How to take a small step towards verticalizing

In a battle with niching down or not?

Have you been horizontal for years, taking on all business types if you could help them?

Do you need to escape founder-led sales to focus on the company more?

Here's a small step: get clear on a vertical market you would like to focus on.

I'm not asking you to rebrand or reposition the company.  

I'm asking you to play "as if."

Imagine your agency three years down the road. You have simplified and scaled everything because you decided to niche down into one vertical market.

What is that vertical market?

Knowing this alone can open your eyes to how easy it is to transform your agency.

Have a great weekend.

CQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does imagining a vertical "as if" already committed help more than debating whether to specialize?

Because it removes the pressure of an irreversible decision. Playing "as if" lets the possibility be explored honestly without needing to rebrand or reposition anything yet.

What does the "three years down the road" exercise actually involve?

Imagining the agency simplified and scaled because of a decision to niche down into one vertical market, then asking what that specific vertical would actually be.

Why is this framed as a small step rather than a full commitment?

Because it's meant to open perspective, not force a decision. Just imagining the outcome can reveal how much transformation might actually be possible without requiring an immediate, binding choice.

Who is this exercise meant for?

Agencies that have stayed horizontal for years, taking on all types of business, and are wrestling with whether to niche down, especially those hoping to escape founder-led sales by focusing the company more.

What's the actual value of doing this imagination exercise?

It can reveal how much simpler and more scalable the agency could become with focus, insight that might otherwise stay hidden while stuck debating the decision in the abstract.