How to Know If Your Agency Is Ready for a Number Two

Every overworked founder has a similar fantasy.

“If I could just find my person, my right-hand, my second brain, the one who just knows, it would all click.”

You imagine sliding into the visionary seat and working on the business instead of in it. You picture mornings without client fire drills and afternoons spent shaping strategy instead of chasing deadlines.

And there’s truth to that. Whether you call them your COO, an Agency Integrator, a Director of Client Service, or something else entirely, an agency’s number two can be a game-changing hire. But, it’s not a magic fix.

A #2 can elevate the business you already have. However, they can’t save a business that’s missing its foundation. Making this hire before your agency is truly ready is expensive, and it can create more chaos than it solves.

Before you start scrolling LinkedIn and daydreaming about the person who will finally lighten your load, take a pause. Here are the real signs your business is ready and the hard truths about when it’s not.

1. Overall Operational Readiness

You don’t hire an integrator or COO to fix a complete mess. You hire them to transform something good into something extraordinary.

If your business model isn’t scalable, your success metrics are fuzzy, or if every big decision still lives in your head, this hire will spend their first year just trying to find the floor. This often leads to resentment for putting them in that position.

A senior leader thrives on clarity. They need to know what they’re building towards, how success will be measured, and the guardrails they’re working within. Without that, they can’t lead. They can only react.

If your business doesn’t have those basics, it’s not shameful, but it does mean you’re not in the “number two season” yet. In that case, start smaller. An EA or strong operations coordinator can give you breathing room while you work on establishing the business foundation.

Think of it like remodeling a kitchen. You don’t bring in a Michelin-star chef while the wiring is still exposed and the water is shut off. You bring them in once the stove works, the fridge runs, and the basics are in place, so they can focus on creating, not fixing the plumbing.

2. You Can Actually Afford It

This goes beyond having solid revenue. We are looking to see that your financial model can carry a number two without breaking your margins or compromising your own paycheck.

What many founders don’t realize until they’re financially underwater is that this hire will spend a significant portion of their time on non-billable work. That’s not a flaw, it’s actually the point. They’re there to lead, solve, and think ahead, not churn out client deliverables all day. But that shift can send your margins sideways if you haven’t planned for it.

When performing audits for our agency partners, we often see firms with a $2-3M topline who bring in a number two thinking that they'll come in, systematize everything, and make the agency more efficient. Years later, nothing has meaningfully changed, and they’ve lost the profit margin they had because the problem wasn’t a lack of systems, but rather a shaky business model.

Before you post the job description, run the numbers. Consider: 

• Is your revenue per employee where it needs to be for your model?
• If you forecast your pipeline with this salary added, what happens to your margins?
• Will you still get paid what you need as the founder?

Being “so busy we can’t stand it” is not the same as being financially ready for a number two. Busy without profitability is just expensive chaos.

3. You Deeply Understand Your Strengths

You don’t hire a COO just because you’re busy. You hire them because you know exactly which gaps they’re there to fill, and you’re ready to let them fill them.

When we work with founder-led agencies, one of the first things we do is a strengths assessment. Not because we’re obsessed with personality tests, but because most founders have blind spots a mile wide. You’re probably incredible at certain things like sales, vision, client relationships, and less consistent at others, like follow-through, systems, and managing the details.

If you don’t know your own profile, you’ll end up hiring a number two who looks great on paper but either duplicates your strengths, which leaves your gaps wide open, or tries to be everything and burns out in the process.

For example, the rainmaker founder can close a deal in their sleep, but managing the operational nuts and bolts is not their happy place. This kind of founder needs an integrator or COO who loves the details, thrives on process, and can run the machine without constant input.

The key is to be reasonable about what’s in this person’s wheelhouse. Even the most talented number two isn’t a magician. They can’t fix a misaligned business model or turn a fundamentally unprofitable service into a cash cow without your partnership. Get crystal clear on the problems you want them to solve, and make sure those problems are actually solvable from their seat.

Similar to a relay race, you need to know exactly where you’re passing the baton, or you’ll both trip.

4. You Have Clarity on the Role

One of the fastest ways to waste money on a number two is to hire them without understanding if they are here to run the business, grow the business, or both. If you can’t answer that in one sentence, you’re not ready to hire.

Too many founders bring in a number two as a business life raft. They think this person will take everything off their plate, know what to do before they say it, and save the business from drowning. That’s a fantasy and a dangerous one.

A strong second in command can do a lot. They can build structure, lead teams, and bring order to chaos. But they are not your mind reader, and they are not you.

You need to define the seat before you hire the person to sit in it. A few questions to ask yourself:

• Is this role more operational (keeping the trains running on time, optimizing systems, and ensuring delivery excellence)?
• Is it more growth-focused (driving new revenue, opening new markets, and expanding client opportunities)?
• Or is it truly a blend? And if so, do you have the budget and support structure to make that realistic?

The more precise you are on what the role is, the easier it is to spot what it’s not, which is just as important. If you don’t define those lines, you’ll end up with mismatched expectations, constant frustration, and a number two who’s set up to fail from day one.

5. You’re Willing to Let Go

Hiring a number two won’t work if you can’t get out of their way.

You can have the clearest job description, the perfect candidate, and the budget to back it up, but if every decision still runs through you, this hire will never truly lead.

Letting go doesn’t mean disappearing, but rather leading through them. It means resisting the urge to jump into every Slack thread or fix every client issue yourself. It means trusting their judgment even when they make choices differently from you.

If you’ve never handed over real decision-making power before, start small. Give them a lane and let them own it. When mistakes happen (because they will), treat them as proof of learning, not proof you should take the wheel back.

This hire will only be as effective as the space you give them to operate. If you can’t create that space, you’re better off waiting until you can.

To wrap it up

Hiring your first number two is a milestone, but it’s not a magic wand. It’s a strategic move that only pays off if the business, the role, and you are ready for it.

Get honest about your operational foundation, your financial capacity, and the gaps you’re truly hiring them to fill. Be clear on the outcomes you want and the authority you’re willing to give. When those pieces are in place, a great #2 can take your agency from founder-dependent to founder-led, and that’s where real freedom is found.

Before you post that job listing or tap your network, pause. Ask the hard questions. Make sure this hire isn’t just about easing your workload, but about building the kind of company you actually want to run.

If you’d like to learn more about best practices for PR & marketing agency teams, follow our founder on social media–Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.