Most agencies are still figuring it out as they go, even as they approach and surpass $10M+ in revenue. The mess isn’t a failure; it’s the work. And you’re probably doing better than you think.
Consider: You land a solid project with potential to become a retainer. The client seems excited. But during onboarding, they mention they had also talked to a competing agency you hadn’t heard of before.
So you look them up. Seeing the other agency’s website, you start to spiral.
Their website looks amazing. Their team page is full of smiling, senior-looking people. Their case studies are crisp and clever. And suddenly, your agency feels like it’s being held together by duct tape and Google Docs.
Here’s the thing: your competitor’s site is designed to make you feel that way.
Not because they’re malicious—but because everyone puts their best face forward. That’s not a sign they’re running more smoothly. It’s a sign they’re good at self-marketing.
Behind the scenes? It’s likely a different story.
Behind the polish: the real state of most agencies
In coaching, I get to see what agency websites don’t show. Here are examples of what I hear from agencies every week:
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“Our org chart looks clean, but it doesn’t reflect how work actually gets done.”
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“We say we’ve delegated, but most big decisions still come through me.”
- “My #2 is struggling to keep things running smoothly.”
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“We’ve got revenue—but margin’s shrinking, and I can’t tell if it’s a pricing issue or a process issue.”
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“Our website is five years out of date. If clients knew how things actually worked, they’d run.”
And that’s from agencies with millions of dollars in revenue.
Many agencies are doing well—but no one has it all figured out. The scale changes—but the struggle stays, unless you can find a way to break out.
The bigger the agency, the more invisible the chaos
Let’s take three common agency stages:
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Revenue around $2 million: The founder’s out of delivery—but not out of decision-making. Delegating feels risky, and systems lag behind growth.
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Revenue around $8 million: There’s a leadership team on paper, but ownership is uneven. Big initiatives stall. Accountability is fuzzy.
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Revenue around $12 million: The owner’s not in the weeds—but they’re still the fallback when their #2 gets in over their head. Things run… until they don’t.
Each of these agencies looks great from the outside. But inside? There are still gaps. That’s not a sign of failure—it’s the nature of growth.
What’s actually worth comparing?
It’s tempting to compare your in-progress operations to someone else’s polished brand presence. But those aren’t the same currency.
Here’s what is worth measuring:
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Are you delivering work clients value? Even if your process is clunky, are results clear?
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Is your team stepping up, slowly but surely? Not perfect, but progressing?
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Are you catching issues early, and addressing them intentionally?
Those are signs of a well-run agency. Not the absence of mess, but the presence of movement.
When comparison creeps in, ask better questions
The next time competitor envy hits, try this:
1. What specifically am I reacting to? Is it their client list? Their positioning? Their pricing? Use that to identify what you want to strengthen—not to beat them, but to improve your model.
2. Am I reacting to their reality—or their self-display? What you see on a website or in a pitch deck isn’t daily ops. It’s marketing. Remember: you’re comparing your back-of-house to their front-of-house.
3. What progress have we made lately that’s real—even if it’s not visible? That new director you hired. The margin bump from better scoping. The fire you didn’t have to put out last month. Those count.
Final thoughts
You’re not behind. You’re building.
Your competitor’s website is a performance. So is yours. That’s not dishonest; everyone puts their best foot forward. Just don’t mistake someone else’s marketing for proof that they’ve outgrown the messiness.
Most haven’t. They’re just good at hiding it.
Keep going!
Question: What bothers you most about your biggest competitors?
