Blog content for agency owners by The Agency Collective

January 2, 2025

The Big Changes at The AC

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve probably noticed some big changes at The AC recently. Here’s a breakdown of what we’ve been up to in 2024!

The Agency Collective

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Guest blog

December 16, 2024

Budget-Friendly Video Strategies for Agencies

High-quality video content doesn’t have to come with a high price tag. With budgets tightening and client expectations rising, agencies are under more pressure than ever to deliver compelling video…

The Agency Collective

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AC Growth Programme Communication Leadership Team Structure Women In Agencies

December 4, 2024

Leadership Needn’t Be Lonely

Louisa brings her expertise from founding, building, and selling her own agency. She shares insights on how to grow your agency in a way that aligns with your goals and…

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AC Growth Programme financial

November 19, 2024

7 Steps To Healthy Profit

Profit isn’t about greed; it’s essential fuel for achieving your goals. Success relies on setting up your business correctly now to secure future profits.

The Agency Collective

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AC Growth Programme New Business Sales & Marketing

October 16, 2024

Expert vs. Salesperson

In the world of agency work, there are two distinct roles you will often find yourself playing: the expert and the salesperson. Understanding and navigating these roles can be the…

The Agency Collective

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financial Futureproofing New Business Operations Sales & Marketing Uncategorized

September 25, 2024

Unlocking Sales Velocity: The Crucial Metric for Agency Success

Understanding the speed at which revenue is generated in your agency is critical to achieving your financial targets, not simply in terms of hitting a revenue number but ensuring you…

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Guest blog

August 19, 2024

Steps for Rebranding Your Agency

Client work pays the bills, so it usually takes priority. Because of that, the number one thing I see is agency owners taking shortcuts on their own branding to get…

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Mental health

July 31, 2024

Tools for Managing ADHD at Work

(Reading Time: 5.5 Mins) Whether you’re someone with ADHD, or an employer with an ADHD team member, this is for you. I cover physical items, apps, reasonable adjustments, ways of…

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Operations

July 26, 2024

4 Quick Wins to Boost Your Agency Performance

(Reading Time: 2.5 Mins) To run a successful agency, you must set yourself up for success. It’s easy to get stuck straight into marketing, lead generation and working on client…

The Agency Collective

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Operations Team Structure Uncategorized

June 17, 2024

Leadership operations: planning for tomorrow and keeping quality up today

Download our Ultimate Guide to Agency Operations This article from Christina Charters at Allegro Consulting is the introduction to her contribution to our Agency Operations Guide. Read her introduction and…

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Operations

April 17, 2024

Agency Growth Hacks: Tips for Scaling Your Business Without Sacrificing Quality

Running an agency can sometimes become a tug-of-war between growth and keeping the quality of your work top-notch. Well, good news - it is possible to focus on your agency’s…

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New Business

April 3, 2024

Mastering the Art of Networking: How Agency Owners Can Expand Their Reach

As an agency owner, effective networking skills can both enrich your career and be a fantastic source of leads. It’s not just about collecting business cards; it's about forging meaningful…

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Niche specialisation

March 20, 2024

The Power of Specialisation: Finding Your Niche in the Agency World

As agency leaders, we often celebrate versatility and the ability to wear multiple hats at once. But, where is the line between being versatile vs. being a jack of all…

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Sales & Marketing

March 6, 2024

Looking after #1: Why agencies need to prioritise marketing

In the agency world, client demands tend to take centre stage, meaning that internal marketing efforts often get relegated to the back burner. However, the importance of robust and consistent…

Rob Key 0

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Culture DE&I HR Leadership Operations Recruitment Team Structure Women In Agencies

January 18, 2024

Keeping in Touch (KIT) days

When an employee is on maternity leave, they are entitled to Keeping In Touch (KIT) days, but do you know enough about them and how best to use them? In…

Rob Key 0

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Culture Futureproofing Guest blog Operations Sustainability

January 4, 2024

Partners with a Purpose: A Deep Dive into Krystal’s Mission and Environmental Approach

This year we've been delighted to work with Krystal as one of our partners and to offer their services to members of The Agency Collective. Krystal are also joining forces…

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Culture DE&I Futureproofing Leadership Personal development Sustainability Team Structure Women In Agencies

December 6, 2023

Launching the Changemaker Award

At the Agency Collective, we support agency leaders to collaborate, do good, learn and grow. As part of this mission, we are committed to helping our agencies create more diverse,…

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Culture DE&I Futureproofing Sustainability

November 29, 2023

Why Did Regency Become a B Corp?

It’s easy to say you care about people and planet, but that alone isn’t enough anymore. We have to go beyond the signalling and noise to ask for more action.…

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Culture DE&I HR Leadership Recruitment

November 21, 2023

Navigating Christmas Party Season

'Tis the season for joy and celebration! But as the holiday lights twinkle and the festive spirit fills the air, it's crucial to recognise that the work Christmas party can…

Rob Key 0

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New Business Sales & Marketing

November 20, 2023

Simplify Your Sales Process and Boost Your Close Rates

Are you struggling to generate leads and close deals for your agency? If yes, then you’re not alone. Many agencies face challenges in acquiring new clients and increasing their close…

Rob Key

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financial Guest blog Leadership Strategy

November 13, 2023

Creating an Accurate and Well-Researched Scope of Work for Agency Leaders

As an agency leader, have you ever found yourself in a situation where you underestimated a project's scope of work? Or maybe you missed out on pricing some essential tasks…

Rob Key

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financial Guest blog Leadership Strategy

November 6, 2023

Utilisation and Forecasting In Times of Uncertainty

The last couple of years have been economically uncertain for businesses. Agencies have been putting their focus on key metrics and figures to help navigate the rocky terrains of the…

Rob Key

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New Business Strategy

October 30, 2023

The power of human interaction – new biz November

The power of human interaction is often overlooked in an age of automation and social media. In the first of our new biz November blogs, Scott Purves, Founder, Managing Director…

Rob Key

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Leadership Strategy

October 27, 2023

Focusing on the Wildly Important

Focusing on the wildly important is crucial when it comes to achieving your business goals. With so many good ideas to execute, it's easy to get sidetracked and lose sight…

Rob Key

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New Business Sales & Marketing Strategy

October 23, 2023

Building a Scalable Sales Engine

Building a scalable sales engine is something which Ryan Hall, founder of Friday Solved, is an expert in. We were lucky enough to sit down with him and he took…

Rob Key

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Guest blog Personal development Women In Agencies

October 11, 2023

ADHD Awareness Month: My ADHD Journey

It's ADHD Awareness Month and very generously, Rosie Symes, our DEI Lead and one of our Community Managers has shared her experience of receiving a diagnosis, the preconceptions that she…

Rob Key

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Futureproofing Leadership Strategy

October 4, 2023

I’m an Agency Owner, Get Me Out of Here!

