Bonus Resources
Made to Lead: A Pocket Guide to Leading Marketing & Creative Teams!
6 Resources Included:
Top 5 Daily Checklist
Layoff Guide
Best Boss Email
Get It Done Accountability Template
Advance Retrospective Template
Performance Improvement Plan
Be sure to modify your own copies to fit your needs, and seek professional advice as appropriate—I’m not a lawyer or an HR advisor familiar with your locally-specific laws, and your mileage may vary (YMMV).
Want to dig deeper? Here are links to the additional resources:
- Anything You Want by Derek Sivers
- Ask a Manager blog by Alison Green
- Manager Tools website
- Managing (Right) for the First Time by David C. Baker
- The HUMAN Brand by Chris Malone and Susan T. Fiske
Want my help applying this advice to your agency? Contact me and my team can recommend next steps.

About the Author
Karl Sakas has been working with agency owners since he first learned HTML in 1997 — one of his first web development projects was for a marketing agency that needed a website.
Although he ultimately realized he wasn’t a designer, he loved working with marketing agencies. Agency owners tend to love marketing, design, or development—but running the business side of their agency doesn’t come naturally to them.
As a fourth-generation business owner, he grew up talking about client service and strategic planning.
Earlier in his career, he quickly climbed the ranks at two agencies, serving as the owners’ right-hand and confidante while leading project management and becoming the head of business operations.
Today he brings 20 years of consulting experience to his work with agencies, including working with more than 400 agencies in 36 countries (on every inhabited continent!). And he shares hundreds of free or low-cost resources, including articles and books about managing agencies.