🏢 AgencyFounder

📖 How to Play AgencyFounder

🎯 Game Summary

Build the highest-valued agency in exactly 52 weeks!

AgencyFounder is a strategic business simulation where you have one business year (52 weeks) to build and grow your digital agency from startup to maximum valuation. Each week you get 14 strategic actions to make critical business decisions including pitching clients, hiring staff, delivering projects, and managing finances.

Victory Condition: The player with the highest final agency value after 52 weeks wins and claims the top spot on the global leaderboard!

🏆 The 52-Week Challenge

You have exactly 52 weeks to maximize your agency's final valuation through:

• 💰 Cash Growth: Complete projects and manage weekly costs wisely
• ⭐ Reputation Building: Deliver high-quality work to gain industry recognition
• 👥 Team Expansion: Hire skilled team members to improve project outcomes
• ⚡ Strategic Actions: Make the most of your 14 weekly actions
• 🚀 Final Valuation: Achieve the highest agency value for leaderboard supremacy

Time Pressure: Unlike other business games with unlimited time, you must optimize every decision within the 52-week constraint. Every week counts!

🏢 Agency Setup

Start by creating your agency with three key decisions:

🎯 Agency Type (Choose Your Specialty)

• 🖥️ Web/Dev: +12% win rate vs Tech/SaaS clients, -6% vs Brand/PR
• 📈 Marketing: +12% win rate vs Retail/eCommerce, -6% vs Finance/Health
• 🎨 Brand/Design: +12% win rate vs Creative clients, -6% vs DeepTech
• 🤖 AI/Automation: +12% vs Ops/Finance/Tech, -6% vs Creative, +300/week overhead

📍 Location (Affects Operations)

• 🏙️ City: +5 fit bonus, +10% budgets, +500/week overhead, more Enterprise clients
• 🏘️ Town: +2 fit bonus, baseline budgets, -3% late payments (recommended)
• 🌍 Remote: -2 fit bonus, -5% budgets, -500/week overhead, global leads

🎮 Core Gameplay

⚡ Weekly Action System

Each week you get exactly 14 actions to make strategic business decisions. Actions include:

• Pitching to potential clients
• Hiring new team members
• Using AI to boost project quality
• Delivering completed projects
• Conducting market research
• Building client relationships

Once you've used all 14 actions, the week automatically ends, costs are deducted, and you advance to the next week.

📞 Pitching Leads

Each week brings fresh client opportunities:

• Fit Score: How well the client matches your agency (higher = better chance)
• Difficulty: Project complexity (affects quality requirements)
• Budget: Total project value
• Payment Terms: When you'll receive payment (Net15/Net30)

💰 Pricing Strategy

• 💸 Cheap: -20% price, +10% win chance
• 💼 Market: Standard pricing (recommended)
• 💎 Premium: +30% price, -10% win chance

🚀 Project Delivery

Projects advance once per week (not per action), making timing crucial:

• Use AI assistance (costs 500) to boost project quality by +15%
• Projects automatically progress each week until completion
• Higher quality = better reputation and client satisfaction
• Quality over 70% = +3 reputation, 50-70% = +1 rep, under 50% = -2 rep
• Completed projects move to pending payments based on payment terms

👥 Team Building

Hire team members to improve your agency's capabilities:

Team Member Roles & Benefits

Your team can have exactly 5 members total (including you as founder):

• 👑 Founder and CEO: 0/week - You! (Skill: 75, High morale)
• 🎨 Creative: ~950/week - Boosts creative and design quality
• 📋 Strategy/Planner: ~1,200/week - Enhances strategic planning
• 💻 Technical: ~1,100/week - Improves technical delivery
• 📈 Marketing: ~900/week - Enhances marketing campaigns
• 🤝 Account Manager: ~850/week - Improves client relations

Team Restrictions: Only one person per role - build a balanced, specialized team! Each team member contributes their skill level to project quality calculations.

