1. You Have to Be Faster and Smarter Than the Client.
   
   The only reason to hire an outside partner is because they bring something the inside team doesn’t. If your agency is figuring it out as they go, they’re not an asset—they’re a liability. Clients don’t have time for your learning curve. They want a team that’s already fluent, already moving,

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But I’ve been watching this thing slowly collapse for the better part of a decade now, and I think we’ve reached the point where we can stop pretending otherwise. The model is broken. The economics don’t hold. The retainers have shrunk into project work that makes cash flow a nightmare. The holding companies have been merging and acquiring and... See more

The agency model as we know it is broken — good work often sits static, collecting dust on client shelves; value is extracted, much more than its exchanged; communal spirit is claimed while old power dynamics remain; and it's far too easy to feel like we’re not doing anything. As a result, waves and waves of brilliant, curious folks have burnt out... See more