Ecommerce Playbook: Numbers, Struggles & Growth The Rise of SEANs
Mar 3, 2026
Discussion of software-enabled agencies that encode agency knowledge into opinionated tools. Exploration of how software and services are converging as SaaS margins and outcome demands shift. The rise of a 'profit engineer' role that blends forecasting, media allocation, creative testing, and execution. How embedding accountability in systems speeds course correction and reshapes growth team hiring.
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Software Captures Agency Knowledge Better Than People
- Agencies rely on centralized institutional knowledge but humans alone fail to consistently deploy it across juniors and new hires.
- Taylor Holiday says software is a better vehicle for operationalizing ideology because it enforces updates at the root so everyone implements the same system.
SEANs Are Software With A Point Of View
- A SEAN is 'software with a point of view' that prescribes a specific methodology rather than an open sandbox like Ads Manager.
- Taylor Holiday explains CTC builds Statless to unify marketing and finance around daily, trackable goals to reach predictable profitable growth.
SaaS Economics Are Converging With Services
- Traditional SaaS advantages (high NRR, high gross margin, fast scale) are eroding because customers now demand outcome-driven solutions.
- Taylor Holiday notes customer success and agency layers are effectively part of product deployment costs, reducing apparent SaaS margins.