Why I Work With 3 Clients Instead of 30

Most agencies have a growth problem disguised as a business model.

They add clients to grow revenue. More clients means more revenue. Simple math — until it isn't.

Here's what actually happens: attention gets diluted. Strategy becomes templated. The 15th client gets a version of what worked for the 1st. And that's when results plateau.

I built Junction Media on the opposite premise. Capacity capped at 3-5 partnerships. Not for scarcity optics — because the model only works at that number.

The Fractional CMO Model

Most businesses don't need a full-time CMO. They need senior strategic thinking applied consistently. They need someone who understands their market deeply, not someone managing 30 accounts from a dashboard.

That's what a fractional CMO actually is: executive-level marketing leadership, allocated to your business on a part-time or project basis. The key word is allocated — not shared in the sense that your attention is split across dozens of clients, but genuinely focused on a small portfolio where depth is possible.

When I work with a business, I know their numbers. I know their customers. I know what worked last quarter and why the CPL spiked in November. That context compounds over time.

At 30 clients, that's impossible. At 3, it's the baseline.

What AI Changes (And What It Doesn't)

AI has fundamentally changed the execution side of marketing. I can now operate at a scale that would have required a team of 10 five years ago:

Content pipelines that produce at volume without sacrificing quality
Campaign optimisation running 24/7 without manual intervention
Customer support systems that handle 80% of queries autonomously
Data analysis that surfaces insights in hours, not weeks

But AI doesn't replace judgment. It amplifies it.

The businesses I work with aren't paying for automated content. They're paying for the strategic layer that directs the automation — the understanding of which levers to pull, when, and why.

That strategic layer requires genuine context about the business. And context requires focused attention.

The Case Study That Changed How I Think

Deep Blue Health came to me in a period where they'd plateau'd. Their marketing was fine — not broken, just not moving.

Within the first quarter, we rebuilt their marketing operation from the ground up. New Google Ads structure, Meta campaigns rebuilt with AI-generated creative variants, first proper SEO implementation, and an AI customer support layer that freed up 15 hours a week of team time.

The result: their November sales beat the store record by over 30%.

The reason that happened wasn't a magic tactic. It was sustained, focused attention on a business I genuinely understood. Every decision stacked. Every test informed the next.

That's what 3 clients makes possible.

Why This Matters If You're Evaluating Marketing Partners

If you're considering working with an agency or consultant, ask how many clients they currently work with.

If the answer is 40, ask how many hours per month you'll actually get.

If the answer involves account managers and handoffs, ask who's making the actual strategic decisions.

The model matters. Volume-based agencies are optimised for their own growth, not yours. A focused operator — fractional CMO, dedicated consultant, true partner — is structurally aligned with your results.

Applications Are Open (Sometimes)

I keep 3-5 active partnerships at any time. When a spot opens, I review applications personally.

If you're a founder or marketing lead thinking about what AI-native marketing could do for your business, that's the conversation I'm interested in having.

Applications reviewed monthly →

Tom Hall-Taylor is an AI-native marketing consultant based in Auckland, New Zealand. He works with select businesses to build integrated AI marketing systems. By application only.