Agency : starting a creative firm that succeeds in the age of digital marketing

Culture and vision. Why am I doing this? -- The vision -- The value proposition of culture -- Culture and vision -- Communication -- The work. What is good? -- Ideas -- Process -- Working for other agencies -- Pro bono work -- New business. The basics -- The emotional -- The pitch -- The rational -- The people. On partners and partnership -- The team -- Employee retention -- Employee departures -- Money. Bootstrapping -- I want to get rich -- On growth -- Banks and funding -- Operations. Starting up -- How much to charge? -- SOWs, MSAs, and in-pros -- Tracking time -- Billing, collections & cash flow -- Working with vendors -- Employee expenses -- What's next? Expanding beyond your core -- How much is my company worth? -- Creating a product in your service firm -- Working for startups -- Case studies of startups within an agency -- Getting acquired -- The fear. As large agencies have struggled to adapt to the digital age, they have come to rely on these freelancers and specialists. These specialists have begun forming shops of their own - the new modern version of the agency. Increased marketing fragmentation and brand's need for specialists means that the time has never been better for a freelancers or niche service providers to build their own small firms. All they're missing is the guidance they need to find their footing. While specialist agencies and freelancers are highly skilled, most have a lot to learn about the mechanics of starting and running an agency. Many of these specialists come from a different background than those who traditionally started agencies: they come from the internet, not the ad world. In Agency, Rick Webb provides a comprehensive guidebook - giving readers the knowledge, strategies, and understanding they'll need to make the exciting transition into a modern creative services firm. Drawing from his experience running his own digital ad agency and working with countless innovative tech start-ups, Webb focuses not just on how to get started, but how to survive in a competitive marketplace. This is a hands-on master class in everything that the agency manager needs to know. From understanding small business banking, to deciding how to price a job and manage procurement, to winning new business, Agency provides everything from basic business and leadership skills to insider tips and industry information. Webb outlines the shape of the ecosystem in which new agencies will be finding their place. Packed with personal anecdotes from his time starting and running the highly successful Barbarian Group, Webb provides practical techniques for building an agile company. Modern agency upstarts need a different sort of education, and Agency provides a remarkable crash course. As large agencies have struggled to adapt to the digital age, they have come to rely on these freelancers and specialists. Increased marketing fragmentation and brand's need for specialists means that the time has never been better for a freelancers or niche service providers to build their own small firms. All they're missing is the guidance they need to find their footing. Webb provides a comprehensive guidebook with the knowledge, strategies, and understanding they'll need to make the exciting transition into a modern creative services firm This book is for young startups and entrepreneurs in the advertising, marketing, and digital services space. It's an A-to-Z guide for young advertising firms, full of advice that ranges from getting funding to how to value the company and sell it to how to hire your first employee.