Selling your agency, might be something that you haven't even started thinking about, retiring, maybe even less so. But, an exit strategy is something that we should all be planning…

Rob Key

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Culture Leadership

October 2, 2023

Understanding Unconscious Bias: How It Shapes Our Lives and Ways to Tackle It

You've probably heard about this thing called "unconscious bias." It's not the same as being prejudiced, and it's something we all deal with, whether we realise it or not. Unconscious…

Rob Key

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New Business Niche specialisation Sales & Marketing

September 25, 2023

Navigating Stakeholder Dynamics: A Guide to Effective Pitching

In the dynamic world of business pitching, the ability to engage with diverse stakeholders is a game-changer. Whether you're dealing with a small startup or a corporate giant, understanding the…

Rob Key

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Sales & Marketing

September 18, 2023

Build your brand, build your confidence

Diane Lurie is a brilliant brand strategist and executive coach (as well as one of our members!). This week we're delighted to have a guest blog from Diane, with some…

Rob Key

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Strategy Technology

September 11, 2023

AI and Automation: Reduce your workload by 20%

AI has been probably the talking point 0f 2023, especially in terms of creativity, hence the WGA and the SAG AFTRA strikes in the US. And much of the focus…

Rob Key

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New Business Sales & Marketing Strategy

September 4, 2023

Sales Without the Ick: Embracing Authenticity in Sales

Authenticity in sales - do these two things even go together? Amidst a world saturated with impersonal sales pitches and aggressive marketing tactics, the concept of authenticity often appears as…

Rob Key

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Leadership Niche specialisation

August 29, 2023

Embracing Authenticity: Forging Your Unique Path in Agency Life

In a realm often dominated by conformity, Charles Sladdin, Founder of Purple Banana explains the absolute imperativeness of embracing authenticity and following one's heart and why instead of following a…

Rob Key

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Leadership Women In Agencies

August 21, 2023

Navigating the Transition: Embracing Leadership Beyond Creativity

Navigating the Transition: The Evolution of Agency Leadership Starting an agency is a rollercoaster of experiences, marked by stress, uncertainty, and immense satisfaction. However, as your agency grows, the role…

Rob Key

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PR Sales & Marketing

August 14, 2023

How to Make Yourself Famous

How to Make Yourself Famous - PR has shifted dramatically over the past two decades with the meteoric rise of social media (and influencers). Zara Deegan, Founder of EXT MKTG…

Rob Key

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Futureproofing HR Leadership Strategy Sustainability

August 7, 2023

Becoming a B Corp: Embracing Purpose and Impact

In a world where businesses play a pivotal role in shaping society and the environment, becoming a B Corp is a conscious choice to be part of a global movement…

Rob Key

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PR Sales & Marketing Strategy

July 24, 2023

The Power of PR: Revolutionise Your Marketing Strategy!

We all know that the best marketing works in collaboration with other strategies, right? That's why we're here to talk about the incredible power of PR in your overall marketing…

Rob Key

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July 17, 2023

Right to Work: An Agency Leader’s Guide

One of the most common questions that comes up from members at the AC is around Right to Work and what obligations agency leaders have in determining whether their team…

Rob Key

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financial Futureproofing New Business Sales & Marketing

July 10, 2023

Protect & Increase What You Earn

In this week's blog, we explore strategies to protect and increase what you earn. Recently we were lucky enough to be joined by Ben Johnson, the Founder of Buddha on…

Rob Key

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Communication Culture Leadership Strategy Team Structure

July 4, 2023

Overcoming the Hurdles on the Way to £5M Income: Workflow

Workflow plays a pivotal role in the growth and success of any agency. Paul Muggeridge-Breene, a seasoned professional with extensive experience in various industries, emphasises the importance of a well-designed…

Rob Key

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New Business

June 26, 2023

Using Content Creation to Generate New Biz Leads

Selling your services can be tough in today's fast-paced business world. But don't worry, Katie Street, Founder of Street Agency, has a great solution. Using content creation to ramp up…

Rob Key

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Guest blog Women In Agencies

June 19, 2023

Part Three: Building An Agency As A Mum in Marketing – Sometimes a struggle, always a juggle but a trip worth taking

In the concluding segment of her captivating three-part blog series, Lauren Yaxley, the visionary Founder of LY Copywriting, sheds light on the extraordinary journey of mothers who create and run…

Rob Key

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Guest blog Women In Agencies

June 13, 2023

Part Two: Building An Agency As A Mum in Marketing – Sometimes a struggle, always a juggle but a trip worth taking

In the second part of our guest blog by Lauren Yaxley of LY Copywriting Limited, she looks at the challenges of maternity leave during a lockdown, highlighting the impact of…

Rob Key

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Guest blog Women In Agencies

June 5, 2023

Building An Agency As A Mum in Marketing – Sometimes a struggle, always a juggle but a trip worth taking

In this first part of a three - part guest blog by Lauren Yaxley of LY Copywriting, she reflects on her 10-year journey from freelancer to mum of two and…

Rob Key

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Sales & Marketing

May 30, 2023

4 Day Week: How it Could Revolutionise Your Agency

The 4 day week has recently become a hot topic in the agency world. But how could it work for your agency? We were joined by Dr Charlotte Rae, a…

