I heard from someone senior at an agency recently, with a story that should be a wake up call for all of us.
They told me that, although there are often high points too, their working life was becoming a nightmare:
No clear objectives or expectations set for what they should do
Constantly expected to work outside their expertise, at short notice
Problems always get dropped on their desk
Not enough time to focus on their own important work
Hardly any days off, and then still have to check emails and take calls
No praise, thanks or congratulations — but a lot of heat if they make a mistake or miss something
While their pay is fairly good, it doesn't match the range and scale of responsibilities they have, or their market value
And all of this, unsurprisingly, makes them think sometimes about quitting — which would cause a nightmare for the agency's owner.
The thing is, this person was the agency's owner.
This is why so many agency leaders at the moment feel they're "falling out of love" with running their agency.
But it doesn't have to be that way.
There's nothing about being an agency founder that means you have to be the worst-treated most-overworked person in the agency.
You do not need to be superhuman.
You do not need to be a martyr.
You look after everyone else at work. You need to look after yourself at work too.
Over the next few weeks I'm going to share some tips and ideas to help you enjoy your role as owner and CEO more, and fall in love with leading your agency again.
Because here's the truth: the world will not treat you as a successful business owner until you do.