Sam Brownbill
If you’d told me two or three years ago that I’d be running my own agency, I would’ve laughed in your face. I never thought I had the patience or the guts to go out on my own. But here we are.12 months deep, and the chaos, pressure, and wins of agency life have been nothing short of eye-opening. It’s been a hell of a ride.
Over the past year, I’ve learned an incredible amount not just about myself, but about the fast-paced, unpredictable world of agency life. It’s an industry brimming with opportunities, but it also pushes you to your limits in more ways than one. And that’s okay.
So, I wanted to take a moment to share some reflections from the last 12 months with anyone bold enough to go all in, fearlessly.
The fear…
First things first, ditch the fear, whatever that looks like for you. For me, it wasn’t about financial risk or leaving a secure job. My partner had my back, she supports me and we both knew we’d make it work, I’m very grateful for her, she is great sense of motivation for me. I had a strong relationship with my business partner, built on trust, which was everything. No, the real battle was in my own head, imposter syndrome, creeping in at every turn.
Starting out, you look at all the great independent agencies at current play. You feel like a rookie with no skin in the game and a very long way to go. All you have is what you’ve learned and an unrelenting drive to serve the hell out of your clients. And then you have doubts kick in, what’s stopping another agency from swooping in and doing it better. Do we deserve to be here? How can we demonstrate to businesses that we can help them?
But here’s the reality, your clients are with you for a reason. They see your value, your knowledge, your perspective. They trust your ability to embed yourself in their business, not just work on it. That’s the difference. That’s the strength that got us to start this agency in the first place, and that’s what will keep pushing us forward. I wrestled with this for a long time, but at the end of the day, all those agencies I just mentioned started somewhere. And that ‘somewhere’ is what got them to where they are now. So, throw the fear out, it’s not helping you anyway.
Your real supporters will show up
Not everyone will cheer you on. Some will see you as a threat, others will try to interfere with your ambitions. That’s just the reality. But here’s the thing, it’s their problem, not yours. The best move? Let it go and focus on the people who matter.
Before launching this agency, I spoke to a lot of people, inside and outside the industry seeking advice on what we were about to build. I was blown away by how many genuinely got behind us. There will always be doubters, but the amount of support we received far outweighed the noise. On a personal level, get your checklist in order. Weigh up the pros and cons with the people you trust whether that’s family, friends, or mentors. Those sanity checks are invaluable.
And professionally? I was lucky to have two people in the industry who gave me incredible advice. They both run their own agencies, they’re doing great things in this competitive space, and they never hesitated to help whenever I reached out. For that, I’m beyond grateful. Focus on those who genuinely back you, because they’re the ones who will push you forward.
Pressure and the chaos, you need to let it in..
Sure, years in the industry give you knowledge and experience, but trust me, that can fly out the window bloody fast. We’ve had to strip things back to basics more times than I can count. Starting from scratch, reworking processes, even tackling admin like it’s day one. If you don’t adapt quickly, the pressure will find you.
My advice? Accept that you’re going to get your hands dirty in ways you thought were behind you. There’s no coasting, it’s all in, every day. The more you pour into it, the faster you elevate yourself out of the grind.
Then there’s the chaos. If you knew me before, you’d know I was a stressful guy, and honestly, that was one of my biggest worries going in. But I had to let it in. Whether it’s cash flow, client problems, or managing the endless stakeholders that impact your business, the chaos is part of the game.
So here’s my take, embrace it.. and I have. Accept that you’re going to be a jack of all trades. Just don’t lose sight of why you started in the first place. The chaos will always be there, but if you lean into it, you’ll find your way through
Growing the right way…
We’re incredibly fortunate to have a great client that started our agency, one that backs us all the way. And through that, we’ve learned a crucial lesson: who we want to work with and how we want to help them.
One of the most common pieces of advice I got early; don’t take on as much work as possible in the first few years, don’t say yes to everything, don’t just stack up clients, and grow too fast. Don’t get me wrong ambition is great, but we know this must be a long-term play. Growth for the sake of growth isn’t the goal, sustainable, meaningful growth is.
That’s why we’ve been intentional about who we work with, guided by a few key questions:
- Can we service them the way they truly need?
- Are they a brand we can genuinely make better through our expertise?
- Do they align with the type of client we want in our portfolio?
Now, before you think this is just fluffy crap, let’s be real, taking on anything and everything just to grow would ultimately hurt everyone. A lack of focus leads to strained relationships, subpar work, and burnout. I’ve seen it firsthand. Instead, we’ve stuck to a clear strategy, and it’s paid off.
We are fortunate to have won business on the back of this approach, and more importantly, the relationships we’ve built are stronger because of it. So, if you’re building something, my advice? Grow with intention. It makes all the difference.
Do you even want to stand out when you’re this new?
Well… yes and no.
Of course, you want to build your brand, but you also must recognise the landscape, you’re not the only one out here. There are plenty of agencies doing what you do, working with the same people, and let’s be real, they do things better than you. So if you come out swinging in the wrong way, you’ll get called out, and fast.
The takeaway? Authenticity gets you further than anything else. We don’t have capabilities like other agencies (yet), we don’t have a team of the 50 best people in media (yet) and we don’t have the experience like other agencies have (but we will). It’s okay to admit when you don’t get something right as long as you’re transparent about it. We’ve done it ourselves, owning to something recently that didn’t go the way we wanted. Clients don’t expect perfection, but they do expect honesty. That’s what we need to put out there.
When we thought about standing out, we put in serious work last year to define our positioning, what we stand for, why we built this agency, and what drives us. It all came back to one simple truth: we exist to make businesses better. That’s it. However we do it, that’s the mission. And here’s the thing, we don’t see that as arrogance or having “THE” edge. And it’s a common thing that every agency wants, but we are always going to put it out there. Even when we get something wrong, that lesson makes us better. And we’re confident enough to own that in everything we say and do.
I’ll stop waffling…
Some will take this how they want , but at the core of it, the last 12 months (and then some) have been both the brightest and hardest of my professional career. It’s hard to explain what the opposite of those ends feels like, as you can really be up one day and completely distraught the next, but as I said before, you must let it all in.
I’ve had countless conversations with people about what it’s like to start something from scratch, so why not share it? Maybe it gives someone in the same position the push they need to just go for it. If it doesn’t work out? F*ck it. So what? Let go of the fear. Even if Habitat M fell flat, I’d know it wasn’t from a lack of trying (mind you I would be bloody disappointed) and if you take the leap, you’ll know the same.
We’re still new to this. I’m no expert. I really hope that this doesn’t come across as though I am. But I do know plenty of others have stood exactly where we are now. And sometimes, it helps to hear that.
So if you’re sitting there thinking about how to start, here’s my advice:
- Do your checklist.
- Get the right people in your corner.
- Embrace the chaos.
- Divide and conquer the right way.
- Bring through your authenticity in your approach to business
And most of all, just start. You’ll be damn proud that you did. You’ll be fine.
Sam Brownbill is co-founder and head of media at Habitat M.