What is a lifestyle agency?

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 been pushed hard in the agency world for a long time. So much so, that founders are scared to say it’s NOT what they want, for fear of being seen as a lesser leader, not driven enough, or even an underachiever. 

There’s such a stigma around the term that people have been afraid to say that’s exactly what they DO want.

But here lies the first problem: there doesn’t seem to be one clear definition of what a lifestyle agency actually is. 

So I asked my network what they thought.

• Some said it suggests a hobby job, or something to earn a bit of extra cash for treats.
• Others said lifestyle agencies are small, one or two people, or solo founders working with contractors. 
• A few understood it to mean working in it to earn a good salary and have the life you want, rather than growing it to sell.
• There’s also a perception that the term only applies to people that work shorter hours around various caring responsibilities.

In a past conversation a founder suggested “Any agency that’s built on the values of the founder to support the lifestyle that founder wants, could be deemed a lifestyle agency. If you can and want to work longer hours to scale fast, that’s reflective of your lifestyle. If you can maintain that, that’s reflective of your lifestyle.” 

Based on that definition, you could say EVERY agency is a lifestyle agency.

Which begs the question, why has the term become so derogatory, if no-one can really define what it is and it could apply to any agency?!

Scouring the net, I can find only one article that I remotely resonate with on the topic: Performance v lifestyle agency.

In this 2023 blog, Sam Hurley compares performance and lifestyle agencies, and defines a lifestyle agency as one that is “established to support the founder’s (and potentially the staff’s) lifestyle, with a focus on longevity beyond 10+ years.” Where as a performance agency is “created with an exit strategy in mind, often aiming for a sale within 5-10 years”. 

And while there’s a lot in this blog I do not agree with, (more on that another time), that definition is where I’ll hang my hat. It’s the definition that worked for me while I ran my own agency, Rubber Cheese and works for the clients I’m now supporting.

So let’s lock it in.

The definition of a lifestyle agency is:

“An agency that is established to support the founder’s lifestyle wants and needs, and those of its team. Started from a place of frustration or desire for change and focused on longevity and sustainability. Highly specialised in service and approach. A model that adapts and changes as your lifestyle needs do.”