CASE STUDIES
The proof is in the profits
We get it: We’re not the first to claim we can help you grow, so don’t take it from us. We’ve taken businesses from six figures to multiple six and seven figures with our signature COMPASS method. No stress, no overwhelm, just freedom and flexibility. Take it from them instead.
1. THE CLIENT
An agency mistaking itself as a studio
When Ben* started his business, he wasn’t even thinking about selling it. He just wanted a job that played to his passions and paid the bills. He hadn’t landed the dream job he’d applied for, so he created his own job: The founder / CEO / creative director of a branding and web design studio. Later, he layered in paid advertising and marketing-communications consultation and implementation, eventually zeroing in on a health care niche. With offerings that needed to be streamlined and three team members that needed to be coordinated, Ben was treating his business as a studio when he needed to be treating it like an agency.
2. the problem
3. the solution
4. the results
5. the future
*I take my clients’ confidentiality seriously. Ben is a pseudonym.
case study one
case study two
Helping an agency owner empower his team—and position his business for acquisition
1. THE CLIENT
Too little
direction for a
team to self-start
By the time we met, Ben had been in business for five years. He had a solid client base and steady revenue under his belt, but he wanted to refine his service offerings—and, with a baby on the way, he wanted to free up more time to spend with his growing family, too.
Trouble was: Ben’s team relied on him for all of the answers. They weren’t empowered with the clarity they needed to take initiative, so they were always waiting for instructions—his instructions. Ben was the bottleneck. Of course, Ben didn’t want to slow down his team. In fact, he didn’t want to manage his people or projects in the first place, but he didn’t want to be handcuffed to processes either. He felt like his hands were tied. But without documented processes and communications conventions, he would never be able to step back from managing the day-to-day of his business.
2. the problem
3. the solution
4. the results
5. the future
case study one
case study two
Helping an agency owner empower his team—and position his business for acquisition
Too little direction for a team to self-start
1. THE CLIENT
Systems that took the owner out of management mode
First things first, we got to work standardizing Ben’s service offering and defining consistent processes for delivering those services. We refined the processes to rely less on Ben and more on his team—including clear responsibilities and communications conventions for his team to follow. Ben stopped hiring less experienced people and started hiring more experienced people, including a hands-on management team, and we defined their roles with clear KPIs to set them up for success. We strategized a system for training people into the processes and, most notably, the systems we created for Ben’s seven-figure business were simple—the secret to successful uptake and long-term scalability.
2. the problem
3. the solution
4. the results
5. the future
Systems that
took the owner out of management mode
case study one
case study two
Helping an agency owner empower his team—and position his business for acquisition
1. THE CLIENT
The acquisition of a lifetime
In short, we made Ben’s service delivery scalable, creating capacity for him to triple his business, and we built a management team that enabled Ben to go on a month-long vacation to Europe with his family. What’s more, we created the systems and processes an acquiring company would need to see to have confidence the business could run without the owner—and see they did. An acquiring company bought Ben’s business in 2021. Thanks to his handsome payout, he doesn’t have to work another day in his life if he doesn’t want to.
2. the problem
3. the solution
4. the results
5. the future
case study one
case study two
Helping an agency owner empower his team—and position his business for acquisition
1. THE CLIENT
Freedom to exit and ideate
Now that the business is acquired, Ben will be exiting the company in 18 months. In the meantime, he’s overseeing the transition, which includes career-advancing potential for his team thanks to the size of the acquiring company. And when Monday comes around and his kids say, “Daddy, don’t go to work!”, he won’t. He’ll stay at home to spend the day with them—and work on his next business idea.
2. the problem
3. the solution
4. the results
5. the future
Freedom to
exit and ideate
case study one
case study two
Helping an agency owner empower his team—and position his business for acquisition
1. THE CLIENT
An agency operating like a freelancer
A seasoned creative director, James started Atom Studio with a passion for design. But from day one, he ran his agency like a freelancer: Day to day, as the work filtered into his inbox. He wasn’t thinking strategically, like what his capacity was, who to hire when, how to onboard them, or what to pay them. So, when the work piled up and he outsourced to contractors, those projects didn’t always operate at a profit.
2. the problem
3. the solution
4. the results
5. the future
An agency
operating like a freelancer
case study one
case study two
Helping an agency owner become more profitable (and less stressed)
“It’s hard to find someone with Audrey’s level-headedness and breadth of knowledge. It’s like having a business partner—without giving her half your money.”
James Jensen
1. THE CLIENT
Losing money (and his mind) on projects
The thing about losing money on projects is knowing how to fix it—and James didn’t. Project to project, he couldn’t pin down what was happening that was preventing him from being profitable consistently. A chance encounter at a networking event, and James decided to hire us to find the fix.
Looking at his numbers, we could see Atom Studio’s profitability was down, even though its revenue was up, in large part because James was hiring contractors at rates he couldn’t afford. The result? He was losing money and his mental health, stressing about making ends meet for his business and his family. He needed to learn how to hire and manage a team in a way that wouldn’t eat into his profits. And, with a single client making up 50% of his revenue, he needed to diversify his client list for a more sustainable, future-proof business model.
2. the problem
3. the solution
4. the results
5. the future
Losing money
(and his mind) on projects
case study one
case study two
Helping an agency owner become more profitable (and less stressed)
“It’s hard to find someone with Audrey’s level-headedness and breadth of knowledge. It’s like having a business partner—without giving her half your money.”
