The (Economic) Case for Going Deep
The ones who've been reading this newsletter for a while know how much I talk about focus, about depth instead of breadth, about specialization as a pre-condition for building a Signature Business. But I've never been concrete enough about what I actually mean.
So let me be specific.
The Access Economy – And What's Left for Everyone Else
My general view on the consulting and agency market is this: the future belongs to highly specialized players who don't trade time for money but know how to create other forms of value.
A term that's gaining traction right now is access – giving clients access to a certain culture, to creators, to an audience others simply don't have. And I agree: this is something AI cannot build. These are in fact the only horizontal business models I still believe in in our industry.
But what about everyone else? What about the people who don't have that kind of access – what's their way forward?
My clear answer: specialization. And to be honest – horizontal specialization. Becoming the expert of a specific market. Knowing its problems deeper than anyone else. Being confronted with the same challenge over and over again until you find the solution that changes everything for the client. And by that building your own kind of access.
Why Everyone Hates This Idea
I know this is a red flag for most of my bubble. Horizontal specialization sounds like becoming a grey consultant buried in detail without perspective – exactly the thing the creative industry has tried to distance itself from for decades. Breadth equals creativity became the mantra.
And the resistance runs deep.
We grew up in agencies and consultancies whose entire business model was built on breadth – and execution. They told us we need to jump from industry to industry to stay creative. To find the innovative solution. That worked for years. But these constructs are struggling now, because they were never built on judgment but on execution – and execution alone doesn't carry anymore.
We don't want to define ourselves through one industry. We're afraid of the label. Afraid that a "boring" market will stamp us with something we can't wash off. Maybe something better is around the corner. Maybe we should stay flexible.
And underneath all of it: specialization feels like the opposite of what made us good in the first place.
Why the Resistance Is Wrong
Here's what I actually believe: the strongest perspectives don't come from breadth. They come from depth combined with transfer. Selling judgment means going deep. It means understanding a market so well that you see what the clients themselves can't articulate.
And the more you struggle with an industry, the better. Because you're not there to fit in – you're there to change it. The moment you question the market is the moment your Signature rises. That feeling of: why is it like this? Why does everyone accept this? Why can't we change this dynamic? That's not frustration. That's a first sign of your (Quiet) Revolution. Not fighting against a market – but rethinking it from within.
You don't have to serve the whole market. Markets are not as homogenous as they seem. Every industry has progressive and conservative players, ambitious and cautious ones. You choose your segment – the part that's ready for what you bring. The part that thinks like you.
And often, the markets you instinctively avoid are exactly the ones where your work would make the biggest difference. Not because they're easy – but because no one is rethinking them yet.
Warmly,
P.S. Want more like this?
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