📱 Team Morale Boosts

Keep your team motivated with special features:

• Rob Mayhew Social Media: Once per month, boost all team morale by +15 points
• High morale improves project quality and team performance
• Strategic morale management is crucial for long-term success

📈 Growth Strategies

📊 Market Research

Invest 1,000 to gain +5 fit bonus on future leads, improving your win rates.

🎯 Weekly Quests

Complete weekly challenges for bonus rewards:

• Focus on specific lead types or business goals
• Reward: 1,000 + 1 Reputation point
• New quest each week to keep gameplay fresh

🔥 Streak System

Build your weekly momentum:

• Consistent weekly play builds valuable streaks
• Streak bonuses can provide gameplay advantages
• Track your dedication over the 52-week journey

🤝 Client Relationships

Build lasting business partnerships that drive growth:

💼 Client Satisfaction System

• Quality Impact: High-quality deliveries (70%+) increase client satisfaction
• Relationship Levels: Progress from New Client → Regular → Preferred → Advocate
• Repeat Business: Satisfied clients are more likely to return with new projects
• Referrals: Advocates may refer other clients to your agency

📊 Client Analytics

• Track satisfaction scores and relationship strength for each client
• Monitor total client value and repeat business metrics
• Use the dedicated Clients page to view detailed relationship data

📈 Revenue Analytics

Track your agency's financial performance with comprehensive analytics:

💰 Financial Tracking

• Weekly Revenue: See real-time revenue accumulation during the current week
• Revenue History: Complete record of earnings from week 1 to present
• Cost Analysis: Track staff salaries, overhead, and operational expenses
• Profit Margins: Monitor net profit and growth trends over time

📊 Analytics Dashboard

• Growth trend analysis (4-week periods)
• Best and worst performing weeks
• Average weekly revenue and cost metrics
• Weekly growth rate calculations

Access detailed revenue analytics through the Stats page to optimize your business strategy!

💰 Financial Management

💸 Weekly Cost Structure

Critical: All costs are deducted automatically at the end of each week!

• Base Overhead: Varies by location (City: +500, Remote: -500)
• Staff Salaries: Each team member has weekly costs (PM: ~800, Dev: ~1,100, Designer: ~900)
• AI/Automation Bonus: +300/week if you chose AI specialty
• Cash Flow Planning: Ensure you have enough cash to cover weekly expenses or risk bankruptcy!

📋 Payment Terms

• Net15: Faster payment, better cash flow
• Net30: Standard payment timeline
• Plan your cash flow around project completion and payment schedules

🏆 Competition & Leaderboards

Global Rankings

Compete across multiple categories:

• 💰 Cash Leaders: Total money accumulated
• ⭐ Reputation Leaders: Industry respect and recognition
• 🏃 Longevity: Weeks survived and sustained growth
• 🚀 Best Exits: Highest agency valuations achieved

🎯 Strategy Tips

• Diversify: Different strategies excel in different leaderboard categories
• Specialize: Focus on your agency type's strengths
• Balance: Manage cash flow while building reputation
• Team Up: Invest in staff for long-term quality improvements

🎲 Random Events

The business world is unpredictable! Random events can occur each week with:

• Cash Effects: Unexpected expenses or windfalls
• Reputation Changes: Industry recognition or setbacks
• Morale Impacts: Team motivation fluctuations

Events add realistic unpredictability and test your agency's resilience!

🚀 Advanced Tips

Winning Strategy Elements

• Fit Optimization: Pursue leads that match your specialty
• Quality Focus: Always boost project quality for reputation gains
• Cash Management: Maintain positive cash flow while investing in growth
• Strategic Hiring: Time staff hires to maximize project quality
• Market Research: Invest early for compound benefits on future leads

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Overhiring before steady project income
• Ignoring fit scores when pitching leads
• Delivering low-quality projects (damages reputation)
• Not completing daily quests for bonus rewards

🎉 Ready for the 52-Week Challenge?

You now know everything needed to compete for the highest agency valuation!

Remember: You have exactly 52 weeks and 14 actions per week. Make every decision count toward building the most valuable agency possible!