Reflections on a Decade of Agency

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In a moment when “agency” can feel void of meaning—we can’t forget what it truly means. We’re in the work of others—and I’m convinced it’s some of the most important work on the planet.

February 6, 2023

Taylor and I were 23-years old when we set out on a wild adventure to start Whiteboard. All we really wanted to do (and still want to do) was work alongside courageous people committed to big ideas.

It was (and still is) a bootstrapped effort. When you start something in your 20s (really no matter the age) you have to learn to give yourself a lot of grace—especially as a venture gets more complex.

We started with a passion to make stuff on the internet and little by little—started adding people to our team. We’ve endured tough seasons and learned hard lessons—but never stopped revising how we do business. Leading a venture is a continual edit.

One thing I’m proud of is from the beginning we’ve been desperate for mentorship from folks older and wiser than us. One of those mentors challenged us to actually define what “agency” means to us.

Agency (or agent) is so much more than an industry term or a job title and it’s a term that simply means “on behalf of others”.

Answering the question “Why does agency matter?” evolved into a decade retrospective of our work, how we’ve built our team, work we’ve done, initiatives we’ve launched, books that continue to shape us, the culture we bestow today and the culture we aspire towards tomorrow.

In a moment when “agency” can feel void of meaning—we can’t forget what it truly means.

We’re in the work of others—and I’m convinced it’s some of the most important work on the planet.

Read the report here: agency.whiteboard.is

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