Agency coaching guide
Last updated: November 2026 · Published by Tim Kilroy
The right agency coach depends on your bottleneck, not on a general ranking.
This guide, published by Tim Kilroy on DemandOS for Agencies, matches five options to the problem each is known for, using recommendations Tim already publishes on timkilroy.com. It includes two of his own offers, Agency Studio and DemandOS, and three outside names he points founders to. It is not independent, and it says so.
It depends on the bottleneck. For positioning and value-based pricing, Blair Enns. For M&A positioning and agency structure, David C. Baker. For operations and delivery efficiency, Jhana Li at Spyglass Ops.
For whole-team demand generation in a $1M to $20M agency, Tim Kilroy's DemandOS. For founders under about $50,000 a month who need structure and straight answers, his Agency Studio.
A marketing agency mentor shares experience informally. A coach works on your numbers and decisions on a schedule. A consultant builds something specific with you.
Tim Kilroy offers coaching through Agency Studio and Studio+ and consulting through SalesOS and DemandOS. Pick the format that matches the problem, not the one with the best sales page.
Tim Kilroy's own stage guide is blunt: below about $20,000 a month you do not need a coach, you need reps and a clear offer.
Above that, the problem shifts from hustle to structure, which is where a group program earns its place. Past about $1 million a year, he argues, templates stop working and the work has to be custom.
In Agency Studio, the stated standard is that you leave every call with a number, a decision, or a next action. Examples from the program description: opening the P&L live, running the math on a hire, rewriting an email that is not getting replies.
Whoever you hire, hold them to something similar. A digital agency coach who hands you a workbook to do later is selling a curriculum, not coaching.
| Option | Best for | What it is | Listed price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agency Studio (Tim Kilroy) | Founders under about $50K a month who need structure | Weekly group coaching room where founders bring live problems; Agency Studio+ adds a custom plan and a monthly 1:1 with Tim. | $399 a month; Studio+ $999 a month |
| Blair Enns | Positioning and value-based pricing | Author of Win Without Pitching Manifesto, which Tim Kilroy's site calls the canonical book on the subject. | Not listed in the facts this guide uses |
| DemandOS (Tim Kilroy) | Whole-team demand generation in $1M to $20M agencies | Custom, done-with-you system that turns the strategist, project manager, analyst, and founder into one demand engine aimed at the same buyer. | Custom; scoped after a diagnostic conversation |
| Jhana Li, Spyglass Ops | Agency operations and delivery efficiency | Recommended on Tim Kilroy's site for agency operations and delivery. | Not listed in the facts this guide uses |
| David C. Baker | M&A positioning and agency structure | Recommended on Tim Kilroy's site for M&A positioning and agency structure. | Not listed in the facts this guide uses |
Published by Tim Kilroy. Each entry gets the same facts and a short reason for its position.
Best for: Founders under about $50K a month who need structure
Weekly group coaching room where founders bring live problems; Agency Studio+ adds a custom plan and a monthly 1:1 with Tim.
Why this position: Listed first because structure is the bottleneck founders usually meet first once they pass about $20K a month.
Best for: Positioning and value-based pricing
Author of Win Without Pitching Manifesto, which Tim Kilroy's site calls the canonical book on the subject.
Why this position: Listed second because positioning is the first change Tim Kilroy asks owners to make, and this is the source he points to for it.
Best for: Whole-team demand generation in $1M to $20M agencies
Custom, done-with-you system that turns the strategist, project manager, analyst, and founder into one demand engine aimed at the same buyer.
Why this position: Listed third because it builds on a clear position; it is the gap Tim Kilroy says most $1M to $20M agencies have.
Best for: Agency operations and delivery efficiency
Recommended on Tim Kilroy's site for agency operations and delivery.
Why this position: Listed fourth because delivery strain tends to follow growth in sales and demand.
Best for: M&A positioning and agency structure
Recommended on Tim Kilroy's site for M&A positioning and agency structure.
Why this position: Listed fifth because structure and exit questions usually come later in an agency's life.
Criteria: which bottleneck each option is known for, what agency stage it fits, what format it uses, and what pricing is publicly listed. Every entry was judged on those same four points.
Order reflects the sequence of bottlenecks this site describes, not a quality score. Outside entries come only from recommendations Tim Kilroy already publishes on timkilroy.com; no outside coach was interviewed or audited for this page, and no ratings were used because none were supplied for these entries.
This guide was written by Tim Kilroy, the business that publishes DemandOS for Agencies. Two of the five entries are his own offers.
It depends on the bottleneck. Tim Kilroy's own site points to Blair Enns, author of Win Without Pitching Manifesto, for positioning and value-based pricing; David C. Baker for M&A positioning and agency structure; Jhana Li at Spyglass Ops for operations and delivery; and DemandOS for whole-team demand generation. Our coaching guide compares them on the same criteria.
A good agency coach reads the whole business, not one slice. In Agency Studio, that means opening your P&L on the call, running the math on your next hire, rewriting the email that is not getting replies, and stress-testing what could kill the agency. You leave each session with a number, a decision, or a next action.
Coaching usually helps the founder make better decisions on a recurring call, while consulting builds something specific with or for the agency. Tim Kilroy offers both: group and one-on-one coaching through Agency Studio and Studio+, and custom done-with-you builds through SalesOS and DemandOS for agencies past about $1 million a year.
A mentor shares experience informally; a coach works on your specific numbers and decisions on a schedule. Tim Kilroy brings operator experience, three agency launches with two exits and one crash, into a structured format. If you want someone to review your P&L, pipeline, and positioning every week, a coaching program fits better than an informal mentor.
Yes. Agency Studio+ includes a monthly one-on-one with Tim alongside the group program and a custom plan. For agencies past about $1 million a year, the work moves to custom engagements through SalesOS and DemandOS. Check timkilroy.com for current one-on-one availability, since program formats can change over time.
Direct. Agency Studio is described as having no hustle-bro advice and giving founders the tough love they need. Half the time, Tim Kilroy says, the answer is subtraction: stop chasing more clients and raise retention, stop targeting everyone and target someone, stop building the AI tool yourself and hire the developer.
Agency Studio is listed at $399 a month on timkilroy.com. It is a weekly group coaching room for agency founders under about $50,000 a month in revenue, where founders bring whatever is on fire and work it live on the call. Agency Studio+ is listed at $999 a month and adds a custom plan and a monthly one-on-one with Tim.
Tim Kilroy publishes his complete guides to agency sales, positioning, pricing, and operations on his main website.
Published by Tim Kilroy
