Own Your Marketing: The Anti-Agency Playbook for Solos

Most solopreneurs don’t hire an agency because they want to hand over control. They do it because they’re overloaded—and marketing feels like an endless pile of “shoulds.” Posts, emails, SEO, ads, analytics, landing pages… it never stops.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: the traditional agency model isn’t built for one-person businesses. Not because agencies are evil or incompetent, but because the model was designed for an era when execution was hard, slow, and expensive. In 2026, AI marketing tools for small business have changed the math. Execution is cheaper. Direction is not.

This is where Sara Nay’s “anti-agency model” lands with real force for solopreneurs: stop renting your marketing and start owning it. You can still get help—but the help should increase your clarity and control, not your dependence.

The traditional agency model breaks down fastest for solopreneurs

Answer first: For solopreneurs, traditional agencies often fail because they sell execution without transferring strategy, systems, or visibility.

Agencies are typically set up to:

• Take work off your plate (execution)
• Standardize delivery (packages and retainers)
• Scale by repeating processes across clients

That’s not inherently bad. The mismatch happens when a solo business needs something different:

1. You need decisions, not deliverables. A blog post doesn’t matter if it isn’t tied to positioning and pipeline.
2. You need adaptability. Solopreneurs pivot offers, niches, and messaging faster than agency scopes can keep up.
3. You need transparency. If you can’t explain what’s happening in your marketing, you can’t improve it.

Sara Nay described recurring agency-side pain points like scope creep, burnout, and profit pressure—and client-side frustration like “I don’t know what I’m getting.” In a solo business, that turns into a specific problem:

If your marketing lives inside someone else’s black box, your growth becomes fragile.

If the agency relationship ends (or even just the account manager leaves), you’re back to zero—without the playbook.

The anti-agency model: keep ownership, buy leadership

Answer first: The anti-agency approach keeps strategy and control with the business owner while using outside support to build systems, not dependency.

The phrase “anti-agency” can sound like “do everything yourself.” It’s not that. It’s anti this:

• Hoarding execution so the client stays dependent
• Operating without visibility (the “trust us” black box)
• Competing on volume instead of leadership

For solopreneurs, the practical version looks like this:

You own the strategy, even if you don’t write every word

Ownership means:

• You can state your positioning in one sentence
• You know what you’re trying to accomplish this quarter
• You understand why each channel exists in your mix
• You can evaluate output against a clear standard

You might still outsource pieces. But you’re not outsourcing the steering wheel.

You buy fractional leadership (or advisory), not a task factory

A solopreneur version of “fractional marketing leadership” can be:

• A strategist who sets your quarterly priorities and messaging
• A fractional CMO who defines metrics and budget allocations
• An advisor who designs your content system and reviews performance

Call it whatever you want. The point is simple: someone should be accountable for direction, not just production.

In my experience, solopreneurs get the best ROI from a fractional leader when it reduces thrash—fewer random tactics, fewer half-finished campaigns, fewer “I posted for 30 days and nothing happened” spirals.

AI changed the rules: execution got easier, strategy got rarer

Answer first: AI marketing tools for small business reduce execution costs, so the differentiator is now strategy, positioning, and quality control.

Before widespread generative AI, agencies made sense because they had leverage: writers, designers, ad ops, SEO specialists, tools, and process. If you were solo, you simply couldn’t produce consistently.

In 2026, that’s different.

A one-person business can now:

• Draft content faster with AI writing assistants
• Repurpose long-form into social and email in minutes
• Create basic creative assets and variants quickly
• Run lightweight SEO research and content briefs
• Automate follow-ups and segmentation in email tools

But there’s a trap. AI will happily produce “marketing-shaped content” that sounds correct and performs terribly.

AI doesn’t fix unclear thinking—it scales it.

If your offer is fuzzy, your differentiation is generic, or your audience pain isn’t specific, AI multiplies the problem. You end up publishing more… of the same.

The anti-agency stance on AI: AI supports execution, humans lead intent

Use AI to:

• Create first drafts
• Generate variations and angles
• Summarize research notes
• Produce content repurposing packs
• Automate repetitive workflows

Keep humans (you + a fractional leader) responsible for:

• Positioning
• Messaging hierarchy (what you repeat, what you ignore)
• Editorial judgment (what’s worth saying)
• Offer strategy and pricing
• Measurement and iteration

That division of labor is the “own your marketing” advantage.

Strategy-first marketing: the solopreneur version of “timeless fundamentals”

Answer first: Solopreneurs win with AI when they lock in ideal client clarity and messaging first, then use AI to scale consistent execution.

This is the part most people skip because it doesn’t feel productive. No Canva graphics. No new tool. Just thinking.

But it’s the difference between content that creates leads and content that fills a calendar.

1) Deep ideal client understanding (not demographics)

You don’t need a 40-page persona deck. You do need specifics AI can’t invent for you.

