Big wins don’t come from hero projects or last-minute turnarounds.
They come from quiet, repeatable behaviors, practiced consistently over time.

At Barrel and across our portfolio, we’ve seen it play out: agencies that build strong systems and commit to operational discipline compound their growth. The ones that wing it tend to stall out, or burn out.

Here are the 10 core habits we’ve seen separate thriving agencies from the rest.

1. After Action Reviews (AARs)

Every completed project is a chance to improve. But most teams move on too fast.

AARs give your team structured space to reflect: What worked? What didn’t? What will we do differently next time?

At Barrel, we began scheduling AARs before projects even wrapped. This ensured the team had dedicated time, even on retainer accounts, to debrief and document. Over time, patterns emerged. Mistakes we thought were one-offs turned out to be systemic. That visibility helped us build better SOPs and raise team-wide quality.

2. Weekly Business Development Meetings

Pipeline health shouldn’t be a mystery.

Every week, the team meets to review the status of all active deals, both new and existing clients. We track close probability, align on next steps, and discuss why we win or lose deals.

It’s a space for strategy, not just updates. For example, some leads might need a proposal. Others might need a discovery project or a referral. Without this rhythm, those distinctions get lost, and deals fall through the cracks.

3. Monthly Team Meeting

A monthly agency-wide gathering keeps everyone aligned, and celebrated.

Yes, there are Slack updates. Yes, there are dashboards. But nothing replaces a live moment to highlight wins, share learnings, and give shout-outs.

We’ve seen these evolve from two founders throwing slides together the night before… to multi-department updates where ICs and managers contribute and present. The energy shift is real, and so is the engagement.

4. Weekly Outreach Emails

We call this the “multi-million-dollar habit.” (More about it in this blog post.)

Every week, we send outreach messages, to past clients, collaborators, and new contacts. Even just 2 per week adds up.

In dry pipeline seasons, this habit saved us. One quarter, we were staring down a significant shortfall. But consistent outreach unlocked dormant relationships, and landed us over $1M in new work. Not luck. Just rhythm.

5. Monthly Newsletter to Partners and Advocates

Your one-to-one messages are great. But one-to-many matters, too.

Each month, we send a simple update to our broader network:

• Recent client work

• Thought leadership or blog posts

• Conference updates

• Shout-outs to referrers and partners
  
  

It’s light. It’s friendly. It keeps you top of mind.

6. Weekly Client Account Check-Ins

Every account manager meets weekly to review every client.

Not just their own. Everyone’s.

This helps leadership spot early red flags, identify growth opportunities, and share pattern-matching advice. For example, a client might be frustrated over something another team has already solved. But without this shared space, that learning never spreads.

7. Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs)

For key accounts, QBRs are a retention superpower.

They give clients a space to reflect on what was delivered, share what’s next in their business, and uncover new ways to collaborate.

At Barrel, clients often shared these decks with internal stakeholders, turning our work into a tool that helped them shine. That ripple effect often led to renewals, expansion, and deeper trust.

8. Minding the Bottom

Every quarter, leadership reviews team performance, especially underperformance.

Not to be punitive. But to protect culture.

We’ve seen firsthand how one underperformer, left unaddressed, can drag down an entire team. This habit forces alignment: Is a performance plan needed? Is a role misaligned? Are we risking our A-players by tolerating B- or C-level work?

9. Client Feedback Surveys

Don’t wait until the renewal is at risk. Ask how things are going.

We moved away from just NPS and toward more qualitative feedback, on communication, responsiveness, value, and relationship health.

Even with low participation rates, the insights are powerful. They give leadership a clearer picture and provide data to inform training, process tweaks, and delivery improvements.

10. Quarterly and Annual Goal Setting

This one’s simple. Few do it consistently.

Set your goals: revenue, margin, sales, headcount. Then work backward. What will it take to hit those numbers? What behaviors, projects, or changes are required?

Without this habit, it’s easy to “coast” quarter to quarter and lose sight of the big picture. With it, you get clarity, and a way to course correct when reality shifts.

The Takeaway

Most struggling agencies don’t fail because of one big mistake.
They slip because the right habits never took root.

The thriving ones?

They’re doing small things, consistently.

If you're looking for a starting point, pick one habit. Make it weekly. Build from there.

We go deeper into each habit, with examples from our own agencies, in the full podcast episode. [Listen here.]