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Is Your Agency Built for $1M, $5M, or $10M?
- Romans Ivanovs
- Mar 18
- 9 min read
Earlier this year I spoke with the founder of a $5M/year digital marketing agency. On paper, everything looked great... strong revenue, a talented team and high-value clients. But he wasn’t calling to celebrate.
Instead, his tone was tense.
“I thought getting to $5M would mean less chaos,” he said. “Instead, I’m in more meetings, solving more problems and working more hours than I did at $1M. It feels like I’m holding this whole thing together with duct tape.”
I then chatted with Kristina Radeva and we decided to dig in deeper.
As we peeled back the layers, the issue became obvious...
Delivery had become too complex for the existing structure to handle.
As the team grew, so did the noise. Slack messages, emails and endless meetings were eating up hours of productive time.
Campaign approvals were inconsistent, leading to missed deadlines.
Pod Leaders were juggling too much: strategy, client communication and even some execution.
The team wasn’t failing. They just didn’t have the structure or systems to handle the complexity of $5M in revenue.
The reality is that it doesn’t matter where you are in revenue—$1M, $5M, or $10M. At each stage of growth, you’ll face scaling symptoms that point to deeper structural issues.
If your agency feels stuck, ask yourself: Are we scaling with intention or just reacting to growth as it happens?
Let’s dive into what a good agency delivery structure looks like for all three revenue brackets: $1M, $5M and $10M.
$1M Revenue (Lean and Centralised)
Running a $1M agency feels less like steering a ship and more like trying to duct tape a rocket mid-launch.
Your team? Overworked but “figuring it out.”
Your processes? A mix of intuition and “we’ve always done it this way.”
Your role? Strategist, firefighter, therapist.
So, how do you keep your rocket from exploding? It starts with building a team and structure that can actually handle the heat. Let’s break it down.
Team Size:
→ Paid Media/Performance Marketing Agency: 6–10 people.
→ Klaviyo/Email Marketing Agency: 12–15 people.
Pod Structure:
→ Two Pods, with shared resources to maximise efficiency and effectiveness. Now, the number of pods highly depends on service, pricing and the business goals you optimise for. For example one of our clients reached $1ARR with only one pod.
Core Pod Roles:
1. Strategist / Retention Lead / Creative Strategist:
The client-facing role. This person balances soft skills with a strong understanding of strategy, guiding the team and aligning deliverables with client goals.
2. Project Manager (Shared Across Two Pods):
Ensures timelines are met, specs are followed, and the overall execution aligns with the strategy.
3. Klaviyo Expert or Paid Media Specialist (Shared Across Two Pods):
Manages technical implementation whether it’s flows, ads or automation.
4. Creative Support (Designers or Copywriters):
Produces the creative assets needed for campaigns.
You may be asking, where is a dedicated AM (Account Manager) role? Well, read on as I'll explain exactly why we believe a modern small to medium size agency doesn't need one.
How does QA work without a dedicated role?
The two-peer review system replaces the need for a dedicated QA specialist:
Step 1: The Expert Check ensures the deliverable is up to the agency’s quality standards (e.g., does the design follow brand guidelines? Is the copy engaging and on point?).
Step 2: The PM Check ensures the deliverable is aligned with the strategy and specs set by the Account Manager or Strategist.
This approach keeps the process lean while maintaining high-quality work.
FAQs for a $1M Pod Model:
1. How big should the pod be?
It depends on capacity. If the team is stretched too thin, quality drops. Match pod size to your team’s bandwidth and skill sets.
2. How many clients can an RL/AM/Strategist handle?
Typically, 6–8 clients. The RL's/Strategist’s capacity determines the pod’s upper limit, as they anchor the client relationships and strategic direction.
Owners vs. Helpers
Up to $1M, most agency founders instinctively hire people to “help.” You’re overwhelmed, so you bring on someone to take tasks off your plate. But here’s also a problem. Helpers wait for instructions. They do what they’re told, but they don’t solve problems or move the business forward on their own.
What Helpers Do:
Follow instructions without asking why.
Come to you with problems instead of solutions.
Focus on completing tasks, not driving results.
What Owners Do:
Take full responsibility for their role and results.
Solve problems independently, only escalating when necessary.
Think critically about how to improve processes and outcomes.
The difference is simple: helpers execute. Owners take charge. At $1M, you can’t afford to be the only "owner" in your business.
The $5M Agency (Leadership and Alignment)
If you’re aiming to hit $5M in revenue, it’s time to rethink how your agency is structured. What worked at $1M—generalists, hustle and reactive processes—won’t scale. At $5M, delivery becomes more complex, as you now have bigger clients who expect more and your team needs to step up.
