It’s Time for a New Breed of Agency

Back when we started off this decade, I was five years into my business and things were going pretty freakin’ awesome. At that point, I was simply joyful that I’d not had to return to a 9-to-5 or invoke my plan B of begging for my old job back.

If you’d told 2010 Maggie that she’d eventually own a content marketing agency, you would have been met with a derisive snort, likely followed by “yeah, that’s NEVER going to happen”.

It was never going to happen because as much as I loved my agency job, I had first-hand knowledge of what was needed to grow an agency.

Then there was the fact that I was freelancing for multiple agencies and I saw a lot of things I didn’t like or simply didn’t want in my life.

In short, 2010 Maggie had a lot of ideas and hang ups about what an agency had to look like. So I continued on my merry way as a freelancer….until one day, I realized I was incredibly bored. I found myself wanting to re-invent my business as I couldn’t see doing the same thing for the next 10 or more years.

Freelance Maggie 2.0 was born. I built a brand. I raised my prices. And soon, I found that I had more clients and work to do than I could handle, so I hired a few contractors. That turned into what Scoop is today.

An agency. The very thing I didn’t think I wanted. But here we are.

What You Think About Agencies…Doesn’t Have to Be True

I know I’m not the only one that falls into the trap of thinking an agency needs to be a certain way. Long hours with an endless grind. Ungrateful, demanding clients.

In short, a business that’s built on a foundation of stress and sacrifice. 

When you think of that type of business, it’s really easy to see why people want to stay solo. Or why they decide that a services business isn’t going to cut it and they switch gears to a course or coaching business model.

But in my nearly five years of owning this agency in its various forms, I’ve learned that you don’t have to follow any rules. What you think about agencies…doesn’t have to be true for YOUR agency.

You can create an agency that lets you have the life you want, and creates leveraged income. Where you can have a team you love working with and work with clients you adore. 

You can create a micro agency with a small, skilled team that delivers services, or build it into something much, much bigger. Best of all, you can create an asset that you can sell in the future.

It’s time for a new breed of agency that blends what works from the agency world and the best of a lifestyle business.

The World of Work Has Changed

Now, you may be wondering…is this even possible? Will the types of clients I want to work with hire my agency? Are there enough businesses that are open to this new type of agency?

The answer is a massive and enthusiastic yes.

The world of work has changed dramatically in the last five years. New types of jobs are being created. The traditional 9-to-5 has been replaced with flexible work arrangements and teleworking. And outsourced, or contract work is becoming the norm. It’s projected that by 2028, freelancers will make up 50.9% of the U.S. workforce.

Meanwhile, the big six holding companies that own most of the bigger branded agencies around the globe are struggling. Revenues are falling as brands reduce fees by pulling work in-house or buying directly from tech platforms.

While you wouldn’t necessarily be going toe-to-toe pitching against a big brand agency, these trends indicate a shift in the market. Brands of all sizes want access to specialized skills, without the bureaucracy and communication problems that are all-too common in big agencies.

In working with B2B tech and professional services companies over the past year, I’m seeing a greater willingness to work with a micro agency like Scoop. As the world of work has changed, so have their expectations of who the right partners are for their business.

As a micro agency, we’re uniquely positioned between freelancers with limited capacity and bigger agencies who aren’t as agile and much more expensive. That’s a first-rate opportunity as big agencies continue to decline, and there’s greater understanding of how a small, specialized virtual team can be the perfect solution.

Heading into 2020, opportunity is knocking for agency owners and solopreneurs that want to step it up. And I couldn’t be more excited to see what the next 10 years brings for all of us that choose to answer the door.