From 19 years to day one: What we’d do differently if we started an agency today
“Would you start an agency again?” is the one question I’m continually asked.
On a recent podcast recording with my co-founder Paul ‘Wag’ Wright, we reflected on nearly twenty years at the helm of our old agency, Rubber Cheese, discussing this very topic. And while we agreed we built something special, our journey was often way more complicated, stressful and let’s say ‘wiggly’ than it needed to be. So would we do it again?
Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, here’s how we’d approach building an agency differently from day one.
1. Specialise sooner
This is the single biggest strategic shift I would make. For years, we were sector agnostic, taking on any project that came our way. It wasn’t until we narrowed our focus and specialised in the visitor attraction space that everything became so much simpler.
Once we did, our marketing became laser focused. We knew the associations to join, the events we should be at and winning business felt natural because we spoke the language of our clients. That part took time – launching our podcast as an education and positioning strategy got us there quicker, building a community of guests and supporters around us.
Knowing who to talk to, and what to say accelerated our trajectory, ultimately making us far more buyable in the end.
Now, notice I’ve said specialise over niche. I absolutely advocate for niching, but going all in on a sector niche takes considerable evaluation and often risk – it’s not right for everyone. Clients are looking for specialist expertise – agencies that can solve their problems better than anyone else, and they’re more likely to trust a specialist with deep expertise over a generalist. Be for someone, not everyone, but you may want to focus on the ‘need’ that someone has rather than a niche.
2. Prioritise operational excellence over “average”
I told Wag I thought we were “operationally average” for a long time. We had a phenomenal customer service process, but it was hard to maintain because we lacked a dedicated operational layer – and we waited far too long to bring in a project manager. Finally having someone dedicated to managing and delivering projects was transformational.
If we could go back again, we’d prioritise FinOps from the start – getting a better understanding of the financials and operational data to make more informed business decisions. That missing link would also have enabled a more sustainable growth path.
3. Develop a sales strategy and build a machine
For years, we relied almost exclusively on word-of-mouth for leads, and while that kept us going, when it was a purely reactive strategy we had no control over who, what and when those referrals would be. And when they eventually tail off, you have no other lead generation tactics in place.
If we started again, I would be much more strategic about outbound outreach and building a referral engine rather than waiting for the phone to ring.
Once we implemented these 3 core strategies, our pipeline drought ended:
1.Inbound Content Marketing Strategy
Creating specific, valuable, content that attracted and engaged our audience, pulling prospects in by providing solutions to their problems.
We recorded podcast episodes then that one long form content piece was re-purposed for blogs, a newsletter and LinkedIn – wherever our audience was.
2.Proactive Referral Strategy
This was a structured, proactive plan that worked by asking our clients, friends, family and wider network to recommend us to their contacts. We researched who they knew that fitted our Ideal Client Profile, then proactively asked for a specific introduction.
3.Outbound Lead Generation Strategy
Our podcast made it easy to reach out directly to an ideal client, rather than waiting for them to approach us. As did the annual benchmarking survey and report we developed. There was a genuinely value filled reason to talk to us that wasn’t a sales pitch. It was ‘cold’ outreach – but ‘cold’ just means you don’t have a relationship with those people yet – just the same as if you walked into a new networking event.
Yours mostly took place on LinkedIn or Twitter (RIP) but whatever the platform remember it’s not about selling, it’s all about how you can add value to the conversation.
4. Embrace AI as a process multiplier
When we launched in 2003, social media barely existed, let alone the AI capabilities we have now – and even if you’re sick of reading about it, you can’t ignore the shift in the market.
Wag’s advice is to “embrace AI” to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Use AI to offer high-end services, like lifestyle videos or complex creative ads, that would have previously been cost-prohibitive for a small agency or its clients. And as AI makes building tools easier, the real value moves to the agency’s ability to market and sell those tools effectively.
I look at this differently. AI for me is a process multiplier. Use it where speed matters, analysis, dashboards, internal tools, operations, – then go hard on what only humans can do. More in-person, more understanding, more value.
AI as a tool is transformational, but it doesn’t negate human creativity, emotional intelligence and judgement. The highest value agency work has always been the things that sit outside of creative execution. Strategic insight that stopped a bad decision, the confidence to push back and challenge direction, the ability to navigate stakeholder relationships and bring calm to rocky relationships. Knowing your clients inside and out, spotting the gaps only you can see.
5. Protect the partnership
Wag and I were friends long before we were co-founders, but the pressure of running a business and the life ‘stuff’ that came along sometimes shifted that balance. Going through different life experiences at the same time – my journey with infertility and Wag raising three young children, we didn’t always have the mental space to fully appreciate the other’s personal haze.
Two of the foundational pillars of any partnership are communication and 100% trust in each other. We got the second part right, but our lack of ability to acknowledge outside pressures, meant communication sometimes broke down.
If we started all over again, it wouldn’t surprise you to read that I would start with what we both wanted from our lifestyle first. Step 2 of my CALMER™ Framework is ‘Assess your direction’. It’s where we define your Founder Success Criteria and Finance Foundation beginning with a series of questions focused on your needs, like:
- What does success really mean for you?
- What are the metrics you’ll measure to define you’ve achieved it?
Once we both evaluated this our working relationship improved dramatically and we were able to structure the agency in a way that supported our personal lifestyle needs.
In summary
- Specialise sooner – one audience, one message
- Prioritise operational excellence – get to grips with FinOps
- Develop a sales strategy – build the machine via 3 core strategies
- Embrace AI as a process multiplier – use it where speed matters
- Protect the partnership – define a lifestyle model
Oh, and the answer to that question ‘Would you start an agency again?”
Naah, I get enough of a fix supporting you all you lovely lot to do it, and Wag is very happily building out Holp.