Hey everyone,
it’s been a long time since I last logged in, but I keep coming back for the value here.
After mostly lurking over the years, I’d like to share some honest reflections from my journey so far, and maybe get some outside perspective.
Background
About 7 years ago, after reading TMF (and MJ’s other books), I started offering web design services.
Fox’s thread helped a lot back then.
Since then, I’ve been freelancing in the marketing space in various forms. Most recently, I’ve been building a copywriting offer focused on LinkedIn personal branding for entrepreneurs.
The current offer:
- Writing LinkedIn posts for founders/entrepreneurs
- Paired with cold outreach via LinkedIn & Instagram to accelerate results
From a value perspective, it works.
From a Fastlane perspective, I’m not convinced anymore.
Where I’m stuck
Over the last months, my intention was to scale this into an agency.
I’ve hit ~10k in a single month, but I’ve also realized something uncomfortable:
I love sales and outreach,
but I despise the idea of scaling an agency.
My current process:
- Cold outreach via social
- Offering a freebie
- Setting call
- Closing call
I genuinely enjoy this part.
What I don’t enjoy:
- Scaling delivery through people
- Managing quality, expectations, churn
- Building what feels like a cashflow machine, not an asset
Yes, agencies can be great businesses.
They just don’t feel aligned with why I started this journey.
The deeper issue
Originally, the agency path was meant as a “fast cash first, real business later” strategy.
But now I’m questioning whether this is actually a detour rather than a stepping stone.
I don’t mind working hard. I mind working hard on something that feels structurally capped.
To me, agencies feel:
- labor-heavy
- dependent on people
- difficult to detach from personally
More like a lifestyle/cashflow business than an enterprise.
What I ultimately want to build is IP / assets.
The options I see
1) Stay freelance (8–10k/month):
Dial down ambition, keep income steady, and build SaaS / IP on the side.
Downside: still time-intensive and mentally draining.
2) Exit freelancing, take a (sales) job:
Use stable income + mental bandwidth to build an asset in spare time.
Downside: indentured time.
Upside: possibly more mental clarity (or could also be a shiny object, hard to tell because I've never been in sales).
3) Scale the agency anyway:
Accept that I’m resisting growth and push through.
I know this is ultimately my decision.
I’m mainly looking for perspective from people who’ve already walked further down these paths.
Appreciate any honest input.
Thanks.
P.S. If you have questions on how to get clients for your marketing services, feel free to ask. Would love to share! (Not a plug, I'm not here to sell anything)
it’s been a long time since I last logged in, but I keep coming back for the value here.
After mostly lurking over the years, I’d like to share some honest reflections from my journey so far, and maybe get some outside perspective.
Background
About 7 years ago, after reading TMF (and MJ’s other books), I started offering web design services.
Fox’s thread helped a lot back then.
Since then, I’ve been freelancing in the marketing space in various forms. Most recently, I’ve been building a copywriting offer focused on LinkedIn personal branding for entrepreneurs.
The current offer:
- Writing LinkedIn posts for founders/entrepreneurs
- Paired with cold outreach via LinkedIn & Instagram to accelerate results
From a value perspective, it works.
From a Fastlane perspective, I’m not convinced anymore.
Where I’m stuck
Over the last months, my intention was to scale this into an agency.
I’ve hit ~10k in a single month, but I’ve also realized something uncomfortable:
I love sales and outreach,
but I despise the idea of scaling an agency.
My current process:
- Cold outreach via social
- Offering a freebie
- Setting call
- Closing call
I genuinely enjoy this part.
What I don’t enjoy:
- Scaling delivery through people
- Managing quality, expectations, churn
- Building what feels like a cashflow machine, not an asset
Yes, agencies can be great businesses.
They just don’t feel aligned with why I started this journey.
The deeper issue
Originally, the agency path was meant as a “fast cash first, real business later” strategy.
But now I’m questioning whether this is actually a detour rather than a stepping stone.
I don’t mind working hard. I mind working hard on something that feels structurally capped.
To me, agencies feel:
- labor-heavy
- dependent on people
- difficult to detach from personally
More like a lifestyle/cashflow business than an enterprise.
What I ultimately want to build is IP / assets.
The options I see
1) Stay freelance (8–10k/month):
Dial down ambition, keep income steady, and build SaaS / IP on the side.
Downside: still time-intensive and mentally draining.
2) Exit freelancing, take a (sales) job:
Use stable income + mental bandwidth to build an asset in spare time.
Downside: indentured time.
Upside: possibly more mental clarity (or could also be a shiny object, hard to tell because I've never been in sales).
3) Scale the agency anyway:
Accept that I’m resisting growth and push through.
I know this is ultimately my decision.
I’m mainly looking for perspective from people who’ve already walked further down these paths.
Appreciate any honest input.
Thanks.
P.S. If you have questions on how to get clients for your marketing services, feel free to ask. Would love to share! (Not a plug, I'm not here to sell anything)
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