Economy of Scale
It's so Hashtag Agency Life, isn't it?
There are many reasons why the old way has been the way for so long. Sometimes it's the best move.
- You get a variety of talent all in one place.
- You get fresh, outside thinking on critical projects.
- You get to pet the dogs when you visit the office.
Other times, the benefits fall short.
- Your project lands with early career talent.
- Timelines and change orders mount.
- The dog sheds on your pantsuit.
Hiring an agency is hit or miss.
Economy of Bloat
Usually, a decision maker hires an agency based on a connection with the principal. Sometimes they actually get that principal.
When they do, it's in the form of layers of review of other people's work–then filtered through an accounts team. That's no less than three people to do one job.
The only way agencies can make the numbers work is to scale their time, and then everyone else's. And the work gets revised endlessly because the tactical creative team didn't really understand the problem. Now, even more people are touching your project, some may even be adding value, but all of them are adding fees.
In some cases, for reasons that are hard to explain, the process of "discovery" turns into months of planning for a deck that merely scratches the surface of the first deliverable. If you're lucky, it's at least insightful.
Plus, you're paying for it all: (Office staff, facility costs, downtime, and internal overhead) ÷ billed hours = cost to you.
Economies of scale are nice. Economies of bloat are a real thing.
There's a better way.
- What if you had a single strategist who was also your point of contact?
- What if you could cut the number of billable people in meetings?
- What if you got the creative talent you needed—only when you needed them?
You can and you should.
- Strategy First: Hire a strategist who understands the problem you are trying to solve and how to put together the pieces that solve it.
- Cut The Bloat: Hire the people you need, and you won't be paying for the downtime of the people you don't.
- Unlimited Talent: Hire someone who brings a network so you can get the best talent for the job, and get more for your budget.
I’ve seen the inner workings of small, medium, and large agencies. I've seen the difference. Now, I’m thrilled to focus on being small—so we can do something big together.
If this resonates with you, let's connect.
