AI infrastructure, a founder with a strong point of view, and a niche specific enough to dominate. That is the agency model I see emerging.
This is John’s September 2026 outlook. The revenue and team-size examples describe potential scenarios, not measured industry benchmarks.
A different agency model
We're about to see the largest boom in micro agencies in history.
I'm talking about agencies doing $5M, $10M, even $20M in revenue with fewer than 10 people running the entire operation.
They'll run on AI infrastructure that handles most of the production work, a founder with a strong point of view and a LinkedIn account, and a niche specific enough to dominate.
The revenue-to-headcount ratio that has defined agencies for decades is breaking. A team of eight could produce what used to require 50.
What changes for agency founders
Once agency operators realize they don't need 50 people, an office, and three years to find product-market fit, everything shifts. How they hire, how they price, how they think about growth, even what they consider a "real" agency.
Some will launch one and scale it to eight figures.
Some will launch three or four across different niches.
Some will build one that was never supposed to be big and it takes off anyway.
You can already see it happening as more smart operators quietly leave big agencies to build something small, focused, and wildly profitable.
The traditional agency model is dying. And this is what's replacing it.
About this article
Lightly edited from “We're about to see the largest boom in micro agencies in history.” on LinkedIn ↗, originally shared by John Ghiorso on . The Journal edition was first published on September 21, 2026.
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