Why It's Good to Be Independent

And by "Independent," I mean as an agency. While I've definitely been accused of being fiercely independent as a person too, this post is about working in an agency that is wholly, completely, and utterly independent from any conglomerate agency network.

Five and a half years ago when I left the "big agency" world to come to Intouch I admit I had second thoughts. I was leaving a major global agency to go to smaller firm (though by now we've grown to be medium-to-big for our niche). I was leaving an old-school, diverse, and established network that had been around for like a hundred years to an agency that was sparkling new and just getting its wings. While I was still in pharma, I was leaving public relations and going to digital - and BTW hadn't the dot-com bubble just burst and was this Internet thing going to really stick?

But it's fair to say I haven't looked back, and here's what I appreciate about agency independence:

• Our owners are hands-on associates that touch the business every single day.
• We don’t feel pressured to meet the short-term objectives of a parent company or stockholders. Really - it's true - we're not adjusting forecasts on a daily basis and we can actually focus on clients!
• We choose our own partners instead of being forced to use sister agencies that may or may not be the best choice for the project. And I've never actually seen any of those sister agencies work well together, have you?
• Decisions are truly made with our clients’ best interests in mind — not those of a parent company or stockholders.
• Especially in this economy, our fate is in our own hands. Of course, that can be good and bad, but for the most part it's good!
• We can be nimble and flexible. In fact, it's a core strength.
• Everyone has a voice. By design, we have a lot less layers and we aren't top-heavy.

It's all in our attitude - we're scrappy, not cocky. We're friendly, not intimidating. We're clever and savvy, but not full of buzzwords and bullsh*t. And we've been able to maintain that strong culture even as we've grown.

At the big Omnicom-owned agency, I was told "all boats rise and fall together" and "Asia wasn't doing so well" -- so even after a series of 200+-hour months I wasn't getting a bonus. What the heck did the success of our agencies in Asia have anything to do me and my hard-earned, nonexistent bonus?

I learned a lot at the big agency, and I worked with some great people. But these days, I am thankful to be a part of a strong, still-growing independent agency. And I am honored to be able to work with even more great people, do work that I love, and focus on my clients. Not Asia.