The $20 Million Mistake Most Agencies Make

I was standing on the sales floor, separated from the rest of our agency.

Phones were ringing. Deals were closing. And a massive metallic gong would sound 3-4 times per week, celebrating another successful sale.

But this wasn't just any sales floor.

This was the beginning of a profound discovery about agency growth that would transform our business from $20M to $150M in revenue.

You see, most agencies make the same mistake we initially made...

They try to be everything to everyone.

One day you're building a website for a plumber. The next, creating marketing campaigns for a bank. Then pivoting to help a restaurant with their SEO.

It feels productive. After all, you're winning business.

But here's what's really happening:

Your team is constantly context-switching. Your marketing message gets diluted. And your pricing power evaporates.

We discovered a better way.

Instead of casting a wide net, we started with lasersharp focus on one vertical: attorneys.

Specifically, personal injury attorneys.

The results were stunning:

• Shorter sales cycles

• Higher client retention

• Premium pricing power

• Exponential word-of-mouth

Once we mastered that vertical, we expanded into others - home services, franchise businesses, and medical practices.

Each new vertical followed the same playbook we developed with attorneys.

But here's the key insight...

We didn't try to conquer all these verticals simultaneously. We went deep into one first, perfected our approach, then expanded.

Think of it like climbing a mountain.

Most agencies try to climb multiple peaks at once, exhausting their resources and never reaching any summit.

We focused on conquering one peak first. Then used that victory camp to launch expeditions to other peaks.

The formula is simple but requires courage:

1. Choose ONE vertical

2. Become the undisputed expert

3. Let your success fund expansion

4. Repeat

Remember: The path to $150M doesn't start with serving everyone.

It starts with serving someone specific... extremely well.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

What vertical could you focus on first?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does trying to serve everyone feel productive but actually hurt growth?

Because winning business across unrelated industries feels like momentum, but it forces constant context-switching, dilutes the marketing message, and erodes pricing power over time.

What changed when the focus narrowed to personal injury attorneys specifically?

Shorter sales cycles, higher client retention, premium pricing power, and exponential word-of-mouth all followed once the focus sharpened to one specific vertical instead of spreading across many.

How did expansion into other verticals actually happen?

By using the same playbook developed with attorneys, applied one vertical at a time, home services, franchise businesses, and medical practices, rather than trying to conquer all of them at once.

What does the mountain-climbing analogy actually illustrate?

That most agencies try to climb multiple peaks simultaneously and exhaust their resources without reaching any summit. Focusing on one peak first, then using that success to fund the next expedition, is what actually works.

What's the simple formula behind this approach?

Choose one vertical, become the undisputed expert in it, let that success fund expansion, then repeat the same process in the next vertical. The path to real scale starts with serving someone specific extremely well, not everyone at once.