How Long Can a Small Agency Last?

What It Takes for an Agency to Thrive for Generations

Posted by Marc Brownstein on 08.11.09 @ 12:03 PM


Marc Brownstein

Our agency had an event last week for our staff, clients and friends in the community. The reason: to celebrate our agency's 45th anniversary. In a year like this, we are fortunate to be celebrating such a milestone. And it gave me a pause in my hectic schedule to consider how we got here, from the time my father, Berny, opened up shop in 1964 in a rented room in a lawyer's office.

Any owner of a small agency knows there is no easy path to succeeding over time. The best laid plans can be pushed aside by any number of significant changes, such as the departure of a senior executive, losing a big client, cash flow constraints, lack of strategic focus, etc.

There are so many highs and lows when steering an agency through the decades. Below are some of the things that we believe have been most responsible for our success:

Stand for something. From the day that Dad opened our agency, we stood for two things: creativity and integrity. Sounds obvious, but we've stuck to our creative roots and have made that our rudder. And we always tell it like it is by speaking the truth, doing the right thing, so we never have to look over our shoulders. And we hire people who share our values.

Treat the people who work for you with respect. We have a wonderful team of smart, talented people who work tirelessly for our agency and our clients. That deserves respect. And if you show respect, you will get it back in spades.

Have a competitive DNA. We never, ever rest on our laurels. Not after a big client win. Not after a financially successful year. Not after winning tons of awards for our work.

Give back. We believe it is our duty to give back to worthy organizations in our community. My father and I find it very hard to say no to non-profits, and it always feels good to make a positive impact in the area you do business in. And you know what happens when you help others? Yeah, you know.

Create a strong culture. People always tell us that they feel our culture when they step off of the elevator. We live our values, and that has enabled us to create an environment where ideas and people flourish. Our culture also helps us weed out the wrong people when we make the occasional bad hire.

Evolve. We began as a retail ad agency -- TV, print, radio, outdoor. As we grew, we added other marketing disciplines that were ahead of their time. For example, we got into digital marketing in 1998 -- long before most shops, but early enough to help clients who were ready to grow their business in new ways. Evolving your agency before you have to can assure your long-term success, as clients will stay with you longer.

Well, now it's time for me to get back to serving our clients, so we can ensure we'll get to celebrate our 50th in 2014.

16 Comments

By tiffanysauder | Indianapolis, IN August 11, 2009 04:44:49 pm:

Congratulations Marc, to you and your team. Nice to see your commitment to giving back to your community as well. We all should.

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By Roy | Mountain Lakes, NJ August 12, 2009 08:04:13 am:

Love your philosophy. Keep it up.

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By @smashadv | Charlotte, NC August 12, 2009 08:53:01 am:

Great article Marc. I have been running a virtual shop since 2002 (smashcommunications.com) and basically have the same core concepts. Glad to hear this business model works.

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By eric | morristown, NJ August 12, 2009 08:59:08 am:

Congratulations Marc. 45 years is quite an accomplishment. While I agree with your general statements of the things that got you there, I'm not quite sure that your Stand For Something is paid off by the two notions of "creativity and integrity." Stand For Something" should equal a differentiating point-of-view. Something that someone can say is different about this agency from others. Are there any agencies that don't stand for "creativity." It's what every agency on the planet provides. And as for "integrity", while certainly important (particularly in today's environment), not so sure this is an important differentiator.

But hey, who am I to rain on 45 years of being in business. Clearly, many things are working well. Congrats.

Eric Brody
President
Trajectory LLC

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By deemac504 | Hyattsville, MD August 12, 2009 10:06:39 am:

Congrats Marc. I especially admire your agency's commitment to giving back to your community. When you sow good fortune, you certainly reap it.

I'm running a startup agency called Suade (suadellc.com). Your nuggets of advice and inspiration have helped me steer Suade through its early stages. Thank you and keep up the great work!

Nnamdi Nwoke
Managing Partner
Suade llc.

