DIY Punk has always appealed to me.

The spirit of wanting to see something in the world and making it yourself led to me launching Exit 23 Games.

To grow Exit 23 Games, I've explored options and spoken with agencies. Time and time again, I realise that authenticity and integrity are so vital to me that it would go against ethos to outsource so much.

Controlling the Message and Brand

A couple of things on some of the agencies out there: Many companies that promise to help you scale are so expensive, as a small business or startup, it can be hard to justify such a huge outlay.

A common requirement is for your business to be making £10k a month already. At this point, you've already done much of the hard work, and you'd probably benefit from business coaching more than outsourcing to an agency. 

What does scaling look like with an agency? Paid Ads and email campaigns. 

If your message and brand are essential to you (they should be!), then outsourcing your advertising to an agency might not be the time saver you're hoping for.

You should be able to approve all designs and copy, but the back and forth can be a huge time sync.

It is a better return on investment to work on your own messaging and design and learn how to get inexpensive, actionable feedback from low-cost Paid Ads before investing significant amounts of money into Paid Ads. Documenting your process and ensuring your values are at the heart of it allows you to hire

I Still Outsource Some of The Work

There are some things I need to gain the skills I need to deliver the desired results, so I look to outsource those tasks.

I work with artists and designers, choosing to work with people I know are aligned with my ethos towards treating others. I recognise that we're all trying to make a living, so I'm prepared to pay for people's time and skills.

I'll work with local freelancers and businesses, and once I've worked with someone, I'll go to them first when I have more work.

What is important to you: growing your business and retaining its culture or profits at any cost?