The Digital Agency Growth Podcast How Brooke MacLean Built an 80-Person Agency with Zero Debt
Nov 12, 2025
Brooke MacLean, CEO of MarketWake, details her journey of bootstrapping an 80-person agency without debt. She discusses the importance of relationship-driven growth and the 15% rule to mitigate revenue risks from major clients. Brooke highlights how involving her account team in sales shortens cycles and builds trust. She emphasizes authenticity in referrals and shares tactical insights on account-based marketing. With plans for software acquisition, Brooke is excited about MarketWake's future growth while maintaining creativity.
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Bootstrapped Agency Growth
- Brooke bootstrapped MarketWake from solo consulting to ~80 people without investors or debt.
- Growth came organically via one client at a time, shifting from SaaS to retail and B2C.
Cap Individual Client Revenue
- Avoid revenue concentration: never let one client exceed 15% of revenue.
- This rule prevents risky layoffs and forces constant new-client hunting when a large account grows.
Bring The Team Into Sales Early
- Involve the full account team early in sales calls to shorten cycles and smooth handoffs.
- This builds trust because prospects meet the actual team who will do the work.
