The world of digital agencies is full of myths, usually divorced from reality: “Fred sold out for 15 times EBITDA.” “Erica is making 49% net profit.” “Jo is doing £5m revenue with 22 people.” I get how these stories are … [Read more...]
Should agencies cast aside their pursuit of huge growth?
There’s an article on LinkedIn that I’ve not been able to get out of my mind, Why agencies need to focus on client value and not shareholder value by Ian Cassidy. It is an article fresh from the Cannes show. While Ian is talking about the … [Read more...]
Why 6 Agencies Lose Serious Money
Here are stories I’ve heard on the grapevine this week about different agencies: Agency A is owed £16,000 as a client goes bust. Agency B’s new FD hides unpaid invoices (£34,000) in a vague attempt to cover up some basic … [Read more...]
The Business Growth Paradox
The Growth Paradox is simple. It is the (naïve) belief that as you grow the business and take on more team members, clients, and business systems that things should get easier. And, of course, they don’t. What happens is that things get … [Read more...]
Building a Winning Agency
Last week I was called upon to speak at the Bulletproof Agency Network Event in Manchester. My talk focused on factors holding agencies back, and what can be done to overcome those obstacles and accelerate growth. Here is a link to a … [Read more...]
Where’s The Evidence That Business Programs Work?
There are too many books and speakers that make claims along the lines of “this is how I did it (at one particular time, in one particular industry, in one particular set of circumstances) so do as I say and you too will become rich … [Read more...]
Bank Holiday Homework! A Bunch Of Fives
Feeling lethargic before your Bank Holiday break? Here are 25 things to get you and your business back into shape. Read the following list and commit to following through on just five of the following ideas as soon as you get back from … [Read more...]
What Are You/We Selling?
Lesson 1 of any marketing programme is that we shouldn’t sell features and we should sell benefits instead. Let put this another way. I translate this focus on benefits to the word ‘afters’, first introduced to me by Andy Bounds. … [Read more...]
Digital agencies need help marketing
February 15, 2017 by Robert Craven Digital agencies are great at helping their clients to grow their businesses. But sometimes they need help to grow their own businesses. We see this in their approach to marketing. And to be … [Read more...]
Start-Ups vs Casinos
I recently read that just 10% of companies that America’s top ten venture capital firms or VCs [ie private equity firms] invest in succeed. This correlates exactly with the yardstick that VCs and seed corn capitalists that I know … [Read more...]