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Agencies must become smaller, smarter, and AI-powered
Here's how the labor market will evolve
Traditional SEO contracts are dying.
I’m hearing from multiple SEOs at major agencies who are trying to jump ship. Their agencies aren’t closing deals. Teams are being cut. Morale is sinking.
And it’s not just the economy—it’s the model that’s broken.
I wrote a LinkedIn post about hiring “killers” for our team. For the first time ever, that post brought in top-tier talent—not average, not “just looking.” Real A-players.
Even more surprising: COOs from PE-backed agencies—people who’ve been in the same seat for 10+ years—are now sniffing around for new opportunities. These are people who don’t normally move. And now? They’re looking for vision.
Why?
Because they know the puck is moving. And they don’t want to get left behind.
Here's the shift I see coming:
Tech-enabled services will win
Outcome-based pricing will become the norm
AI will speed up strategies by 1000x
The PE model of rolling up agencies and stacking headcount won’t work forever. They’ll try to AI-ify what they buy, but they’re playing defense. That’s not our game.
We’re playing offense—by building exceptional products and hiring only the best.
I believe in smaller teams, bigger impact.
→ First: 100-person companies doing $1B in revenue.
→ Then 10-person companies.
→ Eventually, solo operators with billion-dollar leverage.
This future is closer than people think.
If you’re a top-tier COO, GM, SEO, or paid media pro, and you know you’re meant for something bigger—come talk to us.
To building the new model,
Eric Siu
P.S. We’ve been building and have a couple of opportunities available from our side for newsletter subscribers:
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