The give
This Round's On Me
A member shares a tool, skill, template or process that helps everybody.
Like a review-mining workflow that turns a client's bad reviews into marketing insight.
For agency owners · Free · Monthly
Gotanythingstronger?
Your clients get the polished version. This room gets the real one. A monthly call where agency owners talk straight about what keeps them up at night.
Owners onlyNo pitchesThursdays, 4:00 pm ET
Why this room exists
"How's business?" deserves an honest answer.
Agency owners spend all day being the confident one, for clients, for the team, for the bank. There are very few places to say what's actually going on.
Our industry is changing fast. Clients are second-guessing recommendations with AI. Staff are worried about their jobs. Pricing that made sense two years ago doesn't anymore. Nobody should be figuring that out alone.
Got Anything Stronger? is a free monthly call for owners of small agencies to compare notes, vent a little, and leave with something useful. The members pick the topics. Nobody's selling.
"We didn't pivot. We changed state."
Carl Messenger-Lehmann, host · from "The Bottleneck Moved"
- Clients"I ran your proposal through Claude and it said…"
- PricingHourly, retainer or outcome? And what happens when AI makes the work look free?
- PeopleA team asking whether their jobs are safe, and an owner who isn't sure what to tell them.
- ToolsWhat's actually saving time, and what you're paying for that you shouldn't be.
- The futureWhat an agency like yours will sell in three years.
90Minutes, once a month
8–12Owners per call
$0Free, and staying free
0Pitches allowed
How it runs
Ninety minutes, poured in layers.
- 8MIN
Pull up a stool
House rules in one breath, then thirty seconds each: name, agency, what's on your plate. Everything else is on your member card.
- 20MIN
Tonight's spotlight
One rotating segment per call, booked ahead and announced in the agenda. See the menu below.
- 52MIN
The main pour
The topic members voted to the top, opened with two or three good questions, then wherever the room takes it.
- 10MIN
Last call
One line each on what you'll try, plus next month's spotlight and the topic leading the vote.
The spotlight menu
A different spotlight every call.
What's on tap
The members pick the topics.
Anyone can add a topic. Everyone votes. Three days before each call the vote closes and the top pour becomes the theme. These are the starters.
"I ran this through Claude"
When clients second-guess your work with AI. How you respond, and where the machine is actually right.
The tools that make our jobs easier
Two-minute show and tell. What you use daily, what you dropped, what you're overpaying for.
Pricing, people and the future
Clients expecting AI discounts, staff worried about their jobs, and what you'll sell in three years.
Rewiring how we think
What we have to unlearn, not just which tools to add. If you started your agency today, what would you build?
Add a topic any timeUpvote what matters to youVote closes 3 days before each call
The regulars
Owners who give as much as they take.
Founders and partners of Ontario agencies, from solo shops to about thirty people, with a mix of veterans and newer owners. Disciplines are mixed on purpose, so it never feels like a room full of competitors.
Not on the guest list
- Coaches, consultants and vendors who are here to sell to agencies
- Anyone who pitches in the room after one friendly reminder
- Employees sent in place of the owner
Every member has a card in the members' app: agency, size, discipline, LinkedIn. Contact details are never shown. If you want to connect, connect on LinkedIn.
House rules
Four rules. Read at every call.
- What's said here stays hereNo recordings. Call notes go out anonymized: insights, never names.
- No sellingMembers do business together. One to one, outside the call.
- No poachingNot the clients, and not the staff, of anyone you meet here.
- Give as much as you takeReal numbers, real mistakes, real wins. The room only works if everyone brings something to the bar.
Straight answers
Before you ask.
What's the catch? Is someone selling something?
No catch. It's free and stays free. No pitches in the room, including from the host. The call is not a funnel for anyone's agency.
I'll be sitting with competitors.
Disciplines are mixed and capped at two or three per call. And the rule is simple: no poaching clients or staff you meet here.
Will what I share get out?
No recordings, no transcripts. The notes that go out afterwards are anonymized insights and opportunities, with no names, agencies or clients.
How much time is it?
Ninety minutes a month, Thursdays at 4:00 pm Eastern. Come when you can. There are no attendance rules, and the vote, requests and notes keep you in the loop when you miss one.
Who decides what we talk about?
The members. Everyone can add topics and vote, from the very first call. The host runs the clock, not the agenda.
I don't drink.
Neither does the call. Coffee, tea or something stronger, bring whatever you like. The "something stronger" is the conversation.
Save my seat
Pull up a stool.
Tell us who you are. If it's a fit, you'll get a personal invite and a link to set up your member card.
First call
Thursday, December 10, 2026
4:00 to 5:30 pm Eastern · On Zoom · Free