A community for freelancers and agency owners
A community of freelancers and agency owners building a better work/life balance
Weekly group calls, an active Slack community where members pass work to each other and people who genuinely get the challenges. Built for anyone who wants a better business, not a bigger empire.
£79 a month + VAT. Cancel any time.
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How do I win more of the right kind of work?
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Are my pitch decks actually any good?
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What will AI mean for our business?
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How do I stop underpricing every project?
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Anyone got a developer free next month?
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What do you do with a client who won't pay?
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How do you survive a quiet quarter?
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How do you say no to a bad-fit client?
What we talk about
We don't teach you theory. We talk about the messy, real stuff.
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Finding better clients and a pipeline that doesn't dry up
How members find work that fits, keep enquiries coming in and stop relying on one big client.
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Pricing your work without quietly underselling yourself
What to charge, how to talk about money and how to stop offering a discount before anyone has asked.
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Managing stakeholders and the occasional difficult client
Scope creep, slow sign-off and the client who rewrites the brief halfway through. Someone here has been there.
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Getting through the slow months without panicking
What to do when the work goes quiet, so a slow month doesn't turn into a crisis.
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Working fewer hours and building in more flexibility
Ways to protect your evenings, take a proper holiday and still keep the business running.
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Figuring out what AI actually means for how we work
What's genuinely useful, what's hype and how it changes what clients will pay for.
What's included
Weekly group calls
Bring your challenges and get answers from the group and an experienced host. Every Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30pm UK time (10:30am ET, 7:30am PT), over Google Meet. That slot is chosen to give as many time zones as possible a chance to join live.
A Slack community
Ask a question at 11pm and someone usually answers by morning. Find collaborators, swap referrals and pick up work when a member posts that they need a developer, designer or another pair of hands.
A library at your back
Every call is recorded, transcribed and summarized. On top of that, members get a growing library of guides, books, slide decks and other practical resources to draw on whenever you need them.
Can't make a call?
No problem. Every session is recorded with a full searchable transcript and summary. You can even submit your questions in advance and watch the answer later.
A better life, not a bigger empire
If you're chasing 10x growth and a big exit, this isn't the place for you, and that's fine.
Sustainable businesses that fund the life you want
We focus on building sustainable businesses that fund the life you actually want. The same dream most of us had when we first went out on our own. Fewer flashy promises, more practical help with the things that get in the way.
Working out what AI actually means for us
AI is changing how clients buy and how we deliver, whether we like it or not. Some of it is genuinely useful. A lot of it is noise dressed up as a revolution. Inside the Academy we compare notes honestly: what's saving people real time, what's a waste of an afternoon and how to stay valuable when the tools keep shifting under our feet. You don't have to work it all out on your own.
The real value is the people
The best advice in here rarely comes from one expert at the front. It comes from members who have just solved the exact problem you're stuck on. Someone has already fired the wrong client, mispriced a big project or survived a terrifyingly quiet few months. You get to learn from their scars instead of collecting your own. That's the bit you can't get from a course or a YouTube video: a room full of people who do what you do, willing to tell you the truth.
Win work from each other
Worried these people are your competitors? It rarely works out that way. Members regularly pass work between themselves. Someone posts "I need a developer for a project" or "anyone do SEO?" and it goes to a person they already trust from the calls. The people in here are far more likely to become collaborators and referral partners than rivals. They're the folks you call when a project is too big to handle on your own.
Paul Boag's Agency Academy has totally changed how I run my design agency. It's helped me streamline my daily tasks, organize the team better, and rethink where we're headed.
Who it's for
Whether you freelance or run an agency, you belong here
Most business advice assumes you want to scale fast and sell up. This is for the rest of us: the freelancers and small agency owners who want steady work, fair pay and a life outside the laptop.
Different job titles, same daily problems
A good chunk of our members are freelancers, and some are still deciding whether to go freelance at all. The challenges are the same, just at a different scale.
Slammed with client work? That's fine
The calls are weekly and completely optional. Everything is recorded. Dip in when you can and catch up on the rest later.
Who runs it
I'm Paul Boag
I've spent 16 years running an agency, 11 as an independent consultant and 29 years building online communities. I host the calls and stay active in Slack every day.
Think of me as a fellow member
I'm a fellow member who happens to have made most of these mistakes already, rather than a coach lecturing from the front.
Paul has cultivated a truly supportive and collaborative environment where professionals come together to share knowledge and ask for advice. It feels like a safe space where everyone is genuinely interested in helping one another succeed.
I've been part of the Agency Academy since the beginning. It's like being part of a mastermind group, but with only those who know the pressures, risks, and sacrifice of running an agency. I always come away with new ideas to make my agency better.
How it works
Subscribe
Join today for £79 a month + VAT. Cancel easily at any time.
Meet others
Once you're in, I'll email you about joining Slack and meeting the community.
Attend a call
Your first call is the next one after you join, over Google Meet. Every Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30pm UK time (10:30am ET, 7:30am PT).
Watch the archive
Dive into our library of recorded calls and search for the topics you care about.
£79 a month + VAT. Cancel any time, right from your account.
Join the Academy
A year's membership costs £790 + VAT, or £79 a month. That's less than a ticket to most industry conferences, and instead of two days of talks you get help every week of the year, from people who run businesses like yours.
Common questions
When are the calls?
Every Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30pm UK time (10:30am ET, 7:30am PT), over Google Meet. That slot is chosen to give as many time zones as possible a chance to join live. Can't make it? Every call is recorded so you can catch up later.
I'm a solo freelancer, not an agency. Is this really for me?
Yes. A good chunk of our members are freelancers, and some are still deciding whether to go freelance at all. The challenges are the same, just at a different scale.
I'm slammed with client work. Will I have time?
The calls are weekly and completely optional. Everything is recorded. Dip in when you can and catch up on the rest later.
Is it worth £79 a month?
One better-priced project or one expensive mistake avoided tends to cover a year of membership. The work and referrals shared in Slack often pay for it on their own. And if it isn't earning its place, you can cancel at any time.
What if it's not for me? Can I cancel?
Of course. There's no lock-in. You can cancel at any time, right from your account, and you won't be charged again. Stay for as long as it's useful and step away whenever it isn't.
Bring your challenges to the next call
It takes about a minute to join. Once you've paid, I'll email you about Slack and the next call.
Questions? Email me at paul@boagworld.com and I'll get back to you.