Build to Own puts your agency to work for you
Most agency advice focuses on the wrong things.
Agency owners hear that revenue growth should come first, and that the ultimate reward for years of stress and under-compensation is selling the business someday.
But most agencies never sell for a life-changing amount. Many never sell at all.
The result? Owners spend years making decisions for a hypothetical future buyer instead of designing a business that works for them today. Build to Own rejects that “Maybe Someday” tradeoff.
What Build to Own Means
Build to Own starts from the owner’s perspective. Instead of chasing growth metrics that look good to a buyer, you focus on the outcomes that make ownership worthwhile for you.
If you wanted to be miserable doing what someone else tells you, you could get a job. Shape your role around the work that gives you energy.
Whether that’s 30 hours or 50, your business should operate on a timeline that fits the life you want, not the one that’s expected of you.
Work alongside people you enjoy and serve clients who respect the relationship. Life is too short to spend it with people who drain you.
Real profit you can take home, not revenue that cycles back into operations. You carry the risk of ownership, so you should be compensated for it.
Financial security, charitable endeavors, legacy, flexibility. Define what success looks like on your own terms, then build toward it intentionally.
AIM-GET FRAMEWORK
The AIM-GET Framework provides structure for making the strategic and tactical choices necessary to create a business you want to own. It guides planning, drives measurement, and assists in decision-making throughout the life of your agency.
Find your AIM ...
AMBITION
What do you want to achieve as an agency owner?
IDENTITY
What is your agency’s focus and who are your ideal clients?
MANAGEMENT
What structure will help achieve your goals drive success?
... then GET results
GROWTH
Find the right prospects to convert to profitable clients.
EXECUTION
Deliver on your promises and generate results for clients.
TALENT
Recruit and retain the team you need to get the job done well.
The Build to Own Guide walks you through the approach, the framework, and what to do first.
Keep Exploring
The full article on why Build to Own matters and how it changes the way you think about your business.
A quick diagnostic to see where your agency stands across the key dimensions of the AIM-GET framework.
Three ways to work with Chip, depending on where you are and what you need right now.