Developing a Flexible Business Strategy with Remington Begg of Impulse Creative
Key Takeaways
- A 60-65% retainer and 35-40% project-based revenue split provides operational stability while maintaining flexibility to take on strategic projects
- Building reusable frameworks and templates cuts delivery costs while maintaining quality - enabling three-week deployment timelines
- Developing product offerings alongside agency services creates diversified revenue streams and reduces client dependency
Gray MacKenzie interviews Remington Begg, Founder and Chief Remarkable Officer at Impulse Creative, about the agency’s evolution from marketing-only services to a RevOps-focused model, and how building products alongside services has created a more resilient business.
From Marketing Agency to RevOps Partner
Impulse Creative has undergone a significant strategic shift over the past several years. What started as a traditional marketing agency has evolved into a revenue operations (RevOps) focused firm that helps clients break down silos between their marketing, sales, and service teams. This positioning reflects a broader market trend where agencies are moving beyond campaign execution into operational consulting.
The Intentional Revenue Split
One of the most interesting strategic decisions Remington shares is Impulse Creative’s deliberate revenue composition. Rather than pursuing maximum retainer concentration (which most agency advisors recommend), the team maintains a 60-65% retainer and 35-40% project-based split. This balance provides baseline stability from retainers while preserving flexibility to take on strategic project work that may lead to new retainer relationships.
Productization and Speed
Impulse Creative invested heavily in creating reusable solutions - frameworks, templates, and pre-built configurations that dramatically reduce delivery time. What might take another agency months to deliver, Impulse can deploy in three weeks because the foundational work is already done. This approach cuts costs while maintaining quality.
Pivoting Messaging During COVID
The conversation touches on how COVID-19 forced a rapid messaging pivot. Impulse Creative shifted from “slow, calculated, and right” to “fast, momentum, expertise” - reflecting the urgency their clients were feeling. The ability to adapt messaging quickly while maintaining brand identity demonstrated operational flexibility that many agencies lacked.
Building a Product Ecosystem
Remington walks through the product offerings Impulse Creative has built alongside its agency services:
- CompanyOS - A partner relationship management system
- HubLMS - An onboarding and training platform
- Sprocket Talk - A community and job board for agencies
These products create revenue streams that are not tied to billable hours and reduce the agency’s dependency on any single client relationship.