When we first welcomed Joshua Grant onto the Agency Intensive podcast, the agency landscape was already evolving at pace. But in the 18 months since that conversation, the industry has shifted dramatically.
That’s exactly why we had to get him back on the mic for Episode 20.
Joshua is the Director of Digital at Absolute Design, a Nottingham-based agency specialising in Magento and Shopify websites for scaling eCommerce brands. Joshua brings a level of perspective that’s increasingly rare in an industry obsessed with quick wins and trends.
Our first conversation with Joshua focused heavily on flexibility, recruitment, agency operations and the realities of scaling a long-standing business in a changing market.
This time around, the conversation went even deeper.
Agencies Can’t Ignore What’s Happening In The World
One of the biggest themes throughout the episode was the importance of understanding the wider world around your clients.
Joshua spoke about how external pressures such as rising fuel costs, inflation, economic uncertainty and shifting consumer confidence directly impact client behaviour. Agencies that operate in a vacuum and only focus on deliverables risk completely missing what their clients are actually dealing with day to day.
The agencies thriving right now are the ones paying attention.
At the same time, Joshua made an important point about balance, while staying informed matters, becoming consumed by the negativity doesn’t help anyone. Constantly doom-scrolling headlines is a fast route to burnout, anxiety and poor decision making.
The best agency leaders stay aware without letting the noise dictate everything.
AI Is Everywhere. But Human Expertise Still Wins
Naturally, AI became a huge talking point. It’s impossible to discuss modern agency life without talking about how rapidly AI tools are infiltrating workflows, operations, marketing and creative production.
But Joshua’s perspective was refreshingly grounded. AI isn’t going away, it’s unavoidable, but used correctly, it can become an incredible asset.
From improving efficiencies and speeding up repetitive tasks to supporting ideation and streamlining internal processes, AI is already reshaping how agencies operate. The agencies resisting it entirely will almost certainly get left behind.
But equally, neither Joshua nor Richard see AI replacing good agency people anytime soon. Because clients don’t just buy outputs. They buy judgement, experience, commercial thinking, relationships, context, creativity and reassurance. While AI can assist the process, it can’t do those things single handedly, it lacks the human nuance needed to build trust, navigate difficult conversations and truly understand client goals.
The agencies that will win over the next few years are the ones combining AI adoption with genuinely smart people.
The Office Debate Isn’t Going Anywhere
Another major topic was the evolution of agency working culture. Over the past few years, many agencies have downsized offices, moved fully remote or adopted hybrid setups. Joshua discussed how some businesses including Absolute are now operating with smaller collaborative spaces, while others have gone completely officeless.
And for some agencies, that works brilliantly. Flexibility has become a major expectation for modern talent, particularly within digital industries. Joshua highlighted in his original appearance how agencies unwilling to offer flexibility risk losing great people.
But what stood out in this latest conversation was the point that remote work isn’t automatically the perfect answer for every agency.
A genuinely great office space can still be a huge asset:
- It can strengthen culture
- Improve collaboration
- Create energy
- Help onboard talent
- Enhance creativity
- And even become a selling point for clients
The key isn’t blindly following trends.
It’s building a setup that genuinely suits your team, your clients and the type of agency you want to become.
Longevity In Agency Life Comes From Adaptability
One of the reasons Joshua remains such a valuable voice in the agency world is because he’s seen multiple industry cycles come and go.
Platforms evolving, services changing, economic climate shifts, and client expectations constantly moving.
Yet the agencies that survive long-term tend to share similar traits:
- They adapt early
- Stay commercially aware
- Build strong trusting client relationships
- Invest in people
- And avoid becoming complacent
The Best Agencies Become Trusted Advisers, Not Jack Of All Trades
Another major theme throughout the conversation was trust. Joshua spoke about the importance of agencies positioning themselves as trusted advisers rather than trying to be everything to everyone. In an industry where it’s tempting to continuously add services and chase every opportunity, there’s real value in understanding where your strengths lie and where they don’t.
Instead of becoming a jack of all trades, the smarter approach is often building strong partnerships and relationships with specialists you trust. That way, clients still get the best outcome, without agencies stretching themselves too thin or delivering work outside their expertise.
Because ultimately, clients don’t just want suppliers. They want people they can rely on, honest advice, clear communication, strategic thinking and confidence that the work being delivered is genuinely in their best interests.
That trust becomes incredibly powerful over time. It strengthens retention, creates better long-term relationships and positions agencies as an extension of the client’s business rather than just another outsourced service.
The Simplest Point
But perhaps the most refreshing point from the podcast was also the simplest. At the end of the day, one of the biggest factors in retaining clients is still just doing some fricken good work.
- Not overcomplicating things.
- Not hiding behind buzzwords.
- Not relying solely on process decks and presentations.
Execution Wins Every Time
Just consistently delivering quality work that gets results, because no amount of positioning, AI adoption or clever strategy can compensate for poor execution.
Watch Or Listen To Episode 20
If you’re an agency owner, operator or leader trying to navigate AI, remote work, client pressures and the future of agency growth, this is an episode you’ll get a huge amount from.
You can catch Episode 20 of Agency Intensive on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts now.
