Question
What is the best way for me, as a freelancer, to start an agency?
Answer
Test-drive potential partners, one at a time, over at least 2-3 gigs each.
When you get to 4-5 good potential partners, start thinking about which triangle of 3 (one being you, 2 from your pool) would form a good core group that not only has great chemistry, but complementary strengths that allow you to form a more complete offering.
Talk to them about the agency idea, get 'em involved in "birthing" it by figuring out a trend or two that all 3 of you are excited about capitalizing on, bring unique strengths to, and might form the core of a good USP (unique selling proposition) that can lead to some PR buzz over a first few "establishing" gigs, followed by a formalization, branding and launch.
For example, if the 3 of you are graphic design/analytics types, you might decide that infographics might be the right trend on which to build a reputation. So you go out looking for infographic gigs together, gigs that may be loss-leaders, but are the type of work you want. You then do them all in the nascent trademark style of the nascent agency.
You stay in this stealth mode until you have a couple of hits and people start talking about how you guys are a great team.
At that point, go ahead. Incorporate, position, brand, name, launch (possibly launch *with* something... an offering of some sort for which you try and get seed clients ahead of the launch).
This is a slow process. Birthing an incorporated entity of any sort is 3 hours of paperwork, but 3 years of building up the right conditions for success.
When you get to 4-5 good potential partners, start thinking about which triangle of 3 (one being you, 2 from your pool) would form a good core group that not only has great chemistry, but complementary strengths that allow you to form a more complete offering.
Talk to them about the agency idea, get 'em involved in "birthing" it by figuring out a trend or two that all 3 of you are excited about capitalizing on, bring unique strengths to, and might form the core of a good USP (unique selling proposition) that can lead to some PR buzz over a first few "establishing" gigs, followed by a formalization, branding and launch.
For example, if the 3 of you are graphic design/analytics types, you might decide that infographics might be the right trend on which to build a reputation. So you go out looking for infographic gigs together, gigs that may be loss-leaders, but are the type of work you want. You then do them all in the nascent trademark style of the nascent agency.
You stay in this stealth mode until you have a couple of hits and people start talking about how you guys are a great team.
At that point, go ahead. Incorporate, position, brand, name, launch (possibly launch *with* something... an offering of some sort for which you try and get seed clients ahead of the launch).
This is a slow process. Birthing an incorporated entity of any sort is 3 hours of paperwork, but 3 years of building up the right conditions for success.