Tag: Agency life

New lessons four years after leaving my job

Question mark at an exit.

Four years ago today (16 March 2026), I resigned from a role I loved without a plan or any job waiting for me.  

There wasn’t a single reason for my decision. I just knew deep down after a full-on couple of years leading a team through lockdown that I needed to try something else. I was frazzled and unable to see what the future looked like.

So, after meeting colleagues in Manchester the previous day, I decided to press the button on paid employment. I remember posting this on LinkedIn, sitting alone in a booth in the Engine Shed in Bristol, before taking a breath and returning to the shipping container where my team worked to get on with the day.

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Why late payments hurt agency growth, and what we do about it

Pay me

Celebrating success matters for small teams. We’ve had plenty to celebrate at Distinctive recently, as we take on new clients, win recognition and build a team spanning from Cornwall to Gloucestershire.

We’re part of a wider success story of a growing independent agency sector employing more than 230,000 people and contributing billions to the UK economy. It’s a diverse, resilient, vibrant industry that doesn’t ask for handouts, and innovates in the face of huge challenges. 

There’s plenty to be confident about in 2026. But it’s not plain sailing. And I want to write here about the worst part of agency life that impacts almost every business I know, including ours.

Step forward, late payments. A silent drain on time, energy and momentum. It’s a tricky topic to cover, and I’ve reflected on posting about this for months.

But spending Saturday morning at month end drafting emails to chase for payment pushed me to write something on LinkedIn. This post expands on those thoughts.  

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