So, what does a $5M agency actually look like when it’s built to handle this growth?
What does a $5M agency ream look like?
If you’re aiming to hit $5M in revenue, it’s time to rethink how your agency is structured. What worked at $1M - generalists, hustle and reactive processes won’t scale. At $5M, delivery becomes more complex, clients expect more, and your team needs to step up.
Here’s the reality: hitting $5M is less about scaling tasks and more about scaling systems, specialisation and most importantly, leadership alignment.
So, what does a $5M agency actually look like when it’s built to handle this growth?
Let’s break it down.
Clear ownership within pods and pod leaders
At $5M, your pods need to function like mini-agencies, with clear roles and accountability for client results. Here’s what a strong delivery structure looks like:
Team Size: ~50 people, with 7-11 Pods supported by a centralised system.
Again, the number of pods depends highly on the service, pricing and financial model. Each pod should be treated with its own KPIs and goals.
Organisational Approach:
No Dedicated Account Managers: the Pod Leaders (Strategists) fully own strategy and client communication.
Alignment through establishing structured meetings.
***Rationale for removing the dedicated Account Manager role***
Clients communicate directly with the Pod Leader, reducing the risk of miscommunication and delays + eliminates an intermediary, speeding up decision-making and firefighting.
The Pod Leader has the deepest understanding of both the client’s goals and the execution, allowing for more nuanced conversations.
The Pod Leader is fully accountable for the client's success, driving a higher level of engagement and commitment.
We've seen a debate in the agency world: Are Project Managers, Customer Success Managers and Account Managers really “useless” at most agencies? I don’t think so! The issue isn’t with the roles themselves, it’s with how they’re defined, the systems supporting them and the skills of the individuals in them. When structured correctly, they solve real problems like founder burnout, bottlenecks, and poor client experiences.
Scaling a Klaviyo agency to $5m/y without adding new services is a bit of a challenge. So let's imagine we added Meta/Google ads as a new service or acquired a performance marketing agency. Here's what it would look like:
Performance Marketing Pod Members:
Strategist/Senior Media Buyer (Pod Leader)
Paid Media Specialists
Creative Strategists
Copywriters
Shared Resources:
Project Manager
QA
Video Editors if applicable
Designers if applicable
Klaviyo Pod Members:
No major difference from 1M Agency in terms of the structure
You now have a dedicated QA role.
Communication lines between different Pods:
1. Strategic alignment - Klaviyo and Performance Marketing Pod Leaders collaborate to align campaign strategies
2. Data sharing and workflow integration - both pods share audience insights, performance data and creative assets through shared dashboards and project management tools
3. Coordinated execution - a Head of Delivery oversees overlapping deliverables like product launches, retargeting campaigns, etc.
Pod leaders alignment
A key part of building this alignment is establishing structured meetings that allow your leadership team and pod leaders to stay connected, solve problems proactively, and keep the agency on track for growth.
Here’s how to integrate weekly and quarterly board-style meetings into your $5M agency structure:
1. Weekly Pod Leaders Meeting: Head of Delivery + Pod Leaders
Purpose: This meeting is a tactical check-in designed to address operational issues, review client performance, and ensure alignment across pods.
Who attends: Head of Delivery and Pod Leaders
2. Quarterly Strategic Meeting: Leadership + Pod Leaders
Purpose: This is a high-level meeting to review performance, set priorities for the next quarter and align the leadership team with the agency’s strategic goals.
Who attends: CEO/Founder, COO, Head of Delivery, Pod Leaders, Fractional CFO
The $5M agency mindset
Hitting $5M isn’t about working harder or signing bigger clients, it’s about building the right structure and systems to scale.
Ask yourself:
Are my pods specialised and self-sufficient?
Do I have the leadership team to support growth?
Are my processes designed for $5M, or am I still running on $1M systems?
Hitting $5M is less about scaling tasks and more about scaling leadership, systems and specialisation.
They say money can’t buy happiness, but at $10M a year, your agency can at least afford a bigger Slack plan, more pods than a NASA space station and enough creative strategists to rival a Hollywood production crew.
On a serious note...
At $10M, pods are fully autonomous. Each pod operates like a mini-agency, owning delivery, results and profitability for their client roster.
Let's imagine we've extended our services further. We now also offer Shopify Development and have PPC as a separate offering.
Key Changes in the $10M Agency Structure
1. Introduction of Group Leads (Middle Management):
Each Group Lead manages 3–4 pods, serving as the bridge between the Leadership Team and Pod Leaders.
