How To Grow An Agency Without Chasing Shiny Objects Or Bloating Headcount
Interview: Steamclock’s “Do Less, Better” Growth Playbook for Mobile App Agencies (with Nick Wilkinson)
Behind the Agency Podcast with Nick Wilkinson, Managing Director, Steamclock Software
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Prefer the highlights? Key takeaways and summary below.
TL;DR – Key Takeaways
Growth doesn’t have to mean headcount. Steam Clock aims to stay small (15-ish, maybe 20), and grow profit + quality instead.
A big part of growth is knowing how you don’t want to grow. They avoid adding services (backend, broad web) just to “feed the beast.”
They sell like doctors, not like car salesmen. A lot of leads don’t need a mobile app—and saying that out loud builds trust fast.
Positioning is a guardrail, not a tagline. They “walk the walk” by turning down projects that would pull them away from mobile excellence.
Relationships beat tactics. Their marketing is the long game: conferences, blog posts for CTOs, LinkedIn, VC relationships, and agency partners.
They’re allergic to hourly thinking. They’re moving away from “units of doing” toward consultative value (strategy + judgment).
Specialization doesn’t mean boredom. Depth creates variety (new Apple platforms, new APIs, new UX patterns) even if the category stays the same.
Watch the hype cycles—don’t marry them. They’re curious about Apple Intelligence/voice-first UX, but not betting the company on it.
Meet the Guest
Nick Wilkinson is the Managing Director of Steamclock Software, a team that builds mobile apps for growth-stage tech companies. Steam Clock handles the full mobile journey—strategy → design → development, and only does web work when it supports a mobile experience.
Nick started his career in project management (engineering background), worked across industries (including work connected to NASA and the Canadian Space Program), then moved into software and agency life. Over time, he shifted from project delivery into sales + client relationships, and ultimately stepped into leadership as the former CEO moved on to start something new.
📌 Episode Summary
1. From project manager to agency leader
Nick’s path wasn’t “I always wanted to run an agency.” It was more like: he got really good at managing complex work, learned how dev teams actually function in the real world, and eventually realized he wanted to stay in agencies—just not as “the person holding the Gantt chart” forever.
Steam Clock had been on his radar for years. The timing finally clicked when they needed someone stronger on the relationship/sales side. From there, his responsibilities grew naturally into leadership.
2. The main tension: growth vs. staying true to what you do
Nick makes a point that a lot of agencies avoid saying out loud:
Not all growth is good growth.
He’s seen what happens when agencies expand services because leads show up that sort of fit.
“A part of growth is knowing, like, the ways in which you don’t want to grow.”
For Steam Clock, “growth” is not “let’s become a 100-person shop.” It’s: do great mobile work, stay profitable, and don’t drift into random services just to keep people busy.
3. Their unique way of solving it: focus + fundamentals
Nick’s approach is almost boring in the best way:
Keep wages and hiring disciplined (don’t hire out of excitement)
Use contractors to flex up/down
Watch overhead (licenses, tools, office size)
Prefer longer engagements for smoother revenue
Avoid clients who shop by hourly rate
That’s the core mindset: stay excellent, stay stable, stay choosy.
4. Framework, method, or mental model
Here’s the simplest version of Nick’s “how we grow” model:
Define growth (profit + quality, not headcount)
Protect the niche (mobile-first, don’t casually expand services)
Build the long-game flywheel
word of mouth (but don’t rely on it)
targeted content for CTOs
the right conferences (not necessarily the biggest ones)
relationships with VCs (because their clients are growth-stage)
relationships with other agencies (referrals + reciprocation)
Sell through consulting
start by figuring out what they actually need
be willing to say “you don’t need a mobile app”
A detail I loved: they even have a microsite basically called “Do You Really Need a Mobile App?” that often ends with “probably not.” That’s such a confident move.
5. Common mistake or “cringe” moment
The cringe pattern Nick calls out is the agency version of “sure, we can do that”:
taking work outside your core lane because it’s “cool” or because people are idle
then getting stuck in a long project you don’t even want to show off later
and missing the work you actually want
His fix is simple: if you’re locking people in for 6–8 months, it better build the company you’re trying to become.
6. Where leadership still belongs
Nick’s leadership “home base” is expectation management and alignment:
manage client expectations without being transactional
build consensus internally around what “good” looks like
make sure the positioning shows up in decisions, not just words
7. Hiring, scaling, or process lessons
A few practical scaling points from how he thinks:
Keep headcount growth modest to avoid desperation work
Use contractors to smooth volatility
Don’t ignore “small” expenses (tool sprawl adds up)
Prefer longer commitments even if it means slightly lower rates (predictability > squeezing every dollar)
Notable Quotes
“The goal is not to sell what we have to the people who need it. The goal is to do business with people who believe what we believe.”
“A part of growth is knowing the ways in which you don’t want to grow.”
“We’ve gotten away from billing by the hour… units of doing instead of units of thinking.”
“In most cases, the lead didn’t need what we’re selling… it changes the dynamic of the conversation.”
Learn More / Get in Touch
Visit → steamclock.com
LinkedIn → Nick Wilkinson (search and connect; mention the podcast)
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