Why We’re Not a Marketing Agency Anymore (And Why That’s the Best Thing We’ve Ever Done)
Once upon a time, Human_Code was a marketing agency. You know the kind—strategy decks, campaign calendars, creative briefs, ad budgets, KPIs. We were good at it. We had great clients, sharp people, and a deep understanding of how to make brands sing online. But somewhere along the way, we started to feel like we were solving the wrong problem.
Actually, let’s back up.
When Mike and Colin bought a little website development company headquartered in a Hamilton attic 20+ years ago, it was built on three rules:
- Work hard.
- Know your @#$%.
- Be nice to people.
That DNA never changed. But the world around us did.
The internet got loud. Brands got lost in the noise. The old formulas stopped working. And our clients? They weren’t just asking for more ads or a better website—they were asking for something deeper.
“Why aren’t we growing anymore?”
“Why are ads getting so expensive?”
“How can we take advantage of the latest technology?”
“Why does it feel like nothing’s connected?”
“Why is everything so damn hard?”
They didn’t need another agency.
They needed alignment.
They needed systems.
They needed a complete evolution in how to grow their businesses efficiently and effectively.
The Problem We Kept Seeing (And Couldn’t Ignore)
Modern businesses are trying to grow with broken engines. Marketing, sales, and customer success operate in silos. Tools don’t talk to each other. Data is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Everyone’s busy, but momentum is fleeting. Growth is chaotic. Unpredictable. Expensive.
And most “solutions” out there just throw more fuel on the fire.
More tools.
More campaigns.
More dashboards.
More agencies.
But more isn’t the answer. Better is.
That’s not a new belief for us—it’s always been our philosophy. From the attic office days to now, we’ve focused on doing the work that matters, solving the real problems, and helping our clients grow by getting smarter, not just louder.
We weren’t chasing more. But we were still being called “a marketing agency”—and that label started to feel too small for the work we were really doing.
Because behind the scenes, we weren’t just launching campaigns. We were connecting systems. Smoothing handoffs. Automating workflows. Fixing misaligned teams and leaky funnels. Designing for scale.
We were already doing Growth Ops.
So this isn’t a pivot—it’s a declaration. A name that finally matches the work.
We’re not an agency. We’re a fractional Growth Operations team.
And that’s exactly what our clients need.
Why Growth Ops?
Because Growth Needs to Be Engineered—Not Assumed.
Most businesses treat growth like it should just happen. Launch a few campaigns, cross your fingers, hope it sticks.
But growth doesn’t just happen.
Real growth is built. Designed. Engineered.
Growth Ops is about turning revenue into a system, not a gamble.
It’s about aligning every part of your business—brand, demand, experience, tech—so it works together, not in silos.
It’s about removing friction instead of just adding effort.
We didn’t invent Growth Ops. But we believe in it like hell—because it solves the real problem:
Disconnection. Misalignment. Waste. Chaos.
And it replaces all of that with structure. Clarity. Momentum. Scalability. Predictability.
This isn’t theory. It’s the work we’ve always done, just with a new name and a sharper focus.
Why Fractional?
Because You Don’t Need a Bigger Team. You Need a Smarter One.
We’ve sat on both sides of the table—agency and client. We know the pain of bloated retainers and underdelivered outcomes. We know what it’s like to hire a “partner” who feels more like a vendor. And we know what it’s like to spend six figures on tactics that don’t move the needle.
That’s why we chose the fractional model.
We integrate deeply—just like an in-house team would—but without the overhead or long hiring cycles.
We focus on building systems and solving problems—not padding hours.
We’re not selling you a service. We’re building your growth engine.
Agencies chase billables.
We chase outcomes.
This Shift Wasn’t a Flip. It Was a Return To Our Roots.
Truth is, this isn’t a new direction for us—it’s just a more honest and accurate one.
Human_Code was never about flashy campaigns or awards. We were always builders. Systems people. Problem solvers. Quiet operators behind the scenes, making sure things worked.
“Better over more” has always been our north star.
We care more about improving the pipeline than winning the pitch.
We believe good design is operational, not just visual.
And we’d rather fix the engine than paint the car.
What This Means for You
If you’re used to working with us as “the marketing agency,” things might look a little different.
Fewer campaign brainstorms. More process diagrams.
Less “what’s your budget this month?” More “what’s the lifetime value of a customer and how do we grow it?”
But the essence is the same.
We still care.
We still show up.
We still work hard, know our @#$%, and are nice to people.
We’re just doing it in a way that creates smarter, faster, and better growth—for real.
We Work with Builders, Not Bystanders
This model isn’t for everyone.
If you just want more clicks or a prettier website, we’re probably not for you.
But if you want:
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A unified growth strategy across marketing, sales, and success
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Systems that scale and workflows that actually work
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Real, predictable, compounding revenue
Then we might just be the best decision you make this year.
So No, We’re Not a Marketing Agency Anymore
We’re your fractional Growth Ops team.
The architects of your growth system.
The bridge between your ambition and execution.
The team that stops the leaks, fixes the friction, and gets all your gears moving in sync.
We believe this is the future of how businesses grow.
And we’re building it—one client, one system, one win at a time.
You in?
Let’s build.
Let’s grow.
Let’s win.
— The Human_Code Team
41 King William Street, Suite 300
Hamilton, ON L8R 1A2
905.529.6005
hello@humancode.ca