Concise Reference Guide

This is part of the Agency Success Guide, a book written by the CEO of Blue for all agency and professional service firm owners, based on his 10-year experience as an agency founder.

In this book, you'll learn everything you need to know on how to run a radically successful agency. From cash-flow to project management, and client relationship building to writing winning proposals — it's all here.

Start Building Momentum

Chapter 1: The Ideal Scenario.

• Visualize the end-goals for your business. What does success look like?
• Have a sales and marketing strategy to build your client base. Without traffic, you have nothing.
• Within any strategy, make it a habit to break complex problems into smaller, actionable steps.

Chapter 2: Be Wildly Different.

• Focus on standing out from the crowd.
• Devise and execute a long-term strategy, but remember that it’s a constantly evolving and ongoing process.
• Seek 1% improvements every day to see meaningful change over time.

Chapter 3: Writing Winning Proposals.

• Perfect your proposal writing.
• Use proposals to give clarity to the client about their project, and convey why your firm is their best choice.
• Avoid copy-paste solutions and content — show that you obsess over detail.

Working With Humans.

Chapter 4: Nurturing Top Talent.

• Consider the non-negotiable qualities you’re looking for when qualifying potential team members.
• Build a diverse, cross-functional team to get the most innovative ideas.
• Remember that you are working with humans, and it’s not just your company – it’s everyone’s company.

Chapter 5: Delegation is Entrepreneurship.

• Delegation is one of your best weapons. Know when to delegate responsibilities to your team.
• Find the point of constraint and direct most of your efforts toward working on it. Manage your time by prioritizing.
• Consider which of the five mental hats to “wear” in different cases.

Chapter 6: Qualify Your Clients.

• Qualifying clients is equally as important as qualifying team members.
• Pay attention to projects that will benefit you and build strong relationships.
• Seek clients that you genuinely like; people that you connect and share values with.

Run Things Effectively.

Chapter 7: Cash is King.

• Ensure that there is always enough cash in the bank (at least 6 months’ reserve). You need to cover all essential costs, and they add up.
• Choose the right engagement model for your business and try to retain regular clients. Bill fixed projects on a monthly basis.
• Keep your work quality and your finances healthy.

Chapter 8: Keep It Simple.

• Embrace simplicity – simple sells!
• Keep your team lean and agile. Smaller organizations are more efficient, flexible, and sustainable than large organizations.
• Define what is truly important to your business and obsessively focus on those things.

Chapter 9: Effective Project Management.

• Have a clear process to enable you to complete the work at hand.
• Break down projects into actionable steps. Have a system to manage projects (you could try Blue).
• Maintain clear and transparent communication. Track client feedback and keep meeting minutes.

Thank you for coming along on this journey — I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing this book. Now, go out into the world, put everything you’ve learned into practice, and, most importantly, have fun!

Kind regards,

Manny