aren’t exclusive to remote teams. Even if your organization is predominantly on-site, you can dip your toe in by embracing a work from home policy.

Here’s a crazy fact - our national unemployment rate is currently 3.5% (as of October 2019). This is the lowest it’s been since 1969!! That’s awesome right?! Well, yes for the economy, but not so much if you’re trying to hire for your company. Make sure you’re a cut above the others by really honing in your hiring process. The days of “I’ll know it’s the right candidate when I start speaking to them” are over.

Tracking time is never fun, but it’s something I highly recommend all service based companies do. You know, like those other annoying habits that we know are good for us but are well...annoying. So just like flossing your teeth or going to the gym, the best way to motivate yourself is to understand WHY it’s important.

Exit interviews are a simple and impactful process that companies can implement in their organization. Scheduling their exit interview may not seem high priority, but it is a huge opportunity to learn and grow.

Are you getting the most out of your company’s financials? You’ve probably already outsourced your bookkeeping, which is a great first step. However, out of sight out of mind won’t work for financials. You need to make sure you’re getting the critical insights to help steer the business in the right direction!

We all know that actions speak louder than words, but how many of us are actually living this? This is so important, especially in our businesses. And while it’s nice to have a Pinterest-ready inspirational quote next to your desk, you’ve got to implement these thoughts into action.