I’m about to share something that might ruffle some feathers in the business world.
After 10 years of building multiple eight-figure companies and hiring (then firing) over 10 marketing agencies, I’ve learned a hard truth:
If your business is making less than $80,000 per month, hiring a marketing agency is probably the worst business decision you can make.
I know that sounds harsh. And I know it goes against everything you’ve been told about “scaling” and “delegation.”
But hear me out.
The Agency Sales Pitch (And Why It’s Always the Same)
Let me paint you a picture that might sound familiar:
You’re struggling to grow past a certain revenue threshold. You’re overwhelmed, working 60+ hour weeks, and feeling like you’re doing everything yourself.
Then a shiny marketing agency reaches out.
They tell you they see “incredible potential” in your business. They show you case studies of clients who went from struggling to six or seven figures. They promise to “scale your business to the moon” if you just let them work their magic.
Sound familiar?
Here’s what I want you to know: They ALL say this.
It doesn’t matter which agency you talk to. The song and dance is always the same.
I’m not saying they’re scamming people. But this is standard operating procedure. They will “salivate” at your potential. They’ll tell you how much they believe in what you’re doing. They’ll show you those case studies.
What they won’t tell you? Those case studies are complete outliers. Or they’re from business owners who are so disconnected from their actual profit margins that they’re essentially running expensive charities.
The Real Problem: You’re Still in Validation Mode
Here’s the truth bomb nobody wants to hear:
If your business hasn’t hit a million dollars yet, you’re still in validation mode.
And if you’ve been in business for years but never crossed the half-million mark? That reveals fundamental issues that no agency can fix.
Think about it logically:
- If you can’t get past $10,000/month, you haven’t demonstrated the core skills needed to grow a business
- You don’t have the profit margins to afford quality help
- You haven’t mastered the fundamentals that actually drive growth
An agency can’t fix foundational problems. They can only amplify what’s already working.
The Three Fatal Flaws of Agency Partnerships
1. The Attention Myth
Agencies manage multiple clients simultaneously. Despite what they promise, their brains and skills are spread across dozens of businesses.
They’re not lying awake at night thinking about how to maximize YOUR business. They’re not obsessing over your customer journey or brainstorming innovative solutions to your specific challenges.
They’re there to apply their cookie-cutter approach, collect their fees, and move on to the next client.
Even the “boutique” agencies that “cap” their client load do this. Even the ones I genuinely like as people fall into this trap.
2. The Cookie-Cutter Problem
Every agency has their “proven system.” Facebook ads. Funnels. Email sequences. Whatever their specialty is.
But here’s what they miss: Your business is unique. Your audience is unique. Your challenges are unique.
What worked for Client A in the health niche might bomb spectacularly for Client B in business coaching.
Yet agencies apply the same frameworks, the same ad creatives, the same messaging strategies across wildly different businesses.
3. The Misaligned Incentives
Agencies get paid whether your business grows or not.
Sure, they want you to succeed (happy clients refer more clients). But their primary motivation is keeping you as a paying customer, not maximizing your profit.
They’ll focus on vanity metrics that look impressive in reports. More traffic! Higher engagement! Increased reach!
But are you actually making more money? Are your profit margins improving? Are you building a sustainable business?
Often, the answer is no.
What I Recommend Instead: The Strategic Hiring Approach
Instead of hiring an agency, here’s what actually works for businesses under $80K/month:
Master the Fundamentals First
Before you hire anyone, you need to nail these core areas:
- Product-market fit: Do you have something people actually want to buy?
- Offer development: Can you craft compelling offers that convert?
- Rapid market testing: Can you validate ideas quickly before investing heavily?
- Audience building: Do you know exactly who your ideal customer is?
- Lead acquisition: Can you consistently attract potential customers?
- Customer acquisition: Do you have a repeatable sales process?
- Retention systems: Are customers buying from you again?
These aren’t sexy. They’re basic. But they’re what get you to that million-dollar run rate.
If you can’t validate a product idea in a weekend, create an offer that converts, or test market demand before building, no agency in the world can fix that for you.
Make Strategic In-House Hires
When you’re ready to hire help, hire YOUR OWN team. Not an agency.
Your first hire should be an executive assistant who becomes your “everything person.” This isn’t someone who just schedules meetings – they shadow you in everything you do and become a true generalist.
In the early stages, everyone (including you) needs to wear multiple hats. Your EA might handle customer service in the morning, help with content creation after lunch, and jump on a strategy call with you in the evening.
This is exactly how it should be. You need generalists first, not specialists.
The key? Rigorous interviewing and onboarding processes. This person works for YOU, not 20 other clients.
Increase Your Own Skills
This might be the most important point:
You need to become dangerous in multiple areas of your business.
Not an expert in everything, but competent enough to:
- Hire the right people
- Evaluate their work
- Make strategic decisions
- Course-correct when needed
The $80K Rule (And Why It Matters)
Why do I specifically say $80,000/month as the threshold?
Because that’s when you have:
- Proven fundamentals: You’ve demonstrated you can acquire and retain customers profitably
- Sufficient profit margins: You can afford quality help without destroying your bottom line
- Complexity that requires specialists: Your business has grown beyond what a small team can handle effectively
At this level, agencies can amplify your success rather than trying to create it from scratch.
The Uncomfortable Truth About “Scaling”
Everyone wants to talk about scaling. Delegation. Working “on” your business instead of “in” it.
But here’s what they don’t tell you:
Premature delegation kills more businesses than lack of delegation ever will.
If you don’t understand your marketing well enough to evaluate an agency’s work, you’ll get taken for a ride.
If you haven’t mastered your sales process, an agency will optimize the wrong things.
If you don’t know your numbers inside and out, you won’t realize when they’re burning through your budget without generating profit.
What This Means for You
If you’re currently considering hiring a marketing agency, ask yourself these questions:
- Am I consistently hitting $10K+ months?
- Do I understand my customer acquisition cost and lifetime value?
- Can I clearly articulate what’s working and what isn’t in my current marketing?
- Do I have the profit margins to sustain agency fees PLUS their ad spend recommendations?
If you answered “no” to any of these, focus on fundamentals first.
The Alternative Path
Instead of looking for a silver bullet solution, commit to building a real business:
- Invest in your own education: Learn marketing, sales, and operations fundamentals
- Hire strategically: One person at a time, with clear expectations and measurable outcomes
- Focus on profit: Not revenue, not vanity metrics, but actual money in your pocket
- Master one channel: Before diversifying, become excellent at one customer acquisition method
It’s not as sexy as “hiring an agency to scale to seven figures.”
But it’s what actually works.
The Bottom Line
I’m not anti-agency. I’m anti-premature-delegation.
There’s a time and place for agencies. But for most small businesses, that time isn’t now.
And when that time does come? I’d never hire a “general” agency to handle all aspects of marketing like some kind of one-stop shop. Instead, I’d only hire specialists for very specific areas of my business that aren’t easily hired in-house.
Focus on building a business that’s profitable, scalable, and sustainable. Master the fundamentals. Hire strategically.
And when you’re consistently hitting $80K+ months with strong profit margins?
Then we can talk about agencies.
Until then, the work is internal. The growth comes from you.
Choose your hard: The hard work of building foundational skills, or the hard consequences of premature delegation.
What path will you choose?
Ready to master the fundamentals? My Legacy Launchpad program focuses on the core systems that actually drive business growth – audience building, customer acquisition, and repeatable sales processes. No fluff, no shortcuts, just proven frameworks that work. Send me a quick DM on Instagram and I’ll send you the info.
