I’m currently an associate director of analytics at WPP, as you all know. Decent sized agency. I have a job offer for a much smaller ~200 person agency for a senior director role. Can anyone let me know what it’s like at one of these smaller boutique agencies? Is it worth the transition?

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It totally depends, everywhere can be different. I worked at two indie shops before holding company and they were both such different experiences, and a mix of pros and cons. Worse pay, better work/life balance, less creative opps, more company-wide visibility. Some more clique-y, others way better culture. The leadership is often the dealbreaker. Best thing you can do is talk to some peers who currently work there or recently left and get their POV!

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It’s better bro. Trust me

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It definitely depends on the agency. Some boutiques don’t have their shit together and you’ll work 5 job descriptions for the pay of 1/2 of one. Do you research beforehand and meet as much of the team as possible before making a decision. Get a feel for their culture as well. The boutique agency I used to work had had little to no work life balance, expected that you work after 6pm every day and lunches were never taken. It was in “a growing phase” for 16 years and hasn’t gotten any better.

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Better!!

I also think you should consider the industries the agency focuses on. Are you eventually wanting to go client side? Follow the path the leads you more to the type of client or industry that you wish to find a home. At 35, I knew I eventually wanted out of the agency life and focused on an industry that I saw long term value in acquiring the knowledge. By 40, I was able to finally go in-house in an industry that has permanent work life balance and comp packages that blow agency life out of the water. With that too, does need to come increases in titles (which aren’t really important) but are gatekeepers for entry on client side. I know as former WPP Omnicom and Publicis it is a slow burn for promotions and little leaps in salary. Hope this helps but it worked for me in my decisions.

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