I help agency founders build empowered, in-demand businesses that scale to seven figures.

Most founders try:
- Following other agencies' playbooks without a strategy
- Building a business they think they should have but don’t actually want 
- Adding more services and hiring as a way to scale
- Investing in lead gen that delivers low-quality prospects

Instead, I focus on:
1. Strategic positioning that sets you apart
2. Profitable, scalable offers 
3. Relationship-driven growth

REAL CLIENT RESULTS:
* 2.5X revenue growth: scaling from $400K to $1M+ within one year
* Tripled monthly recurring revenue
* Closed $100k+ of new business in less than 90 days
* Two clients join the top 2% of women-owned businesses ($1M+) in 2024

My long-story short?

I spent 13 years working in-house at agencies in every position from Receptionist to Account Manager to Executive Director of Growth. 

After burning out, I became obsessed with finding ways of improving the agency model - building empowered and in-demand agencies with the Founders that lead them.

Work with me:
* Growth Incubator 📈 (intimate community + masterclasses + office hours support)
* Seven Figure Consulting 👩‍💻 (1:1)
* Agency Community 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 (curated events, retreats, roundtables)
* Agency Darlings Podcast 💁🏼‍♀️(weekly conversations to support your growth - listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more)

Get in touch: Melissa@waverlyave.com

I'm so bored of growth stories that make sustaining and growing a business seem so easy.

Just do these 3 things and within <unrealistic time period>, you'll have a $10M agency too. 

It's clickbait designed to make you feel like you're a complete idiot for not having figured it out sooner. And worse, when you try to apply the formula to your business, it doesn't work, making you feel like you're the problem. 

In reality, you didn't have the same inputs they did.

All of this noise has made it so important to me to share the real stories of agency owners who are sustaining and growing their businesses...and sharing the inputs that got them there.  

So this week, Lauryn Warnick came on Agency Darlings® to chat about her journey taking her agency from six to seven figures. And she openly and generously shares her doubts, the hard lessons, and the wins along the way. 

THIS is who I want you to look to as an example - and not be distracted by the inflated stories that make you feel like you're the reason it isn't working. 

We can take pieces from each of these stories and apply them to build our own formula for success. 

🎧 Agency Darlings Episode 48: How I Doubled My Agency By Doing Less is out now. 

(I'll link in comments below 👇 )

And if Lauryn's story inspired something for you, please share ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Melissa Lohrer

Growth Strategy for Creative Agencies | Niche Positioning, Scalable Offers & Relationship-Driven Sales | Host of Agency Darlings 🎙️

If clients keep pushing for “just one more thing”…

the problem usually isn’t your scope doc.

It’s your positioning.

Because:
> When the value is fuzzy, clients negotiate
> When you show up as a vendor, they treat you like one
> When your role feels flexible, so does the line

Clear value creates trust.
Trust creates boundaries.
And boundaries create sustainable client relationships.

(If you're interested in more on this...go listen to Agency Darlings Ep 12 Non-Negotiable Boundaries That Accelerate Growth)

Things agency founders say when they’ve been avoiding doing BD...


- “Most of our work comes from word of mouth.”
- “We’re slammed right now. I’ll focus on outreach once this project wraps.”
- "We just need one project to land so I can breathe.”

Most of you didn’t start an agency to be in a “sales” role.

You built a career on a skill - design, brand strategy, copywriting, creative direction.

Then you built an agency.

And now your primary job as CEO is growth.

It feels good to say “we’re referrals only.”
It says quality work. Solid reputation. In-Demand.

And sometimes, it’s even true.

But here’s the part that doesn’t get said:
When referrals are your only source of business development, you have zero control over timing.

Which means:

Revenue spikes.
Then big dips.
Your team expands.
Then contracts.
Cash flow surplus.
Then you're in the red.

And over time, you start taking on projects you wouldn’t choose — simply because they showed up.

Not because they’re aligned.

And it’s killing your business.  

Not overnight though… it's more like a slow erosion.

I love helping agency owners break that cycle.

And you don’t need to be a salesperson - in fact, I think it’s better not to be.  

You need to be:
- Genuinely curious about your ICP / niche
- Interested in building relationships over time 
- Clear on the value you bring and your ability to solve problems

That’s it.

The rest is a mix of strategy, structure, and showing up.

I’m opening 15 seats inside The Growth Incubator this month.

It’s built for women-led strategy and creative agencies who are done riding the feast-or-famine cycle and ready to build predictable growth with structure.

Spring enrollment opens soon but DM me or comment if you want more details.

Agencies are making changes right now.

They’re adjusting offers.
Reworking messaging.
Exploring new channels.
Tightening ops.
Looking for momentum.

But making changes isn’t the same as progress.

Progress comes from:
> Knowing what problem you're actually solving right now
> Being clear on who you’re not for anymore
> Making fewer decisions — and standing behind them

I see founders exhaust themselves trying to “do growth right” —
instead of slowing down long enough to choose what kind of growth
they actually want to build toward (or what's right for their business)

Because without that clarity:
- Every new idea feels urgent
- Every dip feels like failure
- Every opportunity feels hard to say no to

Real progress looks quieter.
More intentional.
But the progress compounds FAST and returns in the form of growth. 

If you're doing a lot of change right now, make sure you know WHY.

You're not bad at business development. You just only do it when you're desperate.

Most agency owners I work with aren't lazy.

They're stuck in the messy middle.

You know the stage:
→ Referrals used to be enough. Now they're not.
→ You try outreach, but it feels salesy so you stop.
→ BD only happens when the pipeline is empty and panic sets in.
→ Some things work. Nothing works consistently.

Sound familiar? You're not alone.

This is where most agency owners stay stuck—not because they can't do it, but because no one taught them how to build BD into the rhythm of their business.

Stage 1: Referrals carry you. You're busy, grateful, figuring it out.

Stage 2: Referrals slow down. You start resenting the small-budget, high-maintence clients. You post on LinkedIn but hesitate to actually sell. Nothing sticks.

Stage 3: You decide to run BD intentionally. You build a system. You stop waiting and start choosing.

Most of the agency owners I work with are in Stage 2.

What's missing: the strategy, structure, and rhythm to make BD consistent and not chaotic.

That's exactly what my BD accelerator is built for.

We kick off April 1 with a sprint to build momentum for Q2.

13 spots left. If you're curious, send me a DM for the overview + application. 📩

The moment business development becomes urgent, you’ve already waited too long.

Not because you’re bad at business.
Not because you’re bad at sales.

But because urgency changes how you show up.

When a project pauses.
When a proposal gets ghosted.
When your Q3 + Q4 forecast looks leaner than you expected.

That’s when business development becomes the priority.

BUT going from zero to momentum is hard.

Because when you haven’t been planting seeds, everything suddenly matters too much.

You negotiate differently.
You say yes faster.
You convince yourself a “good enough” project will do.

Not because you want to.

Because you feel vulnerable.

Business development feels important - like the gym.
Until it becomes urgent - like the doctor.

You don’t need urgency.
You need strategy, structure, and accountability.

I’m officially opening a BD accelerator this week for agency owners looking to create and sustain momentum towards business development - in a fun and creative way.

More details tomorrow (DM me if you’re interested and I’ll send you info first!). 📩

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