Rob Key

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Sales & Marketing

May 24, 2023

Why You NEED to Know Your Competitors

When it comes to building a successful business, understanding your competitors is a crucial aspect that should never be overlooked. In our monthly Marketing Clinic, Zara Deegan, Founder of EXT…

Rob Key

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Finding Balance: Navigating Stress and Cultivating Well-Being

Mental health

May 18, 2023

Finding Balance: Navigating Stress and Cultivating Well-Being

In our fast-paced lives, stress has become a common companion for many of us. But did you know that our bodies have a built-in mechanism to respond to stress? It's…

Rob Key

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Leadership New Business

May 11, 2023

Bids and Tenders: Finding Opportunities

A great deal of publicly funded opportunities for agencies are put out to tender. But where can we find them? And when we should be making bids for them? Alex…

Rob Key

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Culture DE&I HR Leadership

May 2, 2023

Making the Workplace Accessible: Access to Work Grants

Access to Work is a government scheme with the aim of supporting disabled workers into work, or helping them remain at work. There is no set amount for each grant…

Rob Key

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7 Blind Spots You Should Consider In Agency Operations and Workflow

Guest blog Operations Sponsored post

April 25, 2023

7 Blind Spots You Should Consider In Agency Operations and Workflow

This blog is sponsored by Productive As a digital agency, you encounter challenges with managing your team, projects, clients, and budgets daily. From ensuring your team is motivated and tasks…

Rob Key

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April 19, 2023

Hiring Interns

Hiring Interns can be tricky. Internships can be a hugely enriching and valuable experience, both for you as the employer and for the intern too. But how can we ensure…

Rob Key

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Strategy

March 30, 2023

Gravitas for Agency Leaders

Gravitas is something that we all want to have as agency leaders. But how do we achieve this? We’re all familiar with the adage about “faking it till we make…

Rob Key

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Futureproofing Strategy

March 23, 2023

Selling Your Agency

Selling your agency may not be the first thing on your mind when starting one up. But maybe it should be. In many founder’s cases, their end goal is expressly…

Rob Key

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Mental health Personal development

March 14, 2023

Beating Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome happens to so many of us. Do you find yourself saying phrases like - “I’m not good at this.” I’m not an expert on that.” “They are better…

Rob Key

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HR Leadership

March 2, 2023

The Cost of Living Crisis and How to Help Your Team Weather it

During the current cost of living crisis, how can we plan to ensure that our staff are being compensated fairly? And that this is in line with these increases? And…

Rob Key

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HR Leadership

February 20, 2023

Listening to Your Team

You have spent ages recruiting the best people for your agency. You are feeling pleased that you have managed to get the perfect person and they are settling in well. …

Rob Key

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Leadership

February 13, 2023

Making the Most of Meetings

Meetings. Hands up everyone who’s either sat completely zoned out in a meeting and left none the wiser as to what went on. Or found a meeting so cyclical and…

Rob Key

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Sustainability

February 3, 2023

From A Corp to B Corp

Becoming a B Corp has fast become a key indicator of your sustainability, values and ethics as a business and more and more agencies are joining the application process. But…

Rob Key

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New Business Strategy

January 30, 2023

Referrals: Give and You Shall Receive

Referrals are a cornerstone of new business, in fact, 84% of B2B decision-makers say they start the buying process with a referral. Also, revenue generated via referrals is much higher…

Rob Key

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Leadership Strategy

January 24, 2023

Reigniting that Start Up Spark

When we first started our businesses, most likely as start-up, what we may have lacked in experience and experience, we certainly made up for in enthusiasm. Co-Founder of The Agency…

Rob Key

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New Business Sales & Marketing

January 18, 2023

Cold Calling Shouldn’t Bring You Out in a Cold Sweat

They say honesty is always the best policy. But what about when cold calling? Should we dive in there, feet first and announce that’s exactly what we’re doing? Well… yes,…

Rob Key

Love0

January 12, 2023

Redundancies: What you need to consider first.

Did your 2022 not turn out as well as you had hoped? Perhaps you broke even, or even made a loss? Have some of your client contracts not been renewed for…

Rob Key

Love0

January 4, 2023

Ghosting – A Modern Day Recruitment Nightmare!

We have all heard of ghosting. A modern term that until recently was confined to the world of online dating and social media. But in the past two years the…

Rob Key

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A Marginal Gains Approach to Agency Growth

New Business Niche specialisation Strategy

December 18, 2022

A Marginal Gains Approach to Agency Growth

Joe Perkins, Founder & MD of Chaptr started to use a marginal gains approach to agency growth in the last twelve months. It has made a huge difference to the…

Rob Key

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Leadership Strategy

December 16, 2022

Agency Story: Monshur Ali – WeAgile

Monshur Ali has taken We Agile from inception to a £3M + agency in just three years, working with team across the world and working extensively with freelancers. What have…

Rob Key

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Culture DE&I

December 8, 2022

Creating Diverse and Inclusive Events

Diverse and inclusive events are something we should all be aiming for. But what do we need to do to make an event inclusive? Having online versions of events, however…

Rob Key

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HR Leadership

November 30, 2022

Introducing the AC Academy

This year there have been a lot of new, exciting developments at the AC, including our introducing the AC Academy. The course is run by the AC's Head of People…

Rob Key

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Communication New Business

November 28, 2022

How to Run Successful Webinars

Since… you know what… webinars have become even more prevalent than before. In many ways this is both a blessing and a curse. Webinars have made events hugely accessible for…

Rob Key

Love0

HR Leadership Team Structure Women In Agencies

November 23, 2022

The Beauty of Flexible Working

The way we work was forever changed during the pandemic with many workplaces moving to the working from home model. But this also afforded a lot more flexible working and…

Rob Key

Love0

New Business Niche specialisation Strategy

November 21, 2022

Nailing Your Agency Positioning

Nailing your agency positioning has become an integral part of new business over the last few years. But what does this actually entail? How can we look at our own…

