As part of the broader [1] agency restructure, the client roster has been formally tiered to distinguish high-value strategic relationships from growth-potential accounts and low-ROI/troublesome engagements. The framework drives resource allocation, engagement cadence, and decisions about which clients to grow, fix, or exit.
The core principle: design the business around the clients you want, not around the clients you have. Tier placement reflects both current revenue contribution and strategic upside — a client can be small but still Tier 1 if the relationship is healthy and the potential is real.
High-quality relationships with strong strategic alignment, healthy engagement, and meaningful upside. These clients receive the most proactive attention: weekly or bi-weekly calls with the [2], monthly strategy sessions with Mark, and priority production capacity.
| Client | Notes |
|---|---|
| Doodla | Core strategic client; performance + retainer model ($4k + 4%); active work on inventory/B2B channel expansion |
| Aviary | Built ROI calculator tool (aviacalculators.com); strong example of AI-powered tool delivery |
| Advanced Health & Safety (AHS) | Pilot client for Hazard OS platform; small but high-quality; SaaS productization target |
| PaperTube | Performance-based engagement; similar model to Doodla |
| Trocte | A-list despite smaller size |
| Exterior | A-list; included in core strategic portfolio |
Engagement cadence: Weekly or bi-weekly strategic calls. Monthly joint strategy review (Mark + Karly).
Clients with room to move up to Tier 1 if trust deepens, scope expands, or the agency finds a higher-value angle. Currently receiving solid but less intensive service. Sebastian handles more of the execution touchpoints; Karly engages monthly or quarterly.
| Client | Notes |
|---|---|
| Corristone | Potential in Salesforce/CRM space beyond marketing; needs a value-add angle to justify Tier 1 |
| Blue Point | Strong potential but relationship has been difficult ("bitchy"); moved from Melissa to Karly to stabilize |
| Cord Wainer | Pays well but relatively simple business; limited upside ceiling |
| Axley | Local law firm; happy but low expansion potential |
| Citrus America | Small business; limited headroom |
| Scallon | "Found money" — low effort, low complaint; keep unless capacity becomes an issue |
Engagement cadence: Monthly or quarterly check-ins. Sebastian plays a larger role in day-to-day.
Clients that are either in structural decline, generating friction disproportionate to revenue, or simply not a fit for the strategy-first model. These are candidates for price increases, scope reduction, or offboarding.
| Client | Notes |
|---|---|
| Crazy Lenny's | Owner (65 years old) unwilling to change; business in decline; at ceiling of what's possible |
| Didion | Lost major USAID government contract; factory incident; ongoing legal issues; external factors dominate |
| Flynn Audio | Small; high effort for ~$2k/month; owner (Sam Flynn) struggling financially |
| Sonoplot | Not performing well; limited traction |
| Reynolds | National company with theoretical potential but no clear engagement path found yet |
Note on Machine Source: One email/week for $1,500/month with zero complaints — flagged separately as "found money" and not necessarily a Tier 3 exit candidate despite small size.
Engagement cadence: Minimal proactive investment. Reactive support only unless a clear path to Tier 2 emerges.
The tiering exercise is an output of the agency's shift from a structure-driven to a strategy-driven model. Previously, the team served whoever was on the roster with whatever capacity existed. The new model asks: given what we want to be, which clients belong in this business?
"Do we want to design the business to handle these clients, or do we want to find clients to do what we do?" — Mark Hope
Tier 3 clients highlight a systemic issue: too many small engagements consuming disproportionate team bandwidth. The restructure includes raising the minimum engagement threshold. New client acquisition targets $5k+/month retainers or meaningful project-based work.
Before adding net-new clients, the priority is deepening Tier 1 relationships — identifying additional problems to solve, building tools, expanding scope. Each Tier 1 client should have an active strategic roadmap maintained by [3] and reviewed monthly with Mark.
Tier 1 clients like AHS serve a dual purpose: they are both revenue-generating accounts and product development partners. Tools built for one client (e.g., Hazard OS for AHS) are architected as multi-tenant platforms from day one, enabling productization and SaaS sales to the broader market (target: ~18,000 hazardous environmental companies in the U.S. at $500/month).
See: [4]
| Metric | Current | 12-Month Target |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Revenue | ~$70k | $95k–$110k |
| New Clients/Month | ~1 | 1–2 |
| SaaS Revenue | $0 | TBD (Hazard OS launch) |
Reaching the revenue target does not require a large volume of new clients — it requires deepening Tier 1 relationships, pruning or repricing Tier 3, and adding 1–2 well-qualified new clients per month.
See also: [5]