101 - Before you hire an agency, ask yourself this ONE question
Before hiring an agency, ask: Is this something I need to delegate or something I need to master? This episode explores when outsourcing helps and when it robs you of essential growth.
Don’t Outsource the Work That’s Meant to Shape You.
Hiring an agency often seems like a no-brainer: free up time, bring in expertise, move faster.
But some decisions aren’t just operational, they’re directional.
In this episode of Pattern Cognition, we explore a single question that can completely change your approach to outsourcing:
“Is this core to what I need to become?”
Here’s the thinking behind that lens:
• Agencies are tools, not crutches. They help execute well-defined tasks or scale what you’ve already built. But they’re not meant to build your core capabilities for you.
• If it’s foundational, keep it internal. When the work touches your long-term positioning, voice, strategic thinking, or key skill development, it should stay with you.
• Outsourcing core work delays growth. It might save time now, but often costs clarity, ownership, and hard-won capability later.
• External help works best when it complements, not replaces. Use agencies to extend your edge, not define it.
• The word “agency” has another meaning. Beyond firms and consultants, it’s about your own agency, your ability to act with intention and self-direction. Don’t trade that lightly.
This episode challenges a common default: outsourcing by convenience.
And replaces it with a more strategic question:
What is mine to master?
Listen to this episode of Pattern Cognition to learn how to navigate these challenges and invest wisely.
Highlights:
00:00 Introduction: Considering an Agency for Creative Projects
00:11 Core vs. Non-Core Tasks: Deciding What to Outsource
00:41 Final Decision: When to Keep Work Internal
Links:
Website: https://www.sidmofya.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidmofya/
Transcript:
When is hiring an agency? Not a good idea for a creative project that I'm working on. I've been, uh, thinking on and off about hiring an agency to help me with some aspects of the work. And what got me to pause was realizing that the aspects of the work that I wanted them to do are so core to, uh, what I need to develop over the next five years, that it has to be me to develop them rather than outsource. Um, so in those cases, or in this particular case, I decided not to outsource my agency and it's, it's interesting that it's the word agency, right? Um, when do you outsource your agency and when do you not? If it's core, keep it internal. That was my decision. If it's not core, that's when an agency is very, very helpful.