Agency markup runs 15-30%; direct sourcing costs you 6-10 hrs/creator

Agency markup runs 15-30%; direct sourcing costs you 6-10 hrs/creator

Direct outreach ██░░░░ cheap, slow | Agency ████░░ fast, marked up | Platform █████░ scaled

Three sourcing paths, same creators, different overhead. Direct saves the markup but you eat discovery, vetting, contracting, chasing.

— Direct: 0% markup, ~6-10 hrs labor per signed creator
— Agency: 15-30% markup, near-zero labor
— Marketplace platform: 10-20% fee, partial automation

At 5 creators direct is fine. At 40, the hours dwarf the markup.

So what: source direct under ~10 creators; switch to agency or platform once labor cost exceeds the markup.

Benchmark: n=45 programs — agency markup median 22%, direct labor median 7.5 hrs/creator.