Episode Details

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Are agencies becoming obsolete? We don't think so. However, the traditional agency model isn't just evolving, it's breaking. Today's featured guest believes the core of every business is dying and that agencies that want to adapt and win need to adopt the mindset of rebuilders.

He shares why agencies have been in decline for over two decades and what it actually takes to rebuild a business that survives AI, commoditization, and shifting client expectations.

Tactics alone won't help because, at its core, this shift is about identity, positioning, and stepping into a new role as someone who doesn't cling to the old model but actively creates the next one.

Jonathan Lewis is the President of McKee Wallwork, a brand strategy and implementation firm. Starting as an unpaid intern, Jonathan worked his way up to eventually acquiring the agency from its founders.

Over the past decade, he's led the firm through a major repositioning, moving away from traditional agency work toward upstream strategic advisory. His perspective is shaped by firsthand experience navigating succession, industry decline, and the current AI-driven disruption.

In this episode, we'll discuss:

• The declining agency model

• Why identity is the real problem

• Moving upstream

• The rebuilder mindset

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Most agency owners think the pressure they're feeling is recent, but it's not.

Jonathan makes a strong case that the traditional agency model