Every business needs to make money, but not every founder knows how -- or when -- to collect it. Cash flow problems are one of the top startup killers. The fad of acquiring users now and making money later is over. Companies need to turn profits quickly if they want to survive. To keep the lights on without angering clients or investors, service-based startups should consider the advantages of retainer agreements. Dependable, recurrent income provides security that no investor commitment can match. Investors can always decide to withdraw their support, but a company with paying customers always has a fighting chance. In an article that I recently contributed to Entrepreneur.com, I discuss the mutual benefit of retainer agreements, and why they add value to your client services and how they provide a more productive working relationship. Does your agency utilize retainer agreements, or would you consider it? After you read, I'd be interested to know your stance. 

The only way to keep your agency growing is to get comfortable with discomfort. When you think back on those first few years of owning an agency, somehow the tough parts get muted. That period of discomfort — though some of it was genuinely painful — helped you transform a mere idea into a real, living thing that served real, living people. The uncomfortable period was such a fertile time. It involved constant invention and reinvention and required continuous problem-solving. If you’re feeling stagnant as an agency owner, your clients are probably experiencing that, too. They’re on their own journeys to growth. Show clients how to be brave by stepping out of your comfort zone publicly. Invite clients to join you in your experiments. In this article I contributed to smartinsights.com, I provide ideas for how you can get the buzz of growth back into your agency (and in your clients) and start practicing discomfort. If you’ve been feeling stagnant lately, this may just be the opportunity for you to get back to basics, and navigate your next stage of growth by engaging in the uncomfortable.

When you hear marketing agencies say "content is king," we don’t mean creative is king. Content’s supremacy has less to do with the creative genius behind it and more to do with the strategy that makes creation worthwhile.  Businesses now recognize that creative work is only as valuable as the results it delivers. In the old days, agencies led new business pitches with creative assets. Clients were excited to see new artistic concepts and ideas. Today’s clients want far less of that. Modern companies expect to see strategy and hard numbers, and agencies that cling to a creative-oriented past could lose business to their strategy-driven competitors. Recently I brought up this changing process in an article I contributed to Forbes.com, and elaborated on the need for agency’s to adapt and change to fit their client’s evolving priorities. Think about the clients you want to serve and the opportunities on your horizon. What roles will you need to fill to meet those challenges? What will those clients want from you, and how can you organize your company to deliver on those requests?

When you work in digital marketing, perusing (and gleaning inspiration from) social platforms comes with the territory. But when even a tech columnist for the New York Times admits he needs a break from his phone — and from social media in general — participating online can suddenly feel like a draining experience. Some marketers combat digital fatigue by only knowing enough intellectually to get by. But today, you have to be a proper digital consumer to market online. In this article that I contributed to adotas.com, I discuss the necessity for digital marketers to also be digital consumers, and substantiate my viewpoint with evidence that’s hard to ignore. Tell me, are you a digital consumer? Would love to hear your ideas on the concept and where you are in your technological knowledge.

When I meet struggling creative agency owners, one of the first questions I ask is: what kind of agency do you want to run? Their answers typically involve the deliverables their agencies produce, or who their agencies serve, but that’s not what I’m asking. No, I’m really asking whether their agencies are artisanal bakeries or Wonder Bread factories. Both artisanal and Wonder Bread agencies have their ups and downs. Before you decide which agency model is the best fit for you, consider the merits of each. The key is understanding what you, as an agency owner and entrepreneur, need and want your creative agency to be—and making sure that’s the type of shop you’re building. In this article I wrote, originally published for SpinSucks.com, I discuss the differences between both “bakeries” and help you distinguish who you are and who you want to be. What type of agency do you have? What type do you want? I'd love to have that conversation with you.

Production managers, also known as traffic managers, used to be everywhere in the agency world. They were responsible for plugging the gaps between departments and ensuring that creators, managers and clients all knew what to expect and when to expect it. Their timelines and budgets kept agencies running smoothly for years. And then computers replaced them. Now that speed is of the essence, agencies need more than creatives and managers to keep their businesses afloat. It’s time to bring back the production manager to do what technology alone cannot. In this piece that I contributed to Forbes.com on March 11th, 2019, I elaborate on the need for the return of the production manager and discuss the value that this intricate position provides to an agency’s team. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read the piece, and if you’re inclined, give me your thoughts on whether or not the modern day agency can benefit from reinstating this position.