The mistakes that shaped success

Every agency can point to moments they wish they’d handled differently.

Delayed hires, underpriced work, saying “yes” when they should’ve said “no;” decisions that created real stress before they provided clarity.

What they share here is more lived experience than advice, the calls they’d rethink, and the ones they wouldn’t repeat.

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When bigger got too big

Growth is usually good, but when this founder realized he couldn’t recognize every team member, he wondered if a bigger company might also be losing focus. So, they divided to conquer.

Herding talented cats

After some trial and (a little) error, this agency head realized: You really have to find the people who are not only great at what they do, but also accountable and responsible to be there on time.

The numbers crunch

Putting the metrics first might have actually slowed growth at this agency. Turns out, the better approach was to prioritize doing even more for existing customers.

We’re on a mission

Writing a mission statement and documenting company culture and values aren’t just feel-good exercises for this agency. It’s work that they discovered helps keep a growing company on track.

Learning to say no

Saying yes to every new service, exception, or one-off request felt necessary early on. Over time, those decisions piled up, and the cost added up to complexity, stress, and blurred focus.

Where’s Woo?

For e-commerce specialists, it was frustrating that WooCommerce seemed to be the WordPress community’s best-kept secret. That seems to be changing with help from the folks at Automatic.

Being bolder on pricing

Pricing didn’t stall because agencies couldn’t do the math; it stalled because they were afraid of what would happen if they raised client costs. But maybe there was nothing to fear but fear itself.