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Bandicoot

When Survival Was No Longer the Strategy

How Bandicoot replaced project chaos with recurring revenue, focus, and long-term autonomy.

The Starting Point

Luke Perrie didn’t lack experience, intelligence, or work ethic.

What he lacked, despite years of running Bandicoot, was margin for error.

The business had grown through a familiar agency pattern: custom projects, time-and-materials work, and the constant pressure to say yes because cash flow demanded it. After nearly fifteen years in business, Bandicoot had spurts of momentum, but not consistency. Big deposits brought short-term relief, followed by long stretches of uncertainty. Leads came like a waterfall, and stopped like a drought. 

Luke described it plainly: survival mode had become the operating system.

Every decision was shaped by an underlying question:
Will this keep us afloat?

That question worked, until it didn’t.

As the agency matured, the cost of survival thinking became impossible to ignore. Complexity increased. Focus scattered. And despite working harder, the business felt increasingly fragile.

Core Challenges

Luke was facing a set of challenges that many founders hit after years of grinding:
:

  1. Revenue Volatility

    Large, one-off projects created cash spikes, but no predictability. Deposits felt good; uncertainty lingered long after.

  2. Survival Anxiety

    Even when revenue was strong, the lack of stability made it hard to think beyond the next invoice.

  3. Meaningful Investment

    Survival mode was creating a reluctance to make invest in moving the business forward.

The problem wasn’t ambition.
It was the system supporting it.

Stability before scale

Instead of chasing growth, Luke removed survival from the driver’s seat.

He built recurring revenue as the agency’s backbone, let predictability guide decisions, and stopped relying on big wins for relief. Cash flow stabilized. The panic faded.

Stability created space.

That space shifted the question from “How do we grow?” to “What kind of business do I want to run?”

Luke began choosing constraints by narrowing the offer, saying no to misaligned work, and building for durability over volume.

Growth became intentional.
And the business was no longer governed by fear.

“I was always chasing the big win instead of building something that actually lasted.”

— Luke

The Results

The best year financially in 15 years

The most meaningful outcome wasn’t just financial. In fact, Bandicoot went on to achieve its strongest year ever…something that hadn’t happened in the previous fifteen years of the business.

Yes, recurring revenue grew.
Yes, volatility dropped.

But more importantly:

  • Decisions became calmer and clearer
  • The business could withstand slower months without panic
  • Luke reclaimed the ability to think strategically instead of tactically

Bandicoot didn’t become bigger overnight.

It became healthier.

Going Forward

This work didn’t mark an arrival.

It marked a transition.

Bandicoot now operates from a place of choice rather than survival, free to design what comes next without being forced into it.

Luke went from being afraid to work on the business to refusing to do anything but. 

I’m finally spending my time building the business instead of just keeping it alive.”

-Luke




I consider Russ part of my team! Just the ability to run ideas by him has been gold in and of itself. He thoughtfully and intentionally guides me as I make important decisions for my business that I would otherwise have to make on my own. He’s walked me off cliffs, introduced new ideas and perspectives that I hadn’t even thought of, and listened when I just needed to vent. I look forward to every session, and can’t wait to continue the relationship as my business grows. If you’re looking for a quality coach who truly wants what’s best for you and your business – Russ is the real deal.

Luke Perrie
Bandicoot

About Bandicoot

Founded by Luke Perrie in 2011, Bandicoot has helped hundreds of small businesses grow using the web.

Inspired by Luke’s growth journey through coaching with Russel?

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