How to Stop Overworking Yourself as an Agency Owner

Drew McLellan, host of the Build a Better Agency podcast and consultant with over 20 years in the agency industry, joins the show to talk about one of the most common problems facing agency owners - doing too much themselves.

The Accidental CEO Problem

Many creative professionals become agency owners unintentionally. They start as skilled practitioners - designers, writers, marketers - and gradually take on clients until they find themselves running a business. The transition from tactician to CEO is rarely planned, and most agency owners never receive training for the leadership role they now occupy.

Drew points out that if you are involved in every functional aspect of the agency, that is a clear signal the business needs restructuring. The owner should not be the bottleneck for every decision, deliverable, and client interaction.

Scoping Work That Prevents Scope Creep

One of Drew’s most practical recommendations is about scoping. Agencies providing scopes of work that are too vague inevitably run into trouble. His approach is to link deliverables to days between milestones rather than fixed calendar dates. This way, if a client delays their feedback or approval, the timeline shifts accordingly rather than putting the agency in a position of absorbing the cost.

The Process Foundation

The core message is that well-documented and followed processes are the key to building a strong agency. When processes are clear, team members can operate independently. When they are followed consistently, quality stays high even as the owner steps back from day-to-day execution. Drew also emphasizes the importance of structured, regular meetings to maintain a healthy culture and address issues before they become crises.