LBRB Collective Has 30 Free Minutes to Answer the Only Question That Matters

A new session series pressure-tests indie agency positioning before the RFP arrives, not while founders are scrambling to answer one

The phrase “We’re independent” used to be enough. It isn’t anymore. That’s the premise behind INDIE30, a new series of free, 30-minute strategy sessions from LBRB Collective, the independent agency growth and positioning consultancy founded two years ago at Cannes by Marcy Quinn Samet and Ronald Wohlman.

The idea is a senior-level gut check of sorts. LBRB’s strategists sit down with indie founders and leaders, pull apart their positioning and commercial story, and hand back a set of initial recommendations. It’s pitched as the first step in a bigger process — navigating a more crowded RFP landscape, winning new accounts and scaling — but the entry point costs nothing.

The only question that matters

Wohlman doesn’t soften the diagnosis. “‘We’re independent’ stopped being a differentiator a long time ago,” says Wohlman, Chief Creative Officer and co-founder, LBRB Collective. “The most exceptional agencies in this business can position a client, crack a brief, build a brand, then completely fall apart trying to do the same for themselves.”

His point is about timing. “If you’re figuring out your own story inside an RFP, you’re already too late,” he says. INDIE30 is built for the moment before that — 30 minutes to pressure-test positioning and answer the only question that lands: ‘Why you?'”

What 30 minutes buys you

Each session works through the parts of an agency’s story that tend to go soft under scrutiny. Strategists stress-test positioning and differentiation, the public-facing narrative across website, LinkedIn and credentials, the commercial story and growth readiness, and new business messaging.

Then there’s the deceptively simple one every founder should be able to answer cold: “So what kind of agency are you?” Sessions close with a mix of answers and sharper questions — a starting point for agencies to keep evolving on their own, or an on-ramp to a larger engagement with LBRB.

Promotional flyer for INDIE30, a free strategic session for indie agency leaders, offering growth advice from the LBRB Collective and featuring founders Marcy Quinn and Ronald Woldman. Reserve your free minutes to ask that important question and unlock your agency’s potential.

The math behind the opening

The timing isn’t accidental. Holding companies’ share of total U.S. ad spending has fallen from more than 44% in 2019 to 29.6% in early 2025, according to Advertiser Perceptions. Worldwide ad spending grew 8.6% year over year in the same stretch while holding company revenues slipped 1.2%, per Forrester.

That’s real ground opening up for non-holding-company shops. The catch is that they’re now fighting each other for it. “The opportunity for independent agencies has never been stronger,” says Samet, CEO and cofounder. “At the same time, it has also never been more crowded or competitive.”

Doing for indies what they do for clients

Holding company consolidation has seeded a wave of new agencies led by strong talent, Samet notes, which means “simply saying ‘we’re not a holding company’ is not enough for an independent agency to differentiate anymore.” LBRB’s whole thesis is closing that gap.

“INDIE30 is the first step to helping agencies differentiate their messaging and offerings — essentially doing for them what they do for their clients,” Samet says. “We founded LBRB Collective two years ago at Cannes with that exact thesis, and two years later, the need is only more urgent.”

Wohlman frames the stakes for indies producing standout work with less mature growth machinery behind it. “Indies are generating some of the industry’s most creative and impactful work for brands, but their brand and growth mechanisms are understandably not as mature or solid as those of legacy agencies,” he says. Figure it out mid-RFP, and “they are likely handing the work to competitors that aren’t as qualified but are better prepared.”

Who’s behind the desk

The two founders bring holding company résumés to the indie side of the table. Samet is an award-winning growth leader who spent three decades helping Fortune 100 companies grow and build teams, including a run as Chief Growth Officer at McCann Worldgroup. Wohlman is a global creative who has worked across Johannesburg, Cape Town, Toronto, London, Paris and New York, and served as Global Chief Creative Officer on Unilever during his years at MullenLowe.

Their guiding belief sums up why a 30-minute session comes before any pitch: the pitch is the last 10%. The first 90% is story, positioning, clarity and confidence.

INDIE30 sessions are available on a limited basis for independent agency founders and senior leaders.