Stop trying to be like other agencies

It can be very tempting to say, “I want my agency to be just like [fill in the blank].”

We all have companies and entrepreneurs that we look up to, but that doesn’t mean that we should aspire to be just like them.

In this episode, Chip and Gini explain why you should be yourself and chart a course that works for you. Trying to copy someone else’s model is more likely to lead to frustration and disappointment rather than success.

Key takeaways

* Gini Dietrich: “I came from this big global agency. And you think you’re going to make lots of money because all the partners make lots of money. So if you’re the founder, then you’ll make even more money. And you have this delusion of grandeur, I think, that isn’t really accessible to most of us.”

* Chip Griffin: “Don’t say, I’m going to transform my business into being one like this. Take lessons, but don’t try to copy someone else.”

* Gini Dietrich: “We don’t have this big fancy office anymore. But we’re far more successful because I’m doing what I love, which translates to my team is doing what they love.”

* Chip Griffin: “If you don’t have an ego, having a business is probably not right for you. And if you’re going to have a business, it ought to be serving you, not the other way around.”

View Transcript

The following is a computer-generated transcript. Please listen to the audio to confirm accuracy.

Chip Griffin: Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Agency Leadership Podcast. I’m Chip Griffin.

Gini Dietrich: And I’m Gini Dietrich.

Chip Griffin: Gini, I think we should just be ourselves today.

Gini Dietrich: I think that’s a great idea.

Chip Griffin: Right after this.

Actually, on second thought, maybe I want to be just like you, Gini. When I grow up, I want to be Gini Dietrich. You think that’ll work for me?

Gini Dietrich: Absolutely. You might have to grow some hair.

Chip Griffin: Wow. Oh wow. Wow. I mean, just take the baseball bat right to the head to get this episode started. Shall we? Unbelievable.

Gini Dietrich: That was good. That was good. I was quick on that one.

Chip Griffin: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, in all seriousness, that is what we’re gonna talk about today. Well, not me trying to become Gini, because that’s, like, No. For many reasons, not just the hair. A lot of agencies that I’ve talked to over the years dream of becoming just like…

Gini Dietrich: Sure.

Chip Griffin: And after the “just like,” it might be Fleishman. Edelman. It might be one of the big ad agencies.

It might be, Oh, one of my favorites that I hear a lot and I’ve heard from a number of agencies is McKinsey. They love to be McKinsey. I don’t think anybody really knows what McKinsey does, but…

Gini Dietrich: There’s not really any marketing or communications in McKinsey, but, Okay.

Chip Griffin: Well, I mean all, all of the management consulting businesses have gotten into the marketing communications space in some fashion now because they wanna be just like us.

Gini Dietrich: Right. Fair.

Chip Griffin: Because they’ll just, I mean,