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By Neal | Minneapolis, MN August 12, 2009 10:30:36 am:

Well put, Marc. Any and every agency (or company) should aspire to embody these principles. Their hierarchy will vary from organization to organization, but they deserve emulation far and wide.

Congratulations to you and your team on this achievement.

Neal Kielar
Agency Innovation and Business Development Advocate
http://agencybabylon.wordpress.com

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By rituashrafi | New York, NY August 12, 2009 10:55:09 am:

Very inspiring!

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By cjrullman | Birmingham, AL August 12, 2009 11:19:17 am:

Thanks for sharing and congrats! Hooray for small agencies. Though we may be small(er) we are never small in our creativity and integrity.

www.scoutbrand.com (another small-er agency)

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By TIM | SEATTLE, WA August 12, 2009 01:08:06 pm:

Nice feedback and commentary from someone that's been through the trenches and has lasted through all these years. Your words helps other "small" guys out there (like ourselves) especially through these tough times. Thanks for your insight and feedback.

Tim Wang
Principal, T.D. Wang Advertising Group

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By JERRY | SAN FRANCISCO, CA August 12, 2009 01:15:34 pm:

Hey Marc - Congratulations to you and your Dad for keeping it going and doing so successfully for 45 years. Those of us who have run agencies know that agency years are like dog years, so you actually done it for 270 years. I know that, at least at times, it feels that way. Again, congratulations and keep up the good work.
Cheers - Jerry

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By KIM | WAYNE, PA August 12, 2009 01:17:25 pm:

Marc,

You do Philly proud. Congratulations on 45 years of great work.

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By mycorplaw | Des Moines, IA August 12, 2009 02:19:41 pm:

This was a very great article. I to am in my second year of starting my own small agency. It's so small right now that we work out of multiple basements, coffee shops and over the phone. I am determined to make it and working hard with the two other people that started the agency with us.

We have 7-8 other employees that are currently working on a freelance basis and we treat them like family. In a weird way we are all a small family of dedicated people striving to achieve a goal. To be one of the best small agencies out there.

Follow my blog if you would like to it will detail our works.. Thank you for this again.

Myron Batsa
Executive Account Manager
BrownSquare
myron@brownsquare.com
www.brownsquare.com
blog(www.gr8rthan.com)

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By GREG | APPLETON, WI August 12, 2009 05:39:08 pm:

Your post may end up framed on my wall! While this has indeed been an incredibly difficult last 18 months, by sticking to principles very close to yours we've endured as well, and will celebrate (God willing!) our 30 anniversary next year.

So congrats to you and your team, and thanks for sharing thoughts that really matter.

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By killerkev | DALLAS, TX August 13, 2009 09:33:55 am:

Really appreciate your advice Marc! Our agency is 3 years old and we would love to be able to position ourselves to thrive and prosper for 45 years. If we live by your advice, I am sure we will enhance our chances of getting there.

Kevin Walker
Managing Partner
CultureLab
http://www.culturelabcreative.com
http://www.culturelabcreative.blogspot.com

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By koksal | Istanbul August 14, 2009 11:54:47 am:

A greatly inspiring article for us all. Thanks for sharing.

Your Dad also proved that in the end Evolving makes it possible to thrive for generations.

Greetings from Istanbul...

Köksal Abdurrahmanoglu
---------------------------------------
president & ceo / adinteractive
founder / istanbul.com & adinteractive

koksal@istanbul.com

www.linkedin.com/in/koksal
koksala.wordpress.com
www.twitter.com/koksal
www.vimeo.com/koksal

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By mwlucas | perth, west oz August 26, 2009 12:54:01 am:

Interesting read Marc. I am CD and owner of a small agency (Lateral Aspect www.lateralaspect.com.au ) in Perth, Western Australia. We are in our 14th year and the list of principles you described are spot on. If I can add anything, if you look at a successful small agency, you'll find that most of its clients also operate on similar professional ethics.

Cheers,

Mark Lucas
Creative Director
Lateral Aspect

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