The First 100 Days

Sustainable change happens in focused phases, not chaotic marathons.

The Random Fix Trap

Most agency owners try changing everything simultaneously. New CRM, new hire, new pricing. All in week one.

The result: six months later, they're more scattered than when they started. More tools, more processes, more confusion. Nothing actually stuck.

The fix: four focused phases. Build momentum without burnout. One thing at a time, done properly.

Week 1–2: Foundation Assessment

Know where you stand before deciding where to go.

Your Reality Audit

List every client with monthly profit, not just revenue. Revenue is vanity. Profit is what actually matters.

Track where you spend time for three full days. Not where you think you spend it. Where you actually spend it. The gap between those two things is usually painful to see.

Calculate your 90-day cash flow projection. If you can't do this, that's the first problem to solve.

Rate each service on three dimensions: profitability, your skill level, and how much you enjoy delivering it. Services that score low on all three need to go.

Identify which clients energize you versus which ones drain you. You already know the answer. Write it down anyway.

Week 1 priority: Create a simple spreadsheet. Client name, monthly revenue, monthly profit, energy level on a scale of 1 to 10. That's it. Don't overcomplicate it.

You can't navigate without knowing your starting coordinates.

Week 3–6: Systems Setup

Build infrastructure that works without constant management.

Your System Priorities

Move every project into one PM tool. Not two. Not three with different purposes. One.

Create templates for your three most common project types. If you're rebuilding the same structure every time, you're wasting hours you'll never get back.

Set communication response time standards. Clients should know when to expect replies. Your team should know too.

Build a weekly cash flow tracking ritual. Same day, same time, every week. Money problems don't surprise agencies that watch their numbers.

Establish quality control checklists for every deliverable type. If quality depends on who's working that day, you don't have a system. You have luck.

Week 3 goal: Get every active project into your chosen system. No exceptions, no stragglers.

Project management tools don't solve problems. Consistent habits do. The tool is just where the habits live.

Week 7–10: Team Building

Develop people who develop your business.

Your Team Focus

Assess each team member's strengths and gaps honestly. Not based on their job title. Based on what they actually do well and where they struggle.

Start weekly one-on-ones with every team member. Fifteen minutes minimum. No canceling. This is where you find out what's really happening.

Document one recurring task you can delegate this month. Write the process down so clearly that someone else can do it without asking you questions.

Create performance feedback loops. People can't improve if they don't know where they stand. And they shouldn't have to guess.

Define your agency's core working values. Not the inspirational poster version. The real ones that guide daily decisions.

Week 7 action: Have honest conversations with each team member about their goals and their challenges. Ask more than you talk.

Great teams aren't found. They're built through intentional development. That takes time you have to choose to spend.

Week 11–14: Client Optimization

Transform relationships from good to exceptional.

Your Client Strategy

Categorize every client: Ideal, Good, Tolerable, Problem. Be honest. Tolerable is often worse than Problem because it's easier to ignore.

Map expansion opportunities within existing accounts. The clients who already trust you are the easiest path to growth.

Set boundaries with your most challenging clients. Some will respect the new terms. Some won't. Both outcomes are useful information.

Build referral requests into project completion. When the work is done and they're happy is when you ask. Not randomly three months later.

Schedule quarterly business reviews with your top clients. Proactive check-ins position you as a partner, not a vendor.

Week 11 decision: Choose your top 3 clients to invest more in. Choose your bottom 2 to transition out. Act on both.

Client optimization isn't about serving everyone. It's about serving the right ones exceptionally well.

Start Tomorrow

Day 1: Open a spreadsheet. List every client and their monthly value.

That's it. Nothing else. Just start.

100 days from now, you'll either have a systematically improving agency or another quarter of random fixes that didn't stick.

The next 100 days will pass anyway. Use them intentionally.

Your move.