Event
OPERATIONS MASTERMIND: What is the Real Cost of Agency Ambition?
topline infoRmation
“Moving an agency from three regions into London, and losing 50% of your staff in the same year… it’s not for the faint-hearted,” says Daniel Henderson, COO at StrategiQ.
When Daniel joined the agency a year ago, a major transformation was already in flux: a new location, new board, new structure, a rebrand, and a shift from remote to office working, all at once.
He came in with a 100-day roadmap – a clear plan, with priorities. “That quickly went out of the window,” he says. “There was a lot of change, but good intentions led to mistakes.”
In this session, Daniel breaks down what actually happens when agencies scale, including:
- The hidden costs that derail growth
- Why good intentions lead to operational failure
- How to recognise when your agency is under strain
- What to fix first to regain control and build forward
He’ll also share the framework he’s used to work through it, looking in detail at people, structure, process, focus, and leadership. And, with hindsight, what he’d do differently.
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ABOUT THE EVENT
“Moving an agency from three regions into London, and losing 50% of your staff in the same year… it’s not for the faint-hearted,” says Daniel Henderson, COO at StrategiQ.
When Daniel joined the agency a year ago, a major transformation was already in flux: a new location, new board, new structure, a rebrand, and a shift from remote to office working, all at once.
He came in with a 100-day roadmap – a clear plan, with priorities.
“That quickly went out of the window,” he says. “There was a lot of change, but good intentions led to mistakes.”
While Daniel was still learning people’s names, he was also putting out fires. What was meant to be a growth journey became something else entirely. It didn’t pass quickly, either. It dragged on.
“It’s taken me a year to be able to find solid ground on which to start looking forward,” he says. “It’s taken that time to go from reacting day-to-day, to solving the week, to planning the month ahead.”
Over that year, the agency changed shape.
“We were carrying too many of the wrong people, in the wrong structure,” he admits.
Teams had to be stripped back – in some cases, five people became two doing almost the same work. The agency got smaller, deliberately.
At the same time, half the team turned over, and the people who stayed ended up carrying it.
“The loyal people get you through it, they’re the sticky plaster.”
Daniel describes the last 12 months at StrategiQ as ‘the cost of ambition’. You can have all the will in the world to grow, but something has to give.
In this session, Daniel breaks down what actually happens when agencies scale, including:
- The hidden costs that derail growth
- Why good intentions lead to operational failure
- How to recognise when your agency is under strain
- What to fix first to regain control and build forward
He’ll also share the framework he’s used to work through it, looking in detail at people, structure, process, focus, and leadership. And, with hindsight, what he’d do differently.
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