Build an Agency That Doesn’t Break You
From the outside, Claire Hutchings’s agency looked like a success.
Fast growth. Strong referrals. Impressive revenue in year one.
Behind the scenes, she was burning out.
With young children frequently in hospital and the pressure to keep agency momentum high, Claire pushed harder and harder—until burnout forced her to step away for four months. That pause became a turning point. It reshaped how she thinks about growth, leadership, and what agencies are really for.
In this Agency Growth Summit session, Claire shares the framework she now teaches agency leaders through The Agency Adventure: six pillars for building an agency that is profitable, sustainable, and supportive of founder mental health.
This topic matters now more than ever. Agencies are growing in complexity. Expectations are higher. And too many founders are quietly carrying the weight alone.
Here are the key lessons from Claire’s “Your Agency of the Future” framework:
Mapping — Revisit Your Vision Regularly
Growth can pull you away from the life you originally wanted.
Sense-check your business against your personal values
Define success on your terms, not the industry’s
Make your vision visible and revisit it often
Misalignment creates long-term emotional strain.
Fuel — Stop Carrying New Business Alone
Pipeline pressure is a major founder stressor.
Involve your team in marketing and growth (5–10% of time)
Build systems that don’t rely on your energy or evenings
Replace adrenaline-driven networking with sustainable activity
Leadership — Don’t Hold It Together Alone
Isolation is common at the top.
Seek coaching, peer groups, or mentors
Share leadership and ownership across the team
Delegate responsibility, not just tasks
Resources — Your Team Mirrors Your Behaviour
Culture follows what you do, not what you say.
Model healthy boundaries
Build realistic workloads into operations
Protect thinking time and rest
Checkpoints — Clarity Reduces Anxiety
Uncertainty around numbers creates unnecessary stress.
Track cash flow, pipeline, utilisation, and profit consistently
Use data to make calm decisions
Fitness — Build Systems That Don’t Depend on You
Founder dependency is exhausting.
Document processes early
Invest in operational clarity
Use tools and AI to reduce manual load
Claire’s message is simple but powerful:
Growth should not cost you your health.
This session is also featured as a chapter in the Agency Growth Book.
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