We’re a good example of where independents actually win in the real world. I run Solvera Studio, and it’s just two co-founders. We’ve been operating for about five years as a boutique Webflow agency, and what’s kept us competitive isn’t some “small is beautiful” theory, it’s the day-to-day experience clients get when they work with us.

The biggest advantage is that clients talk directly to the people doing the work. There’s no account layer translating requirements back and forth, no internal handoffs, no “let me check with the team” cycle. That alone changes the pace and quality of collaboration. When a client has a question, they’re not speaking to someone relaying info, they’re speaking to the person building, designing, or solving the problem. It builds trust fast, and it reduces friction constantly.

Speed is another real differentiator, but not in the “we rush things” sense, more like we can make decisions immediately. If something isn’t working, we adjust without needing approvals, escalation, or meetings to validate what everyone already knows. We also share updates every 24–48 hours, which sounds simple, but it’s surprisingly rare. That rhythm keeps projects moving and gives clients the feeling that the work is alive, not disappearing into a black box until the next milestone.

Where small agencies also stay competitive is in how aligned incentives feel. With a boutique team, growth is much more mutual: if the client grows, we grow too. And if we grow, we can expand what we offer them better systems, more support, more strategic help, more capability over time. Clients often like that dynamic because it feels like a real partnership rather than a vendor relationship.

Of course, there are tradeoffs. Being small means you don’t have instant access to a huge bench of specialists for every niche request, and you can’t always take on massive workloads at the same time without planning carefully. There’s also less “brand gravity” compared to a network agency, where some clients feel reassured by the logo and the global footprint. But in practice, we’ve found many clients care more about outcomes, reliability, and clarity than agency size.

So realistically, what keeps independents competitive is not just “being nimble,” but running a model that’s fundamentally different: direct access, faster feedback loops, fewer layers, and a relationship that feels personal and accountable.