Scale Your Agency Without Scaling Headcount (The 5 Ones + Productization + IP)
Behind the Agency Podcast with Greg (Founder, Alt Agency)
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Prefer the highlights? Key takeaways and summary below.
TL;DR – Key Takeaways
Most agencies don’t fail from lack of leads… they fail from operational indigestion (too many different services, too many one-off needs).
Greg’s “Full-service vs. a la carte” take is spicy and (IMO) dead-on: full-service is fine if every client uses the same full stack. The chaos is when every client picks a different menu.
The “5 Ones” approach (1 avatar, 1 solution, 1 conversion method, 1 traffic source, for 1 year) is basically a focus cheat code.
Greg used the 5 Ones to repackage his agency offer and hit a 7-figure run rate in under 11 months (while keeping legacy clients on the side).
Productization ≠ turning your work into a boring factory. It means the process stays the same even if the details change.
A simple way to think about it: Service = work without a process. Productized service = work with a process. Product = process without work.
Your process is IP. Once it’s clear, you can sell it three ways: done-for-you, done-with-you, and training/teaching (and keep revenue even when clients go in-house).
If referrals are weak, it might not be your “network.” It might be that people don’t know how to describe what you do anymore.
Fast action item: tell every past client and contact what you do now, and give them 2–3 “symptoms” to listen for so they know when to refer.
Meet the Guest
Greg Hickman is the founder of Alt Agency, a training + consulting company that helps agency owners and service providers productize their services, systemize delivery, and monetize their intellectual property so the business can scale without the founder being trapped in fulfillment.
At the time of recording, Alt Agency has worked with 700+ agency owners, service providers, and freelancers. Greg also pulled from earlier experience in “big agency” environments (e.g., Omnicom-style full-service work) to explain why a lot of small agencies get “full-service” wrong.
Episode Summary
1. The origin point: scaling without losing your life
Greg’s whole thing is simple: if you want to grow profitably and still have an “abundant lifestyle,” the path isn’t “more clients + bigger team forever.”
It’s productization + IP — turning what you know into something repeatable that doesn’t require you in every step.
2. The real trap: not full-service… “a la carte” chaos
This was one of the best misconceptions he challenged.
A lot of agency folks say they’re “full-service,” but what they really have is a messy situation where every client buys a different random combo of services. Greg calls that a la carte — and it turns operations into a tornado.
He makes the case that real full-service means: fewer clients, higher value, and every client uses the same set of services.
“Most agencies struggle and fail from indigestion, not starvation.”
3. The focus unlock: the “5 Ones” approach
Greg heard Clay Collins (Leadpages) share this idea in January 2017:
1 avatar
1 solution
1 conversion method
1 traffic source
for 1 year
Greg’s agency had accidentally nailed “1 avatar” (Infusionsoft/Keap users), but the “1 solution” part was a mess (“we’ll do anything if Keap is involved”).
He cleaned it up, kept legacy clients separate, and within 11 months the new focused offer produced a 7-figure run rate.
4. Productized service (the cereal box test)
Greg’s definition is refreshingly practical:
You can customize outputs (logos differ, websites differ)
But the client journey should be consistent
Same onboarding
Same steps
Same order of operations
Same expectations
He uses a simple spectrum (from Jack Butcher / Visualize Value):
Service = work without a process
Productized service = work with a process
Product = process without work
And he compares a true product to a cereal box: what’s included, what’s not, and no surprises.
5. The real money move: monetizing IP
Once you’ve repeated the same outcome enough times, your process becomes teachable.
Then you can:
extend relationships when clients bring work in-house (“we’ll train your team”)
offer a mid-tier done-with-you version for people who can’t afford done-for-you
eventually create assets: videos, SOPs, templates, pre-built scripts, etc.
Greg points out something most agency owners miss: clients often want you to teach them anyway — especially bigger companies — and they’ll pay well for it.
6. What to systematize first (hint: not SOPs)
Greg’s order of operations is “inside out.”
Start with:
The offer (clear container + outcome)
Client onboarding (intake form → kickoff agenda → boundaries + expectations)
His argument: if you simply standardize onboarding, you can often dramatically increase profit because you reduce:
scope creep
late projects
constant “where are we at?” meetings/emails
And he makes a key distinction: you don’t start with SOPs — you start with 2–3 core assets that make consistency unavoidable.
7. Content + referrals get easier when you’re specific
Greg’s view: most people “don’t know what to say” in marketing because they serve everybody.
Once the offer is specific, content becomes obvious:
tell stories about clients with that problem
explain the process
teach small pieces
And the referral point was killer: if people don’t refer you, it might not be a relationship issue — it might be clarity.
His action step:
contact past clients + contacts
tell them what you do now
give them “symptoms” to listen for (“if you hear them say X, that’s when to introduce me”)
8. Parting advice: stop running someone else’s race
Greg ends with a founder mindset check I wish more people would say out loud:
Don’t blindly chase someone else’s version of success. Define what you actually want your business to look like and build toward that — or you’ll win a game you don’t even like playing.
Notable Quotes
“Full service is every client uses the full service. A la carte is where people go wrong.”
“Most agencies struggle and fail from indigestion, not starvation.”
“Service is work without a process. Productized service is work with a process. Product is process without work.”
“If your client doesn’t know how to refer you, what you do is not specific enough.”
Learn More / Get in Touch
Visit → gregsvideos.com (redirects to Greg’s YouTube channel)
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