“I run a small model and talent management agency and want to launch an influencer marketing division. I need my first senior hire to lead this but am worried about getting it wrong. Is now the right time to hire?”
It’s a good question. A senior hire leading a new offering is a different beast from any hire you’ve made before, but you might be closer to ready than you think. Most founders who wait for the fear to go away never make the hire at all and end up capping their own growth instead.
There are a few things worth checking, but treat them as green lights rather than reasons to stall. Are peer agencies already doing the same? If the demand is already there, that’s not a “maybe someday” signal – that’s the business telling you it’s ready.
Model and talent management and influencer marketing do run differently – with different deal structures, platforms and brand relationships. That gap is exactly why you need someone senior with the right experience and knowledge. You don’t need to become an expert yourself before you’re allowed to hire one; that’s the whole point. Bring in someone who already knows the space and give them real ownership of the division.
There are also some clear advantages to housing an influencer marketing offering within an established talent agency. You already understand talent, audiences and how to build partnerships that feel credible, giving you a strong foundation on which to develop campaigns for brands.
It also allows you to deepen existing client relationships. Rather than only supplying individual talent, you can support brands with the wider campaign – from strategy and casting through to negotiation, delivery and reporting. That creates a more joined-up service for clients while opening up an additional revenue stream for the agency.
Finally, it gives you greater visibility over what brands are looking for and where budgets are moving. That insight can strengthen both sides of the business, helping you identify opportunities for your existing roster, understand emerging talent categories and make better-informed decisions about who to represent next.
The risk you’re actually weighing up isn’t simply hiring the wrong person; it’s whether you’ll miss the chance to keep up with a changing industry. The hiring risk can be managed through a strong process, so be clear about what success should look like in the first three, six and 12 months, and properly define both the role and the outcomes you expect.
If there is demand and you have a genuine gap in expertise, then it’s time. The agencies that build strong second divisions and additional arms are the ones willing to hire before they feel fully ready. Otherwise, you risk being two steps behind, and potentially the last to launch an influencer division. By which point clients may already be tied into new contracts with the businesses that got there first.
Hope this helps,
