The Vertical Advantage: Lessons from Scorpion’s Remarkable Scaling Journey

In the competitive world of digital agencies, the path to sustainable growth often requires making tough strategic choices. Few understand this better than Corey, former executive at Scorpion, who recently shared his journey of transforming a generalist agency into a vertical powerhouse—scaling from 100 to 1,000 team members and growing their client base from 1,000 to an impressive 14,000.

Breaking Free from the Generalist Trap

Most agencies begin with a broad approach—serving any client across any industry with a wide range of services. It seems logical: cast a wide net to catch more fish. But according to Corey, this approach eventually leads to what he calls “the generalist trap.”

“Inevitably, in the growth journey of a typical agency, they get stuck in what I call the generalist trap,” Corey explains.

This trap manifests in three key ways:

1. Scattered Client Focus: Serving everyone means mastering no particular industry’s unique challenges

2. Service Sprawl: Offering too many services dilutes expertise and execution quality

3. Growth Ceiling: Without repeatable processes, each new client requires custom solutions

The consequences? Constant hustling for new business, compressed profit margins, and leadership burnout—a familiar scenario for many agency owners.

Why Vertical Specialization Changes Everything

“The reality is that the riches are in the niches,” Corey emphasizes, making a compelling case for vertical specialization—focusing intensely on serving one industry exceptionally well.

This strategic pivot delivers three transformative benefits:

1. Deep Industry Expertise

When you serve a single vertical, you quickly develop unmatched understanding of that industry’s specific challenges, language, and success metrics. This expertise becomes your competitive advantage.

2. Operational Efficiency

Vertical focus enables what Corey calls “repeatable systems”—streamlined processes for everything from sales to onboarding to delivery. This systematization is the key to scaling without sacrificing quality.

3. Founder Freedom

“A big foundational element for escaping founder-led sales is focusing on a vertical market because it allows you to create a repeatable system that doesn’t require the founder to actually execute,” Corey notes.

Overcoming the Fear of Specialization

Despite these benefits, many agency owners resist specialization. The psychology is understandable—and has a name.

“We all feel that when you take something away from us, it’s almost twice as painful as gaining something good,” Corey explains, referencing the concept of loss aversion.

This fear makes saying “no” to potential clients particularly difficult, even when they’re not ideal fits. Yet this selective approach is precisely what enables breakthrough growth.

“Being able to say no to poor-fit clients, even if it is a big check, is the very thing that holds people back from getting to that next level.”

How to Choose Your Vertical: A Strategic Approach

Selecting the right vertical isn’t about following trends—it’s about finding alignment between your strengths and market opportunity. Corey recommends a deliberate 18-24 month testing period, evaluating:

• Capability Match: Do your team’s skills align with the vertical’s needs?

• Market Economics: Is the sector large enough, with clients who can afford your services?

• Authentic Interest: Do you genuinely care about this industry and its challenges?

Warning signs of a mismatched vertical include a lack of industry conferences (suggesting minimal community) or high client turnover rates.

Making the Transition: Keep Your Safety Net

For agencies making this pivot, Corey offers practical advice: don’t immediately drop your existing clients.

“You need to keep your current clients as a safety net,” he advises. This revenue provides financial stability during your transition period, supporting your team and operations while building expertise in your chosen vertical.

The key is transparency—communicate your shift in focus while assuring clients of continued quality service.

Inside Scorpion’s Scaling Playbook

Corey’s experience growing Scorpion offers valuable lessons in operational excellence:

Building Proprietary Systems

Scorpion invested heavily in developing systems that automated delivery components and ensured consistent client experiences—critical for scaling quality at speed.

Creating a Training Conveyor Belt

To rapidly onboard new team members, Scorpion developed structured training programs that transformed inexperienced hires into effective contributors.

Leveraging Subject Matter Experts

Specialists within each vertical accelerated knowledge transfer and maintained service quality even as the company expanded rapidly.

This systematic approach delivered remarkable results, including a 93% client retention rate—proof that Scorpion wasn’t just acquiring clients but truly solving their problems.

“We were solving these problems that these attorneys didn’t even realize they had… There’s no way I’m leaving this because it is such a great deal,” Corey shares.

The Culture Component

Beyond systems and strategy, Corey credits Scorpion’s strong culture as a crucial element in their growth story:

• Clear Values: Every team member understood what the company stood for

• Positive Environment: Internal culture directly influenced client experience

This culture-first approach helped Scorpion grow without sacrificing quality or losing top talent—a challenge that derails many scaling agencies.

Your Path to Specialized Growth

The journey from generalist to specialist represents more than a marketing pivot—it’s a fundamental business transformation that affects every aspect of your agency. Corey’s experience demonstrates that:

• Vertical specialization unlocks sustainable growth and better client outcomes

• The courage to say “no” creates space for transformative “yes” decisions

• Systematic approaches to operations and training enable scalability

• Strong culture binds everything together as you grow

Ready to explore this path for your agency? Corey’s book, Anyone Not Everyone, provides a comprehensive roadmap. You can access a free version—complete with audiobook, workbooks, templates, and videos—at anyonenoteveryone.com.

If you’re committed to building a more focused, profitable, and scalable agency, this resource is your next step forward.