--- title: Asymmetric New Organizational Structure type: article created: '2026-04-05' updated: '2026-04-05' source_docs: - raw/2026-02-04-mark-sync-119658866.md tags: - org-design - asymmetric - agency - personnel - strategy - restructuring layer: 2 client_source: null industry_context: null transferable: true --- # Asymmetric New Organizational Structure ## Overview As part of the agency's rebrand and shift to a strategy-first model, Asymmetric adopted a **two-track organizational structure** separating client strategy from production execution. The design principle is explicit: structure should follow strategy, not the other way around. The previous model had everyone doing a mix of client-facing and production work, creating accountability gaps and a commodity-service orientation. The new model assigns clear ownership at each layer. See also: [[wiki/clients/asymmetric/index]] | [[wiki/knowledge/agency-operations/strategy-first-model]] --- ## Org Structure at a Glance ``` Mark Hope (Owner) ├── Karly Oykhman — Strategic Client Leader │ └── Ben — Coordinator (bridge to production) ├── Sebastian — Director of Operations │ ├── Gilbert — Performance Marketing & Analytics │ ├── Raphael — Automation & Development │ ├── Isalia — Administrative Manager │ └── Philippine Production Bench (creative, dev) ``` --- ## Role Definitions ### Mark Hope — Owner **Focus areas (retained):** - Diagnosis & architecture — competitive analysis, strategy development, identifying client solutions - Solution building — custom tools, AI-powered apps, websites, technology platforms - Closing business — high close rate on qualified calls; not responsible for prospecting - Senior client relationships — quarterly top-to-top conversations with owners **Delegated away:** - People management - Administrative work - Routine deliverables - Day-to-day client communications > *"There's some work that I can do that others can't do in the same way just because of experience... nobody really wants their strategy from a 25-year-old."* --- ### Karly Oykhman — Strategic Client Leader **Focus areas:** - Client strategy and roadmapping — dedicated thinking time per client, brainstorming with AI, reviewing competitive landscape - Client communication — primary relationship owner for all active accounts; builds deep trust and long-term relationships - Performance review — interprets Gilbert's analytics data and translates into strategic priorities - Ad direction — gives Gilbert direction on campaigns; does not build or manage ads directly - Work plan ownership — defines *what* needs to be done and *why*; hands off to Sebastian for execution **Delegated away:** - Production management - ClickUp updates - Chasing contractors on deadlines - Administrative topics **Client cadence:** - Tier 1 (A-List): weekly or bi-weekly calls - Tier 2 (Growth Potential): monthly calls - Tier 3 (Troublesome/Low ROI): quarterly or as-needed **Protected time:** Tuesday and Wednesday mornings are blocked for strategic thinking. If reactive client requests consume this time, the model breaks down. > *"You're the what and the why — Sebastian is the how and the when."* --- ### Sebastian — Director of Operations **Focus areas:** - Owns ClickUp — sprint planning, task assignment, capacity management - Translates Karly's strategy and work plans into actionable briefs for the production bench - Quality gate — reviews all completed work before it moves to Ben for packaging and delivery - Technical client support - Brief quality discipline — pushes back on incomplete or unclear briefs before work begins **Workflow position:** Karly defines priorities → Sebastian breaks them into tasks → bench executes → Sebastian QAs → Ben packages → Karly delivers to client --- ### Ben — Coordinator **Proposed role:** Bridge between Karly and Sebastian. Handles scheduling, meeting prep, client action item tracking, and packaging completed deliverables for client-facing delivery. **Status:** On a 90-day performance improvement plan (PIP) to demonstrate value in this coordinator role. Role definition still being finalized. --- ### Gilbert — Performance Marketing & Analytics **Focus areas:** - Performance marketing: building, optimizing, and managing paid ad campaigns (daily hands-on management, bid optimization) - Analytics: attribution, tracking, platform data — supported by X-ray tooling and Looker dashboards to reduce manual reporting burden **Additional potential:** Cultural lead / informal point of contact for the Philippine production team — same time zone, shared language, can maintain team cohesion without formal management overhead. --- ### Raphael — Automation & Development **Focus areas:** - Automation work - Website development - Email and blog post production (current) - Candidate for elevation given tenure — additional technical responsibilities being scoped --- ### Isalia — Administrative Manager **Focus areas:** - Invoicing and accounts receivable - Coordination with external accounting team - Contractor payments - Calendar management for Mark - General administrative operations --- ### Philippine Production Bench Three-person creative team (content/design) plus two developers (Eshok as lead, Jeff as secondary). Cost-efficient relative to US equivalents; used for consistent, repeatable production work. Gilbert serves as informal cultural liaison. --- ## Workflow: Strategy to Delivery 1. **Karly** reviews Gilbert's analytics data and client context; develops strategic priorities 2. **Karly** communicates ad strategy to Gilbert and work plans to Sebastian 3. **Sebastian** translates work plans into ClickUp tasks; assigns to bench 4. **Bench** executes 5. **Sebastian** performs quality check on completed work 6. **Ben** packages deliverables and prepares client-facing materials 7. **Karly** leads client conversations and presents results Monthly: Mark and Karly hold a joint strategy session per client; Karly communicates outcomes to client and loops Sebastian into execution. --- ## Key Design Principles - **Strategy-driven structure** — the org is designed around what the business wants to do, not around the people currently employed - **Separation of concerns** — client strategy and production execution are distinct tracks with distinct owners - **Protected strategic capacity** — Karly's thinking time is non-negotiable; reactive work is absorbed by Ben and Sebastian - **Lean fixed costs** — Philippine team provides production scale at low cost; US headcount is kept minimal and high-leverage - **SaaS and tooling as a second revenue track** — Mark builds multi-tenant tools (e.g., Hazard OS) that can be productized; this work sits outside the client service org --- ## Personnel Decisions (as of restructuring) | Person | Decision | |---|---| | Melissa | Termination — highest cost, lowest ROI; client losses correlated with her accounts | | Ben | 90-day PIP — coordinator role, value to be demonstrated | | Karly | Promoted to Strategic Client Leader with compensation increase | | Sebastian | Elevated to Director of Operations | | Gilbert | Retained; potential cultural lead for PH team | | Raphael | Retained; elevation under consideration | | Isalia | Retained; scope expanded to full admin manager | --- ## Related - [[wiki/knowledge/agency-operations/strategy-first-model]] - [[wiki/knowledge/agency-operations/client-tier-framework]] - [[wiki/knowledge/agency-operations/saas-productization-strategy]] - [[wiki/meetings/2026-02-04-mark-karly-restructuring-sync]]