Operations, finance and growth titles Erika keeps recommending to independent agency owners.
6 books
Managing the Professional Service Firm
David Maister
Still the clearest map of leverage, utilisation, and why talent systems beat slogans. Dense, but worth keeping on the shelf.
Best for: Founders building delivery structure for the first time.
Profit First
Mike Michalowicz
Simple cash allocation that works for project income. Ignore the hype tone; keep the bank-account discipline.
Best for: Studios mixing tax, payroll, and owner pay in one account.
This Is Marketing
Seth Godin
Useful for agency positioning when the work is strong but the story is fuzzy. High signal on empathy and smallest viable audience.
Best for: Owners rewriting their offer and niche.
Built to Sell
John Warrillow
Forces productised thinking even if you never sell the agency. Excellent on founder dependence and repeatable offers.
Best for: Owner-operators stuck as the bottleneck.
The E-Myth Revisited
Michael E. Gerber
Classic reminder that working in the business is not the same as building one. Take the systems lesson; skip the franchise dogma.
Best for: Creative founders allergic to process.
Company of One
Paul Jarvis
Permission to stay small and profitable. Especially relevant for boutique studios that confuse headcount with progress.
Best for: Agencies choosing depth over scale.