Embedding Core Agency Processes

Wed 18 May 2022 11:00 am UK Time

Your business blueprints are bound to change as you grow…
…so how can you set up your core foundations for success?
• In this session, Mike Ellis shares how he switched up his agency’s core operating processes to make his business more efficient AND got people to follow them.

Mike Ellis realised that he could make his (and his team’s) life a whole lot easier if he defined the core processes of his agency…

“As you grow, you realise that you really need that blueprint of your business for people to go through…”

You need a strong foundation if you want to grow your agency. 

For some, that’s a large directory of clients. For others, it’s a network of processes – detailing every cog and wheel within your agency and how they’re supposed to turn.

Mike Ellis, director at 43 Clicks North, realised this last year after reading Traction by Gino Wickman – an EOS staple.

“The agency is four years old, and there’s now 24 of us so we’ve had quite decent growth during that time,” Mike says. “But last year, we realised all the processes we were putting in place were almost redundant three to six months down the line, because of our rate of growth.”

Mike decided to introduce eight new core processes for the business to follow, including marketing, onboarding, operations and more.

But 24 people is a lot to explain these new processes to – so how do you communicate changes and ensure they understand?

“I’m not the best person to explain what every single process should be, as my background is in marketing,” Mike says.

“When I put our HR process together, for example, I asked the guys: ‘When you first came on board, what did you like? What didn’t you like? What could have been better? How would you want it to work?’” 

“It’s one thing to a follow a process they’ve had no involvement in; it’s another thing for them to follow a process they’ve had a hand in being able to create.”

This gives the rest of the company a better understanding of how 43 Clicks North is going out to market and what the company is trying to achieve in the long run.

But for Mike, the biggest benefit is accountability.

“Ultimately, we now have something for people to follow. And if it doesn’t get followed in that way, there’s an accountability to the person who’s meant to be doing that,” he says.

“It’s like onboarding a new staff member or client, or going through a retention process – the people who have that responsibility now know exactly what’s expected of them.”

Come along to hear how Mike’s agency has benefited from solidifying its core processes across all areas of the company, and how you can create clearer accountability within your team.