In this episode of Lifestyle is a Plan, Kelly Molson is joined by Tom Salmon, Co‑Founder of Agency by Agency, which provides data and intelligence to the UK’s marketing, advertising, creative and media agency sector.

Its mapping and insights on 25,500 UK agencies represents the only comprehensive dataset of its kind, helping agencies, investors, media owners, martech and adtech platforms, brands and procurement teams identify the right partners, accelerate growth and make better decisions.

Tom is a people‑centric business leader, strategist and marketer with extensive experience advising agencies, investors and brands. Previously Managing Director of award‑winning digital agency Epiphany, a £12m turnover agency with 190 staff across London, Leeds and Sydney. During his tenure, the agency was named Large Integrated Agency of the Year in 2018 and worked with major brands including Savills, First Direct, Waterstones, TK Maxx and Dixons Carphone.

You’ll discover:

1. What the 25,495 agencies active in our sector look like
2. Why we need more diverse industry representation in the media
3. Why policymakers don't fully understand the makeup of the agency sector and what need to change
4. That founders are now prioritising personal well-being and choice over aggressive growth
5. A future where agencies specialise and partner, rather than building large, full-service teams
6. If 2026 is the year of the independent agencies

Guest details

Website: https://agencybyagency.com/

Company LinkedIn :https://www.linkedin.com/company/agency-by-agency/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomsalmonleeds/

Sprint 2025 Industry Report: https://agencybyagency.com/report/industry-report-spring-2025/

The WOW Company Benchpress report : https://www.thewowcompany.com/benchpress

Podcast recommendations:

The Immortal Life of Agencies with Robin Bonn and Zoe Scaman

https://www.codefinery.com/podcast_episode/episode-60-zoe-scaman/

Brought to you by:

Lifestyle is a Plan is brought to you by me, Kelly Molson - an agency advisor on a mission to support solo founders build the agency they want. I’m here to show the agency world that ‘lifestyle agency’ is not a cop out. It’s the future of our industry’s sustainable growth.

You can join my Lifestyle is a Plan newsletter at kellymolson.co.uk

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, leave a glowing review and share it with your founder friends.

Edited by Steve Folland. stevefolland.com

In this episode of Lifestyle is a Plan, Kelly Molson is joined by Ginny Nicholls, founder of Interim Digital, a collective of senior freelancers helping agencies and brands solve business challenges with speed and expertise.

After nearly a decade in agency roles and years as a freelancer herself, she built Interim to challenge the traditional agency model, offering businesses on-demand access to proven specialists without the overheads or lengthy recruitment lead times.

Ginny came into my world after I read in a Prolific North article that she’d recently hit the £1million t/t/0o with her business, Interim Digital. Now I know this podcast isn’t all about scale, but the fact she’s done this with zero employees really stood out to me!

You’ll discover:

1. The unconventional way Interim has been built
2. How to double down on natural strengths and outsourcing weaknesses
3. Why avoiding traditional hiring and people management works for Ginny
4. Ginny’s belief that people management is a major distraction from productivity
5. Why value-driven team curation is so critical
6. How to build a business exactly on your terms

Guest details

Website: www.interim.digital

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginnynicholls/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ginnynicholls

Spotify: Ginny Nicholls - The Action Effect

Brought to you by:

Lifestyle is a Plan is brought to you by me, Kelly Molson - an agency advisor on a mission to support solo founders build the agency they want. I’m here to show the agency world that ‘lifestyle agency’ is not a cop out. It’s the future of our industry’s sustainable growth.

You can join my Lifestyle is a Plan newsletter at kellymolson.co.uk

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, leave a glowing review and share it with your founder friends.

Edited by Steve Folland. stevefolland.com

In this episode of Lifestyle is a Plan, Kelly Molson is joined by Krishna Solanki, founder, creative director and Squarespace Expert behind Krishna Solanki Designs - an award-winning studio known for clear processes, thoughtful design and a confident, friendly approach.

KSD supports independent businesses, startups, SMEs and agencies with distinctive brands and strong, converting Squarespace websites. Outside the studio, Krishna is powered by pizza, raising two brilliantly sassy girls, and working her way up the Tang Soo Do ranks as an orange tag.

Krishna is a ray of sunshine in the world, actively focused on tracking "joy" as a key founder success criteria. Rejecting the standard agency model of hiring full-time staff, she created a successful associate model that gives her the agility and flexibility she craved. Her story is a great example of creating something she needs right now, and opening up choices for the future.

You’ll discover:

1. How the the associate agency model works
2. Why rejecting the standard agency model was the right choice for her
3. What part building a personal brand has played in her success
4. How ‘Joy’ can be used as a business driver
5. What keeps Krishna focused on high-value design work
6. How Krishna manages rapid, opportunistic expansion into new services

Guest details

Website: krishnasolankidesigns.com

Instagram: instagram.com/krishnasolankidesigns

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/krishnasolanki

Guest podcast recommendations:

Communication Untangled

Creative Agency Account Manager Podcast

The Marketing Meetup

Brought to you by:

Lifestyle is a Plan is brought to you by me, Kelly Molson - an agency advisor on a mission is to support solo founders build the agency they want. I’m here to show the agency world that ‘lifestyle agency’ is not a cop out. It’s the future of our industry’s sustainable growth.

You can join my Lifestyle is a Plan newsletter at kellymolson.co.uk

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, leave a glowing review and share it with your founder friends.

Edited by Steve Folland. stevefolland.com

I’m Kelly Molson. Having grown an agency from a kitchen table to the leading name in its niche, I’ve white knuckled my way through the agency life roller coaster.

For 20 years, my co-founder and I grew an agency from a crazy idea into something really special. Working with Pernod Ricard’s global brands, visitor attractions like Holkham and winning numerous creative awards. It was a privilege to lead it for so long.

Now as an advisor, my mission is to support solo founders build the agency they want. I want to show the agency world that ‘lifestyle agency’ is not a cop out. It’s the future of our industry’s sustainable growth.

So, each episode I’ll be joined by creative founders, agency advisors and all kinds of brilliant people, sharing real stories and practical tools to help you design an agency that supports your life, and not take it over.

You’ll learn about unconventional agency models, incredible lifestyle agencies, and the choices you have to build your agency exactly on your terms.

This isn’t a podcast about selling your agency - it’s a podcast about loving it.

Click subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.

Brought to you by:

Lifestyle is a Plan is brought to you by me, Kelly Molson - an agency advisor on a mission is to support solo founders build the agency they want. I’m here to show the agency world that ‘lifestyle agency’ is not a cop out. It’s the future of our industry’s sustainable growth.

You can join my Lifestyle is a Plan newsletter at kellymolson.co.uk/newsletter

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, leave a glowing review and share it with your founder friends.

Edited by Steve Folland.