Building a business is hard, and scaling it is even harder.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 20% of new businesses fail during the first two years of building their structures; 45% fail during the first five years, and 65% fail during the first 10 years.
Only a mere 25% of new businesses make it past 15 years.
This is the daunting reality for businesses that fail to see the importance of strategic growth.
In this interview, Creative Director and Co-Founder Matthew Burleton shares how Long Story Short, an award-winning digital web design and development agency, successfully scaled its operations to work with global high-end brands by embracing a "less is more" approach.
Who Is Matthew Burleton?
After finessing his design and creative skills for more than 15 years in the digital space, Matthew founded Long Story Short with longtime friend Samuel Sharpe to develop exciting and exclusive branding and digital solutions for multinational companies, including M&C Saatchi, Ebay, CR7, Heineken, Harrods, Audi, and Victoria Miro. Together with his team at Long Story Short, Matthew creates powerful digital experiences in arts, culture, and luxury fashion that elevate and exceed.
Building an agency requires careful planning and execution — much like laying the foundation of a building.
The team lays the framework via strategic initiatives while growth engines drive market expansion — adding floors to the structure. The creative talent within the organization, on the other hand, ensures that the structure remains solid and stable.
In 2010, Long Story Short set its foundation as a small branding agency. As it grew, clients and new contacts required additional services, prompting it to scale and add more floors.
A few years in, soon after M&C Saatchi discovered the agency, it found itself needing to scale and expand.
But Matthew says their approach lacked focus, and they quickly realized it wasn’t the best path for long-term growth.
One of the major challenges to scaling successfully is transitioning from working with small brands to much bigger ones.
“With bigger clients, you’re dealing with multiple layers of management, which can be tricky. We were used to working with smaller, owner-operated businesses where decisions were made quickly by one person.
As we grew, we realized that larger contracts meant working with different decision-makers for budgets, design, and approvals — each with their own priorities. It became clear that identifying key decision-makers and understanding their goals early on was crucial for success,” he shares.
Navigating the Shift to Bigger Brands
So, how does a small agency transition to effectively handle larger clients?
Matthew shares that putting their everything into their first big pitch helped them land the project with M&C Saatchi, the agency’s first big client.
“They found us on an awards site a few years in and invited us to pitch for a project. We dropped everything, adjusted our pricing, and went all-in on the pitch.
Luckily, we won! This opened doors to other high-profile clients, taking our agency to a whole new level,” he says.
But putting your best foot forward only when it comes to big brands isn’t the way to go. Agencies need to bring out all the stops for every client — whether big or small.
Matthew recalls how the CEO of one of the largest event planning agencies in the country was impressed with the work the agency did for a much smaller client, which led to it landing a project with Vox Media for the Vulture Festival website.
“What started as a small, unprofitable project opened the door to a great partnership and numerous referrals for major event-based websites worldwide,” he says.
Although there are differences when handling big and small clients, ensuring the team gives their best efforts to each one is the best and most natural path to business growth.
Recently, The Bureau of Small Projects Founder David Gaz shared with DesignRush practical insights on how smaller agencies can land major clients. Watch our podcast below to learn more:
Recruitment proved another major pain point during the scaling process as the company focused on expanding its team to better address the needs of big clients.
But instead of expanding the team, Long Story Short prioritized the growth and success of its clients by taking on only a few major projects each year, concentrating on efficiency and enhancing its value to existing clients — all while maintaining a consistent team size.
“This approach allows us to refine our processes, explore advancements in AI, and remain agile and effective in delivering value,” Matthew says.
In addition, he explains how the small size of an agency can actually be used as an advantage when up against larger ones.
“Being smaller makes us agile, quick to react, and light on our feet. With a consistent team, we maintain a high standard of work and, in many cases, become an extension of our partners' businesses.
By only taking on a few select projects each year, we’re able to focus on the finer details and deliver real success for our clients,” he reveals.
Combine this with building and cultivating a strong, talented, and happy team, and the “less is more” approach will work wonders for a business’s strategic growth.
Cultivating a Culture of Appreciation
Global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company’s research revealed that mismanagement of talent, organizational structure, and operating models is one of the key scaling challenges that businesses must watch out for.
Matthew also believes that investing in an effective management structure that keeps employees happy is integral in successfully scaling a business.
“I think the most important thing is building a strong team — finding the right talent, supporting their growth, and fostering a work environment where they feel appreciated is crucial. A happy team not only sticks around longer but also performs better, which directly impacts the quality of service we provide.
Creating a positive workplace also means the team comes together during challenges, and that energy carries over into our relationships with clients. When the team thrives, everything else naturally falls into place,” he advises.
Previously, DesignRush discussed how to master creative management with Notion Creative Head Rob Giampietro. Watch below to learn more.
Matthew also emphasizes that an agency needs to specialize and become an expert in a particular field to attract big brands.
“Working with well-known brands definitely boosts our credibility and market presence. Big names give us authority and show that we’re experts in what we do.
However, we’ve also learned that having a clear focus in a specific area is key.
When we operated as a full-service agency, we found it challenging to attract bigger clients because they tend to prefer agencies with a focused and specialized approach rather than a ‘jack of all trades,’" he reveals.
He adds that by continuing to specialize, businesses can position themselves as thought leaders and experts in their field, which is what clients look for.
Matthew also finds award sites to be an excellent avenue for attracting big brands.
“By consistently delivering top-quality projects and submitting them for review, we ensure our work remains at the highest standard. This approach not only pushes us to excel but also provides valuable recognition that helps us connect with major clients,” he concludes.
It can’t be denied that a majority of businesses fail to scale successfully.
But by creating a simple yet effective robust structure that supports long-term growth, agencies can ensure that their foundations will stand the test of time even as they scale.
Editing by Katherine 'Makkie' Maclang
