Why We Hate Agencies – Andrew Wilkinson on Burnout, Delegation & Building Tiny

Andrew Wilkinson (Tiny, Metalab, Dribbble, Aeropress…) has been one of my biggest inspirations in the last 10 years. I never thought he’d accept my podcast invitation — and yet, a few weeks later, I was flying to Canada to interview him in person. In this episode of Cosa Sposta, we go deep into: Why agencies are some of the most stressful businesses in the world What it feels like to build a $300M empire — and still be anxious How Andrew learned to delegate everything he hates doing What “anti-goals” are and how they changed his life The surprisingly simple reason why incentives break or scale a company When to sell a business (even if you love it) And what actually moves the needle — in work and in life This is not just for agency founders. It’s for anyone wondering: is this really the game I want to keep playing? 📕 Books mentioned (affiliate links) Never Enough by Andrew WIlkinson: https://amzn.to/3HwWlYX (affiliate link) The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael Gerber: https://amzn.to/4jSLlTh 📷 My Gear (affiliate links) Headshot: Sony Alpha ZV-E10: https://amzn.to/4nbSsJi Headshot: Sony FE 35 mm f/1.8 https://amzn.to/4ljLuAm Microphone: RØDE Wireless Go II https://amzn.to/43Upw0V Wide shot: https://amzn.to/4kQAZEy Tripod: https://amzn.to/3FPbdBF SD Card: https://amzn.to/4kKWOWa COSA SPOSTA is a series of interviews with leaders in the digital product space who have achieved extraordinary results—exploring how they see the world. 📩 For collaborations or guest inquiries: g@belkadigital.com 🎧 COSA SPOSTA is also available on podcast platforms: Spotify and Apple Podcast. You can also follow me on Telegram, where I share the most interesting links and behind-the-scenes content: http://telegram.me/mchgli Follow COSA SPOSTA on social media: TikTok:   / mchgli   Instagram:   / cosa.sposta   Follow Andrew Wilkinson on YouTube: @NeverEnoughPod CREDITS Editor: Mara Cecili Audio Specialist: Andrea Garofalo Chapters 0:00 Why Agencies Burn People Out 5:01 Comfort Kills Growth 10:02 Scaling Metalab’s Unique Strategy 15:03 Why Big Companies Struggle to Innovate 20:04 Joy vs. Success in Business 25:05 Building a $300M Empire 30:06 The Power of Anti-Goals 35:07 Letting Go of Control 40:08 Incentives that never works 46:07 Tiny stocks performance 50:10 When to Sell Your Company 55:11 Cosa sposta? What Actually Moves the Needle 59:00 Rapid-Fire questions: Books, Music, Habits, Advice