Rob Key

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HR Team Structure Women In Agencies

November 16, 2022

Life Begins at Menopause

Over fifty percent of the population will go through the menopause during the course of their life. So why is it talked about so little? Why is having a menopause…

Rob Key

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Mental health

November 14, 2022

Mental Health for Agency Owners

With so many plates spinning at once, things like mental health for agency owners can be overlooked in the midst of the other million and one things that need to…

Rob Key

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Culture HR Leadership Mental health

November 6, 2022

Treat Mental Health Like Your Best Client

Prior to becoming our Community Manager, Rob Key, set up a number of projects aimed at improving mental health both in the creative industries and in the LGBTQIA+ community. This…

Rob Key

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Leadership New Business Niche specialisation Sales & Marketing

November 1, 2022

Campaign-Driven Engagement

Finding our niche and our solidifying brand identity is a hugely important part of what we do as agencies when it comes to growth and business development. But what comes…

Rob Key

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Communication Futureproofing Niche specialisation Strategy Technology

October 17, 2022

AR is for Everybody

AR has become less and less of a novelty. It's becoming much more a part of the furniture in our everyday lives. Whether it’s beautifying ourselves on social media, or…

Rob Key

Love0

Culture HR Leadership Women In Agencies

October 17, 2022

Maternity Leave and Pregnancy – What Do Employers Need to Do?

If one of your team told you they were pregnant today, would you know what to do? I think all of us would know to say congratulations and ask them…

Rob Key

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Culture Strategy Sustainability

October 10, 2022

True Sustainability Depends On Company Culture – Guest Blog by Matt Greg, Nosy

Would you like your business to be more sustainable? Of course! We all know how important the planet is to us, and to our children. Yet if we all desire sustainable…

Rob Key

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Leadership New Business Niche specialisation Strategy

October 7, 2022

Winning New Business: It’s all in the details

Winning new business has become that much harder over the past few years, after everyone's pockets being hit hard. So how can we stand out? It's really all in the…

Rob Key

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New Business Operations Personal development Strategy

September 15, 2022

Time Management for Agencies: How to Optimise Your Time

As an agency founder, time management is essential. How do you manage your time?When running an agency, especially if you are in the sub 20 staff stage, you tend to…

Rob Key

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Door with two signs. Both read WE ARE HIRING and APPLY TODAY.

HR New Business Operations Sales & Marketing Strategy

September 12, 2022

Hiring Staff for Agency Growth – Advice from an Expert

What comes first: wait for your agency to grow before hiring new staff, or hiring new staff to grow your agency? Kathryn Strachan started Copy House in 2020, growing it…

Rob Key

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A doctor typing into a laptop, a stethoscope is next to it.

Communication New Business Sales & Marketing Strategy

September 5, 2022

The Role of Symptom Language in Lead Generation

What is symptom language, and why is it important in lead generation? Our Agency Relationship Manager Jeni Bond explains in depth how you can use symptom language in your business…

Rob Key

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Culture Leadership New Business Operations

September 1, 2022

Clutch: Is It The Right Platform To Gain New Business Leads?

Clutch has brought new business leads to thousands of agencies and businesses worldwide since its inception. The big question is how can you get the most out of it? As…

Rob Key

Love0

A game of scrabble with health and safety related words

Culture HR Leadership Operations

August 24, 2022

Health & Safety in Agencies: The Facts You Must Know!

Health & Safety is serious business. In 2020/2021 a total of 441,000 working people sustained an injury at work! Helen Shoebridge from Omnicon shares her experiences of working in Health…

Rob Key

Love0

Niche specialisation Personal development Strategy

August 15, 2022

How To Build a Personal Brand – Advice from a Branding Expert

Does an agency need a personal brand? Sam G. Winsbury, Founder and CEO of Kurogo shares his thoughts with us. Building trust A big component of a personal brand is…

Rob Key

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A white mug with a spoon in I, surrounded by a pair of glasses and tissues

Culture HR Leadership Niche specialisation Personal development

August 15, 2022

Sick Pay – Is It Necessary For Your Agency To Pay Sick Pay?

To pay or not to pay sick pay…It’s a contentious issue for agencies and one that we discussed recently at one of our events. Our resident HR specialist Sarah May…

Rob Key

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A group of office workers sit in front of a white wall.

Culture HR Leadership Niche specialisation Personal development

August 11, 2022

Remote Working: How to Create a Great Remote Working Culture

Valued members of The Agency Collective came together with our resident HR expert, Sarah May to share what they have learned about remote working. The good, the bad and the…

Rob Key

Love0

Culture Leadership Niche specialisation Personal development

August 2, 2022

Defining Your Version of Success

What if we made success as much about our own values, passions, and what drives us as individuals? Pete Heslop, Managing Director of Steadfast Collective spoke to us and shared…

Rob Key

Love0

A virtual city and a cloud are beaming out of a smartphone.

Communication Leadership New Business Sales & Marketing Strategy Women In Agencies

July 29, 2022

Business Development Strategies with Jane Heath

This month, we sat down with the brilliant Jane Heath, Founder and MD of Growth KnowHow to talk all things business development. “Funnily enough, prospects aren't sitting around just waiting…

Rob Key

Love0

A man in a shirt is looking at a a large computer generated bar chart on a wall.

Culture Leadership Operations Strategy Team Structure

July 26, 2022

Introduction to Project Management

Managing a huge project for the first time can be a daunting task. With so many different methods, mindsets and pieces of software to choose from, working out HOW you’re…

Rob Key

Love0

Culture HR Leadership Women In Agencies

July 26, 2022

Pregnancy Loss Policy in Agencies – Why Should We have One?

Does your Agency have a Pregnancy Loss policy? Have you considered having a pregnancy loss policy for your employees? 58% of UK businesses don't have one. But why should you?Does your…

Rob Key

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Two people are wrong out figures using a calculator

financial Strategy

July 18, 2022

Reducing the Cost of Living (and Working)

The cost of living crisis is set to have a profound effect on us all, both personally and as business owners. But there are simple things that we can do…

Rob Key

Love0

Man is watering a bonsai tree in the same of a graph line in an upwards trajectory.

