Why We Put Our Profits Last (And Why It Makes Our Clients More Successful)

05/19/2025

In an industry obsessed with billable hours and margins, //TECHYSCOUTS takes a different approach: we put profits last. Not second—last.

Since 2012, we’ve structured our business around a simple hierarchy:

  1. Our Team
  2. Our Clients
  3. Our Profits

This isn’t just a feel-good mantra—it’s delivered an 80% client retention rate in an industry where churn typically runs 30-50%.

The Problem With Traditional Agency Models

Most agencies operate on a model that creates fundamental conflicts with their clients:

  • Time-based billing rewards inefficiency: More hours = more revenue, regardless of results
  • Cost-cutting compromises quality: Junior staff, templates, and minimal customization
  • High turnover normalizes mediocrity: Quick wins trump long-term success

No wonder 67% of businesses report dissatisfaction with their agency relationships, according to Forrester Research.

Tired of agencies that prioritize billable hours over results? Let’s chat about a different approach where your goals come before our profit margins.

Team First: The Foundation of Excellence

Our “profits last” approach starts with investing in our team:

Dedicated Growth Time

While most agencies allocate just 2-3% of time to professional development, we commit a full 10% of each team member’s schedule to learning and experimentation. That’s a half-day every week spent sharpening skills instead of logging billable hours.

This investment means our clients work with specialists who stay current with rapidly evolving best practices and bring innovative solutions to every project.

Sustainable Workloads

Unlike agencies that glorify burnout, we maintain reasonable hours. This directly benefits clients through consistently high-quality work, fewer errors, and continuity in team relationships.

Clients Second: Partnership Over Transactions

With our team functioning at their best, we can focus on client success:

Right Solutions, Not Most Profitable Ones

Case in point: When a client wanted a custom e-commerce platform, our analysis showed a customized Shopify solution would better serve their needs—at 60% the cost.

The custom build would have been more profitable for us, but recommending the right solution strengthened a relationship that has since expanded into other service areas.

Transparent Pricing, No Surprises

Our approach to project scoping is radically different:

  • Fixed-price project phases instead of open-ended hourly billing
  • No change fees for minor adjustments
  • Comprehensive discovery before scoping

Result? Our projects come in on budget 94% of the time versus the industry average of 65%.

Our approach means we sometimes tell you what you need to hear rather than what you want to hear. Ready for that kind of honesty? Schedule a conversation with our team today.

The Paradox: Better Business Through Profits Last

By putting profits last, we’ve built a more sustainable business:

Lower Acquisition Costs With our 80% retention rate (vs. industry average 50%), we invest less in acquiring new clients and more in delivering value.

Higher Lifetime Value Our third-year clients generate 2.4x their first-year revenue—not from aggressive upselling, but from expanded relationships based on demonstrated value.

Word-of-Mouth Growth Over 65% of our new clients come through recommendations (vs. industry average 20-30%), and these referrals have 40% higher initial project values.

Is This Right For Every Agency?

We don’t pretend our approach is the only valid model. However, we believe traditional agency approaches are increasingly outdated in a world where:

  • Clients have more visibility into agency operations
  • Digital expertise is more democratized
  • Long-term partnerships deliver exponentially more value than transactions

Building //TECHYSCOUTS around “profits last” wasn’t the easiest path. It required patience, courage to turn down wrong-fit projects, and trust in long-term thinking.

But after 13 years, we’re convinced this approach creates better outcomes for everyone. Our business generates healthy profits—they just happen to be the result of getting the first two priorities right.

Ready to experience what happens when an agency puts your success first? Let’s talk about your goals →

References

  1. Agency Management Institute. (2024). “Agency Edge Research Study: Client Retention Benchmarks.” https://agencymanagementinstitute.com/agency-edge-research-study/client-retention/ 
  2. Forrester Research. (2023). “The State of Agency-Client Relationships.” https://www.forrester.com/report/the-state-of-agency-client-relationships/ 
  3. Society for Digital Agencies (SoDA). (2024). “The SoDA Report on Agency Operations.” https://www.sodarreport.com/agency-professional-development/ 
  4. Agency Management Institute. (2023). “Project Management Benchmarking Study.” https://agencymanagementinstitute.com/project-management-benchmarking/ 
  5. HubSpot. (2024). “Marketing Agency Benchmarks.” https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics/agency-benchmarks 
  6. Bain & Company. (2023). “The Economics of Customer Retention.” https://www.bain.com/insights/the-economics-of-customer-retention/ 
  7. PwC. (2023). “Client Relationship Management in Professional Services.” https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/business-transformation/client-relationship-management.html