Running a creative agency requires much more than just being creative. Having a good sense of business development and strategy will make for a smooth run of your agency; at least that's what my guest, Chris Bolton, is sharing with us today.

Chris is the Strategy Director at Murmur Creative, a creative agency right here in Portland, OR. His experience of building a business mostly through SEO and an "in the trenches" method has generated most of their leads, and continues to do so to this day.

In this episode, we'll be talking about:

1. The benefits of a collaborative workspace
2. The biggest lesson of building a creative agency
3. Seasonality and its effect on acquiring leads

At Murmur, Chris shares how the office is more of a collaborative space, noting that "the people are part of the secret sauce." This style of work also allows Chris to ensure the quality of the work being done without having to micromanage, and allowing for more fluid movement of processes in each project.

To get to this kind of work environment, Chris shares the biggest lesson he learned in building a creative agency: you are not alone. There are so many people figuring out how to develop and manage their agency. This can come as a great benefit, though, as having a wide range of perspectives allows you to find the best solutions to run your agency. Communicating with others who are going through the same thing can make building your agency that much more rewarding.

When you do decide to start your agency, be cognizant of the seasons. The driest times of the year are end of summer and December, so it's best to begin building your agency towards the beginning of the new year, or some months before the end of the summer to lock down projects.

Mentioned in this episode:
Traction by Gino Wickman
Creative Agency Podcast
Entrepreneurial Operating System
Agency by Rick Webb
ProposifyAnything You Want by Derek Sivers
Gusto