You don’t need to hire a team of five, ten, or even two to scale your business.
If you’re a freelancer or service provider who doesn’t want to manage people, build an agency, or work 40+ hours a week, this episode is your permission slip to scale smarter—without adding chaos or headcount.
For the last seven years, I’ve made multiple six figures every single year with 1:1 services—and zero support on the delivery side. No junior team. No agency. Just smart systems, strategic packaging, and simple offers that convert.
In this episode, I’m walking you through the exact framework I teach inside the Strategist Society so you can grow your business without building a soul-sucking agency or trading profit for stress.
Why the Traditional Agency Model Doesn’t Work for Most
You’ve been told the next step to scale is to start an agency. But here’s what most gurus don’t tell you:
✅ Hiring before you’re ready tanks your profit
✅ You become a manager instead of a service provider
✅ Quality slips, client retention suffers, and your time evaporates
Most small-to-mid-sized agencies only operate at 10–20% profit margins. That means for every $10K you bring in, you’re only keeping $1,000–$2,000.
Compare that to 75–85%+ margins you can keep with a lean solo model. I’ve personally run my 1:1 service business at 82%+ profit year after year.
So before you start building a team, let’s look at the actual outcome you want—and whether the agency model supports it.
The Real Reason You Think You Need a Team
Many freelancers and service providers believe hiring a team will solve their overwhelm. But here’s the truth:
“You want more time back… so you hire people… and now you’re spending more time managing people.”
If you’re already managing a house full of tiny humans (🙋♀️), the last thing you need is another group of adults depending on you to make decisions, check their work, or put out fires.
The solution? It’s not more people. It’s a better business model.
Enter: The Anti-Agency Approach™
The Anti-Agency Approach™ is how I help 1:1 service providers scale their revenue, simplify their operations, and stay in control of their time—without hiring a team of implementers or chasing digital products that don’t align.
Here’s the 3-part framework:
1. Strategic Packaging
Most people offer one service and try to force every client into it. That leads to burnt-out delivery and missed opportunities.
Instead, we teach the Strategist Trifecta Packaging system:
- ✅ Done-for-You Retainers
- ✅ Done-With-You Offers (VIP Days, intensives, audits)
- ✅ Consulting or Fractional CMO
This lets you meet clients where they are, increase conversion on sales calls, and focus on outcomes—not deliverables.
👉 Instead of juggling 15 clients, you can work with 5–6 clients across a mix of packages—and hit your $20K+ goals with way less hustle.
2. Selective Support
You don’t need a team of junior ad managers. You need smart support.
That might look like:
- A VA for admin or inbox
- A tech specialist for occasional builds
- A copywriter for client work
But only when the numbers support it. Inside Strategist Society, our members do a 2-week time audit before hiring anything—because most of the time, the problem is systems, not support.
In fact, one member eliminated 6+ hours of calls weekly by refining her schedule… no hire needed.
Another used ChatGPT to automate reporting. Instead of hiring, she streamlined with AI.
Don’t solve people problems with more people. Solve them with processes first.
3. Streamlined Systems
This is what makes the whole model work.
We use tools like:
- HoneyBook for contracts, invoices, and proposals
- ClickUp or Notion for project management
- Templates for onboarding, audits, reporting, and strategy
Every time you recreate something from scratch, you waste time that could be spent on client results—or not working at all.
Even I use the exact templates I give my students in Strategist Society when onboarding new clients—because systems = scale.
What This Looks Like in Real Life
Here’s what our Strategist Society students are doing with this approach:
- Working with 4–6 clients, making $20K/month, running at 75%+ profit, and working 20–25 hours/week
- Scaling to $30K months with zero team and 80–90% profit margins
- Hiring only for leverage and not feeling guilty when they don’t want to manage people
The Anti-Agency model gives you freedom, fulfillment, and flexibility—not just more clients or more chaos.
Final Thoughts
If you’re asking yourself…
“Do I really need to hire a team to grow?”
The answer is no. You need:
- Better packaging
- Smarter pricing
- Clear positioning
- Selective support (only when truly needed)
- Systems that do the heavy lifting
You don’t need an agency. You need a better way.
Key Takeaways:
- You don’t need an agency to hit $20K+ months.
- Profit margins matter more than team size or client count.
- Hire for leverage, not delegation.
- Systems are the foundation of sustainable growth.
- You can scale without burning out or becoming a manager.
Episode Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome + why the agency model doesn’t work for most
02:10 What most people don’t realize about agency profit margins
04:00 Where most freelancers go wrong with hiring
06:00 The hidden costs of managing a team
08:00 Does an agency actually align with your goals?
10:00 What is the Anti-Agency Approach?
11:00 Step 1: Strategic Packaging explained
13:00 Step 2: Smart hiring through Selective Support
16:00 Step 3: Scaling through Streamlined Systems
17:30 Real-life examples of Strategist Society members
18:30 Final thoughts: Freedom, Profit, Fulfillment > Vanity Metrics
Want More Like This? ⬇️
CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW TO RAISE YOUR RATES WITH YOUR CURRENT CLIENTS WITHOUT LOSING THEM
Additional Resources
Want Support to Grow Without Hiring a Bunch of People?
This is exactly what we do inside Strategist Society.
You’ll get the coaching, community, and framework to help you scale to $20K+ months—without building an agency and while keeping your time and profit intact.
Apply now at www.thestrategistsociety.com
** This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you use one of the links to purchase. This helps keep the podcast going and I only share products I have used, tested and love.”
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Meet Brandi
Brandi Mowles is the host of the Serve Scale Soar® podcast which is a podcast dedicated to helping service-based entrepreneurs scale their online business to five-figure months so they can soar into six-figure years. Brandi is a wife, mom and in less than one year, created a six-figure business. Now she is spilling all her secrets so you can too.
