Most agency founders avoid org charts.

They feel unnecessary, a corporate formality better suited for HR departments than fast-moving teams.

But that resistance comes at a cost.

A clear org chart is one of the simplest ways to surface structural issues early: overloaded roles, unclear accountability, and direct reports that quietly default to the founder. It’s not about bureaucracy. It’s about clarity.

Org Drift Happens Gradually

In the early days at Barrel, the structure was flat. Everyone wore multiple hats. No real hierarchy, just people getting work done. That worked…until the team grew and projects got more complex.

Without defined roles, creative directors were managing projects. Developers were QA’ing their own work. Founders had half the team reporting directly to them. And when something went wrong, no one was quite sure who owned the outcome.

So we did something simple: we mapped it out.

On a single slide, we laid out the team: who reported to whom, who had direct reports, and where dotted-line relationships had become the default. The picture wasn’t pretty. But it gave us a place to start.

From Visualization to Action

Once it was on paper, the issues were obvious.

Some managers were stretched too thin, leading 6+ people while also serving as ICs. Some roles were “orphaned,” critical contributors without a clear manager, defaulting to ad hoc 1:1s with founders. A few departments were quietly doing more than their scope, simply because there was no one else to do it.

The fix wasn’t immediate. But the chart gave us language to start solving.

We reassigned reports. Created manager training. Designed new roles based on function, not familiarity.

Planning for Growth (or Contraction)

Org charts aren’t just diagnostic tools, they’re strategic ones.

We now use them to model future-state teams. What would the org look like with 25% revenue growth? What would change if a key department doubled? If a founder stepped back?

In down cycles, the chart also helps make tough decisions.

When we’ve had to reduce headcount or pause hiring, the org chart helped us reallocate work and restructure with intention, not just gut feel.

A Simple Framework for Founders

If you’re a founder still holding too many hats - or unclear how your structure will scale - start here:

• Draw your current org. No need for fancy software. Just map reality.

• Identify weak spots. Overloaded managers, unclear ownership, orphaned roles.

• Sketch your next version. If the business grew or shrank, how would the structure evolve?

• Use the map. Let it inform your hiring, training, and succession plans.

The Takeaway

Most agencies outgrow their structure before they outgrow their talent.

The org chart makes that visible, and solvable.

Not corporate. Not overhead.

Just a tool that helps you run your agency with a little more clarity, and a little less chaos.

🎧 We break this down further, with examples from our own agency journey, on the podcast. [Listen here.]