The 10 FTE Wall: How to Scale Your Agency Past 10 Team Members

Agency Journey

"The value of an hour of your time as an agency owner, if you're growing, is never going backwards."

In this episode of Agency Journey, Gray “The Martian” MacKenzie joins Kuba to discuss the challenges and strategies for agency owners scaling their businesses beyond 10 full-time employees (FTEs).

Gray shares valuable insights on both the psychological and operational aspects of this critical growth phase.

If your agency is past the 10 FTE threshold—or close to it—this is a must-listen to prepare you for the obstacles that you’re about to navigate.

Episode Insights:

💡 The "messy middle" for agencies is typically between 10-30 employees

💡 There are specific skills owners need to develop at this stage: prioritization, forecasting, decision-making, and clear communication

💡 Creating the next layer of leadership is crucial to reduce direct reports and manage growth

💡 Move out of delivery roles first, and focus on the growth side of the business

💡 Building robust systems and processes is key to supporting consistent delivery and hiring

💡 Implementing capacity and workload tracking becomes critical at this stage

💡 Leaning into your agency's unfair advantage is crucial for sustainable growth

Resources Mentioned:

🌐 Gray’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graymackenzie/

🛠️ ClickUp: https://www.clickup.com/?utm_campaign=agency-journey-ep-309-gray-10-fte-wall

🛠️ EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System)

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