{"id":548,"date":"2025-04-30T10:34:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T10:34:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/productive.io\/bold\/?p=548"},"modified":"2025-09-04T09:57:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T09:57:10","slug":"benchpress-2025-key-findings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/productive.io\/bold\/blog\/benchpress-2025-key-findings","title":{"rendered":"BenchPress 2025 – Key Findings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Interviews<\/a><\/p> –

{{minutes}} min read<\/p>


BenchPress 2025 – Key Findings<\/strong><\/h1> \"\" <\/a>

Marija Kata Vla\u0161i\u0107<\/p><\/a>

April 30, 2025<\/p> \"\"

What does it take to build the UK\u2019s most trusted benchmark for independent agencies?<\/p>

We spoke to Rory Spence, Head of BenchPress at the Wow Company, about how the UK\u2019s largest benchmarking survey for independent agencies came to life, how it\u2019s evolved over the years, and why it\u2019s become an essential resource for agency leaders across the country.<\/p>

Can you provide a brief overview of BenchPress and explain what it is?<\/strong><\/h2>

Sure! BenchPress is the UK\u2019s largest benchmarking survey for independent agencies. It\u2019s something we\u2019ve been running at the Wow Company since 2012, and it\u2019s grown into a big part of what we do. Each year, we ask thousands of agency owners to share insights into how they run their businesses\u2014everything from financial performance and pricing to people, leadership, marketing, and even wellbeing.

The goal is to provide agency owners with the kind of data they typically don\u2019t have access to. It\u2019s so hard to know how you\u2019re doing when you don\u2019t have a frame of reference, and that\u2019s what BenchPress provides. We package all the findings into a report and share them with the community completely free of charge.

Over time, it has become more than just a report\u2014it has become a resource that agencies actively use to shape their strategy, set targets, and even justify decisions to their teams or boards. We\u2019re always looking for ways to make it more useful, whether that\u2019s through live events, deeper data segmentation, or specific themed reports throughout the year, which have evolved into more than just a report\u2014it has become a valuable resource that agencies actively utilize to inform their strategy.<\/p>

What motivated you to start BenchPress in the first place?<\/strong><\/h2>

It all started from conversations with our clients. We kept hearing the same thing from agency owners: \u201cI don\u2019t know if what we\u2019re doing is good or not. I don\u2019t know what \u2018normal\u2019 looks like.\u201d People were making decisions based on gut feeling or what they heard in the pub from another agency owner, but that\u2019s not always reliable.

So we thought, what if we could collect that data in one place and make it easy to compare? We started small\u2014just sending out a simple survey to our clients and sharing the results with them. But even from that first version, the response was positive. People loved having something tangible to benchmark against.

As more agencies got involved, we realized there was a real appetite for this kind of transparency and collaboration. And because we\u2019re accountants by trade, we had access to the types of numbers that aren\u2019t usually talked about publicly\u2014things like profit margins, owner pay, and agency valuations. So, we leaned into that and made it our mission to share those insights with the broader community.<\/p>

How do you ensure that agencies derive value from the data?<\/strong><\/h2>

That\u2019s something we put a lot of thought into. It\u2019s not enough to throw a load of stats at people\u2014we want them to do<\/em> something with them. So we work hard to present the data in a way that\u2019s easy to digest and, more importantly, actionable.

We break down the data by agency size, because what\u2019s relevant to a 10-person agency may differ from what’s relevant to a team of 50 or 100. We also extract insights that reveal\u00a0why<\/em>\u00a0certain metrics are important\u2014for example, if we discover that agencies with higher profit margins also tend to invest more in their marketing, we highlight this correlation and explain its practical implications.

We support the report with a comprehensive ecosystem of content. We host webinars and in-person events where we discuss the key trends. We publish blogs and videos that focus on specific areas, such as pricing strategies and recruitment trends. And we\u2019re always looking to keep things practical\u2014so it\u2019s not just \u201chere\u2019s what\u2019s happening,\u201d but also \u201chere\u2019s what you could do about it.\u201d<\/p>

How has BenchPress evolved over the years?<\/strong><\/h2>

It\u2019s changed a lot! Initially, it was very manual\u2014we\u2019d send out a basic survey, collect the responses, and manually crunch the numbers in Excel. Now, we\u2019ve got a whole team involved, and we use more advanced tools to analyze and visualize the data. That\u2019s allowed us to go deeper and make the insights more interactive and engaging.

We\u2019ve also expanded the scope of the survey. Early on, it was very finance-focused, with a focus on profit margins, turnover, and similar metrics. However, over time, we\u2019ve begun exploring broader themes that matter to agency leaders. Things like employee wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, confidence in the economy, the impact of AI\u2014you name it. We want the report to accurately reflect what\u2019s happening in the industry, not just what\u2019s on the balance sheet.

One of the most notable aspects is that we now have over a decade of data, allowing us to track the industry’s evolution. We can identify trends, such as changes in average salaries or fluctuations in agency confidence, that are influenced by the economic climate. That historical context is particularly valuable when planning for the future.<\/p>

What do you enjoy most about running BenchPress?<\/strong><\/h2>

There\u2019s a lot I love about it, but what stands out is the feedback we receive from agency owners. People tell us all the time that BenchPress helped them make a tough decision or gave them the confidence to try something new. Whether that\u2019s increasing prices, hiring a new role, or even exiting their business, it\u2019s amazing to hear that the report played a part in that.

I also love the sense of community it creates. Running an agency can be lonely, and sometimes it feels like you\u2019re the only one dealing with certain challenges. BenchPress shows that\u2019s not the case. There\u2019s something really powerful about seeing your struggles reflected in the data and knowing that other people are going through the same thing.

And finally, I thoroughly enjoy delving into the numbers! I\u2019m a bit of a data nerd, and there\u2019s always something surprising in the results\u2014something that makes you go, \u201cHuh, that\u2019s interesting.\u201d It sparks great conversations and helps us all get better at what we do.<\/p>

What are some key takeaways from this year\u2019s report?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>

This year\u2019s report highlights a sharp rise in new business challenges\u201446% of agencies named it their biggest hurdle, up from 27% just two years ago. Deals are stalling, decision cycles are dragging out, and \u201cghosting\u201d is common. As a result, growth rates are down, and many agencies are doubling down on outbound, refining their positioning, and bringing more structure to sales and marketing.

At the same time, priorities are shifting: \u201cbuilding a valuable asset\u201d is now the top goal for agency owners, overtaking purpose-driven ambitions. With more owners eyeing a future exit, we\u2019re seeing growing interest in building something sellable, creating fresh opportunities in the M&A space.

Confidence among agency owners also took a hit. In 2025, our so-called confidence score dropped to 66, tying the all-time low. Notably, agencies that rated their confidence at 70 or above last year were far more likely to grow\u201470% of them did\u2014while just 8% of low-confidence agencies (those that marked below 50) saw growth. This ties into the report\u2019s main advice: focus on gross profit.

In 2024, average gross profit margins for \u00a31M+ agencies fell to 39%, the lowest on record. The target? At least 50%. Agencies that hit this benchmark\u2014by improving efficiency, raising prices, or trimming delivery costs\u2014can thrive even without top-line growth. In short:<\/p>