{"id":131574,"date":"2020-08-03T09:30:34","date_gmt":"2020-08-03T08:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/?p=131574"},"modified":"2020-08-03T15:48:19","modified_gmt":"2020-08-03T14:48:19","slug":"5-tips-for-starting-your-own-comms-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/blog\/5-tips-for-starting-your-own-comms-agency\/","title":{"rendered":"5 tips for starting your own comms agency"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a guest post from John Ashton, director of Write Arm<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve spent the last four months at home wondering what the future holds, it\u2019s possible that you\u2019ve thought about starting your own comms agency.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then you probably thought, what\u2019s the point? We\u2019re heading into a major recession and comms budgets will be slashed, so new agencies will never get off the ground, right?<\/p>\n

Wrong. In fact, there\u2019s no better time to start your own agency. Why? Because if you do it the right way \u2013 more of which in a moment \u2013 you can successfully compete with some of the larger players and create a really attractive proposition for clients.<\/p>\n

So, what is the right way? Here are my five essential tips.<\/p>\n

1. Make it a kitchen table agency <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The clue is in the name, although the truth is that kitchen table agencies can be run from back bedrooms, garden sheds and attics, as well as from kitchen tables. What they all have in common is a flexible working model based around remote-working freelancers rather than staff.<\/p>\n

Kitchen table agencies have been proliferating for a few years now, but the COVID-19 crisis has supercharged the trend.<\/p>\n

You may have noticed a lot of people are working from home at the moment. And you may also have noticed that 99% of organisations are cool with it. That includes your potential clients.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t hide the fact that you have a kitchen table agency \u2013 make a virtue of it. It means you\u2019re lean, flexible and price-competitive. What\u2019s not for clients to like, especially in the age of reduced budgets.<\/p>\n

2. Think about culture<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a fact – companies with strong, authentic cultures do best. Even if your agency starts life as a one-man band, you should give culture serious thought. Culture isn\u2019t about having a beer fridge and a foosball table. It\u2019s about having values and purpose and living those in everything you do. Your starting point should be your own needs, desires and values.<\/p>\n

When I started my agency, Write Arm, I needed maximum flexibility as I had a young family. I also set great store by treating people fairly and in the quality of human relations. So, flexibility, fairness and friendliness were at the core of everything we said and did. It became a central part of our offer, rather than gratuitous waffle on our website. Clients loved it and so too did the freelancers who worked for us.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t view culture as a nice-to-have optional extra. See it rather as the soil from which your agency grows. Believe me, it will make a huge difference.<\/p>\n

3. Embrace your competitors<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

One of my mantras is \u2018There\u2019s no such thing is competition\u2019. \u2018Oh yes there is!\u2019 I hear you say. But really, there isn\u2019t, at least not for kitchen table agencies. When you scratch beneath the surface, no two agencies do exactly the same thing. And that opens up a lot of scope for co-operation.<\/p>\n

Say you\u2019re a tech industry specialist and one of your clients asks whether you have any expertise in financial services. If you have a good network of small agencies then you should be able to deliver someone suitable and make a margin on their work. And, of course, those agencies can hire you in when one of their clients requires your specialism.<\/p>\n

Make the effort to grow your network. Talk to all the agencies you can find, even if you\u2019re never likely to work together, because the more people you know, the more doors will open. A few years ago I had a coffee with the owner of a large web development agency, even though it was clear that he was never likely to hire my agency. We got on well and at the end of the meeting he offered to introduce me to a few marketing agencies that he knew. He was as good as his word and within a couple of weeks, one of them had become a regular client. To date, that cappuccino has been worth over \u00a375,000.<\/p>\n

4. Get over your fear<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you work in the comms industry, the chances are you\u2019re not very business-savvy. After all, the industry is mainly populated by creative people, who are full of bright ideas, but tend not to be great with spreadsheets and admin.<\/p>\n

That was me when I started my agency eight years ago. I wasn\u2019t only clueless about how to run a business, I was also cashless and clientless. Had I listened to my fears, the company would never have got off the ground. Instead I just took the plunge and, what do you know, it worked out. Within a few years the agency was turning over half a million a year.<\/p>\n

Believe me, I\u2019m no genius and neither am I an ultra-ambitious succeed-at-all-costs type. In fact, I\u2019m naturally cautious. There\u2019s no real secret to my success. I simply learned on the job. I\u2019m still not great with numbers, admin and numerous other aspects of running a business, but I know enough to get by.<\/p>\n

So, if you think you don\u2019t have what it takes to start an agency, I simply say this: \u2018If this idiot can do it, then so can you\u2019.<\/p>\n

5. Join The KitchenTable Community<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Blatant plug alert. If you\u2019d like to explore starting your own comms agency, then I have a suggestion to make: join The KitchenTable Community. It\u2019s a peer-to-peer support group and marketplace that I recently launched for small creative agencies. It\u2019s based on my firm belief in the power of the network and the hive mind.<\/p>\n

You get loads of content that will help you to build a successful agency a lot quicker than I did, including a book, a course and document templates. It\u2019s currently free for six months and there\u2019s no obligation to stick around once the very modest monthly charges kick in.<\/p>\n

Now get to work on starting that agency!
\n
\nFind out more about The Kitchen Table Community on the website<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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