Mapping: Why Agencies Drift Without a Clear Direction
- Claire Hutchings
- Nov 4
- 3 min read
One of our Guides summed it up perfectly: “Without a map, you’re just wandering.”
That’s the reality for many agencies. They’re busy, they’re working hard, and on the surface everything looks fine. But beneath it, there’s often no clear destination that the whole team is headed for. A vision might exist somewhere in a dusty document or more likely sketched out in the founder’s head. But the team doesn’t know where the agency is heading, and the result is drift.
What we mean by Mapping
At The Agency Adventure, we call this Mapping. It is one of six pillars within our Your Agency of the Future framework. Mapping is the process of setting out a clear and practical direction for your agency. That includes a three-year vision that feels ambitious but achievable, values that shape daily behaviour, a defined niche, a straightforward business plan, positioning and a proposition that’s alive.
Mapping doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, it works best when it’s simple and visible. The point is not to produce a 40-page strategy deck; it’s to create a north star that guides decisions and unites the team.
Why Mapping matters
When agencies lack Mapping, everything becomes reactive. You end up chasing the wrong clients, saying yes to every opportunity, and spreading your team too thin. Growth feels accidental rather than intentional.
One of our clients put it this way:
“We built our agency around chasing interesting work. That worked for a while, but without Mapping we ended up scattered and exhausted. I had fallen out of love with the business I once loved, because it wasn’t serving my needs as an individual anymore. I'd gone off course, because I’d never set it in the first place.”
In contrast, when Mapping is done well, founders have a sense of focus and control. You know where you’re going, what you stand for, and who you want to work with. Your team feels aligned. You can say no with confidence. And you start to build long-term value rather than living project to project.
The founder’s challenge
Most agency founders are brilliant at reacting. They thrive on solving problems and jumping on opportunities. But pausing to plan can feel uncomfortable, even indulgent. That’s why Mapping so often gets ignored, until it becomes unavoidable.
As one Neil Adam’s one of our Guides explained:
“Most founders I meet are fantastic at keeping plates spinning. What they’re less comfortable with is stepping back and asking: where do we really want this business to go? Mapping forces that pause, and that’s exactly why it’s so powerful.”
Questions to consider
If you’re not sure how strong your Mapping is, start with these reflections:
Could you describe your three-year vision in a single sentence?
Do your values actively shape how you hire, fire and promote?
If your team were asked what makes your agency different, would they all give the same answer?
Next steps
We created the Agency Adventure Diagnostic to help founders see how their Mapping stacks up against the other five pillars of a future-ready agency. It highlights your strengths, blind spots, and where to focus your energy next.
Get involved
We’re also speaking to agency founders about their Mapping journeys; the successes, the missteps, and the lessons learned. If you’d like to share your story, we’d love to hear from you.
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