You started your agency for freedom, profit, and work you love. Somewhere along the way, it stopped feeling like that. I help you get back to why you started, grow without losing what matters, and build a business that fuels your life and that you can sell someday if you want to.

450+
Agencies worked with
2
Agencies sold (PE + competitor)
50+
Agency owners coached
$60M+
Made for agencies
John Doherty with his wife and daughter at a glacier
About John

I've been exactly where you are.

I've built agencies to $250k, $550k, and $433k a year — and made almost every mistake along the way. I tried to hire and lost all my freedom and profit. My agencies almost went under multiple times. I learned the lessons the hard way so you don't have to.

My background spans working for agencies (Distilled in New York City), in-house at Zillow (HotPads and Trulia Rentals), building multiple agencies of my own, selling one to private equity in 2022 and one to our largest competitor in 2025, selling over $5M of digital services personally, and working with 450+ agencies over my career.

I know the grind of low profit, high overhead, working on stuff I hated, juggling messy delivery, and feeling like growth was capped. More importantly, I know how to fix it, because I've done it for myself and alongside dozens of agency owners as their coach.

One client told me a few weeks in: "I feel much more focused. Ideas had been bouncing around in my head, but I hadn't brought them out." That's the real value of coaching. I pull the clarity out of you that's already there, and I help you act on it.

Outside of business, I'm a husband, dad of two, skier, hiker, and bourbon fan living in Colorado with my family.

Sold agency to PE, 2022 Exited to a competitor, 2025 $5M+ sold personally Zillow / Distilled alum 15+ years in agencies Colorado
Who I Work With

Two kinds of agency owners. One coaching approach.

Whether you're trying to grow past a plateau or preparing for a life-changing exit, the work is the same: better pricing, better systems, better decisions. Where you're headed is what makes it personal.

The Growth Stage

You want to grow without losing your freedom.

$15k–$40k/month

You're good at what you do and you've built something real. But you're doing everything yourself, your pricing is too low, and you can't figure out how to grow without working more hours or sacrificing profit. You didn't start this business to feel trapped in it.

  • Ready to charge what you're worth and stop underpricing
  • Need an outside perspective and someone to keep you accountable
  • Want to grow revenue while protecting your time and profit
  • Looking for a seasoned ear from someone who's been there
The Exit Stage

You've built something big. Now make it sellable.

$80k+/month

You've got real revenue and a team. But the business still depends on you too much, margins could be better, and you're thinking about what comes next. You want to build toward an exit that gives you life-changing money in 3–5 years.

  • Building a business that runs without you in every meeting
  • Optimizing margins and operations for maximum valuation
  • Want a clear roadmap to a sellable, profitable agency
  • Need a coach who's actually been through the exit process
How I Work With Agency Owners

Choose the right path for where you are

Whether you need intensive 1:1 support, focused skill-building, or a structured program — there's a track built for your situation.

🎓

Workshops

Focused skill-building sessions for solopreneurs and agency owners on the specific things holding back their growth.

  • Targeted to specific growth challenges
  • Actionable frameworks you use immediately
  • Group learning with peer community
Learn more →

The Independent Operator

An 8-week hands-on program to turn your stable solo business into a predictable, scalable agency. Coming Fall 2026.

  • For solopreneurs who are capped on growth
  • Build predictable revenue systems
  • Work more on what you love, less on what you don't
Coming Fall 2026 — Learn more →
Is This Right For You?

Be honest with yourself

My coaching works best for a specific kind of agency owner. Read these carefully before reaching out.

I'm right for you if…
  • Doing $15k+/month and ready to break through a plateau, or doing $100k+ a month and building towards an exit in the next 1-3 years
  • Want to grow without sacrificing your profit, freedom, or sanity
  • Deliver strong results but struggle with positioning and charging what you're worth
  • Doing everything yourself and tired of it
  • Coachable and ready to take action, not stuck in endless overthinking
  • Want a business that fuels your life, not one that runs it
My coaching is not for…
  • Agencies or solopreneurs under $15k per month who haven't proven they can close and retain clients
  • People chasing a quick fix or "magic bullet" growth hack
  • Anyone who wants to grow at all costs, even if it means burning out or killing their margins
  • Anyone unwilling to invest time, money, and energy into making real change
Real results from real agency owners
🚀
Jake went from $600k → $4M over 2 years after fixing his sales process.
📈
Jim went from 1 sales call/mo to 8, and from $8.6k → $13.6k/mo in 6 weeks.
🎯
Brandon took his agency from $1M → $5M.
💰
K & A went from $7k → $18k/mo in 5 months, fewer clients, 3× profit.
Kevin went from $10k → $26k/mo in 5 months.
🏆
Three partners grew from $2.5M → $8M in two years.
What Clients Say

Don't just take my word for it

John is the guy you want to talk to if you are struggling with scaling your business. He brings clarity to chaos and will be extremely helpful in directing your agency business towards profitability and optimized operations.
Zawad Iftikhar
Zawad Iftikhar
Founder, Sly Marketing
Working with John was truly invaluable. He helped me bring clarity and structure to ideas that had been living in my head for years, while guiding me toward a new, aligned revenue stream with confidence and intention. Worth every single dollar.
Akvile DeFazio
Akvile DeFazio
Founder, Akvertise
Thanks to John, I now have a much clearer direction for my discovery calls and services structure. I learned to position myself to market to a younger version of me — and my proposals weren't clear. I am currently doing a full overhaul.
Emily Merritt
Emily Merritt
Founder & Growth Strategist, Clearlead Marketing
I came to John when I had agency challenges and needed strategic insight. With John's background, I always know what he shares comes from real field experience. He also holds space for the personal parts of life that are always tied to business.
Bunty Somroy
Bunty Somroy
Marketing/AI Consultant & Entrepreneur
John gave me suggestions that really worked. He loves numbers — and business is numbers. Thanks, John!
Davit Tsilosani
Davit Tsilosani
Founder, 10xSEO
John's expertise and clear recommendations made a real difference in how we approach our digital marketing and sales strategy. I truly appreciate his help and look forward to collaborating again.
Nick Stamoulis
Nick Stamoulis
President, Brick Marketing
My Background

The experience behind the coaching

Since 2010, I've worked for two agencies, ran marketing and growth for two of Zillow's rentals brands (HotPads and Trulia Rentals), and consulted on SEO with some of the world's largest brands — Vevo, The New York Times, Dribbble, Creative Market, Homelight, Hipcamp, and many more.

My first agency generated leads for marketing agencies. I worked with 300+ agencies over 7 years and coached some of them to significant growth. I've applied the same principles to my own businesses, with great success. I'm an entrepreneur at heart, and there's nothing I love more than helping agency owners grow.

John Doherty
How to Get Started

Three steps to working together

I work with a maximum of 14 agency owners at a time. Here's how to get on the list.

1

Apply

Answer a few quick questions so I can understand your business and where you're trying to go. Takes about 2 minutes.

2

We'll Talk

If it looks like a potential fit, I'll reach out to schedule a conversation. No pitch — just a focused discussion about what's capping your growth and whether I can help.

3

We Start Working Together

If it's a fit for both of us, I'll invite you to work with me. Simple as that.

💡 Note: I work with a select number of clients at a time to protect quality. If you're ready to move, don't wait.

Ready to get started?

Apply and I'll be in touch if there's a fit.

Apply for Coaching →

6 quick questions · No commitment · I'll be in touch personally

Current Availability 2 of 14 spots open

Almost full. Reach out soon.