[BLOG] How to Build a Profit Culture Without Killing Your Agency’s Soul

Every agency wants to be more profitable. But when the topic of Profit Culture comes up, there’s often a collective flinch. It can sound cold and clinical, the kind of thing that sucks the creativity out of a business.

The truth is, when it’s done well, a strong profit culture doesn’t kill your agency’s soul, it fuels it. It gives your people more opportunity, more security, and more energy to do brilliant work. That’s why we spend time exploring it in our Agency Profit Programme, because for agencies that want to grow sustainably, this can be the missing piece.

What is profit culture?

Profit culture means creating a shared understanding of how commercial success fuels opportunity - not just for owners, but for everyone in the agency. It’s about linking financial performance with people, purpose and growth, so the whole team feels invested in building a stronger, healthier business.

Before you start: build a culture of feedback

Many agency owners tell us, “The team just don’t care about profit.” But often, the issue isn’t a lack of care - it’s a lack of connection and communication.

If your culture doesn’t already make space for open feedback, shared celebration and collective problem-solving, then conversations about profit will always feel uncomfortable.

Creating a strong profit culture starts with a strong people culture: one where your team can question, challenge, and contribute. If they don’t feel safe to ask about performance or progress, they’ll never feel part of improving it.

So before you talk about profit, check your feedback foundations. Ask: Are we really listening to our team? Do we know what motivates them? Do we share wins, learnings, and numbers openly enough that people feel part of the journey?

That’s the groundwork for everything that follows.

Start with education, not spreadsheets

It’s easy to assume everyone in your agency “gets” profit. But for most teams, it’s not obvious. In our work with agencies, we see time and again that the first step is education - helping people understand what profit actually means for them.

Share the story behind the numbers. Talk about how profitability fuels investment in people, training, and innovation. Make it real and relevant.

When people see that profit pays for opportunities, not just dividends, it stops feeling like “management’s problem” and starts feeling like a shared one.

Find your champions

You won’t get everyone engaged from day one, and that’s okay. The key is to find a few champions who genuinely care and can help build momentum.

These are the people who ask good questions, get curious about the numbers, and naturally influence others. Bring them into the conversation early and empower them to lead by example. Their enthusiasm will ripple through the team far more effectively than any presentation or spreadsheet.

Keep profit visible

Profit culture falls flat when it stays behind closed doors. Make it visible. Create a simple, accessible way for your team to see progress - whether that’s through dashboards, team updates, or monthly check-ins.

You don’t need to share every detail of your P&L, but show the metrics that matter: utilisation, client profitability, or pipeline strength. Clarity builds trust, and trust builds engagement.

Link it back to your purpose

This part is crucial. People won’t rally behind a percentage target. But they will get excited about what that profit makes possible.

Your job is to connect the dots. How does profit help you invest in new services, create opportunities for progression, or build a business that gives people balance and choice? When your team understands how commercial success powers your shared purpose and what their part to play is, you don’t need to convince them - they’re already in.

“Profit isn’t the reason your agency exists - it’s what gives you the freedom to create, invest and grow.”

Five practical ways to strengthen your profit culture

We’ve learned a lot from brilliant agency leaders like Nikki Gatenby, author of Superengaged, who has shown that people and profit can absolutely thrive together. Here are a few practical ways to start building your own profit culture without giving too much away from the deeper work we do in the Profit Programme:

Make profit visible - you can’t build what you can’t see. Know your numbers and make them accessible to your team.
Keep balance in your client mix - avoid overreliance on one client or sector. Spread your risk to protect your people and profit.
Spot the leaks - over-servicing, scope creep and fear-based pricing can drain profit quietly. Encourage your team to notice and flag these early.
Focus on leading indicators - keep an eye on what drives profit, not just the final result. Conversations, conversion rates and client retention tell a better story than a monthly P&L.
Create accountability - make profit everyone’s responsibility through regular check-ins, reflections and recognition of progress.

Each of these actions builds awareness and confidence across your team, so profit becomes something shared and celebrated - not hidden or feared.

Building your own profit culture

If you take one thing away, make it this: profit culture starts at the top, but it only sticks when everyone owns it.

Get clear on your vision, share it often, and make the link between profit and purpose unmistakable. Start small with one conversation, one scoreboard, one champion. Over time, you’ll build a culture where profit isn’t a taboo topic - it’s a shared success story.

Join the next Agency Profit Programme

Join the waitlist for the next intake of the Agency Profit Programme.

If you’d like to make progress sooner, you can also book a free profitability review call with Rory to identify quick wins for your agency.