Carl Smith on the Future of Agencies

In this episode, Dan Englander welcomeed Carl Smith, community builder and leader of The Bureau, for a wide-ranging, no-BS conversation on where the agency world is headed.

🧭 What You’ll Learn

• The “Philosophical Futurist” Mindset
  How to face rapid change—especially around AI—without fear or cynicism.
• Inside The Bureau
  The story behind one of the most influential agency communities and how it evolved from a 24-person retreat to a 1,400-member ecosystem.
• The New Agency Model: Guilds & Partnerships
  Why the future favors hyper-specialized micro-teams that plug into clients like “turbo packs,” collaborating through shared KPIs and accountability—not time and materials.
• The Apathy Epidemic
  Why so many leaders feel burned out, how “easy mode” ended, and how to reignite autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
• Rethinking Retainers & Biz Dev
  Why traditional retainers may be giving way to “progress-based” models and how the best BD teams are closing deals through transparency, empathy, and calm persistence.

🔑 Quotes

“We didn’t know it then, but the early 2000s were easy mode. There was so much money and mystery around what we did. Now we have to be business people—and that’s okay.” — Carl Smith

“Some are way ahead with AI, some are stuck in the messy middle, and some still have their heads in the sand.” — Carl Smith

“If you wait for things to get back to normal, you’ll miss what is normal.”
— Carl Smith

🔗 Resources & Links

• The Bureau — thebureau.community
• Follow Carl on LinkedIn
• Connect with Dan Englander