James Jensen
1. THE CLIENT
Getting the agency owner out of freelance mode
First, we got James to start thinking about the future of Atom Studio and what he wanted for his agency. With a clear vision, we were able to identify a team structure that would support that vision. Of course, a structure is nothing without a plan, so we took his internalized knowledge of Atom Studio’s processes and started documenting the agency’s systems in a project management tool to streamline onboarding. And speaking of onboarding: No more overpriced contractors. James started searching for designers and developers whose rates reflected their abilities and experience.
Then there was the leadership training. We talked hiring, communications and sales to strengthen James’ confidence as owner of the agency and leader of his team. We covered everything from how to interview and hire, how to communicate with his team, and how to stop underselling himself and charge his value.
2. the problem
3. the solution
4. the results
5. the future
Getting the agency
owner out of freelance mode
case study one
case study two
Helping an agency owner become more profitable (and less stressed)
“It’s hard to find someone with Audrey’s level-headedness and breadth of knowledge. It’s like having a business partner—without giving her half your money.”
James Jensen
1. THE CLIENT
Triple the profit, none of the stress
First things first, James more than tripled his profit in a single year—on less than double the revenue! He grew his team from occasional contractors to four reliable full- and part-time employees. He says if someone had said a year ago he’d have four team members, he would have been freaking out—but when you go about things in the right order, you’re never in a place of risk.
Before hiring us, James never really thought of himself as a leader. Now? He has the confidence to own that title and make the decisions required of a leader. Most importantly, if you ask James, he’ll tell you he’s way less stressed. He works fewer hours and isn’t pulling his hair out about turning a profit because he’s buffered time (and money) into every project. Even if a project goes sideways, he knows he and his business will still be okay.
2. the problem
3. the solution
4. the results
5. the future
Triple the profit,
none of the stress
case study one
case study two
Helping an agency owner become more profitable (and less stressed)
“It’s hard to find someone with Audrey’s level-headedness and breadth of knowledge. It’s like having a business partner—without giving her half your money.”
James Jensen
1. THE CLIENT
Make dent in the world
With processes and people in place, and the agency at capacity, James has the privilege of hiring more full-time employees to scale his profitability and only saying yes to the work he wants—work that, in his words, will make a dent in the world. We’re with you, James.
2. the problem
3. the solution
4. the results
5. the future
Make dent in the world
case study one
case study two
Helping an agency owner become more profitable (and less stressed)
“It’s hard to find someone with Audrey’s level-headedness and breadth of knowledge. It’s like having a business partner—without giving her half your money.”
James Jensen
IN THEIR WORDS
Simplified our processes to create more engagement and buy-in
Audrey helped us clarify our offer and simplify our processes to create more active engagement and enthusiastic buy-in from our clients. She helped us clarify and pin down ideas that have been ruminating for years. Through her help, we've accelerated our business-building and created an opportunity to go to market with a whole new offer. We highly recommend Audrey to anyone seeking laser focus in their business.
Kristen AubreY
CO-FOUNDER, CARBON LIFE MEDIA
Measurable lift in KPIs
Audrey plays a vital role in Noodle Wave. Since she joined the team, we've been able to offer new avenues for our clients to build brand awareness and exposure. We've also seen a measurable lift in KPIs such as sales, leads and engagement.
Roy Chong
CEO, NOODLEWAVE MEDIA
Increased our competitive advantage
Audrey strengthened our self-awareness and increased our competitive advantage. She is a natural communicator who delivers engaging and interactive workshops that helped us identify both ours and other people’s communication styles. More importantly, we now have the tools to effectively engage people and build more meaningful relationships—all of which are essential to success.
Michael Infante
PRESIDENT, ASSOCIATION OF FILIPINO CANADIAN ACCOUNTANTS
Booked my highest ticket offer to date
Because of the work I’ve done with Audrey, I’ve booked my highest ticket offer to date. She helped me develop and systematiize a compelling high-ticket offer. With her coaching and communication expertise, I was able to sell the offer right out of the gate. She helped me to confidently frame and approach the sales conversation. It felt easy to walk my prospect through it, talk about pricing, and get the “yes” because of the work we've done together.
Jodi Toews
FOUNDER, JODI TOEWS DESIGN
Instrumental and a trusted resource
Audrey’s highly intelligent and strategic process helped us create a systematized high-ticket offer. Her ability to dig deep and truly understand our business helped me elevate my core specializations into a clear, compelling, distinct signature service offering. I now have the language, confidence and communications to grow my business. Audrey is an instrumental and trusted resource as I level up my business. Her expertise, passion, and dedication are beyond compare. You need to work with Audrey if you are looking to grow your business.
Tyler Massie
CEO, MASS EFFECT MARKETING
Amplified my ability to grow my business
The first thing you have to know about working with Audrey is that she absolutely loves what she does. She has gone over and above for me because she genuinely believes in my business, but more importantly, she is genuinely passionate about helping business owners sort out their processes and services. Audrey's guidance has been a tremendous asset to my business. She helped me craft better processes for proposals, pitches and sales, which amplified my ability to grow this year. I recommend Audrey to any owner who understands that investing in their business is a critical way to grow.
Aryn Kalson-Sperandio
PRESIDENT, TRUE STORY CONSULTING
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