To become a bigger agency, you first have to think and act like one. Fake it ‘til you make it, right?

For Claire Lamb, co-founder of Skout, this meant making a deliberate shift in mindset and operations to reach the agency’s ambitious £3m goal.

“We made a very conscious decision about 18 months ago that we were never going to be a £3 million agency unless we started acting like one,” she says.

This bold ambition drove a complete rethink of the way Skout PR operates.

“We basically set our entire business plan for last year and the year before to focus on becoming a £3 million agency. That meant changing everything from brand marketing, through to operations, all the processes, all the finance, the client services – everything that kind of sits behind the actual thing that you deliver.”

But this shift isn’t easy – and for many agencies, it’s all too easy to veer to extremes. For Skout, some of the changes they introduced went too far. While the new processes were methodical and deliberate, not everything was the right fit. 

“We changed loads of stuff. We really refined and professionalised things. And we did that very methodically, with purpose and real thought rather than just winging it, which is what normally happens,” says Claire.

However, they realised that some systems ended up being overengineered. This highlights the importance of finding the sweet spot: introducing enough structure to drive growth without stifling flexibility and creativity. 

“It’s trying to get people to start thinking a bit more flexibly and being able to kind of bring in that startup thinking, which is the agile, the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants approach, but have that with the measured process that sits underneath it,” Claire explains.

At the heart of this shift is a commitment to big thinking. “Think big, win big is definitely still the mantra without doubt. And I don’t think that will ever change; it really works for us,” says Claire. “If we have big ambitions and if we don’t drive towards those, we’ll never get there.”

Shifting from a start-up mentality to a £3m mindset isn’t a linear journey – it’s a delicate balancing act. For agencies like Skout, the hard work being done now may not yield immediate results, but it’s setting the foundations for future success. 

Does this sound like your agency’s growth journey? Join us for this session to explore what it takes to shift your mindset, find the sweet spot between ambition and practicality, and position your agency for sustainable growth.

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