Digital marketing agencies face unique challenges as they scale. When Desirae Haluk’s agency hit $25,000 monthly recurring revenue, things started falling apart. Learn how implementing systems transformed her business.
When Growth Threatens Stability
Starting Clairant Services four years ago, Desirae built a thriving digital marketing agency specializing in content for financial services professionals. However, with 56 team members and growing client demands, the cracks began to show.
“We were down to a 65% retention rate which is, like, awful. I mean, I was like, ‘What is happening to my company?'” Desirae recalls with clear frustration.
The agency delivered social media maintenance, blogging, email marketing, and video editing for 23 clients. As volume increased, quality control became impossible without proper systems.
The Turning Point: Finding SYSTEMology
Desirae had always been fascinated by efficiency. Her company name and logo reflect this passion—Clairant combines her children’s names (Claire and Anthony), and the honeybee in her logo represents her admiration for their systematic nature.
“I was a honey bee keeper and I was so fascinated with the efficiency of honey bees,” she explains. “When I read your book (SYSTEMology) I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is so me!’ Because I’m really obsessed with efficiency in my life.”
While she had read business classics like “The E-Myth Revisited”, those books didn’t provide actionable steps. SYSTEMology offered exactly what she needed.
“I loved your book because it was so simple and it was actionable. It was like, ‘you need to do this next and then once you complete that you need to do this,'” she shares enthusiastically with David Jenyns.
Building a Systems-Driven Agency
Desirae’s systematic approach included:
- Appointing a dedicated Systems Champion from her existing team—a highly organized team member passionate about improving processes
- Documenting Critical Client Flows for each service they offered
- Creating detailed workflows in Asana with parent tasks and up to 48 subtasks for each service
- Implementing Tettra.co as their Systems Management software to store all SOPs and training videos
- Involving team members who perform the daily tasks in creating and optimizing processes
- Conducting weekly accountability meetings using their project management system
- Addressing issues immediately when they discovered an employee was checking off tasks without completing them
From Chaos to Consistency with Systems
The impact of implementing systems was dramatic and immediate. Client retention jumped from a concerning 65% to “high eighties, low nineties just by implementing these systems.”
Accountability improved across the organization. During weekly meetings with employees, Desirae now reviews completed tasks directly in their project management system.
“Now, in my weekly meetings with each of my employees, we now live in the project management system during our meetings. And I make them explain everything they checked off the list. So I’m holding them accountable, but at the same time the system is doing the job,” she explains.
Most importantly, the business regained stability while continuing to grow.
Key Lessons for Digital Agency Owners
- “Start early so that you can create the systems as you go and always be optimizing.”
- Involve the people actually doing the work in system creation—”you need the people doing the tasks to help with efficiency.”
- Document everything “from how we find a new client” through service delivery.
- Choose the right Systems Champion who is passionate about the role, not just capable.
- “You’re never ever done. I’m sure you know this, you’re never ever completed anything. It’s just you feel a little more full once a system [is in place].”
The systems mindset has become so ingrained that Desirae is applying these principles to her newer venture, My Chicken Rentals, which delivers educational chicken experiences to schools.
“My knowledge with SYSTEMology, now I’m applying it to my chicken rentals. So that business is gonna be way far, way further than Clairant because I have the mentality already,” she notes confidently.
Ready to Systemise Your Digital Agency?
Are client retention issues keeping you awake at night? Don’t wait until you’re losing valuable clients like Desirae was. Start building systems that will scale with your agency today.
Get your free copy of SYSTEMology and discover how to transform your digital marketing agency from chaos to consistency. Your team, clients, and bottom line will thank you.
