Don’t chase money. Build the machine.

I didn’t focus on making money, and the business still hit £1 million in 13 months.

I founded and scaled a seven-figure agency that was:

• Profitable from day one

• £1 million revenue by month 13

• 100% staff retention

How? I stuck to values, built a healthy workplace culture, and optimised for efficiency. Work smart, not hard.

I’ve seen companies fail when they start to get greedy. The values plastered across their website get ignored when the “right” offer comes around. Profit comes before people. Rapid growth is prioritised over sustainable building. That can work in the short term, but long term you end up:

• Constant rehiring because of high staff turnover (time and money)

• Firefighting due to inconsistency from fast growth without a clear vision or staff training (time and resources)

• Decision paralysis because there are no clear values to guide hiring, training, or priorities (time, resources, money)

What I did differently

• Trained the team properly. It took longer, but it created consistent quality and a shared vision.

• Built strong processes before hiring. That reputation for efficiency brought us deals when brands needed things done quickly and done right.

• Designed culture on purpose. Nothing centred around drinking, no performative socials. Instead, an in-office culture where people felt safe to share, question, and discuss and social activities that felt fun rather than forced.

• Gave clear, honest feedback. None of that passive aggressive nonsense. Everyone knew what promotion required. When they delivered, I delivered.

The takeaway is simple: if you build the machine, the money follows. Protect your values, invest in people, and make efficiency your habit. Revenue is a result, not the goal.