The No. 1 Non-AI Task Agency Owners Can Do to Grow
AI may dominate today’s headlines, but Andrew Foxwell argues that the biggest growth lever for agency owners isn’t AI at all. On his recent appearance on Perpetual Traffic, Andrew dug into what really drives agency success in a world where Meta and other platforms are leaning heavily on automation. Spoiler: it comes down to slowing down, clarifying your purpose, and giving your team the structure they need to thrive.
AI Innovation Is Here, But It’s Not the Whole Story
Meta continues to push billions into AI, promising a world where advertisers can simply “plug in” their goals and budgets while the platform does the rest. While these innovations are changing how ads are delivered, Andrew stresses the importance of separating hype from reality.
Meta’s biggest AI strides are happening on the organic product side (think Instagram Stories features, Reels improvements, and WhatsApp transcriptions). On the advertising side, things are still messy frequent bugs, inconsistent results, and account issues. For agencies and advertisers, this means creative and offers remain the true levers of performance, not AI shortcuts.
The Real Growth Lever: Slowing Down
Amid the noise of automation, Andrew emphasizes one thing that doesn’t involve AI at all: the discipline of slowing down. Most agency owners (and CMOs) operate in a constant state of firefighting, leaving little space for the deeper work of strategy, purpose, and differentiation.
Here’s what slowing down unlocks:
Clarity of Purpose: Teams especially Gen Z talent want to work for agencies with a clear mission. If you can’t articulate your “why,” you’ll struggle to retain top people.
Quality of Thought: Growth comes from carving out unstructured time to think. Whether it’s a float tank, a long drive, or stepping away from Slack for an hour, intentional downtime fuels better decision-making.
Emotional Vulnerability: Clients and employees respond when leaders voice their fears and challenges openly. Naming what keeps you up at night builds trust and often leads to stronger outcomes.
Structure Matters More Than Ever
Andrew also points to a practical shift agency owners must make: separating roles to prevent burnout. Account managers juggling reporting, client calls, logistics, and creative requests often underperform not because they’re incapable, but because they’re overloaded.
Instead, agencies should:
Create a dedicated ops or onboarding role to handle logistics.
Free account managers to focus on strategy and results.
Invest in creative as the primary lever ads now win or lose on how well they capture attention.
Push innovation not just in ads but in offers and conversion rate optimization.
Meeting the AI Moment with Intention
Andrew doesn’t dismiss AI; he just reframes it. Agencies need point people dedicated to testing AI tools against real business problems (reporting, creative efficiency, client acquisition). But testing only works if tied to a clear objective AI for AI’s sake leads nowhere.
Clients don’t expect you to have all the answers overnight. They do expect you to have a plan, communicate it clearly, and show how new tools are being tested with their success in mind.
The Takeaway
The no. 1 non-AI growth task for agency owners isn’t learning the latest prompt or chasing every new tool. It’s slowing down to:
Define your purpose.
Protect time for quality thought.
Build a structure that supports your team and clients.
AI may accelerate execution, but only clarity and intentional leadership will sustain long-term agency growth.