The Artificial, Week 146: Expectations

When Shannon and I started The Artificial 145 weeks ago, I found the “weeknotes” of existing agencies such as BERG and Go Free Range often helpful for orienting myself.

I hope to start paying it forward with occasional posts about building an agency from scratch. Let me begin with two simple lists of surprises.

Easier than expected

These may not be “easy”, but we were prepared for worse.

• Finding work
• Navigating a foreign market
• Establishing credibility as an agency
• Building a top-notch team
• Managing project timelines and team capacity

Harder than expected

• Finding trustworthy service providers (accounting, legal)
• Keeping up with employment regulations for immigration
• Getting the attention of strangers
• Convincing startup clients to focus
• Networking with related agencies

Without committing to a regular schedule, I hope to dive into some of these in future weeks. Email me if you’re curious about anything in particular!