Brad Farris is the Principal Advisor at Anchor Advisors, a consultancy that helps creative agency founders grow their leadership capacity and scale their businesses. With over 20 years of experience, Brad specializes in coaching agency owners to sharpen focus, raise prices, and build stronger teams. He is also a speaker and author, passionate about helping business owners find better ways to do things, make more money, and enjoy life more.

Scaling a business sounds exciting until you hit the invisible ceiling that stalls your growth. Many entrepreneurs know they should step back from day-to-day delivery, but actually doing it feels overwhelming or even impossible. What makes this particular shift so hard for business owners to pull off?

According to Brad Farris, a seasoned advisor to hundreds of agency owners, the transition from doer to leader challenges an entrepreneur’s identity more than their skills. He highlights that leaving behind the technical work, the very thing that brought early success, can feel like losing a part of yourself. This shift becomes even more daunting when the livelihoods of a growing team are at stake. It’s a leap into unfamiliar territory, requiring new systems, team trust, and a mindset focused on sustainable leadership rather than personal execution. Brad emphasizes that this change is not just necessary for growth, it’s essential for survival.

In this episode of the Financial Clarity podcast, Hannah Smolinski is joined by Brad Farris, Principal Advisor at Anchor Advisors, to talk about why stepping out of client work is the most difficult transition in business growth. They explore how to reframe your role as a leader, build a capable team around you, and delegate without losing quality or client trust. Brad also shares how hiring smarter (and often pricier) can actually fuel scalability.