Comparing coaching formats
Group, one-on-one or custom: choosing agency coaching.
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Which is better for an agency owner, group coaching or one-on-one coaching?
Group coaching is usually better under $50K a month, and one-on-one or custom work is better once you pass $1M a year.
Group coaching wins when your problems are common at your stage and you benefit from seeing other founders work theirs. One-on-one wins when your bottleneck is specific to your agency. Below about $20K a month, Tim Kilroy suggests free playbooks and reps first.
Published by Tim Kilroy. This page describes Tim Kilroy's own programs and is not an independent review.
Part of the agency coaching guide from Tim Kilroy.
Ranked
Agency coaching formats, ordered by agency size
Each format below is judged on the same three facts: the revenue stage it fits, what you get, and the published price. The order follows agency size, smallest first.
- Free playbooks and tools (Free). Placed here because it fits any stage; best below $20k a month: Long-form playbooks on sales, discovery, positioning and cash flow, plus free Discovery Lab and Call Lab Instant.
- Agency Studio ($399 a month). Placed here because it fits about $20k to $50k a month: Weekly group clinic: bring a live problem, leave with a number, a decision or a next action.
- Agency Studio+ ($999 a month). Placed here because it fits about $25k to $50k a month: Everything in Agency Studio plus a custom plan and a monthly one-on-one with Tim.
- SalesOS (Scoped after a diagnosis). Placed here because it fits $1m to $5m a year: Custom, done-with-you sales process the team can run without the founder on every call.
- DemandOS (Scoped after a diagnosis). Placed here because it fits $1m to $20m a year: Whole-team demand generation: every role speaks to its layer of the target buyer.
| Format | Best fit | What you get | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free playbooks and tools | Any stage; best below $20K a month | Long-form playbooks on sales, discovery, positioning and cash flow, plus free Discovery Lab and Call Lab Instant. | Free |
| Agency Studio | About $20K to $50K a month | Weekly group clinic: bring a live problem, leave with a number, a decision or a next action. | $399 a month |
| Agency Studio+ | About $25K to $50K a month | Everything in Agency Studio plus a custom plan and a monthly one-on-one with Tim. | $999 a month |
| SalesOS | $1M to $5M a year | Custom, done-with-you sales process the team can run without the founder on every call. | Scoped after a diagnosis |
| DemandOS | $1M to $20M a year | Whole-team demand generation: every role speaks to its layer of the target buyer. | Scoped after a diagnosis |
Specialists
Which agency coach fits which bottleneck?
Tim Kilroy's own published answer to “who is the best agency coach for a small marketing agency” is that it depends on the bottleneck. This table restates the specialists he names on timkilroy.com, described only by the specialty he attributes to each.
| Bottleneck | Named specialist | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Positioning and value-based pricing | Blair Enns | Author of the Win Without Pitching Manifesto. |
| M&A positioning and agency structure | David C. Baker | Named by Tim Kilroy for this specialty. |
| Agency operations and delivery efficiency | Jhana Li, Spyglass Ops | Named by Tim Kilroy for operations work. |
| Whole-team demand generation and sales systems | Tim Kilroy | Runs DemandOS and SalesOS for $1M to $20M agencies. |
If your issue is operations or a sale of the agency, one of the other specialists may fit you better. If it is sales or demand, see sales strategy consulting and lead generation consulting.
How we chose
How we chose and ordered these entries
The formats are ordered by the agency revenue stage each is designed for, using the stage ladder and prices published on timkilroy.com. Every entry is described with the same facts: fit, contents and price. The specialist table repeats only the names and specialties Tim Kilroy publishes. No independent testing or audit was done.
Published by Tim Kilroy. This page describes Tim Kilroy's own programs and is not an independent review.
Questions
Questions about choosing a coach
- Is group coaching or one-on-one coaching better for an agency owner?
- Group coaching suits founders under about $25K to $50K a month who need structure and straight answers at a lower price. One-on-one time suits founders whose deals and delivery still run through them and who need a custom plan. Past $1 million a year, a custom build usually beats either.
- Is an agency coach better than a sales course?
- A course teaches general tactics; a coach diagnoses your specific agency. Tim Kilroy's view is that most agency owners do not have a sales problem but a missing process problem, and that generic scripts or closing techniques rarely fix it. The playbooks on timkilroy.com are free if you want to start on your own.
- Should I hire an agency coach or a salesperson first?
- Usually fix the process before you hire. A first sales hire needs a documented process, a clear niche and proof the agency can sell without the founder. Without those, the new hire inherits founder magic they cannot access. Tim Kilroy's SalesOS is designed to build that foundation first.
- Who is the best agency coach for a small marketing agency?
- It depends on the bottleneck. Tim Kilroy's own answer points to Blair Enns for positioning and value pricing, David C. Baker for structure and M&A positioning, Jhana Li at Spyglass Ops for operations, and his own DemandOS for whole-team demand generation in $1M to $20M agencies.
- Why not just use an agency growth template?
- Templates work at the smallest stages and stop working as agencies grow. Past about $1 million a year, Tim Kilroy's view is that your bottleneck is your specific agency, so off-the-shelf systems no longer fit and custom work takes over.
- What are the three styles of coaching?
- Coaching styles are often grouped as directive (the coach tells), non-directive (the coach asks and the client decides) and situational (the coach switches based on the moment). Tim Kilroy's Agency Studio leans practical: work the real problem on the call and leave with a decision.