Running a 100-strong digital agency
I have been running Redweb for over 13 years and have yet to reach the stage when there is nothing to do or no further plans to be made. We currently have over 100 permanent staff, contractors and about 10 vacancies. It’s a crazy time with things moving at pace. Certainly no week is the same with the days flying past; not ideal as your 40’s whizz by!
As the agency has grown my role has changed, but although I am in theory in the same job it sometimes seems I need a new job description every 6 weeks.
So what is the difference now to say when we were 30 staff? Well the first is the sheer quantity of work we do. I used to know every job, customer and status. This is now just not possible and with hindsight, probably beneficial to those that now “take the reins”. In the modern Redweb reporting is key, with the process to organise and schedule work (at a profit) increasingly complex. Although it has evolved and changed over the years, we now place much greater emphasis and importance on the people required to monitor and organise our day-to-day activity as well as designers and developers etc.
Secondly is the management tier. We have been through a number of step changes over the last few years and the latest sees the formation of a committed management team covering every base. From design, development, UX, search and innovation to client services, commercial, project management, HR, marketing, administration, finance and IT we have someone responsible of every area of the business. They are then supported by directors as well as talented people with passion for emerging areas such as mobile, social media and content.
The grand scheme is that the management team aren’t scheduled for client work, allowing them time to plan and grow their departments, manage the needs of their staff and push their disciplines across quality, technology and creativity. I believe our current set up will allow significant growth before the next restructure, but whether this is true I guess only time will tell.
The peaks and troughs of our P&L are greater now than ever before. As the company has broadened its services we have seen greater specialism of roles and less opportunity to spread work across a more generic team. If all departments are busy then profitability is fantastic, if some busy and others not, then break-even, or if no one is busy, the salary bill and fixed costs look a large amount.
However I don’t think my stress levels have changed a lot. When the agency was smaller I worried about things that in the majority I could influence and had an opportunity to prevent. I also generally knew that an issue was coming. Now I worry about things that I can’t necessary influence or things that hit without me knowing. It’s different and takes a greater level of confidence in those around you. I don’t worry about the finances anymore than when we had 10 staff, it’s all relative.
Delegation is a big thing as we have grown. Trusting others and subsequently realising they can do it better is a rewarding experience. Reducing the number of cc’s on an email and allowing the person with the task to concentrate on it independently is a virtue we all should learn.
Finally culture. It is impossible for a small agency to have the same culture as a larger one. However it doesn’t mean it has to be worse. In fact it should be better.
At Redweb we can afford to pay for things, we can spare people time to pursue interests and even field an A and B football team. We have many more people with something to say which creates a greater noise and buzz within the company.
The difference with a larger agency is that it needs to be worked at a lot harder to succeed. With so many people, you can’t generate a culture by everyone going to the pub after work. We need to work hard to inspire people at the company, departmental and discipline levels. We know everyone is busy and we all suffer from the “head in the project” mindset. But providing opportunities to look beyond the last or current piece of work is vital. We even have a social committee.
So would I go back to Redweb the smaller agency? No, I relish the unknown as we achieve greater success and size. I am passionate to grasp the potential without relinquishing the excellence we have amassed. Our boundaries are currently only limited by our ability in getting the best people, doing the best work, in the best environment.
5 replies to “Running a 100-strong digital agency”
Really interesting post!
Brilliant article Andrew. One thing that surprises me is that it’s only at the size you are now that the management team aren’t scheduled for client work. We’re a fraction of your size but feel that we might need to move to that model soon to make sure that projects are run properly and to make sure we’ve got visibility on what’s over the horizon.
Thanks for the comment and glad things are going well for you. We had previously tried to ring fence senior roles and for a while had directors who weren’t involved in the day to day workings. Other staff on paper had non production roles and responsibilities but always seemed to get dragged in again when it got busy. The difference now is the completeness and breadth of the management team. We have made a clear commitment and have 12 managers and 3 directors (including myself) in non production roles. All the best.
I think one of the major things is learning how to not know about every job! Must be difficult I’d want to know about everything but it’s just not possible. I suppose having a strong management team is the key aspect there.
The quality of the reporting methods you have is the key for peace of mind. For instance, if you know every customer is happy then you assume that all the individual jobs are fine without needing to know all the details. If you are meeting predetermined profitability and performance figures then you know the operations and sales levels are as forecasted. If staff morale is good then the culture is right.
Having a management team as good and comprehensive as here at Redweb is fantastic. It means everything is covered and the team work together to ensure objectives and goals are met.
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