What it takes to start an independent media agency today

Opinion – The Indie Leader – AMI 

The co-founder of Piqniq shares her experience of launching an independent agency from scratch.

When I launched Piqniq alongside Bee Pearson and Mitchell Cocker in 2024, we did not set out simply to build another independent agency. We set out to create the kind of business we wanted to work for: one that felt braver, more inclusive and more human, where people come first, fresh thinking is encouraged, and commercial success sits alongside genuine purpose. 

In the two years since launch, we’ve won awards, become a certified B Corp, been recognised as the second-fastest agency ever to achieve full IPA membership and already outgrown our pink Piqniq Soho office. For us, those milestones are not separate from the way we built the business; they are a result of it.

Of course, starting from zero comes with obvious hurdles. You do not have legacy systems, established structures or years of reputation behind you. But we leaned into it, even when it felt uncomfortable. It gave Piqniq the freedom to shape itself around modern client expectations: agility, closer collaboration, senior expertise and the flexibility to act as an extension of their team.

The reality of launching from scratch

Building a business comes with a steep learning curve, particularly in those formative first stages. In the early days, all three of us wore every ‘hat’ possible, made some mistakes (including briefly convincing ourselves we could build our own website) and overcame countless hurdles.

But for all the challenges that first year held, I was immensely grateful throughout that the load was shared between three of us, and we each understood how equally daunting and exhilarating that chapter of Piqniq was. 

Beyond building the business itself, we also had to earn belief in it. Despite our years of senior-level experience, Piqniq was essentially a blank slate, so in those early months, earning trust and getting the Piqniq name out there were essential.

We used LinkedIn – something we definitely had to get comfortable with – to showcase our work and team, we sat on judging panels for respected industry awards, and contributed thought leadership to key media outlets, all of which played an important role in establishing credibility within the market.

To further cement our reputation, we also decided to join multiple established networks, such as The Alliance of Media Independents, where we could be part of communities that supported our independence, opened up commercial opportunities, and provided ongoing support.

Why being new became our advantage

Initially, we didn’t see being new as an advantage. We were conscious that our size and start-up status might mean we were not taken as seriously as more established agencies, so we often downplayed it.

That mindset didn’t last long, and we soon realised that being a new start-up independent agency was actually our superpower.

In an industry still shaped in many ways by legacy models and “old school” ways of working, we could feel there was room for something different, both in who leads an agency and in how an agency is built.

As a majority female-founded and owned business, with LGBTQ+ representation at the founder level, we wanted Piqniq to reflect the industry we want to see, not just the one we inherited.

As a result, our clients benefit from senior leadership attention, entrepreneurial thinking, shared energy, and a set of values that have always been at the core of everything we do.

As a new agency, we are agile – able to flex to our clients’ needs to get the most from our partnership. We’re an extension of their team, deeply integrated into their business (even with desk space in some of their offices), and committed to creating a close, collaborative relationship that goes far beyond the traditional agency model. 

Our people benefit from policies that promote flexibility, fairness and progression from the outset. We have intentionally been able to build these. From equal enhanced parental leave (as written about by Piqniq Founding Partner, Bee Pearson, in The Media Leader earlier this year) and flexible working models – including trialling a nine-day fortnight ahead of a wider rollout in 2027 – to a £1,000 annual training budget, mentoring and employee-led groups that give the team a real voice in shaping the business.

Rethinking what growth and success look like

I do not think success can be judged solely on work or on growth for growth’s sake. For us, what we are putting out into the world matters just as much as how our team are feeling while we do it. 

A lot of founders are building in a very different environment now. There is so much change across the industry, from redundancies to AI efficiencies, and I think that makes you think harder about the kind of business you actually want to create. For us, it was never about chasing growth at any cost. 

At Piqniq, our vision has always been to create an agency for brands and partners seeking a bold, fresh approach to media strategy and delivery. We believe the journey should feel as good as the results. That philosophy applies internally, too. 

Some of the old markers of success just feel less important now. Bigger is only better when it’s built on the right foundations. Success is not just about scale; it’s about whether clients trust you, whether your team wants to stay, and whether you are building something sustainable and worth being part of.

Building a responsible business from day one

If you are launching a media agency today, I do not think responsible business can be something you come back to later. B Corp was always part of the thinking from the outset at Piqniq, because we wanted to build a business that was accountable, not just in the work it delivered, but in how it treated people, how it operated and its wider impact.

That is what made it so useful as a framework. It gave us a practical structure to grow around, across our people, governance, community impact and environmental responsibility.

Becoming a certified B Corp earlier this year was an important milestone, a north star from day one. More than anything, it was a reflection of how we wanted to build Piqniq in the first place – with purpose built in, not added on.

Katy Sharpe is the co-founder of Piqniq. AMI members write regularly for The Media Leader in 2026 as part of our new Indie Leader series.