New Business Sales & Marketing Strategy

July 14, 2022

From Freelancer to £1M Agency Founder in Just Three Years

Naeem Alvi really has had a meteoric rise to success in the agency world – starting out as a freelancer, he is now the founder and MD of a £1M…

The Agency Collective

Love0

Communication New Business Sales & Marketing Strategy Women In Agencies

July 8, 2022

New Business Strategies with Dana Publicover

Generating, meaningful and compelling content that inspires potential clients to work with us can be tricky to create. This week, we spoke to Dana Publicover, MD of Publicover&Co about how…

The Agency Collective

Love0

A man in a brown suit waves his fists in the air. His head has exploded and all that remains is smoke

Culture Mental health Personal development Strategy

July 7, 2022

How to Avoid Burnout

The world has changed in the last 18 months … The modern way is to develop the ability to 'dial it up' and or 'dial it down' on demand. This…

The Agency Collective

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Communication HR Leadership Operations Personal development Recruitment Strategy Team Structure

July 7, 2022

Hiring a Second in Command.

Your business is booming but you're finding yourself exhausted, overwhelmed and turning down jobs. The day has arrived to hire a second in command. This week, we spoke to Neil…

The Agency Collective

Love0

Communication Leadership Operations Personal development Strategy

June 30, 2022

Google Analytics to GA4: What does it all mean?

Google Analytics is one of the most widely used tools for understanding marketing activity and website performance. And it's changing. A lot. With a deadline looming. Are you ready? This…

The Agency Collective

Love0

DE&I HR Leadership

June 16, 2022

Fighting discrimination and providing opportunities for everyone: Why Language Matters

This week, we recount the insights gained from an AC Community event hosted by Nathan Nalla, Founder & Director of Be The Riot. In this post, Nathan discusses how we…

The Agency Collective

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Communication Leadership Personal development Strategy

June 9, 2022

Awards entries: How to pick the right awards for you and your agency

This week, we recount the insights gained from an AC Community event hosted by Andrea Sexton, Founder of Admire PR, an ethical PR agency. In this post, Andrea went through…

The Agency Collective

Love0

Culture Leadership Strategy

May 19, 2022

I am student and an Agency owner

I am student, and an Agency owner. Hold on, let me give you some context. I founded Rockadove Video Production back in 2010, now in our 13th year of business.…

The Agency Collective

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Culture HR Strategy Women In Agencies

May 10, 2022

Supporting our teams through parenthood – An interview with Mel Berry, Founder of Social Firefly

This week, we recount the insights gained from a recent interview with Mel Berry, Co-Founder & MD of Social Firefly, a social media agency that cares about your achievements just…

The Agency Collective

Love0

Sales & Marketing Strategy Women In Agencies

March 24, 2022

Score new business without really trying – An interview with Zara Deegan, Founder of EXT MKTG

This week, we recount the insights gained from an AC Community event hosted by Zara Deegan, Founder & Director of EXT MKTG, an agile modern B2B marketing agency built to…

The Agency Collective

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Communication Sales & Marketing Strategy

March 16, 2022

The second conversation: what is it and why does it matter?

This week, we are delighted to welcome Michael Green from Luna 9 to guest post on our blog! In his post, Michael discusses "The Second Conversion", unearthing what exactly it…

The Agency Collective

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Leadership Personal development Sales & Marketing Strategy

March 3, 2022

An interview with Rob Pierre, Founder of Jellyfish: Building a worldwide agency

This week, we recount the insights gained from an AC Community event hosted by Rob Pierre, Co-founder & CEO of Jellyfish. Launched in 2005, Jellyfish has achieved 45% compound growth…

The Agency Collective

Love0

Culture HR Operations Team Structure

February 17, 2022

Remote Working – is it right for your agency?

This week, we’re thrilled to be welcoming Richard Lloyd-Williams, MD at Flavor Sampling to guest write on our blog! In this post, Richard discusses the steps that Flavor took to…

The Agency Collective

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Communication Culture Strategy

February 2, 2022

How we maintain productivity as a search marketing agency

This week, we’re thrilled to be welcoming Chloe Mitchell, Client Services Manager at Tao Digital Marketing to guest write on our blog! In this post, Chloe will be discussing how…

The Agency Collective

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Sales & Marketing Strategy

January 13, 2022

5 B2B lead nurturing strategies for agencies

We’re absolutely delighted to be welcoming Laura Hannan, founder of Pitch121 to guest write on our blog! In this post, Laura will be unveiling 5 B2B lead nurturing strategies for…

The Agency Collective

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Culture Leadership Strategy Sustainability

January 6, 2022

Fighting Climate Change in 2022

Sustainability is going to play a key part in all of our futures as agency owners. But how do we implement sustainable actions in a practical and meaningful way? And…

The Agency Collective

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Culture HR Leadership

August 30, 2021

Why should we care about healthier agencies?

We're thrilled to be welcoming Andy Wright from Streamtime to guest write on this week's blog for us! In this post, Andy focuses on the health of our agencies. We're…

the community

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Communication Leadership Sales & Marketing Strategy

August 16, 2021

5 ways to build a new business pipeline

In this blog we’re very pleased to welcome Joe Gosling from Bearded Fellows who has some terrific tips for any agency looking to create an effective new business pipeline. Whether…

The Agency Collective

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Culture Leadership Women In Agencies

July 6, 2021

Diversity in PR… the race is on!

