Insights on agency growth, M&A strategy, and preparing for exit
Drawn from 25 years of building, scaling, and selling agencies as a founder, CEO, chair and consultant
How I built an AI version of Scale at Speed
From a coffee app built on a rainy Saturday to Scale at Speed AI, distilled from the book, a 160,000-word course and terabytes of workshop video.
The Margin Question
His agency got 35 per cent faster with AI and clients asked for lower prices. He repriced around outcomes instead. Margins went from 22 to 34 per cent.
The Pitch Gap
An agency lost a pitch to a rival offering half the timeline for the same scope. The rival had rebuilt around AI. The founder had not known the gap existed.
The Missing Rung
AI automated the research and first drafts that used to teach juniors how to think. A creative director rebuilt junior roles around judgment instead of output.
The Scope Problem
AI made the team 40 per cent faster, so they said yes to everything and margins dropped eleven points. Faster is only more profitable if you take back the time.
Measuring What Works
Asked how she knew AI was working, a founder said she could feel it. Eight weeks of before-and-after tracking on three workflows turned that into evidence.
The Native Agency
One founder rebuilt everything around AI: forty-two people to twenty-eight, same revenue, margins roughly doubled. AI as infrastructure rather than a tool.
The AI Hire
A new Head of AI spent three months on training sessions nobody used. Sitting with teams and fixing what took too long that week got them coming to him instead.
The Contract Problem
A client sent an AI addendum and two weeks to sign it. A procurement exercise, not a confrontation, and it forced the governance work that was overdue anyway.
Data Leakage
Eleven people, four AI tools, three teams, and nobody knew where client data went. Regulated-client data sat in a free-tier tool. Fixing it took two weeks.
Client Value
She built a serious AI capability and pitched it as efficiency. Clients wanted to know what AI meant for their own business. The outward-facing answer wins.
Team Buy-In
Three agency AI rollouts quietly failed as people drifted back to old habits. The problem was ownership, not resistance. People implement what they design.
Knowing Your Level
Founders say their agency is at Level 2 or 3 on AI maturity. Ask about a legally reviewed policy, contract cover and data flows, and the answer is not yet.
The Governance Gap
She thought her agency was at Governed on the AI maturity model. No written policy, no data map, 2022 contracts. Governed is where you can safely accelerate.
Let’s talk
If you’re serious about building significant value, preparing for an exit, or executing a roll-up strategy, get in touch below. I’ll respond personally.