By Mohamed Bah · Kolonell, a digital agency in Dakar
An agency that delivers every project without you doing the work, with a calculated margin and a team paid on fixed dates
100,000 FCFA · 152 €
Programme
and 3 more modules
Wave / Orange Money payment, access within 24 business hours
A small digital agency of 3 to 5 people in Dakar or Abidjan commonly generates 1.5 to 4 million FCFA (about $2,500 to $6,700) in monthly sales with a gross margin of 40 to 60%, which lets the founder pay themselves 400,000 to 1,000,000 FCFA (about $670 to $1,670) a month once break-even is passed (order of magnitude observed in Dakar and Abidjan in 2026, varying widely with the offers and the share of recurring revenue; no income is guaranteed).
Indicative estimate, depending on your market, pace and work. No income is guaranteed.
Your instructor
Founder of Kolonell, a digital agency in Dakar. He sells and delivers websites, content and applications for small and medium businesses in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Dubai, manages a team of freelance writers, designers and developers whom he recruits, subcontracts and pays, and handles his company's invoicing, cash flow and tax returns himself.
See Kolonell’s work →No. Many learners start alone, at the limit of their hours. Module 1 checks that the time is right, and modules 4 and 5 take you to your first subcontractors and then your first team member.
Not necessarily at first. Module 1 compares sole proprietorship, single-member limited company (SUARL) and multi-member limited company (SARL) based on your revenue, your partners and your exposure to risk, and refers you to level 3 for the formalities.
About 28 hours, including the hands-on workshops, exercises and the eight projects, or 4 hours a week for 7 weeks. Every project uses your own business, so the work pays off immediately.
It covers what a founder needs to know to make decisions: the full cost of an employee, internships, fixed-term contracts, and social security obligations in Senegal (IPRES, CSS, IPM) and Côte d'Ivoire (CNPS). Rates and formalities are given as in force in September 2026: IPRES 8.4%, CSS 7% up to a salary cap and CFCE 3% in Senegal, and CNPS 7.7% for retirement in Côte d'Ivoire.
Module 4 provides a subcontracting contract with confidentiality, transfer of rights and a client non-solicitation clause, and above all a working relationship (clear brief, payment on fixed dates) that makes good freelancers want to stay.
This level 4 teaches you to run an agency. Level 5 focuses on the business model: a profitable offer, recurring revenue and digital products, customer acquisition, large accounts, financing and growth over 24 months.
Via Wave or Orange Money. After enrolling you receive a pro forma invoice by email with the number to pay. Send the proof on WhatsApp: your access is activated within 24 business hours.
For life, updates included. Learn at your own pace and revisit lessons as often as you need.
Complete the lessons, pass each module quiz with at least 70% and submit your final project: an instructor reviews and approves it (feedback within 5 working days). The certificate is then generated, with a unique number and a public verification page.
You have more requests than hours. You work evenings and weekends, you deliver late, and your income has stalled. This course shows you how to go from overbooked freelancer to profitable small agency, one that delivers without every job passing through your hands.
First, you check with real numbers that you have hit your ceiling, then choose your model: collective, studio or agency. You cut your catalog down to three flagship offers and a retainer, and write the procedures that make delegation possible. Then comes the team: tested subcontractors with a calculated margin, then a first hire chosen on a practical test, full cost and social obligations included. You finish with agency finances and a 12-month plan.
The course covers 28 hours of training, 8 modules, 128 corrected exercises and 8 workshops on fictional agencies with figures in FCFA, plus a PDF handout and a quiz for each module. One graded project per module, 8 in all, leads to the final project: your agency's 12-month growth plan. A verifiable certificate completes the course.
You leave with your offer catalog and three written procedures, a client onboarding kit, a pool of tested subcontractors with a standard contract, a 30-day onboarding plan and your financial model. An agency of 3 to 5 people in Dakar or Abidjan commonly generates 1.5 to 4 million FCFA (about $2,500 to $6,700) in monthly sales at a 40 to 60% gross margin, letting the founder pay themselves 400,000 to 1,000,000 FCFA (about $670 to $1,670) a month once past break-even (2026 order of magnitude, varying widely; no income is guaranteed).
This is level 4 of the Freelance and digital entrepreneurship track, after "Running your business: invoicing, taxes and cash flow". Level 5, "Digital entrepreneur: building a profitable offer and growing it", then takes you from agency owner to company leader.
Who it is for: Experienced freelancers and founders of small digital businesses (communications, design, video, web development, marketing) in Dakar, Thiès, Saint-Louis, Abidjan, Bamako, Cotonou or in the diaspora who already turn down work, or work too many hours for an income that has stalled, and want to grow with freelancers or a first team.
A module-by-module path: lessons, exercises, quizzes and projects to submit.
Module 1· 16 exercises
Decide whether you should grow, in what form (collective, studio, agency) and at what pace, based on your figures and your ceiling of hours.
Module 2· 16 exercises
Turn what you do from memory into packaged offers, written procedures and reusable templates, so that someone else can deliver at your level.
Module 3· 16 exercises
Set up the same project workflow for every client: onboarding, kickoff meeting, schedule, approvals, acceptance testing, delivery and close-out.
Module 4· 16 exercises
Find, test and pay reliable freelancers, set a sustainable agency margin and frame the relationship with a subcontracting contract.
Module 5· 16 exercises
Choose between intern, regular freelancer and employee, hire based on a practical test and get the first 30 days right, in line with local labor law.
Module 6· 16 exercises
Set up short routines, individual indicators and a quality check before every delivery, and handle delays and mistakes without taking everything back yourself.
Module 7· 16 exercises
Track profitability project by project, calculate your break-even point including salaries and subcontracting, and secure recurring revenue to pay the team every month.
Module 8· 16 exercises
Build a sales system that no longer depends on you alone, respond to corporate requests for proposals and set a 12-month growth plan.
Certificate included
A numbered certificate with your validated skills, a public page and a verification QR code. Add it to LinkedIn in one click.
Certificate of skills
Your name
has completed and validated the course
Growing your agency: processes, subcontracting and hiring
Skills developed
Number KOL-CERT-2026-XXXXX
Mohamed Bah
Founder, Kolonell Academy
After the course
Each certificate has a number anyone can verify online, and you can add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click.
Upload your CV from your profile: our team reviews it and helps you make it clearer and more convincing.
Learners who complete the course can join the Kolonell talent pool. Entry is earned: course completed, exercises submitted. Kolonell also draws on it for its own hiring.
Optional services, free for learners. This is not a promise of employment.
Download the poster to print it, send it to your employer or share it with colleagues. The full programme details every module.
This course is part of the track
Level 4 of 5 · Career
See the 5 track levelsNext level · 5/5 Expert
Senior level, projects and leadership
A profitable flagship offer, a 50% recurring revenue target and a 24-month growth plan your cash flow can support
200,000 FCFA 47 h
View the next level