Operating Architects / Marketing agencies
For boutique marketing agencies
Structure the agency so growth does not mean more meetings.
An operating structure for boutique marketing and PPC agencies: client onboarding, reporting drafts and change approvals handled by a defined system, with a named person approving anything a client or an ad account will see.
Where the time goes
Familiar problems for boutique marketing agencies.
Onboarding is rebuilt every time
Each new client starts with the same intake questions, folders and account setup, done by hand.
Reporting eats the week
Pulling numbers and writing the commentary is repetitive work that still needs a person's judgment.
Changes have no paper trail
Who approved a budget or targeting change, and when, is hard to reconstruct later.
The principal is the delivery team
Senior judgment is needed on every account, so adding clients means adding the principal's hours.
Where an owner's week can go
25 of 50 hours go to repeat work. Hover or tap a bar for the detail.
View as a table
| Task | Hours in a week | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Client strategy and delivery | 19 | Client and revenue work |
| Client reports | 8 | Repeat work |
| Pacing checks | 6 | Repeat work |
| Status updates | 6 | Repeat work |
| New business | 6 | Client and revenue work |
| Client onboarding | 5 | Repeat work |
Illustrative example A fictional owner's 50-hour week. The numbers are made up to show the idea, not results.
Quick Win examples
One workflow, built and approved in 7 business days.
The Quick Win Sprint builds one workflow in your own tools. These are examples. We choose the right one with you, based on what the discovery session shows.
Client onboarding intake to project setup
A single intake form feeds a checklist, folder structure and kickoff draft, which the account lead reviews.
Weekly client report draft
A report draft assembled from your exports, with commentary left for the account lead to write or approve.
Change-request log with approval
Every proposed account change is logged with a named approver before anyone applies it.
Every example keeps a person approving what goes out. No savings or results are promised. What gets built is agreed in a written acceptance test first.
What changes for you
Hours move from repeat work to the work only you can do.
Where the time can shift
The same fictional owner: 25 hours a week on these repeat tasks before, 9 hours with a workflow in place.
View as a table
| Task | Before (h/week) | With a workflow (h/week) |
|---|---|---|
| Client reports | 8 | 3 |
| Pacing checks | 6 | 2 |
| Status updates | 6 | 2 |
| Client onboarding | 5 | 2 |
Illustrative example of where time can shift; results vary by business.
The offer
Start with one workflow.
Quick Win Sprint: $1,250 $750 current special. Blueprint + Build: $3,500 $2,500 current special, with your Quick Win fee credited in full. If a build fails the agreed acceptance test after one fix cycle, the build portion is refunded.
Free workbook
The free workbook for boutique marketing agencies.
Map your tasks, who does them and where your time goes, before you hire or buy anything. About 20 minutes.
A PDF you can print or fill in on screen. It takes about 20 minutes. No payment, and no obligation to book anything.
Free Fit Call
Talk it through in 25 minutes.
Tell us how your business runs today. We will say whether one workflow is worth building.
The call is 25 minutes. It is a screen for fit, not an audit and not a sales presentation. If it is not a fit, I will say so.
Prefer to book a time yourself? The button above opens the scheduling link once it is set up. Until then, use the request form.