We're delighted to welcome Tara Tomes, the Founder and Managing Director of EAST VILLAGE PR to guest blog for us as she discusses diversity in the PR world. In the…

the community

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Communication Culture HR Leadership

July 5, 2021

Let’s make change, for good

David Ogiste is the founder of Nobody's Café, established in June 2020. In this blog post, David discusses the importance of keeping the momentum and the conversation alive when it…

the community

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Communication Culture HR Leadership

July 5, 2021

Why we encourage our team to add their pronouns

Pride month falls in June every year and many organisations get involved to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community. Once 1st July rolls around though, how can you continue…

the community

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Communication Leadership Strategy

June 21, 2021

Adjusting our trajectory for success

In this post, we welcome Pete Heslop from Steadfast Collective who talks about the impact of the first UK lockdown and the plans he and his co-founder put in place…

the community

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Culture Leadership Women In Agencies

June 8, 2021

Celebrating Woman Founders in the Creative Industry

In this post we're welcoming founder of Glow, Lisa Lavis who is sharing an interview with Streamtime - talking about woman founders in the creative industry. Originally posted on The…

the community

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Culture Leadership Personal development

June 1, 2021

The Accidental Leader

Streamtime's CEO Andy Wright has learned a lot of lessons during his career in what a great leader should be. In this personal and insightful blog post, Andy tells his…

the community

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Leadership Personal development Strategy

May 25, 2021

How to Run an Agency: 5 Lessons I’ve Learned Over the Last 13 Years

Gareth Morgan is the founder of marketing agency Liberty, which recently celebrated its 13th birthday. In this blog post, Gareth talks us through how he set up the company and…

the community

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Communication

May 18, 2021

How to do PR when you hate being the centre of attention

We were speaking to Amanda Jackson at Tigerfish PR recently and she was talking about PR, self promotion and how uncomfortable it can feel to shout to the rooftops about…

the community

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Communication Sales & Marketing Strategy

May 5, 2021

Sales strategies for agency owners

How to approach ‘sales’ is different for different types and sizes of businesses but there are naturally some common themes. In this blog post, we welcomed Zara Deegan from EXT…

the community

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Communication Sales & Marketing Strategy

April 21, 2021

Developing a personal brand to win more clients

Developing a personal brand might feel like an ego trip - maybe you’re used to quietly whittling away at your workload, and the thought of putting yourself front and centre…

the community

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Culture Operations Strategy

March 29, 2021

One year on

One year in to lockdowns, working from home and life changing as we know it. Simon Jones, Founder & MD of The Agency Collective member Studio 24, put together some…

The Agency Collective

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Operations Sales & Marketing Strategy

March 16, 2021

How to make agency partnerships work for you

We all know how valuable good partnerships with other agencies can be. Whether it’s for lead generation, referrals, peer support or simply working up a pitch together - we see…

the community

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Culture Leadership Women In Agencies

March 9, 2021

Female founder: What I’ve learned from launching my own company at the age of 27 in a male-dominated industry

As part of our women in agencies series, member of The Agency Collective and agency founder Xenia Muether wrote about her experience of launching a business within a male-dominated industry. …

the community

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Sales & Marketing Strategy

February 25, 2021

How to use LinkedIn for new business

Among the myriad of social media options available to agencies, LinkedIn offers something unique: it’s business-focussed. Now, don’t confuse this with meaning ‘formal’. You absolutely should convey your personality on…

The Agency Collective

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HR Leadership Operations Team Structure

February 23, 2021

Working from home – advice from an ergonomics expert

We recently ran a session with the wonderful Joanne Allpress from Allpress Ergonomics, who offered some fantastic practical advice about workplace set up when at home. With some useful insights…

The Agency Collective

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Communication Sales & Marketing Strategy

January 13, 2021

Introducing our biggest client: our own agency

2021 has signalled many things. A potential end in sight of the pandemic with the vaccine roll-out, an overhaul of US politics, and, closer to home, a change in strategy…

The Agency Collective

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Niche specialisation Operations Strategy

December 14, 2020

Pivoting & running virtual events in a pandemic

If 2020 has shown us anything it's that any agency can now run their own virtual events. During a recent session with The Agency Collective, 23 Digital's Marc Convey and James…

The Agency Collective

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HR Operations Personal development Strategy Team Structure Women In Agencies

November 30, 2020

Planning for co-founder maternity leave

After working together in the communications team at Sussex Police, Mel Berry & James Armstrong left to start their own agency. Over time the business evolved into what Digital Firefly…

The Agency Collective

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Communication Personal development Sales & Marketing Strategy

November 10, 2020

How I built my troupe of agency owners (during lockdown)

Who is this guy? I’m so pleased you asked. For those that don’t me, I’m Joe, the founder of a small web agency called Chaptr. I’ve been running an agency…

The Agency Collective

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Communication Podcast recommendations Sales & Marketing Strategy

November 3, 2020

What agencies need to know about starting a podcast

It feels like everyone is starting their own podcast now, doesn’t it? With audio equipment and production tech more accessible and affordable than ever, plus in the time of lockdowns…

The Agency Collective

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Culture Leadership Operations Personal development Strategy

October 26, 2020

Starting a business – the importance of hanging on to your personal goals

Matt Scaysbrook, founder of WeTeachCRO, writes about the reasons people have for starting their own business - and how you need to hang on to your personal goals to keep…

The Agency Collective

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Operations Personal development Sales & Marketing Strategy

October 19, 2020

How to: B2B Prospecting on LinkedIn

Linkedin is undoubtedly the best platform for B2B prospecting. Yet most people fail to learn how to harness its power. Instead, they turn up sporadically, then claim that “Linkedin doesn’t…

The Agency Collective

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Operations Personal development Strategy Women In Agencies

October 13, 2020

5 Tips on Balancing Young Kids While Running Your Own Agency

My dream, probably like many of you, was always to work from home so that I could be around my kids more and have a flexible schedule. What I didn’t…

The Agency Collective

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Mental health

October 8, 2020

Looking after your mental health as an agency owner

With World Mental Health Day upon us, we wanted to talk openly once again about mental health and the challenges many of us will feel as agency founders and directors.…

The Agency Collective

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Strategy

September 20, 2020

What every agency owner needs to know – a Q&A with Blair Enns

We’ve heard this statement time and time again from agency owners. Blair Enns’ ability to provide tangible, intelligent, actionable advice is truly second to none - and the framework in…

The Agency Collective

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Operations Strategy Team Structure

