Seeing the Agency Sector Clearly Real Data, Real Decisions with Tom Salmon

Tom supports agency founders and leadership teams to solve gnarly issues. As Co-founder of Agency by Agency, he heads up product development and leads on bespoke research and work with M&A advisors.A people-centric business leader, strategist and marketer, Tom works with agency founders and management teams to develop differentiated propositions, improve operations and manage change. He has held several agency leadership roles, including as MD of the c. £12m t/o performance agency Epiphany (now Jaywing plc). Tom, an ex-agency MD and founder of Agency by Agency, joins Robert to explore why so many agency leaders are forced to make crucial decisions in the dark, relying on patchy data and hearsay.Together, they discuss the surprising truths uncovered by mapping the UK agency landscape—revealing the sector’s diversity, the dominance of micro and nano agencies, and the dangers of one-size-fits-all advice.Expect lively conversation, honest insights, and a commitment to comparing apples with apples. Whether you’re running a boutique agency from your kitchen table or scaling a team of fifty, this podcast is here to help you see the sector—and your place in it—with fresh eyes and better data.Join us as we challenge the “cult of growth,” question loaded terms like “lifestyle agency,” and celebrate the full spectrum of agency life. If you want to make smarter decisions and understand what’s really happening in the agency world, you’re in the right place.