The hidden payoff of giving away your best thinking

Phil Blackmore's agency didn't pivot. It evolved through a series of deliberate, uncomfortable shifts that most agencies talk about but rarely execute. The thread connecting every move: moving upstream from execution to ideas, and doing it in a way that feels counterintuitive. Give away your strategic thinking for free. Build a personal brand before you need it. Sit in rooms with competitors and just listen. The conventional wisdom says charge for everything, guard your IP, and fight for every piece of business. Blackmore argues the opposite creates more durable advantage, but only if you can stomach the delayed payoff. Agency owners and account managers will find the real value not in the ideas themselves, but in the system Blackmore built to generate them, distribute them, and turn them into relationships that compound over years.

Why free ideas build stronger relationships than paid ones

Most agencies treat thinking as something to be sold by the hour or by the project. Blackmore's Create Health flipped that logic: the value is the idea, and the execution is almost secondary. The ideas lab became the centerpiece, structured sessions where clients park "what can't be done" at the door and explore freely. Some are charged, many are given away as part of retainers or as investments.

The hidden consequence: clients leave energized, feeling like they've been paid to have fun. They tell other internal teams. They come back asking for execution. The free session becomes a gateway to paid work. But it only works if you're genuinely generous, not calculating the return on every hour.

"I really do hold true that if you give, you will get back at some stage, don't know when or in what form but we are very generous with our ideas."

-- Phil Blackmore

Most agencies can't handle this. They fear giving away value without a purchase order. Blackmore's system relies on the opposite assumption: generosity creates trust, trust deepens relationships, and relationships produce work that doesn't need to be pitched for. The immediate cost is real. The payoff compounds over 6 to 18 months, precisely the window most agencies won't wait.

Personal branding as an unplanned revenue stream

Blackmore started posting on LinkedIn because he believed people buy from people, not companies. He built authority around his values and point of view. Four years later, something unexpected happened: clients started asking him for help doing the same thing inside their own organizations. A personal branding effort designed for new business accidentally created a new service line.

The system works in both directions. Content attracts like-minded clients. Those client conversations generate more content. And the personal brand acts as a shortcut, people know what Phil stands for before they meet him. That reduces friction in every sales conversation.

"It's now a shortcut for I know what health stands for but I don't know what Phil stands for."

-- Phil Blackmore

The non-obvious insight: this isn't just a lead generation play. It's a structural moat. Agencies that rely on the founder's personal brand can't easily be replicated by competitors. It also creates a competitive advantage in hiring, team members see the visibility and want to build their own reputations.

Collaboration instead of territory

Blackmore recently sat in a room with 15 other agencies serving the same client, including big networks and direct competitors. No land-grabbing. No posturing. Just listening and learning. This feels like vulnerability. But Blackmore traces the downstream effects: the client sees you as a partner, not a threat. You get invited to more tables. You learn what other agencies are doing well, which sharpens your own positioning.

The system responds: when you don't compete for every scrap, the client trusts you more. They give you the interesting projects. They introduce you to other decision-makers. The conventional agency instinct is to monopolize. Blackmore's approach creates an ecosystem where everyone wins, but especially the agency that's comfortable enough to let go.

This requires confidence in what you're good at, and honesty about what you're not. Blackmore and his team are crystal clear about their strengths. They tell clients where to go for other needs. That integrity builds long-term preference.

Embracing evolution over comfort

Blackmore describes the business evolving four times in six years, including a brutal reimagination during COVID. The lesson: evolution is uncomfortable, but it's the only path to staying relevant. The challenges clients face haven't changed in 25 years, what changes is how you solve them. Agencies clinging to old models will struggle. Those willing to pivot repeatedly, even when it hurts, build resilience.

The hidden advantage: each pivot teaches you something. Each uncomfortable decision creates differentiation. Competitors who avoid the pain of change become less relevant over time. Blackmore's advice to ignore the doom-mongers isn't optimism for its own sake, it's a strategic choice to focus energy on what you can control rather than the noise.

Key action items

• Over the next quarter: Audit your current services and identify one thing you can give away for free, a half-day ideas session, a strategic review, a workshop. Commit to offering it without conditions to at least one key client or prospect.
• This pays off in 6 to 12 months: Start building a personal brand on LinkedIn around one core belief or value. Don't sell your agency. Share what you think about the industry. Expect no immediate results; the compound interest takes time.
• Over the next 3 months: Define what you're uniquely good at, and what you will not do. Communicate this clearly to clients. The discomfort of turning down work now creates integrity dividends later.
• Over the next 12 to 18 months: Develop a structured "Ideas Lab" offering with different formats (competitor response, innovation challenge, brand alignment). Integrate it into retainers as a value-add instead of discounting.
• Immediately: Replace discounts with value-added services. When procurement asks for a rebate, offer a free ideas day instead. Most clients will see the value; those who don't aren't your ideal partners.
• Over the next 6 months: Attend one client event where competitors are present. Go with the goal of listening and learning, not pitching. Build relationships with other agencies. This feels uncomfortable but shifts how clients perceive you.
• Over the next 2 years: Position your agency as a collaborator, not a land-grabber. Proactively suggest other partners when you're not the best fit. This builds a reputation that attracts clients who value partnership over transaction.