Last week, members of the Motion team attended the 2026 OWN IT Women’s Agency Ownership Summit at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago—an event dedicated to advancing, supporting and empowering women and nonbinary leaders in the agency world.
While women own nearly 40% of U.S. businesses, less than 4% of advertising agencies are women-owned. OWN IT exists to change that through community, education and a growing platform that’s helping more leaders step into ownership with confidence.
This year’s summit brought together some of the industry’s most respected voices across ten panels focused on growth, leadership, and the future of agency ownership. And we were especially proud to see our CEO, Kim Eberl, contributing to that conversation as a featured speaker.
But beyond the stage, what stood out most were the ideas—the practical, sometimes blunt, always useful perspectives on how to build better agencies, better partnerships, and better leadership habits.
Here are five big ideas that stuck with us.
1. Great client relationships don’t happen by accident.
A consistent theme throughout the day: the best client relationships are built intentionally and managed proactively. Scope creep, for example, isn’t just a pricing problem. More often, it’s a communication problem. It happens when the wrong people are in the room, when expectations aren’t aligned early or when the “right” decision-makers aren’t involved.
The fix isn’t complicated, but it does require discipline:
- Make scope visible and trackable. Quarterly “stoplight” conversations – red, yellow, green – were a popular tactic.
- Ensure the right stakeholders are part of key discussions.
- Eliminate surprises by addressing changes early and often.
There was also a clear reminder that not every client relationship is worth keeping. Most clients don’t WANT to take advantage of their agency partners. So if they do, it’s usually a signal, not a challenge to overcome.
The best partnerships, on the other hand, tend to have one thing in common: a motivated marketer on the client side. Someone who’s engaged, collaborative, and invested in outcomes.
2. Collaboration increases value, if you get the balance right.
One idea that came up repeatedly was what’s often called the “IKEA effect,” which is the tendency for people to place more value on things they help create. And that definitely applies to agency work.
When clients are meaningfully involved in shaping the work, they’re more likely to believe in it, champion it, and ultimately value it. But there’s a balance to strike. Too much involvement can dilute thinking; too little can disconnect the client from the outcome.
The takeaway? Invite collaboration but maintain leadership. Bring clients into the process without handing over the wheel. Or, as one speaker put it: Bring a brick, not a cathedral. Start with something to build on, not something so finished it shuts down discussion.
And most importantly, build on ideas, don’t block them. “Yes, but…” tends to shut things down. “Yes, and…” moves things forward.
3. The way agencies work is changing—and fast.
Although the fundamentals of agency-client relationships remain steady (“who” and “why” don’t change), the “how” is evolving quickly.
AI was a major part of that conversation, not as a threat, but as an accelerator.
- Use AI to handle the work no one wants to do.
- Use it to explore possibilities faster.
- Use it to create more space for higher-value thinking.
Some agencies are already applying AI to bigger operational challenges, such as forecasting growth, evaluating pipeline opportunities and even identifying risks like client concentration, utilization gaps, and scope creep before they become problems.
But one stat stood out: Only 8% of people are truly collaborating with AI. The other 92% are simply accepting the output. In that chasm lies great opportunity. Leaders need to help their teams feel comfortable harnessing the potential in putting AI to good use.
AI isn’t replacing the work that matters. It’s clearing a path for us to do MORE of it, and helping us do it better. The future belongs to teams that treat AI like a partner, not a shortcut.
4. Run the business like a business.
There was also a strong emphasis on running agencies like businesses, not just creative shops.
A few ideas that resonated:
- Shift toward value-based pricing where possible.
- Offer tiered solutions when clients struggle to understand cost.
- Adopt a “profit-first” mindset instead of treating profit as what’s left over.
We also heard about practical models like the “beer run” approach, which is a flat-fee working session where clients pay for focused thinking, not deliverables. Such sessions are clean, efficient and scalable.
On the growth side, we captured some valuable perspectives on reframing:
- Not every loss is a failure. Sometimes it’s a lead, if you follow up.
- Not every quiet client is disengaged. Sometimes they’re a “sleeping giant”
- And in new business, we really ought to be asking if prospects are the right client for us, instead of focusing on proving we’re the right agency.
It’s all a reminder that growth isn’t always linear, and that better decisions drive better outcomes.
5. Leadership starts with self-awareness.
If there was a unifying thread across the entire day, it was definitely leadership—and the idea that strong leadership starts from within.
A few thoughts that stayed with us:
- “Yes, but..” is often just “no” in disguise. Better collaboration starts with “yes, and…”
- People perceive an organization the way it perceives itself. Confidence matters.
- You can’t pour from an empty cup. Sustainability isn’t optional.
- The more self-aware a leader becomes, the more effectively they can close gaps.
There was also a strong emphasis on ownership mindset, regardless of title. The idea of “I work for myself wherever I work” came up as a way to maintain accountability, confidence and continuous growth.
And even in something as simple as communication, authenticity matters. The most effective leaders communicate in a way that reflects who they actually are, not who they think they’re supposed to be.
And perhaps most importantly: iI’s okay not to have everything figured out. Growth requires risk. It requires asking for help. And it often requires figuring things out in real time.
Why This Matters to Us
As a proudly independent, woman-owned agency, OWN IT’s mission hit close to home for us at Motion. But more than that, the conversations at the summit reinforced something we believe in deeply: The agencies that win aren’t trying to be everything to everyone. They’re focused on becoming everything to someone.
Agency “Vision” plays a critical role in that. It came up repeatedly as the “soul” of an agency, the reason people show up, the filter for decisions and the thread that connects everything from strategy to execution. You can evolve tactics. But the vision must remain consistent.
In fact, one example stuck with us: The agency that maintained a clear, consistent theme throughout the entire pitch process—telling a better story—won the business. Not necessarily because they did more, but because they were clearer.
That idea aligns closely with how we operate at Motion. Our FORCE values and strategic Brand Acceleration process aren’t just internal frameworks, they’re how we create alignment, build momentum and deliver work that holds together from start to finish.
The bar is rising. Expectations are evolving. And the agencies that will succeed are the ones with the clarity and conviction to stand for something and carry it through everything they do.
We’re proud to have been part of that conversation. And even more energized by the exciting places it will be leading us next.
