How to Scale Your Agency Beyond $10M: Insights from Graeme Barlow

The dream of growing your agency to 8 figures doesn't happen by simply tweaking your sales strategy or creating a viral ad campaign.

Strategies that got you to 6 and 7 figures, including horizontal growth and prioritizing revenue, might keep the lights on in the early days but will ultimately stop you from breaking through to the next level.

When Graeme Barlow joined Iversoft, they were a small agency with a big service offering, 5-figure contracts and a few name-brand clients.

Now they've grown to 50+ employees and over $45 million in lifetime sales.

Here's what Graeme did to scale:

Chapter 1: Verticalize Your Offering

At one point, Iversoft was struggling to be everything to everyone. Then they made a strategic decision that changed everything: they focused on their core strength.

Why It's Effective:

This strategy works because it allows you to become an expert in your field. Instead of spreading yourself thin, you can concentrate on being the best at one thing.

This makes it easier to market your services, train your team, and deliver consistent results.

How to Use It:

Identify your core strength: What service do you excel at? What brings in the most profit?

Narrow your focus: Gradually phase out services that don't align with your core offering.

Build expertise: Invest in developing deep knowledge and skills in your chosen area.

Example:

Iversoft decided to focus exclusively on mobile development. This meant downsizing and saying goodbye to some established revenue streams. 

However, this focus allowed them to build strong client success stories and move upmarket towards 7-figure contracts.

Chapter 2: Fix Your Billing Model

Graeme found that shifting from project-based billing to retainer models was a game-changer for Iversoft's growth.

What Is Retainer-Based Billing?

Instead of charging for individual projects or deliverables, you charge a fixed monthly fee for ongoing services. This creates more predictable revenue and aligns your interests with those of your clients.

Benefits of Retainer-Based Billing:

Predictable revenue: You know exactly how much you'll earn each month.

Better client relationships: You're incentivized to provide ongoing value.

Improved profitability: It's easier to plan resources and manage costs.

How to Make It Work:

Analyze your current clients: Identify which ones are actually profitable.

Design retainer packages: Create service bundles that provide ongoing value.

Transition carefully: Start with your best clients and gradually move others to the new model.

Chapter 3: Reimagine Your Go-to-Market Strategy

Graeme noticed that their best work, while not always the most profitable, came from big-name clients. This insight led to a reimagining of their go-to-market strategy.

Key Components:

Case Studies: Build out great case studies and success stories for brands that will instill trust in other similar-sized companies.

Strategic Partnerships: Partner with complementary businesses to expand your reach.

Focused Sales Efforts: Dedicate significant time to selling, especially when facing growth challenges.

Why It Works:

This approach helps you leverage your best work to attract more high-value clients. It also expands your network and creates new opportunities through partnerships.

Try It Yourself:

Identify your best clients: Who are your most prestigious or successful clients?

Create compelling case studies: Showcase the results you've achieved for these clients.

Seek out partnerships: Look for businesses that complement your services.

Prioritize sales: Spend at least six hours a day on sales activities when you're trying to grow.

Conclusion: Keep Growing, Stay Focused

Graeme's experience with Iversoft demonstrates that success in the agency world requires more than just technical expertise.

It demands strategic thinking, adaptability, and a willingness to focus on what truly drives growth.

For those looking to emulate Iversoft's success, consider these final points:

Clear Offer: A focused service offering can be more powerful than trying to do everything.

Align Interests: Find pricing models that align your success with your clients' success.

Keep Learning: Stay connected with those who are a few steps ahead of you in the industry.

Build to Scale: Create systems and teams that can operate without your constant involvement.

Prioritize Go-to-market: Focus on sales activities, especially when facing growth challenges.

The 8 figure dream is a few essential pivots away. Big changes should lead to big results, and as long as you take the right calculated risks - your scaling journey doesn't have to hit a bottleneck before your ambitions are met.