Your agency should bring you alive, not drain your energy.
When your business feels chaotic, it’s hard to know where to start fixing things.
Is it the team? Your processes? Your clients? Your own role?
That’s where my Purpose to Profit Pyramid™ comes in.
It’s a simple tool I use with founders to diagnose where their business is blocking their freedom- and why it feels harder than it should.
Most agency advisors start with profit and growth targets. I start with purpose. Because what’s the point of building something that drains you?
1. Purpose (The Foundation)
Why does your agency exist? What do you stand for? Defining your purpose defines your positioning, the reason you get up each morning, your values, and your long-term direction.
- Founder’s Why – How do your personal goals shape this business?
- Vision & Mission – What future are you creating, and why does it matter?
- Values & Positioning – What do you stand for (and probably more importantly, against)?
- Mindset & Identity – Build the resilience to lead with confidence, and stop tying your identity and self-worth to the daily ups and downs of the business.
- Sustainability & Well-being – Is your business supporting the life you want, not running you? That means focusing on what matters, letting go of what you can’t control, and sharing the load so overwhelm doesn’t build up.”
- Strategy & Roadmap – Map a future that’s true to your personal “why,” with a clear order of what comes first so you stay energised.
When you get this right, everything else becomes clearer. The right people (both team and clients) naturally gravitate towards you, and suddenly, your agency stops feeling like it’s consuming your life.
2. People (The Core)
Your business is only as strong as your people. Is everyone in the right role? Is the structure of the organisation right for your future vision? Do the team buy into your vision?
- Team Structure & Roles – Is everyone, including you, playing to their strengths and aligned on the business purpose? Are roles clear enough that decisions don’t default back to you?
- Hiring Process – Hiring the right people who fit your vision and share your values, and helping them build the skills to keep the agency moving forward.
- Culture & Engagement – Building a place where great work happens naturally, where people feel seen and heard, not just managed, and where shared values shape how things get done.
- Collaboration & Partnerships – Growing beyond your walls, creating connections that make everyone stronger
- Leadership & Delegation – Learning to step back and trust, turning your team from doers into owners, and setting a steady rhythm so things move forward without you.
When you get your people right, everything else follows. It’s not just about hiring well – it’s about creating space for your team to thrive.
3. Process (The System)
Good process isn’t about rigid systems – it’s about creating calm from chaos. It’s building something that works smoothly without you having to oversee everything.
- Operations & Workflows – Making tasks structured, repeatable, and effective without starting from scratch on every project. Creating enough structure so you’re not needed on everything.
- Technology & Tools – Everyone should be using the right tools for the job. This needs a careful balance between innovation and repeatability
- Delivery & Quality Control – Consistently meeting (or exceeding) expectations without burning yourself out in the process
- Time & Energy Efficiency – Design processes that free your brain space so you can grow the agency. Regularly review what must be done by you, and what can be delegated (or let go of)
- Continuous Improvement – Spotting what isn’t working, fixing the root cause, and making things better one step at a time.
Good processes free up people, not tie them down in endless checklists. Your people should find your processes freeing and helpful, leaving you to focus elsewhere.
4. Pipeline (The Growth Engine)
A full pipeline comes from having multiple ways to consistently attract your ideal clients, not from constantly chasing whoever might say yes.
- Lead Generation Strategy – Building predictability so you’re not trapped in the “feast or famine” cycle. Find ways to speak to ideal prospects through content, partnerships, referrals, and strategic outreach
- Marketing & Positioning – Standing out to the right prospects without needing to shout. Being more confident in how to own your position and voice on LinkedIn etc.
- Sales & Conversion – A smooth process that qualifies prospects and sells value, not hours
- Client Fit & Retention – Working with clients who appreciate your expertise and become long-term partners
- Referral & Reputation Building – Systematic approaches to building visibility and generating word-of-mouth
This stage is about being really clear on who benefits most from the work you do, and finding ways to attract them through value not volume.
5. Performance (The Impact)
Great work is about making a real impact for clients and delivering work that matters while preserving your energy for what’s next.
- Client Success – Are you delivering impact through the work you do?
- Data & Focus – Keeping a simple set of numbers in focus so you lead with clarity, not just gut feel.
- Innovation & Adaptability – Are you listening carefully and adapting to your client’s changing needs?
- Client Experience – Are you delivering an experience your clients love and want to come back to again and again?
- Validation & External Perspective – A safe space to check you’re on the right track, whether through a trusted sounding board or peer feedback, so you’re not making decisions in isolation.
- Wider Impact – Are you making a broader statement to the world with the work you do
- Sustainable Work Practices – Are you creating value while protecting your energy?
Making a real difference to your clients leads to a stronger reputation, more referrals, and more clients that get what you do. More impact means less hustle.
6. Profit (The Outcome)
Profit isn’t the goal necessarily. This isn’t a grow-at-all-costs approach. But profit leads to more options. It’s the result of all the other five stages working.
- Sustainable Revenue – Cash flow that’s predictable and allows you to make more confident decisions
- Financial Clarity: Simple visibility on cash flow and margins so big decisions like hiring don’t feel like guesswork.
- Healthy Margins – Getting paid for your expertise and making good money without burnout
- Long-Term Enjoyment – Making sure this business brings you the life you want with fulfilment and flexibility
- Freedom & Options – Build a business that not only runs without you but is enjoyable enough that you may not want to sell, while still being a valuable, sellable asset if you choose.
Profit allows reinvestment into people, processes, and innovation. It allows you to solve problems easier and gives you the peace of mind that the business is working.
How it all works together
Think of your agency as a living ecosystem. When Purpose, People, Process, Pipeline, Performance and Profit work in harmony, the daily grind transforms into enjoyment and flow.
The constant pressure eases into confidence. Your agency shifts from something that drains you to something that genuinely energises you. Something you and your team are proud to be a part of.
A place where brilliant work happens naturally. Where great clients find you. Where your team thrives without your constant attention.
It works best when you keep a simple rhythm of checking in on the basics each week, so nothing slips back into chaos.
This isn’t the only model out there. EOS, McKinsey’s 7S and plenty of others are worth a look. But they often treat a business like a machine, all levers, cogs and metrics. What they miss is the human side. Your agency isn’t just a machine, it’s an extension of you. How it runs shapes how you feel every day. The Purpose to Profit Pyramid™ is built to help you not only run your business well, but actually enjoy it.
Ready to build something that truly works for you?
Where to start
Working with me is simple. We don’t jump straight into a big programme. We start small, get clarity, and then you set the pace.
Audit – We begin with a Purpose to Profit Audit. We’ll review your business across all six layers, highlight what’s working well, and where your energy is leaking.
Roadmap – You’ll get a prioritised plan of action. Showing you what to fix first, what can wait, and what doesn’t need your headspace at all. This stops the overwhelm and gives you a clear path forward.
Choose the Pace – Investment starts from £650 +VAT/month. You decide how quickly we move and how much we take on.
- Steady support – regular check-ins and progress one step at a time.
- Focused sprints – fix a key area like people, processes or positioning in a few weeks.
- Full redesign – if you want to go fast, we’ll work across multiple layers at once to build momentum quickly.
Ongoing Rhythm – Once the big fixes are in place, we keep things healthy with quarterly reviews and founder sounding-board sessions, so you don’t slide back into chaos.
This isn’t about locking you into a costly programme. It’s about giving you the right level of support to make running your business lighter and more enjoyable. No long contracts. Start with the audit, then decide if you want to continue.