In this episode of Lifestyle is a Plan, I’m joined by Tom Salmon, Co‑Founder of Agency by Agency, which provides data and intelligence to the UK’s marketing, advertising, creative and media agency sector.
In this episode of Lifestyle is a Plan, I’m joined by Ginny Nicholls, founder of Interim Digital, a collective of senior freelancers helping agencies and brands solve business challenges with speed and expertise.
As we move further into 2026, one thing has become clear from supporting agency founders over the past year: founders want to feel they have choice. Choice in how they grow.Choice in what success looks like.Choice in what they’re building towards. This isn’t about rejecting growth. Growth can be an exciting and intentional decision, but…
In this episode of Lifestyle is a Plan, I’m joined by Krishna Solanki – founder, creative director and Squarespace Expert behind Krishna Solanki Designs.
There’s honestly no better feeling than watching ideas spark, collide and come to life in real time, and that’s exactly what happened in a room full of brilliant founders at our latest Nano Day. From the moment we kicked off, the energy was unreal. Honest conversations. Proper thinking time. Big questions being asked out loud….
Most objections aren’t really objections at all, they’re more like uncertainty wearing a very sensible, risk averse coat. A Pac-a-Mac. Cost.Timing.Capacity.“Can we come back to this later?” They all sound reasonable. And often they are. But if you treat every objection as a hard no, you miss what’s actually going on underneath.If objections keep showing…
The idea that there’s a single “right” way to build and run an agency is deeply ingrained – and deeply unhelpful. While agencies often face similar challenges, no two are operating under the same conditions. Founders bring different goals, levels of capacity, personal priorities, and definitions of success. Treating them as interchangeable only leads to…
Or to put it better, what’s your point of view? It’s 23 years in agency land for me this year, and the one thing that hasn’t changed in all that time? Agencies still can’t position themselves well. And it is hard, granted. How unique is our brand process, our web development process or the way…
As 2026 begins, there’s one question every founder should pause to ask: What does success really look like – and how are you measuring it? For too many agency founders, success has quietly become code for longer hours, constant availability, and earning time off instead of designing for it. When the agency dictates the founder’s…
What is a lifestyle agency? Well, a bit like quantum computing, it’s complicated. Over the years the term has been used almost like a dirty word. Weekly I hear stories where founders have been told they’re “just” running a lifestyle agency, and often felt looked down on for that decision. The message of growth has…