Why the Owner Is Still a Small Agency’s Best New Business Resource

Photo by Esteban López via Unsplash

Here’s a truth that might make you uneasy if you’re the owner of a small marketing agency:

You are the best business development resource your agency has.

That may sound like a direct challenge to find more time in your already overloaded weeks.

Or worse, a call to engage in activities that make you squirm—cold outreach, elevator pitches awkwardly delivered at networking events, social media posts that scream “look at me!”

If that’s a hard pill to swallow, I get it. But ignoring it doesn’t make it less true.

Agency Owner as Reluctant New Business Hero

So why does the responsibility have to fall on your shoulders?

Because you, as the owner, are the one with the most at stake. You’re the hungriest—the most motivated to succeed, even when that means stepping outside your comfort zone. You're also the most compelling advocate your agency has.

Let’s be honest: when agencies use the word “passion” in their positioning, it often rings hollow. But when it comes from the owner—the person who started the agency or has committed themselves to leading it—that passion becomes persuasive. It feels authentic. Because it is.

You also bring a mindset that others in your agency may not. You hustle. You adapt. You understand risk and reward in a way that’s difficult to replicate in someone who isn’t financially or emotionally tied to the outcome.

This doesn’t mean you should be doing everything. But it does mean that your voice and presence are irreplaceable—especially when building trust with new prospects.

So, how do you step into this role without overwhelming yourself or becoming someone you’re not?

Here are two powerful ways to lead new business in a way that feels strategic—and sustainable.

Play to Your Strengths

The good news is you don’t need to become someone you’re not. Instead of forcing yourself to adopt every trending new business tactic, leverage the things that make you uniquely credible, trusted, and engaging—because no one does that better than you.

That’s the basis of the New Business Strengths Profiles I developed and use with my clients—especially the reluctant new business heroes—as a way to land on an approach that’s true to them.

There’s the Communicator, Connector, Promoter, and Thinker, and each comes with strengths you can lean into and tactics you can tailor to match:

Communicators are big-picture people who love to share their ideas. They’re skilled at taking complex ideas and boiling them down into concepts everyone can understand. They also tend to thrive in front of an audience, so they're excellent presenters and keynote speakers.

They don’t have a zeal for building one-on-one relationships the way Connectors do, so you may find them making excuses not to go out and prospect. It just feels foreign and distasteful to them. But Communicators are perfect candidates for a strategy that leads with content marketing. Encourage them to create expert content, get them on the speaker circuit, and back them up with a solid PR strategy.

Connectors are energized by engaging with others one-on-one. They’re at ease interacting with strangers; they’re good at improvising and feel comfortable in a wide variety of situations. Their network likely runs deep, and of the four profiles, they are the ones most comfortable being in a salesperson role.

It’s not uncommon for an agency owner to be a Connector. Sometimes it's innate; often, it’s learned out of necessity—they had no choice but to get out there and sell if they were going to make payroll. Over time and after a few wins, selling felt less foreign and more like part of the job.

If this describes you, make time for strategic coffee chats. Reconnect with former clients. Join or lead industry groups where warm leads and referrals are more likely to flow.

Promoters are characterized by their energy and enthusiasm. They’re often big personalities who’ve got something to say—and aren’t afraid to say it. They’re candid, opinionated, and fearless.

Often, their business is their life and their life is everyone’s business—because we’re probably going to learn about it on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Promoters may not always be the most eloquent in the room, and you might need to work extra hard to keep their focus on fewer than a dozen things at once. But they are unstoppable bundles of energy that can be harnessed to build the agency’s brand.

Thinkers are the introverts of the bunch. Like Communicators, they often share a talent for simplifying complex ideas. But while a Communicator is at ease speaking to a crowd, a Thinker is more comfortable one-on-one—or solo—doing what they do best: thinking.

When it comes to lead-generating activities, their introverted energy can be tapped to produce longer-form content like a book or a research study. If your first reaction is, “Yikes! That’s going to take forever to generate a lead!”—you’re not wrong. But Thinkers might ask: how much time have you already wasted avoiding business development tactics that weren’t designed for your strengths? An investment in something that might actually work for you could yield better long-term results.

There’s no one-size-fits-all. The key is to choose activities that play to your profile. If the tactics feel aligned with how you naturally operate, you’re far more likely to stick with them—and make them effective.

Once you build consistency? You can delegate the rest—or layer in complementary strengths from your team.

(If you’d like to explore which New Business Strength Profile you personify, try out this short quiz.)

Master Your Story

If you’re going to make yourself more visible, you need something worth sharing. That’s where your story comes in.

A compelling story does more than entertain—it builds trust and lowers risk. When a prospect hears a well-told narrative, they’re able to make sense of who you are, what you believe, and how you solve problems. That clarity creates confidence because it shows your prospects how you operate. If you’ve demonstrated creativity, determination, and insightful thinking to build your agency, then it’s likely you’ll apply those same traits to your work with clients.

One of the most effective narrative structures I use with clients is called Origin to Impact. This is your compelling story—yours personally, and the story of your agency. It describes the forces that shaped you into who you are today—your skills, beliefs, vision, commitment—and explains why you are in a position to make a big impact on a client’s business.

If you’re using the framework effectively, your Origin to Impact story highlights both your successes and your setbacks. It’s the setbacks—and how you overcame them—that demonstrate your value. Because of your experience, your clients can avoid the same mistakes and enjoy more victories than defeats.

Your Origin to Impact story also makes your agency memorable—only you have been on this journey. That’s a competitive advantage in a sea of sameness, where most pitches rely on tired slides, vague promises, and buzzwords that blur together.

“Founders Need to Be Noisy.”

I saw Mo Said, founder of Mojo Supermarket, speak on a panel about how agencies can get themselves noticed. He delivered a sharp, memorable piece of advice:

Founders need to be noisy.

Mo’s metaphor was this:

“Your job is to dance on camera so people can buy your dance off camera.”

Spoken like a true Promoter.

And if you’re a Thinker, Connector, or Communicator reading this, your response might have been, “Ick…”

But the point is this: it means being visible. Sharing your work. Starting conversations. Taking up space in the market in a way that feels bold, clear, and—most importantly—authentic.

The advertising business is a people business. Clients aren’t hiring a logo. They’re hiring a team—and that team starts with you. If you want to grow, you can’t afford to hide behind your portfolio or wait for the work to speak for itself.

So show up. Say something with substance. Make your presence known.

You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be visible.