Grow Your Ad Agency by Looking at the Big Picture
First, a confession.
I was watching Outlander with my wife.
As unmanly as this confession makes me feel, I was really enjoying it.
In one particular episode, Claire was lost in the jungle of a tropical island near Jamaica.
The establishing shot showed an overhead of the island. Green forest encircled by white-sand beaches and a turquoise ocean.
It was paradise.
But then, down in the jungle, we saw Claire’s struggles.
One morning, she woke up covered in venomous ants.
Another, she woke up with a huge snake slithering across her.
Plus, she was nearly dying of thirst.
While I wondered how Claire would escape her latest trap, I couldn’t help but also notice the distinction between the big picture and the small picture.
Focus on the Big Picture
From above, you could see the beauty of the island, the size of it and a better path Claire could have taken.
But, down in the jungle, you miss all of that.
The only focus is day-to-day survival.
Ad agency life isn’t much different.
Do you ever …
Find yourself writing copy or concepting?
Handling project management?
Spending time on trivial issues such as what kind of pizza you should have for lunch or if so-and-so needs a new computer?
If you’re down in the jungle as an agency owner and all you’re trying to do is survive, you’ll have no time to focus on the big picture.
Any time you spend handling tasks such as these is time away from what matters most as the agency owner: Creating the vision for your agency.
Your Employees Need a Leader
If you’re down in the trenches, aka, the jungle, who’s leading your team? Who’s showing them the best path? Who’s making sure they’re all moving in the same direction.
As an agency owner, this is your job.
And your job alone.
Life can be miserable on the jungle floor.
But if everyone can share in your vision, life becomes much more beautiful.
Three Steps to Create Your Vision
To create a vision that looks like paradise to your team, follow these three steps.
They’re simple.
But not always easy.
1. Step out of the day-to-day.
Like Claire, you need to be out of the jungle. But you can’t do that if you’re stuck working in the business and not on the business. (Hint: If you spend any time doing work for your clients, you’re working in the business).
So how do you step out of the day-to-day?
One word: Delegate.
You may have been a copywriter, AE or art director your entire career, but you can’t run an agency and continue your old job.
It’s time to let go.
Many owners find this difficult and often have the thought, “No one can do it as well as I can.”
If you have this thought, you have to ask yourself: Is this true? If it is, you may need to hire different people.
If it’s not true, delegate.
Give your team the opportunity to step up.
Not only will this free up your time, it will also build trust with your team.
They’ll feel empowered by your trust and, more often than not, rise to the opportunity.
With your newfound time, you can move on to Step 2.
2. Decide what your vision is.
Remember, the vision for your agency is yours and yours alone.
So what do you want?
For you?
Do you want to be the best creative shop in town? The most profitable? Do you want to impact the community? Where do you want to be in one year, five years, 10 years?
This is your vision and can be anything that you want.
This can feel daunting.
And selfish.
But, as mentioned, your team needs a leader. And leaders create visions.
So decide what makes you happy, what you really want and then turn this into your agency’s vision.
If the rest of the team can see it as clearly as you, they’ll readily follow you.
3. Share your vision.
The third step is the easiest.
Let your team, your community and the world know where your agency is going.
Paint the picture.
Often.
And everywhere.
Let everyone see how beautiful your vision is.
Let your team know that they go to work each day on an island paradise.
Sure, there may be ant bites or snakes to contend with, but those are much easier to deal with when you know where you are and where you’re going.
The Big Picture Makes the Small Things Look Small
As an added benefit, when you step out of the day-to-day, you’ll have a new sense of clarity and purpose – one that puts everything into perspective.
The small issues that stressed you out in the past will disappear.
Even better, with a shared vision and everyone in the agency working towards the same goal, growing your agency becomes easier than ever.
Ready to grow your agency? Begin by letting the professionals at Copy Rocket handle your agency’s copywriting. Contact us now for a free consultation.
Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash