In the previous blog post, I shared the four strategic paths available to agency owners:
- Stay the Course
- Grow Organically
- Grow Through Acquisition
- Sell the Agency
In this post, I wanted to explore the first option: staying the course.
For some agency owners, the status quo is a comfortable — and even attractive — place to be. The team is humming, clients are happy, the income is solid, and there’s minimal stress. When things are working, the instinct is often: “Why rock the boat?”
But here’s the challenge with maintaining the status quo — the world doesn’t stand still.
Search engines evolve. Competitors emerge. Client needs shift. And AI? We’re just scratching the surface of how transformative it will be in the agency world.
So here’s my take:
If you’re a few years from retirement, deeply niched, and flying under the radar — sticking with the status quo might be perfectly reasonable.
But if you’re earlier in your career or not willing to “settle down”, this strategy could leave you vulnerable. Complacency is not a moat.