What does it take to keep growing an agency when the old playbook no longer seems to work?

In this episode of The Fractional CFO Show, Adam Cooper is joined by Paul Cash, Founder, CEO and Chief Rooster at Rooster Punk, for an open conversation about agency growth, leadership, cash flow, revenue models and the impact of AI on the future of the agency sector.

Paul has spent almost 30 years building and running agencies. His view is that the environment has changed so significantly that many established agencies now need to think like startups again: questioning assumptions, rethinking how they go to market and rebuilding parts of the business model from the ground up.

The discussion starts with the reality facing agency owners today. Economic uncertainty, changing client behaviour, pressure on marketing budgets and the rapid development of AI are all forcing agencies to reassess what sustainable growth looks like.

Paul explains why agency leaders cannot rely on the same approach that worked five or ten years ago, and why experience can sometimes make reinvention more difficult rather than easier.

A major theme throughout the episode is the tension between passion and commercial discipline.

Many agency founders start businesses because they love the work, the clients and the creative process. But in a difficult market, Paul argues that agency leaders also need to become more commercially minded and pay closer attention to the financial engine underneath the business.

That means understanding profitability, cash flow, pipeline visibility and the quality of revenue — not simply focusing on top-line growth.

Rooster Punk is predominantly a project-based agency, and Paul talks candidly about the challenges that creates. With only six to eight weeks of reliable pipeline visibility at times, financial forecasting becomes difficult and performance can change very quickly.

One week the agency can appear to be hitting its numbers; the next, a client can delay a decision or a project can disappear.

That uncertainty creates a wider cash flow management challenge for agency owners and leadership teams. It becomes harder to plan hiring, investment and growth when future revenue is difficult to predict.

Paul explains why Rooster Punk is now exploring ways to build a more sustainable economic engine, including retainers, longer-term client relationships and services that create more predictable recurring revenue.

The goal is not simply to increase revenue. It is to improve the quality and predictability of that revenue so the business can plan with greater confidence, invest sensibly and ultimately become a stronger and more valuable company.

Adam and Paul also discuss the importance of financial visibility during periods of change.

When performance is under pressure, leadership teams need accurate numbers and clear financial information, but they also need to communicate those numbers carefully. Paul shares how Rooster Punk has maintained a transparent culture while dealing with the tension between keeping employees informed and avoiding unnecessary panic when results are weaker.

The conversation also explores financial decision-making and experimentation.

Paul reflects on previous growth initiatives that did not go to plan, including an attempt to expand into the US market that consumed more cash than expected. Rather than presenting growth as a straight line, he talks about the reality of trying new ideas, making mistakes and adjusting the model as new information becomes available.

For agency founders, this raises an important question: how much runway should you give a new strategy before deciding whether it is working?

There is also a wider discussion around leadership and organisational change.

As markets change, founders have to ask whether the leadership structure that helped build the business is still the right one for the next stage. Paul talks openly about the emotional and operational difficulty of restructuring teams, changing responsibilities and ensuring the right people are in place for a different business environment.

External advisors can play an important role in that process, but Paul also shares a useful warning.

Advisors, accountants and fractional CFOs can sometimes introduce too much complexity or too many initiatives at once. His view is that effective advisors need to understand the pace of the business, identify quick wins and focus on a simple plan that the organisation can realistically implement.

The second half of the episode looks at how AI is changing both marketing and agency operations.

Paul describes two major challenges facing brands and agencies.

The first is becoming more human in an increasingly AI-driven world. As automated content and technology become more widespread, brands still need to build trust, emotional connection and genuine human relevance.

The second is becoming more systematic.

Marketing leaders are moving beyond experimenting with individual AI tools and beginning to think about how AI, automation and data can change the underlying operating model of marketing.

Paul describes this as the need to “humanise the market and systemise the machine.”

For Rooster Punk, that shift is also influencing its own business model. Technology-led and systemised services may create opportunities for longer-term client engagements and more predictable revenue, while traditional creative work may remain more project-based.

Paul also reflects on his own response to AI.

Rather than stepping away from the technology, he has deliberately tried to become an AI-first leader while retaining the experience, judgement and human approach built over decades of running businesses.

He believes this could be one of the most exciting periods to be an entrepreneur — but also one of the most demanding.

For established agency leaders, the challenge is not only learning new tools themselves. It is creating an environment where the wider team is willing and able to adapt, rethink workflows and use AI to improve how work is delivered.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why many established agencies need to start thinking like startups again
• Why the traditional agency growth model is under pressure
• Agency profitability and the need for stronger commercial discipline
• Cash flow management in project-based agencies
• Why short pipeline visibility makes financial forecasting difficult
• The difference between revenue growth and revenue quality
• Moving from project revenue towards retainers and recurring revenue
• Building a more predictable and sustainable agency business model
• Using financial information to support better business decisions
• Leadership and restructuring during periods of uncertainty
• How much time and cash to give new growth initiatives
• What agency founders can learn from failed expansion strategies
• How external advisors and fractional CFOs can add value without creating unnecessary complexity
• Why simple plans and quick wins matter during business transformation
• How AI is changing agency services and operating models
• The balance between AI-first thinking and human-first leadership
• How agencies can use systems, automation and technology to improve scalability
• Why founders may need to reinvent themselves alongside their businesses

This is a practical and honest conversation for agency owners, founders, CEOs and leadership teams navigating growth, profitability, cash flow, financial forecasting and the impact of AI.

It will be especially relevant for leaders of marketing, creative, digital, media and professional services businesses dealing with project-based revenue, fluctuating pipelines, margin pressure or uncertainty around future growth.

The episode also explores a broader question that many founder-led businesses are facing: when the market changes, do you optimise the business you already have, or rethink the model entirely?

For agency owners trying to improve financial performance, that means looking beyond headline revenue and asking deeper questions about cash generation, recurring income, margins, operating structure, leadership capacity and the resilience of the business model.

For finance leaders and fractional CFOs, the discussion is equally relevant. Good financial management is not simply about reporting historic performance. It is about helping founders understand risk, improve visibility, protect cash, assess growth opportunities and make better decisions when the future is uncertain.

Paul’s experience also highlights why sustainable business growth often requires a balance between ambition and discipline. New markets, new services, AI tools and new revenue streams can all create opportunity, but they also require investment, management attention and financial runway.

If you run a marketing, creative, digital, media or professional services agency and are thinking about how to build a more resilient and scalable business, this episode offers a useful perspective on what may need to change — and why there is no single perfect answer.

The Fractional CFO Show is hosted by Adam Cooper of ACC Finance Solutions and explores the financial, commercial and strategic challenges facing growing businesses, with practical insights from founders, operators and advisors.