Small but mighty agencies don’t often get the chance to speak honestly about what’s actually happening on the ground.
When they do, the conversation is different.
I’ve lived that gap myself, which is why creating rooms where owners can talk openly has become such an important part of my work.
There’s a special kind of loneliness that comes with running a small but mighty agency.
You’re making decisions about pricing, AI, services, and strategy while the market is shifting underneath you.
You’re reading posts, listening to podcasts, watching what bigger agencies are doing and still thinking:
“Okay, but what does this actually mean for an agency like mine?”
That’s why I host the Agency Together Strategic Partnership Mixer.
It’s one of the few rooms where small but mighty agency owners are comparing notes on what’s really changing, and how we’re adapting in real time.
If you couldn’t make it to this round, I want to bring you into the room.
Because most of the time, you’re not one giant overhaul away from a breakthrough.
You’re one golden nugget away.
One reframe. One example. One conversation.
This mixer was all about that.
The Insights That Rose to the Top
This mixer wasn’t about predictions from a stage.
It was about what’s actually happening inside small but mighty agencies right now. The patterns we’re noticing. The shifts we’re feeling. The questions we’re all working through as we move toward 2026.
These weren’t theoretical trends.
They were in-the-trenches insights from agency owners who are living the same realities you are: tighter timelines, evolving client demands, new technology, and a market that feels noisier and more skeptical than ever.
Five themes rose to the top, the ones shaping how small agencies are adjusting, experimenting, and staying ahead:
- Client expectations are accelerating.
- Visibility is changing and thought leadership is shifting with it.
- Partnerships are becoming the new growth engine.
- AI is reshaping workflows in practical (not hype-driven) ways.
- Pricing power comes from solving bigger problems, not delivering more tasks.
Below, I’ve distilled the sharpest insights from each theme.
📝 These are the notes you would have jotted down if you were in the room.
Client Expectations & What’s Changing
❇️ The question we explored: How are client expectations shifting and what will agencies need to pay attention to in 2026?
Here’s what stood out:
Clients are expecting faster turnarounds and more sophisticated outputs not because they understand AI deeply, but because they know it exists. The baseline has quietly moved.
The expectation now is: “If these tools are available, why can’t you move quicker?”
Agencies that are keeping pace aren’t relying on instinct; they’re building real feedback loops.
Surveys after touchpoints. Quick check-ins after milestones. Small moments of gathering input that reveal where clients feel friction or momentum.
And that feedback is becoming a strategic asset. It’s shaping how services evolve, what gets deprioritized, and how agencies reposition themselves for where clients are headed next not where they used to be.
Golden nugget: Listening more often and earlier gives you direction before the market forces it on you.
Thought Leadership & Visibility
❇️ The question we explored: In 2026, why does visibility matter for small agencies and what does meaningful thought leadership actually look like?
What emerged was a reminder that visibility is about taking a stance.
One example shared was a grant initiative that offered a pro bono support to small charities. It wasn’t built for attention. It was built around a belief that these organizations deserve high-quality branding even when budgets don’t stretch.
What made it powerful wasn’t the generosity. It was the clarity of the message behind it.
It tapped into a conversation already happening in the sector, and instead of adding more commentary, it created an experience people could participate in.
The result was deeper engagement from the team, more meaningful relationships in the community, and opportunities that came from alignment, not outreach.
The insight here was simple: Thought leadership lands when you act on your point of view, not when you post about it.
Golden nugget: Your strongest visibility move may not be more content. It may be the bold project that expresses what you believe.
Partnerships & Collaboration
❇️ The question we explored: How should small agencies think about partnerships and referrals right now, and what actually creates consistent, high-quality opportunities?
The biggest theme that surfaced was clarity. Not the kind you put on your website, but the kind that makes it easy for someone else to remember you, describe you, and refer you.
One insight shared was the power of having a “sticky” introduction. Instead of leading with a generic role or service list, lead with the specific problem you solve for a specific type of client. When people know exactly what to associate you with, referrals click into place.
Another important theme was discernment. Being clear about who isn’t a fit removes guesswork for potential partners and protects your capacity. It also increases the likelihood that referrals are aligned instead of draining.
And finally, generosity came up with substance.
Offering a small diagnostic, insight, or audit gives partners something concrete to point to when they talk about your work. One memorable moment of value can do more for referrals than months of visibility.
Golden nugget: The easiest businesses to refer to are the ones that are easy to explain.
AI and Tech Adoption
❇️ The question we explored: Where is AI genuinely changing how small agencies operate, and where is the hype distracting more than helping?
The conversation made one thing clear. AI is reshaping workflows, but not in the “replace your entire team” way the internet likes to predict.
The most grounded insight was that AI works best as an amplifier. It speeds up research, generates first drafts, summarizes information, and helps teams move faster on repetitive tasks. It is a capacity booster, not a strategy.
Where agencies get stuck is in chasing the hype.
Testing tool after tool. Hoping AI will magically fix messy systems, unclear offers, or inconsistent delivery. It never does.
What actually moves the needle is choosing one workflow you repeat often, such as briefs, audits, content outlines, or reports, and building an AI-assisted version of that process. Then measure what changes: time saved, energy reclaimed, and quality maintained or even improved.
The agencies using AI well are not doing everything. They are doing one thing consistently.
Golden nugget: AI does not replace your model. It strengthens what is already working.
Pricing & Profitability
❇️ The question we explored: How should agencies rethink packaging and pricing heading into 2026, especially in a market where clients want more value with less friction?
What came through strongly is that the agencies winning on pricing are not raising their rates arbitrarily. They are reframing what they sell.
One example was a service that used to be positioned as a deliverable, such as podcast production, but was repackaged into a broader outcome clients actually wanted: visibility, thought leadership, and done-for-you consistency. When the offer expanded to solve multiple problems at once, it immediately created room for stronger pricing.
Another theme was that buyers are tired of managing a patchwork of specialists. Convenience is now a decision factor. Packaging services in a way that reduces coordination, saves time, and addresses a bigger set of client needs has become part of the value, not an add-on.
Clients are not buying tasks. They are buying transformation. The more your services align with the outcome they care about, the easier it becomes to price accordingly.
Golden nugget: When your offer solves the bigger problem, the price makes sense.
If You Missed This Round
You didn’t miss an event.
You missed a room where agency owners were honest, generous, and thinking about 2026 together instead of alone.
Small but mighty agencies grow faster when they’re in rooms where people understand the nuance of running a lean shop, where the conversations are grounded in real experience, and where one insight can reshape the next quarter.
Rooms like this are oxygen.
If you want to be in the next one, you can add your name to the RSVP list here:
One Golden Nugget Away
If this recap sparked something for you, tell me what landed. What was your nugget? What question did this raise?
Because that’s the whole point of Agency Together: creating the rooms where small but mighty agencies stop building alone.
And sometimes, one nugget is all it takes.