Write answers to these in plain language:

• What do they believe that’s wrong (but common in the market)?
• What’s the “last straw” that makes them seek help?
• What have they tried before that failed?
• What are they afraid will happen if they do nothing?

Then turn that into a simple “message bank” you can feed into your AI tools.

Practical example: If you help local service businesses, “grow revenue” is vague. “Stop relying on referrals by building one predictable lead channel in 90 days” is specific—and immediately changes what content you create.

2) Core messaging and differentiation (before content calendars)

Most solopreneurs sound interchangeable because they publish tactics without a point of view.

A solid messaging foundation includes:

• A one-sentence positioning statement
• 3–5 proof points (results, mechanisms, or frameworks)
• A short list of “we’re not for everyone” boundaries
• A signature process (even if it’s simple)

If you don’t do this first, AI will produce content that blends into the feed.

3) A simple marketing strategy pyramid you can run weekly

You don’t need a complex plan. You need a hierarchy:

1. Business goal (90 days): revenue target, lead target, or retention target
2. Strategy: who you’re targeting, what you’ll be known for, and your core offer
3. System: one primary channel + one conversion path
4. Tactics: content, emails, partnerships, ads—only what supports the system

The anti-agency angle is that you keep this pyramid in-house. You can get help building it, but you should be able to explain it without anyone present.

A practical operating model: fractional leadership + AI + a lean content system

Answer first: The most sustainable solopreneur setup is a small “marketing org chart” built around strategy, a repeatable content workflow, and AI-assisted execution.

Even as a solo, you can borrow the logic of a modern team structure.

The solopreneur “org chart”

• You (Founder): offer decisions, voice, final approvals, relationship building
• Fractional marketing leader (2–4 hrs/week or biweekly): priorities, messaging, measurement, campaign planning
• AI marketing tools: drafting, repurposing, basic research, workflow automation
• Optional specialists (project-based): paid ads setup, SEO technical fixes, design polish

This avoids the two common failure modes:

1. Tool-first chaos: buying five AI tools and producing random content
2. Agency dependency: paying for output without gaining understanding

A weekly workflow that actually fits solo life

If you want something you can run between client work, here’s a solid baseline:

1. One 60–90 minute “signal” block: pick one topic tied to your offer; outline your stance
2. AI-assisted drafting: generate a first draft + 5 repurposed assets (LinkedIn post, email, short script, FAQ, meta description)
3. Human edit pass (non-negotiable): add your examples, your opinions, your constraints
4. One conversion action: update a CTA, improve a landing page section, or add a lead magnet tie-in
5. One metric check: traffic to the page, opt-ins, replies, booked calls—choose one

The goal isn’t volume. It’s a repeatable system that compounds.

“Do I still need an agency?” A clear decision framework

Answer first: You might need an agency for specialized execution, but you shouldn’t outsource leadership, messaging, or measurement.

Here’s when an agency can still be a good choice for a solopreneur:

• You have one proven offer and need help scaling one channel
• You can provide clear messaging and approvals quickly
• You want specialized work (ads, SEO technical, conversion rate optimization)

Here’s when it’s a bad fit:

• You’re still changing your niche or offer monthly
• You can’t tell if marketing is working because tracking is unclear
• You feel “managed” instead of led

A simple test: If your agency disappeared tomorrow, could you explain your strategy and continue posting, emailing, and selling next week? If not, you don’t have marketing—you have dependency.

Two moves to make this week to start owning your marketing

Answer first: Start by clarifying strategy, then audit whether your current support increases ownership or dependency.

1) Create a one-page strategy brief (yes, one page)

Include:

• Your primary audience (specific)
• Your promise (outcome + timeframe or mechanism)
• Your differentiator (why you, why now)
• Your primary channel for the next 90 days
• Your conversion path (content → email → call, etc.)
• Your one metric that matters

This document becomes the truth source for your AI prompts, your content briefs, and any contractor work.

2) Audit your marketing relationships for visibility

Ask:

• Do I know what’s being done weekly?
• Do I understand why those actions matter?
• Can I see performance in plain language?
• Are we building reusable systems—or just shipping tasks?

If the answers are fuzzy, your next hire isn’t “more content.” It’s better leadership and clearer systems.

Where this fits in the “AI Marketing Tools for Small Business” series

AI tools are great at output. This post is the reminder that output isn’t the job. The job is building a marketing system you can run, improve, and own.

The agencies that thrive over the next few years will be the ones who act like leadership partners—helping small teams design strategy, install systems, and use AI responsibly. Solopreneurs who thrive will do the same thing internally: lead with clarity, then use AI to scale the parts that don’t need your brain.

If you’re building your solo business in 2026, I’d bet on this approach every time: strategy first, ownership always, AI as an assistant—not the author.

Where could you reclaim the most control this month: your messaging, your content system, or your measurement?