Don’t want to start another agency: Akshay Gurnani on life after Schbang

Akshay Gurnani, who co-founded Schbang in 2015 with Harshil Karia and Sohil Karia following a four-year stint at FoxyMoron, has navigated all corners of the digital marketing world.

“The agency experience has been amazing,” he reflects. “I’ve had the opportunity to learn every aspect of digital—whether it's people and team management, strategy, creative, technology, production or media.”

Taking to LinkedIn, he wrote: “When I co-founded Schbang at 25, I made a conscious choice to build something from the ground up. Looking back, I realise these years have been the best MBA I could have ever received. Real-world lessons in leadership, resilience, creativity and the power of teamwork.”

He is now ready for another challenge: scaling brands more deeply. He is consulting with brands in India and the UAE, advising a few agency founders in their scaling-up journeys, and also building on a passion project. “I’m meeting people, talking to folks in the industry, and trying to understand what’s out there—and what could be the next big thing.”

But what he knows for certain isn’t the next big thing is another agency. “There’s no room for yet another agency. There are already more than 5,000 agencies in India,” he remarks. Despite his thoughts, Gurnani is interested in how artificial intelligence can solve problems for agencies—whether in hiring, strategy or creativity.

"It’s a difficult time for agencies right now, especially with the uncertainty of business and good, loyal talent."

Akshay Gurnani

What he is doing instead is building a network of agencies through his investments. “This allows me to build a network of agencies without actually owning one myself. I can enable these agencies to scale—because I’ve been through that journey of scaling,” he remarks.

When he looks at the many different independent agencies that have cropped up, he does not believe it’s a passing trend or merely disgruntled mid- to senior-level folks opening shop. But what worries him is young founders being clueless about what they want.

“Many young agency founders don’t seem to have clarity on what they want to achieve. ‘Owning your agency’ is a bit of a flex, because the barrier to entry is practically zero,” he remarks.

Gurnani says it’s a tough time for the agency world, and the game has become about “undercutting costs”, and that young founders “struggle to drive real business outcomes for brands because they are unable to understand the business goals and whether their services actually move the needle.”

Also read: What is buzzing at Schbang?

Observing all this, he wonders how consolidation will happen. “Will people just shut shop completely if they're unable to survive competition, or will only the big players survive? It’s a difficult time for agencies right now, especially with the uncertainty of business and good, loyal talent,” remarks the former Schbang co-founder and CEO.

So, what’s the antidote to all this hustle? It is happiness. In his words: “I keep asking myself—what’s the most important thing, and where can I derive more happiness going forward? That’s my metric. I think it’s the best metric—because if you’re not happy, then what is all this hustle even worth?”