The One-Page Agency Business Plan - Peter Levitan

How to create a one-page business plan for your agency?

Creating a business plan for your advertising agency can be challenging, but it's essential to define your business's purpose and direction. A one-page business plan is ideal for summarizing the elements of your business in an easy-to-read format, and the length constraint will give you clarity on the things that matter.

Start by outlining the mission of your agency. Your mission should clearly articulate what you hope to accomplish and provide a guide to the strategies and activities of your business. Also, consider defining specific visions and values to help define your business. It's essential to have a clear vision and set of values if you want your agency to be successful.

Focus on making your agency unignorable. Unignorable are those that create unique visual identity designs or creatively crafted stories. If you can be unignorable, it will help you to find customers and sell your services successfully.

The strategic plan should include your mission, target market, services and sales proposition, financial goals and the structure of your agency. When done properly, this plan will help you to manage your staff effectively and make informed decisions on recruitment.

The key to making the process more straightforward is to focus on the basics and keep it simple. Identify what needs to be achieved and set achievable steps that will lead you to success and growth.

Listen to Peter Levitan to learn more about creating a one-page business plan for your agency. Here is an introduction from his article in the Agency Growth Book:

"After dealing with mucho advertising, design, digital and PR agencies over my career, I can safely tell you that most agencies do not have a master business plan. 

A business plan? An 'advertising' agency business plan should describe the company's objectives, market opportunity, operations, marketing objectives, and financial projections. The plan is your guidebook. Your success map. Your Sherpa.

Even if an agency once had a plan, they rarely have an updated version.

Not having an updated plan that recognizes industry shifts is a bad idea that will most likely impede your revenue quest. 

My very own Portland agency did not have detailed a plan. I had a very good idea of what business we were in, what type of accounts we wanted, and the required services but we did not have a written 'plan'. I should have had the master plan - even if just a one-pager - that would have been reviewed and updated every year. Why update? Well, think about the evolution of the advertising marketplace. Or, if you prefer today's vernacular – business transformation."