September 15, 2020

Project Management – Advice & Top Tips

We recently ran a session on project management tips for agency owners (members can play catchup on TAC101 here) - there were lots of good questions around delivery, implementing new…

The Agency Collective

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Communication Culture Leadership Recruitment

July 10, 2020

Understanding Young People Report

This report is fascinating! It shines a light on our lovely younger generations. It helps us understand young people: How they feel about the world, life, changes in behaviour. It…

The Agency Collective 0

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Culture HR Leadership Recruitment Women In Agencies

June 3, 2020

Job applications: Men vs. Women

Have you actively looked to hire more women but just don't seem to get the applicants? This is probably why... We recently spoke to the team at Illustrate (an epic…

Rob Key 0

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HR Leadership Women In Agencies

June 2, 2020

Women In Agencies

Last year our epic chief of community Ellie Hale initiated our Women In Agencies movement. To highlight and address the disparity between male and female agency owners. We thought we'd give…

The Agency Collective 0

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Strategy The Unstoppables (COVID-19)

April 29, 2020

Animation Studio: The Animation Guys

Creativity goes a long way to cut through the same old COVID19 crap you see being put out at the moment. Video, experiential and animation agencies have unarguably been hit…

The Agency Collective 0

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Strategy The Unstoppables (COVID-19)

April 22, 2020

The Unstoppables: Andrew Dobbie MadeBrave

Today's unstoppable agency owner: Andrew Dobbie from MadeBrave® - another super star of The Agency Collective community ⭐️✊ MadeBrave - a top creative agency - have celebrity status in Scotland.…

The Agency Collective 0

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Strategy The Unstoppables (COVID-19)

April 14, 2020

The Unstoppables: Madelyn Postman Leidar

Today's unstoppable agency owner: Madelyn Postman from Leidar - another one of our epic members! After merging her agency Grain Creative, which mainly provided brand and design services, she now…

The Agency Collective 0

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Personal development Sales & Marketing Strategy The Unstoppables (COVID-19)

April 9, 2020

The most important lesson I learnt about negotiation

As a kid you probably experienced this situation before with an adult: Adult: “Time to go to bed.” (goal: adult wants kid to go to bed) Kid: “OK in 15…

The Agency Collective 0

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Strategy The Unstoppables (COVID-19)

April 7, 2020

The Unstoppables: Simon Schnieders Bluearray

Today's unstoppable agency owner: Simon Schnieders from the SEO agency BlueArray. A top agency purely focussed on SEO. Another super star of The Agency Collective community ⭐️ Just like many…

The Agency Collective 0

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Strategy The Unstoppables (COVID-19)

March 31, 2020

The Unstoppables: Ian Cassidy Share

Today's unstoppable agency owner: Ian Cassidy from the agency Share Creative. A social insights led marketing agency. As a long standing member of The Agency Collective community - I know…

The Agency Collective 0

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Culture Team Structure

March 18, 2020

Top tips for agencies with remote working teams

We held a great Zoom call session yesterday with our peer support community for agency owners - around 60 agency owners attended. Various perspectives from people who had remote working…

The Agency Collective 0

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Mental health Personal development

March 17, 2020

Take care

Our amazing community manager Ellie Hale is a certified mental health first aider. She also spends a lot of time understanding how you can be resilient and keep calm. Here…

The Agency Collective 0

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Women In Agencies

March 11, 2020

#ACpledge: Women Who Help Agencies: Anne Harlow & Ellie Hale

I decided to extend International Women’s Day 😉 Because I want to say something. Feel free to reject my extension and stop reading here. Every week I make an #ACPledge…

The Agency Collective 0

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Personal development

March 10, 2020

When you lose your mojo, don’t let this happen to you

Things are going really well - “too well” - the pessimist’s conclusion. And as if their prediction was, correct the landslide begins. One thing after another goes wrong. That feeling of:…

The Agency Collective 0

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Culture

March 6, 2020

How transparent are you about your working processes?

One thing that always stands out to me when I look at agencies that have technical heritage, is their transparency around ‘how they work’. Something really confident about releasing a…

The Agency Collective 0

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Women In Agencies

February 26, 2020

#ACpledge: Women In Agencies. Sue Keogh founder of Sookio

This woman overcame all odds to starting her agency! Thanks to our wonderful Ellie Hale for setting up the Women In Agencies movement in 2019. We celebrate epic women who…

The Agency Collective 0

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Sales & Marketing

February 25, 2020

What’s behind your agency name?

What’s behind your company name? Sometimes it does what it says on the tin: The Agency Collective. A peer support community for agencies 😉 Other times there are really clever…

The Agency Collective 2

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Personal development

February 14, 2020

Working 100 hours a week is OK…

Hustle porn alert: If you love it, there’s no problem with working 100 hours a week (incl the weekend)! Thanks to Clodagh Higgins for inviting me onto her podcast Agency…

The Agency Collective 0

Love0

Women In Agencies

February 13, 2020

#ACpledge: Women In Agencies. Liz Corless founder of ICHI Worldwide

⭐️ Ellie Hale set up the Women In Agencies movement in 2019. To celebrate the epic women who run agencies. We debate topics that effect female agency owners - both…

The Agency Collective 0

Love0

Niche specialisation Podcast recommendations Say No Podcast

February 10, 2020

Say No Podcast: S1EP1 With Peter Czapp (Co-Founder of The Wow Company & The Agency Collective)

15 years ago, Peter Czapp set out to disrupt the accountancy world, a space traditionally associated with numbers and generally not the most exciting, setting up the UK's first accountancy…

The Agency Collective 0

Love0

Women In Agencies

February 5, 2020

#ACpledge: Women In Agencies. Rebecca Brennan Managing Director Of Cubo

⭐️ Ellie Hale our superstar community manager initiated the Women In Agencies movement in 2019. To celebrate the epic women who run agencies. Discuss topics that effect female agency owners…

The Agency Collective 0

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Strategy

February 5, 2020

10 things we’ve learnt about Scaling from agency owners who have been part of building agencies in excess of £15M fee income

We just came out of a brilliant session with 3 absolutely epic people. Giving raw stories and no BS advice about how to scale an agency. Thank you for giving…

The Agency Collective

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Women In Agencies

January 29, 2020

#ACpledge: Women In Agencies. Kelly Molson Co-founder Of Rubber Cheese

Here's the response from women in our industry, when I asked: What can I - as Dan The Agency “MAN” - do to support female agency owners… "Champion them!" I…

The Agency Collective 0

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Leadership Recruitment Team Structure

January 23, 2020

Agency leadership team: Promote from within or hire new people?

