Managing and growing an agency requires a diverse range of knowledge and skills - from fostering healthy team dynamics, watching cash-flow or making sure your marketing is effective.

Many of the challenges evolve as you grow, the recipe for a happy team can be very different for 5 people than 15 people.

This session will be delivered by Tim Deeson, Managing Director of Deeson ( www.deeson.co.uk ), a UK Drupal agency established in 2007, which has 30+ employees. He is co-director of DrupalCamp London.

Topics will include:

Team
• Recruitment and retention
• Balancing skill sets
• Standardising process
• Freelancers vs permanent

Management
• Don’t solve problems until you have them - for example bigger offices and complex policies all have an overhead
• Be clear about your desired culture and company goals

Marketing
• Understand what you’re good at, exactly who buys it and why
• Have a clear, compelling proposition to prospective clients
• If they didn’t buy you, what would they buy? Know your competitors
• How will they know you even exist?

Finance
• Pricing - too low is as bad as too high
• Management accounts - know your numbers inside out
• Credit control - if you don’t get paid the rest is a waste of time