[BLOG] Four big questions to build the business of your dreams

At this year's Agency Hackers Conference in Ibiza, Wow’s Co-founder Peter Czapp shared four big questions with agency owners. These are the questions he comes back to time and again when helping people think about how to create the business - and life - they want.

They’re simple questions, but answering them honestly can be transformational. Here, we share those questions and challenge you to take some time to think about how you can work them into your everyday.

1. What is the purpose of your business (for you)?

Your business should be a vehicle to help you achieve what you want personally. Yet over time, we often lose sight of this. What started out as something to give us freedom or fulfilment slowly turns into something we serve, rather than it serving us.

The first step is to pause and ask yourself: what’s most important to me right now?

Each year in BenchPress, we ask nearly 1,000 agency and consultancy owners the same question, with five possible answers:

Managing my time - being in control of how much I work and what I do.
Making money - maximising the amount I earn.
Building a forever business - one that could last generations.
Operating with purpose - having a positive impact on the world.
Creating an asset - building something that could be sold in the future.

It’s tempting to want a bit of everything. But focus is about choosing what matters most, knowing you may need to sacrifice other things along the way. That’s ok, as long as you’re clear on why you’re doing it and what you’re working towards.

Once you’ve nailed down your “why”, you can begin to set objectives that ensure your business really is giving you what you want.

2. What is your bold move?

Once you’ve clarified the purpose of your business, the next step is momentum. That means making a bold move - not a tweak, not a slight adjustment, but a decision that will propel you forward.

For some, that bold move might be:

Hiring someone senior. Someone who can take your business forward, or free up your time to focus on what matters most.
Firing someone. One person not performing or pulling in the right direction can hold everything back. Letting them go may feel tough, but the cost of keeping them is higher. (And yes, always seek HR advice first.)
Firing clients. Unprofitable clients drain both energy and money. Everyone I know who has done this says the same thing: “I wish I’d done it sooner.” Because it almost always clears space for bigger and better opportunities.
Reshaping your business model. During COVID, some agencies dropped from 20 people to 5 and ended up making more money with less stress. Sometimes this shift is forced on us. Could you make it proactively instead?
Repositioning your business. Are you crystal clear who your ideal client is? Does all your marketing speak directly to them? If not, maybe it’s time to reposition.
Having a conversation with your business partner. Misalignment at the top makes everything harder. Sometimes a tough conversation is what unlocks the next stage of growth.
Finding a business partner. Running a business alone is tough. If you’re solo, maybe it’s time to explore teaming up with someone who shares your vision and values.

Bold moves feel uncomfortable; that’s the point. But they’re often the catalyst for the progress you’ve been waiting for.

3. What habits do you need to change?

Your habits have got you to where you are today. But will they get you to where you want to go next?

The simplest way to start is by asking yourself three questions:

What do I need to stop doing?
What do I need to start doing?
What do I need to double down on?

It sounds straightforward, but here’s the catch: habits are caused by thinking patterns. If you want to change a habit, you need to change the thinking behind it.

Why do you default to certain behaviours? Why do you avoid others? Start getting curious. If you can unravel your thinking, you’ll unravel your habits.

If you’re looking for inspiration, James Clear’s book Atomic Habits is a brilliant place to dive deeper into this.

4. How do you build confidence?

In BenchPress, we ask business owners to rate their confidence for the year ahead on a scale of 1 to 100. Above 50, they’re expecting this year to be better than last. Below 50, worse.

The results speak for themselves:

Confident agencies (70+ score): 70% grew, with an average operating profit of 14%.
Not confident agencies (below 50): Only 8% grew, with an average operating profit of 9%.

In other words, whether you think you’ll have a good year or not… you’re probably right.

So how do you build genuine confidence? You can’t fake it. You need a strategy. Here’s one that works:

Focus on the one thing that will make the biggest difference to your confidence. It could be winning new business, hitting a specific metric, or fixing a big challenge.
Define a clear signal of progress. Break it down into something you can influence quickly. Instead of “signing a £100k client”, maybe it’s “having a conversation with a £100k prospect”.
Set weekly activity goals. Monthly is too long. Weekly goals create healthy tension and accountability. Start small - even if that’s booking three sales meetings per week. With a one-in-three conversion rate, that’ll mean 50 clients in year one.
Celebrate the wins. Each small win is proof you’re on track. And every celebration builds momentum and compounds your confidence.

Bringing it all together

The Four Big Questions aren’t complicated. But they require honesty, courage, and action:

What is the purpose of your business for you?
What is your bold move?
What habits do you need to change?
How will you build confidence?

Answer these, and you won’t just build a better business, you’ll build the business of your dreams.