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The $4 million problem.
If you’re running a Shopify Plus agency in the United States, you’re probably bleeding money in ways you’ve accepted as “normal.”
Here’s what a 20-person team costs in major US markets:
And that’s just base salaries. Add recruiting fees when people leave (which they will – average tenure is 18 months), and you’re spending another $500K-$800K per year replacing them.
You’re spending $5M+ annually just to maintain the same team capacity.
Meanwhile, your margins are getting crushed. Clients push back on rates. Competitors undercut you. And you’re one key resignation away from a client crisis.
There has to be a better way.
Enter MindArc.
In 2019, Matthew Craig faced this exact problem.
His Sydney-based agency, MindArc, had become Australia’s first Shopify Platinum Partner. They were winning clients, building a reputation, and growing fast.
But growth created a new problem: they couldn’t hire fast enough to keep up.
Sound familiar?
Sydney’s talent pool couldn’t provide the Shopify Plus developers, project managers, and specialists MindArc needed. And Australian salaries—while lower than US rates—were still expensive enough to make rapid scaling financially risky.
“The one-off transactions from recruiters weren’t helping us build a strategic advantage,” Matthew explains. “We needed a long-term partner who truly understood our business and growth goals.”
So Matthew did what you’re probably considering: he looked offshore.
The search for real
partnership.
Matthew evaluated options in India, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
But finding the RIGHT partner was critical.
Then Matthew met Filta.
Building for retention, not
just recruitment.
But this wasn’t typical offshore hiring. Filta’s approach was completely different.
Filta spent weeks understanding MindArc:
Filta wasn’t filling job descriptions. They were architecting a team.
Rather than hiring 10 people quickly, they started with three strategic roles:
Critical decision: These weren’t just individual contributors. They were potential future leaders as the team scaled.
Filta presented 2-3 perfect candidates per role. Not 50 resumes—handpicked matches.
Key wins from the Filta partnership
“Filta fit the bill. They took ownership of our expansion into the Philippines, developing HR and hiring strategies that tracked and matched our business growth.”
Then something remarkable happened.
Year One:
Proving the Model
The first year was about integration, not just hiring.
New Philippine team members received:
By the end of Year One: All three hires were thriving. Zero turnover.
Year Two:
Scaling to 10
MindArc needed to grow. Demand was increasing.
They added seven more roles through Filta:
Same vetting process. Same cultural fit focus. Same integration.
Year Three:
Hitting 20
The team doubled again:
End of Year Three: All 20 team members retained. Including the original three from 2019.
Let that sink in. While the BPO industry averages 12-18 months tenure, MindArc kept every single person for three straight years.
“This is a crazy metric,” Matthew emphasizes. “It’s a result of alignment on both sides. The person really wanted to work for us, and we set expectations up front.”
What 100% Retention Actually Means:
In Hard Dollars
Avoided costs from zero turnover:
For a 20-person team over three years:
In Operational Reality
Before the Philippine team:
With the Philippine team:
In Competitive Advantage
MindArc can now:
MindArc’s Savings (Australian Market)
40% cost improvements overall, 70% on some roles
Australian developer:
$150K annually
Philippine developer through Filta:
~$45K annually
Savings per developer:
$105K (70%)
Australian-only cost:
$2.8M+ annually
Philippine team cost:
~$1.2M annually
Annual savings:
$1.6M+
“We didn’t just need an outsourcing agency, we needed a true partner who could take our hand and guide us through the process.”
Why it worked.
The lowest-cost provider wasn’t Filta. But they were the best value.
Every candidate assessed for:
“Filta understands that building a successful team isn’t just about hiring the right people,” Matthew explains. “It’s about keeping them engaged, supported, and aligned with the company’s culture.”
Philippine team members could see:
MindArc treated Philippine team as employees, not contractors:
Filta handled everything that makes retention possible:
Filta wasn’t a vendor. They were a strategic partner:
Seven years later.
Still there. Still contributing. Still growing their careers.
That’s not normal. That’s exceptional.
The ROI is undeniable.
Payback period: Immediate
Matthew’s Perspective.
“The one-off transactions from recruiters weren’t helping us build a strategic advantage. We needed a long-term partner who truly understood our business and growth goals.”
“100% retention over three years is a crazy metric. It’s a result of alignment on both sides. The person really wanted to work for us, and we set expectations up front.”
“Filta understands that building a successful team isn’t just about hiring the right people—it’s about keeping them engaged, supported, and aligned with the company’s culture.”
What Filta offered that set it apart
from the rest:
“Filta understands that building a successful team isn’t just about hiring the right people,” Matthew explains. “It’s about keeping them engaged, supported, and aligned with the company’s culture.”
Ready to Build Your Team?
Calculate your potential savings and see
how the model works for your agency.
