So today, as the world ventures out to play pickleball, I sit here making a pros & cons list. It helps, apparently. We'll find out.
๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฆ๐ผ๐น๐ผ (๐ฆ๐ฆ) - ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ: Full creative control. You get to set and uphold your own standards.
๐ฆ๐ฆ - ๐๐ผ๐ป: I will get replaced. By a younger human who uses "drip" unironically? By AI? By a combination of both? (The horror.) Like one younger human asked me the other day, "Do you think you'll be the golden child of advertising for another eight years?" (Didn't have the heart to tell her I'm a bronze child at best.) But it's true. There's no saying how long I'll be relevant. I already struggle to understand what a Ganji Chudail is and why she's famous. But if I were to build an agency, then I'd still be relevant on account of the agency? Maybe. Hopefully.
๐ฆ๐ฆ - ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ: You actually get to do creative work. But if this becomes an agency, you'll have to do admin work. Do we need an office? Who looks at the P&L? How many accounts do we need to cover salaries? How many people do we need to cover all accounts? Which artisanal blend of coffee says we're cool, without forcing us to sign on another account?
๐ฆ๐ฆ - ๐๐ผ๐ป: You can't scale alone. Over the last few weeks, I've had to say no to at least four briefs. Meanwhile, one team is winning 'Agency Of The Year', another is raising investor money, and I'm sitting here saying "There, there" to my bruised ego.
๐๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ - ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ: It'll finally force me to have a creds deck and a nicer website instead of saying, "Erm... here's my portfolio; here's my LinkedIn. Hope this helps :)" when prospective clients reach out.
๐๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ - ๐๐ผ๐ป: What is a creds deck? Why do we still need one in 2025, please?! ๐ญ
๐๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ - ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ: Will fulfil ambitions of being a boss lady. I keep whining about how there aren't enough female leaders in advertising and I can maybe fix that in my own small way? Also, mom will be proud.
๐๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ - ๐๐ผ๐ป: Will lose final dregs of sanity in the process.
๐๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ - ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ: Will have a name and therefore an answer to, "What do we call your team?" (I've used Unnamed Agency Co., Shikha Gupta & Co., and "Uhm..." interchangeably to answer this question) and "How do we credit you in this PR article?" (I've used Writer, Independent Creative Director and Chief Nervous Wreck interchangeably to answer this question).
๐๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ - ๐๐ผ๐ป: See screenshots
Okay, this hasn't helped. Back to wringing my hands for another six months now.
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