One of the most overlooked barriers to growth in agency and consultancy businesses isn’t market conditions, pricing, or positioning. It’s hiring strategy – and specifically, the tendency to hire too safe, too small, and too late.

📽️ In the short video below, Simon shares real-world insights from scaling and advising over 100 businesses. He unpacks a powerful hiring philosophy we call the “three-and-a-half generals” framework – a concept that’s helped leadership teams break through growth plateaus by building the right senior bench early.

Watch the video, then read on for the core ideas and how to apply them.

Playing It Safe Is Playing It Small

It’s common to feel hesitation when faced with hiring someone at £80k–£120k+, especially when budgets are tight and short-term ROI isn’t guaranteed. But the reality is that you cannot scale sustainably without heavyweight leadership in the right seats.

Too many businesses delay these decisions – waiting until burnout or inefficiency forces their hand. By that point, the damage is often already visible: stalling growth, bloated teams, or poor client retention.

The “Three-and-a-Half Generals” Framework

To scale beyond founder-dependence, every high-growth business needs a senior leadership layer. At Scaled, we refer to them as the three-and-a-half generals – the key leaders who drive clarity, consistency, and growth across core operational areas:

🫡 Operations – The engine of delivery and efficiency
 🫡 Commercial – Sales, marketing, and revenue leadership
 🫡 Client Success – Retention, satisfaction, and growth
 ➕½ Finance (the ‘half’) – Often fractional early on, but critical for forecasting, cashflow, and strategic oversight

The order and timing of these hires depend on your business model and founding team composition – but all four areas become essential as you scale.

Hire for 18 Months Ahead, Not Just Today

One of the key lessons Simon shares in the video is this:

“Pay for the experience you’ll need 18 months from now – not just the CV you can afford today.”

Founders often default to hiring for current pain points rather than future needs. But doing so creates a revolving door of under-experienced talent that slows progress. By contrast, bringing in seasoned operators unlocks new capability and capacity, allowing the founder to step back from the day-to-day and focus on strategy.

Managing the Risk of Senior Hires

While senior hires come with a higher price tag, the risk can be effectively managed:

  • Probation periods give you time to validate fit and impact.
    Commission-based compensation aligns costs with performance in commercial and CS roles.
  • Equity or options schemes help attract top talent and create long-term alignment.
  • Robust hiring processes ensure you’re selecting not just qualified, but mission-aligned leaders.

Done right, hiring better people sooner is not a cost – it’s a strategic growth lever.

Why It Matters Now

Many agency leaders come to us feeling stuck:
 📉 Revenue plateaus despite solid pipeline
 💬 Teams are busy, but output is inconsistent
 📈 Investors are asking, “What’s the next chapter?”

In almost every case, the answer lies in team structure. Without senior leaders driving core areas, businesses can’t build the culture of accountability, delegation, and performance needed to move into their next phase.

If you’re currently under-hiring, or unsure where your leadership gaps are, this is the time to get ahead of the curve.