The Friends-First Business Model: Better Relationships, Better Results

03/24/2025

Okay, let’s get one thing straight. Most agencies genuinely suck. There, we said it. And we can say it because we are one.

Back in 2012, best friends Jaret and Tristan took a leap of faith at age 23. They weren’t just looking to build another digital agency – they wanted to rewrite the rulebook of what an agency could be. And their unconventional approach? Put profits LAST. (And if anyone offers $1B for //TECHYSCOUTS, it’s still sold. We’re not THAT unconventional.)

The Wild Idea That Actually Worked

Our radical foundation was built on two core beliefs:

  1. Our team isn’t just employees – they’re friends first
  2. Our clients aren’t just accounts – they’re partners in success

Our founders had experience at agencies where clients were told to wait hours before responding to quick-fix emails… just to charge more. It felt gross. And don’t even get us started on proprietary platforms where clients didn’t even own their sites.

So we flipped the script. All the way.

Friends Who Code Together, Grow Together

When you invest in your team’s growth, you create something magical. Our designers innovate in ways that surprise even us. Our developers take initiative with exciting new WordPress and Shopify technologies. Our support team goes above and beyond for every client we work with.

We touch on everyone’s career path and motivation styles in every performance review and just about every weekly 1:1 meeting. Each person has individual financial goals that they, and everyone on our management team, are working together to hit.

And get this – there’s zero downside.

Curious how a friendship-first approach might transform your next website project? Drop us a line and let’s chat about your goals.

The Friendship Algorithm That Drives Results

The magic formula works like this:

  • Happy employees = Happy clients
  • Happy clients = Profits follow naturally

This isn’t charity. It’s good business. And it’s created this amazing cycle where client wins fuel team growth, which leads to more client wins.

Our 80% client retention rate isn’t an accident. Neither is growing from managing a single website to over 500 of them, all bootstrapped without outside investment.

From Template Hell to Custom Heaven

When you’re treated like a number, you get template results. When you’re treated like a friend, you get a custom website that loads quickly, ranks well, and actually helps your business grow.

Our accessible, ADA-compliant websites aren’t just pretty – they’re powerful digital experiences built to convert. We write clean code, design with purpose, and implement SEO strategies that actually work.

Why Isn’t This The Standard Playbook?

So why do we celebrate doing more with less instead of creating more success for more people?

Maybe because it’s harder. Building websites that are uniquely yours takes more effort than pushing templates. Providing 24/7 support across time zones isn’t easy. Actually caring about website accessibility when 96.3% of the internet still isn’t ADA-compliant takes genuine commitment.

But when you invest in good people, they invest right back in you. And that’s the best way to continue improving the service you provide to customers and clients.

So here’s to friendship-first business. It’s been working for us since 2012, and we’re just getting started.

Got a vision? Let’s shoot for the moon together. Let’s talk!

References

  1. Deloitte. (2023). “The ROI of Employee Experience.” Deloitte Insights. https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/human-capital-trends/2023/improving-employee-experience-workplace-rewards.html
  2. Harvard Business Review. (2022). “The Business Case for Helping Your Employees Make Friends at Work.” Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2022/11/the-business-case-for-helping-your-employees-make-friends-at-work
  3. Gallup. (2024). “State of the Global Workplace Report.” Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
  4. Inc. (2023). “Why Strong Client Relationships Are Key to Business Success.” Inc.com. https://www.inc.com/young-entrepreneur-council/why-strong-client-relationships-are-key-to-business-success.html
  5. Basecamp. (2021). “Rework.” Basecamp. https://basecamp.com/books/rework
  6. Forrester Research. (2024). “The ROI of Customer Experience.” Forrester. https://www.forrester.com/report/the-roi-of-cx/
  7. WebAIM. (2023). “The WebAIM Million – An annual accessibility analysis of the top 1,000,000 home pages.” WebAIM. https://webaim.org/projects/million/