I remember the moment an agency founder told me this story.
Her team walked into her office and said:
“If you don’t fire this client, people are going to quit.”
Here’s the problem.
That client made up 30% of the agency’s revenue.
And another client made up another 30%.
So nearly 60% of the business depended on two accounts.
Let that sink in.
On paper, landing those clients felt like winning.
Big retainers.
Big logos.
Big validation.
But behind the scenes?
Scope creep.
Unpredictable client moods.
Team burnout.
And the founder stuck in the middle trying to keep both payroll and morale alive.
If you’ve run an agency long enough
You’ve probably met a “gorilla client.”
The one that’s too big to lose.
But too painful to keep.
In this episode, Nikki Lindgren (founder of Pennock) breaks down what actually happened and the lessons that came out of it.
Including:
Why client concentration quietly destroys agencies
The common ROAS trap that makes performance look great while hurting the actual business
The shift Nikki had to make from micromanaging everything → building a real team
There’s also a moment where Nikki shares the exact realization that changed how she built her agency going forward.
Most founders learn this lesson the hard way.
Catch the full episode on The Agency Uplift Podcast
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- Sean
P.S. Nikki also talks about the hiring lesson many agencies miss: why agency experience often beats brand-side experience when building your team and how it affects speed, communication, and execution.