Responsibilities of Group Leads:
Monitor pod performance, ensuring quality and KPIs are met.
Act as escalation points for pod-level issues.
Drive cross-pod collaboration and resource allocation.
Mentor Pod Leaders to improve efficiency and client satisfaction.
2. Expanded Support Functions:
Enhanced creative production, data analysis and tech support to handle increased demand.
3. Higher Revenue Per Pod:
Increased ARPC (e.g., higher-value clients, bundled services) or increased client capacity per pod to drive efficiency.
4. Grouping Pods:
As agencies scale to $10M and beyond, the complexity of managing multiple services becomes a significant challenge. Grouping pods by service type like Social Ads, Klaviyo, PPC, and Shopify Development is a deliberate strategy to maintain focus and deliver consistent results at scale.
Building a Team of Self-Guided Missiles (Heads, Group Leads and Pod Leaders)
In my career, I’ve seen and worked with a lot of teams. The ones that scale aren’t made up of people who need constant check-ins, hand-holding, or course corrections. Instead, they’re built with what Nik Storonsky, founder of Revolut calls “self-guided missiles.”
Here’s how he categorises team members:
→ Excellent: Self-starters who rarely need input and consistently exceed expectations.
→ Strong: Can execute without much feedback if the goal is clear.
→ Average: Require constant iterations and regular oversight to succeed.
→ Below Average: Even with guidance, often fail to deliver.
The difference between teams that scale and teams that drag you down
The difference isn’t some magical hiring secret. It’s rooted in two things: standards and decisiveness.
1. How clear are you about excellence?
If your team doesn’t know what “excellent” looks like, how can they deliver? Clarity in expectations, processes, and goals is non-negotiable at $10M.
2. How long are you willing to wait?
If someone isn’t delivering after 4–8 weeks, what makes you think they’ll improve in 3–4 months? The best leaders act quickly when a hire isn’t working, instead of holding on out of hope or fear.
3. How honest are you with yourself?
Keeping “average” performers because they’re nice or you’re scared to replace them is a fast track to burnout—for you and your top players.
Whatch this great pod by Harry Stebbings interviewing Nik Storonsky. Pay attention to the part when Nik speaks about hiring A-players.
I’ve seen this play out in agencies repeatedly. The founders who tolerate mediocrity spend their days micromanaging, stuck in the weeds.
The ones who demand excellence? They scale faster, with less stress, because they’ve built teams that don’t just follow orders—they own results.
This isn’t about being ruthless. It’s about being realistic. A team of self-guided missiles doesn’t need constant oversight. They solve problems, execute with precision and drive the business forward independently.
Systems Designed for Scale
At $10M, manual processes and informal communication won’t work. The agency needs systems that allow for scale without chaos.
What good looks like:
1. Autonomous Pods
Each pod must operate independently, with leaders who own client success and pod profitability.
2. Enterprise Leadership
A strong leadership team ensures alignment and reduces dependency on the founder.
3. Scalable Systems.
Automate, standardise and integrate processes to handle complexity without breaking.
4. Focus on Vision
As the founder, your time is best spent on partnerships, growth opportunities, and long-term planning, not daily operations.
Finally...
...What glues everything together at any revenue stage?
Whether your agency is at $1M, $5M, or $10M, one thing remains constant: culture is the glue that holds everything together. It’s the foundation for how your team works, grows and aligns with your vision. Without it, no amount of strategy, systems or structure can truly succeed.
Culture isn’t just a nice-to-have.
It’s what keeps your agency running. Without it, even the best systems and strategies will fall apart. At every stage, your culture defines how your team works, grows, and stays aligned.
Set the tone. Communicate relentlessly. Invest in your people. If you don’t, don’t be surprised when things break.
And if you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed, start here: tighten your structure, raise your standards, and focus on building a culture that can carry your agency forward.
Your agency’s next level starts with the decisions you make today.
Ready to Build an Agency That Runs Without You?
We’ve helped dozens of agency founders go from firefighting to freedom by building the systems, teams and leadership structure they need to scale without being the bottleneck.
If you’re ready for the uncomfortable but transformational work apply for Strategy Consultation here.
About what we do
At Big Growth Group we help agency owners build high-profit and self-sufficient agency businesses so they can step away from daily operations and focus on strategic growth.
We’re not just consultants who leave you with a list of ideas. We’re also Growth Operators who get in the trenches and work alongside you to deliver real, measurable results.
Are you an agency founder? Want to break free from operations and scale past $1M more easily and strategically?
Listen or watch our podcast "Big Growth Show"
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