Optimising Your Agency Structure

Cat Kevern speaks at Agency HAckers’ clockwork Event

Last week, Electric Cat’s Director, Cat Kevern, appeared on a panel at Clockwork - an annual event hosted by Agency Hackers, spotlighting the ever-evolving landscape of agency operations. Joined by fellow agency directors, the panel delved into the different infrastructures, processes and dynamics that enable their agency to thrive. Comparing and contrasting their company structures, sharing their most effective systems and examining the importance of clearly defined values, this talk was a must-hear for all current or aspiring agency directors. Fresh from speaking at IMEX Frankfurt, Cat shared all about the inner workings of Electric Cat, how we are structured as an agency and a BTS of our operational processes. Read on for a breakdown…


Agency Hackers have hosted their annual conference for the past four years, bringing together experienced agency owners to share their insights and help others refine their processes. It is a prime opportunity to meet and learn from others who are actively working to improve how their agency runs. Across the schedule of talks, topics ranging from motivating team members, to enhancing profitability, to increasing productivity were delivered by a wealth of industry experts. Our very own Cat Kevern was featured on a panel titled “How Should Your Agency Be Structured?”, alongside Liz Walker, Commercial Director at Distinctly, and Eleanor Neilson, Joint Managing Director of Dynam. While Electric Cat runs on a fully remote model, utilising freelancers with expert knowledge in their area, Directly operates under a POD model, while Dynam has recently become fully employee-owned. Each of these systems has its unique strengths, making them suitable for the needs of the organisation and its team.

how we work

The Electric Cat formula 🧪

At Electric Cat we make no secret of the fact that we loooove working with freelancers. Our team is made up entirely of independent marketers, each bringing expert knowledge in a specific area, be it graphic design, strategy or web development, with the flexibility to exercise other skills if they wish. We operate fully remotely and allow our team to work the hours that suit them. While remote working is not for everyone and we are no strangers to its flaws, we feel that the positives far outweigh the negatives. You can hear all of our thoughts on remote working in our blog article, but our key takeaways are: 

  • Our low overheads allow us to fund in-person events or meetups, helping to prevent feelings of isolation and allow the team to reconnect. Recently, we’ve been to Barcelona to visit our Assistant DIrector, attended industry events and hosted a couple of launch parties 🕺

  • We have systems in place with regular catch-up calls for efficient communication and to ensure that everyone feels supported

  • Recently, we implemented a ‘bright ideas’ system. “Team members can submit a form if they have any idea about how we can improve anything in the business, and “the team  gets a little bonus for it,” says Cat.

  • We are a team of creatives - sometimes your best ideas will come at 9 am and sometimes they spark at 11 pm. We want our team to have the freedom to work when they’re most inspired and the autonomy to fit work into their wider life. They also get two paid hours per month to do… whatever they like. A gym sesh, an online course, or a long bath, it is two hours of dedicated me-time to keep our team on top form.

We felt this captured the Electric Cat ✨vibes✨

Having recently celebrated our first birthday 🎉 we have been doing some reflecting and refining of our own processes, making the Agency Hackers event more relevant than ever. To mark the occasion, we completed a team activity led by the wonderful Emily Kenward, identifying our key vibes and values, discussing long and short-term goals and clarifying what we offer to our clients. Not only was this an opportunity to ensure the team felt involved and positive about the future, but it was another chance for us to harness the collective brilliance and varied knowledge of our team of experts. You can take a peek at what we came up with here 👀

After a year in operation, taking some dedicated time to clearly establish our priorities and goals has been refreshing. It has also signalled the processes that work well - like our famous Monday morning meetings - and those which we could retire or rethink. The Clockwork conference is an unparalleled hub of wisdom and ideas for any agency directors looking to do the same, and a fantastic network of experienced people. A huge thank you to Agency Hackers for hosting the event and platforming our team. Until next time, the GOATs of B2B marketing are signing off 🫡

Written by Hatty Cadman on 14/06/2024