Gary Lafferty sits down with badpixel’s Christopher Clarke to explore how to grow a modern tech agency in a crowded market without relying on cold outreach.

Learn how Chris transitioned from LA’s film industry to founding one of Austin’s most forward-thinking dev agencies.

This episode is packed with insight for founders and CEOs of tech consultancies, including:

What operational awareness really means in a dev shop

How to stand out when every agency sounds the same

Why roadmapping is a sales advantage

How to win business through founder relationships—not email blasts

The importance of client-led innovation and people-first culture

Learn more: https://www.badpixel.com/

Hosted by: https://www.growthfocus.co/

Summary

Christopher Clarke shares how he bootstrapped and scaled badpixel by blending operational excellence with strategic storytelling. Instead of competing on price or features, Chris’ agency wins enterprise deals by showing clients a better future version of their product—backed by data and mockups.

We cover how failing fast helped him refine processes, how founder-led marketing outperforms paid ads, and why relationship-building is still the most powerful growth strategy in 2025.

Key Takeaways

Fail fast and learn fast: Every iteration is an opportunity to evolve.

Operational clarity wins: Agencies that scale have tight project scopes, retro processes, and communication loops.

Roadmaps = retention: Mapping future features drives repeat sales and client longevity.

Don’t rely on cold outreach: Relationships, referrals, and real value outperform mass email every time.

Founder-led visibility drives trust in a commoditized market.