Spoke to an agency owner just now who grew his agency by 45% last year (they were a team of around 35 people before that growth). One of the things…

The Agency Collective 0

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Leadership Team Structure

January 22, 2020

15 person agency team: Too much, too little

"Mental quartering" Agency owner: “I don't want a massive agency!” Me: “What’s the reason for that?” Agency owner: “Don’t want the stress that comes with running a 100+ people agency.…

The Agency Collective 0

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Niche specialisation

January 17, 2020

Resources for agencies looking to niche or are already niche specialists:

Finding your niche Bill Gates “Inside Bill’s Brain” Documentary Inspirational documentary about Bill Gates and how he approaches finding problems in the world to fix. Both as part of Microsoft…

The Agency Collective 0

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Sales & Marketing

January 15, 2020

Tips for agency podcasts

Agency podcasts - are you planning, launching or already running a podcast? Here are some useful tips I learnt today. James Bishop the founder of the podcasting consultancy OneFinePlay and…

The Agency Collective 2

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Personal development Podcast recommendations Uncategorized

January 12, 2020

Top 10 Podcasts Agency Owners Listen To

13 mins of your attention There are agency owners who love podcasts and those that hate them. I asked over 1,000 agency owners whether they listen to podcasts. The ones…

The Agency Collective 2

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Personal development

January 8, 2020

Agency owner personal development: January is the best time to do it

January is the month agency owners either dread or look forward to the most. You’ll either stumble into January still half asleep, hoping this will be your year. Or you…

The Agency Collective 0

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The Big Changes at The AC

Budget-Friendly Video Strategies for Agencies

Leadership Needn’t Be Lonely

7 Steps To Healthy Profit

Expert vs. Salesperson

Unlocking Sales Velocity: The Crucial Metric for Agency Success

Steps for Rebranding Your Agency

Tools for Managing ADHD at Work

4 Quick Wins to Boost Your Agency Performance

Leadership operations: planning for tomorrow and keeping quality up today

Agency Growth Hacks: Tips for Scaling Your Business Without Sacrificing Quality

Mastering the Art of Networking: How Agency Owners Can Expand Their Reach

The Power of Specialisation: Finding Your Niche in the Agency World

Looking after #1: Why agencies need to prioritise marketing

Keeping in Touch (KIT) days

Partners with a Purpose: A Deep Dive into Krystal’s Mission and Environmental Approach

Launching the Changemaker Award

Why Did Regency Become a B Corp?

Navigating Christmas Party Season

Simplify Your Sales Process and Boost Your Close Rates

Creating an Accurate and Well-Researched Scope of Work for Agency Leaders

Utilisation and Forecasting In Times of Uncertainty

The power of human interaction – new biz November

Focusing on the Wildly Important

Building a Scalable Sales Engine

ADHD Awareness Month: My ADHD Journey

I’m an Agency Owner, Get Me Out of Here!

Understanding Unconscious Bias: How It Shapes Our Lives and Ways to Tackle It

Navigating Stakeholder Dynamics: A Guide to Effective Pitching

Build your brand, build your confidence

AI and Automation: Reduce your workload by 20%

Sales Without the Ick: Embracing Authenticity in Sales

Embracing Authenticity: Forging Your Unique Path in Agency Life

Navigating the Transition: Embracing Leadership Beyond Creativity

How to Make Yourself Famous

Becoming a B Corp: Embracing Purpose and Impact

Creating a Strong Brand

The Power of PR: Revolutionise Your Marketing Strategy!

Right to Work: An Agency Leader’s Guide

Protect & Increase What You Earn

Overcoming the Hurdles on the Way to £5M Income: Workflow

Using Content Creation to Generate New Biz Leads

Part Three: Building An Agency As A Mum in Marketing – Sometimes a struggle, always a juggle but a trip worth taking

Part Two: Building An Agency As A Mum in Marketing – Sometimes a struggle, always a juggle but a trip worth taking

Building An Agency As A Mum in Marketing – Sometimes a struggle, always a juggle but a trip worth taking

4 Day Week: How it Could Revolutionise Your Agency

Why You NEED to Know Your Competitors

Finding Balance: Navigating Stress and Cultivating Well-Being

Bids and Tenders: Finding Opportunities

Making the Workplace Accessible: Access to Work Grants

7 Blind Spots You Should Consider In Agency Operations and Workflow

Hiring Interns

Leadership

Tik Tok For Agencies

Gravitas for Agency Leaders

Selling Your Agency

Beating Imposter Syndrome

Creating Video Content for LinkedIn

The Cost of Living Crisis and How to Help Your Team Weather it

Listening to Your Team

Making the Most of Meetings

From A Corp to B Corp

Referrals: Give and You Shall Receive

Reigniting that Start Up Spark

Cold Calling Shouldn’t Bring You Out in a Cold Sweat

Redundancies: What you need to consider first.

Ghosting – A Modern Day Recruitment Nightmare!

A Marginal Gains Approach to Agency Growth

Agency Story: Monshur Ali – WeAgile

Creating Diverse and Inclusive Events

Introducing the AC Academy

How to Run Successful Webinars

The Beauty of Flexible Working

Nailing Your Agency Positioning

Life Begins at Menopause

Mental Health for Agency Owners

Treat Mental Health Like Your Best Client

Campaign-Driven Engagement

AR is for Everybody

Maternity Leave and Pregnancy – What Do Employers Need to Do?