20
2021
Tacoma, Washington, USA
Strategy and account management support for agencies
11-50
Misfit
No Single Individual pioneered the unique “teamlancing” model for agencies with strategic or account management needs. While creative freelance teams are expected, strategists, account managers and research/data folks have not historically been so lucky. The expectation has always been that one freelancer will tackle all aspects of the project or brief, even if some don’t match their best skills or seniority level. No Single Individual’s method is a holistic and versatile approach that effectively solves complex challenges without internal disruption. Compared to solo freelancers, teamlancing offers more diverse perspectives, easier internal immersion, thoughtfully blended rates and higher experience/capability thresholds – often at a similar price point – enabling fresh thinking and relief for existing full-time employees. No one else serves agencies quite this way!
No Single Individual’s highly-curated teamlancing approach is empowered by the flexibility of being independent. Rather than offer a labyrinthine matching platform with thousands of potential freelancers, or a centralized talent database managed by a parent/holding company, No Single Individual carefully builds trust with tightly vetted crews that can confidently team up in endless combinations, while still maintaining a large queue of prospective members in both general and niche skillsets that can scale at a moment’s notice. For No Single Individual, maintaining relationships with teams that leverage over 25 years of combined experience demands an indie’s adaptability and perspective, particularly when hand-picking elite groups of long-time members well-versed in crafting smart, creative, data-driven answers to complex questions. We’re agile enough to bring these teams together quickly and effectively – something that’s only possible because we're independent.
As an independent, No Single Individual has been a trusted partner for over 60 agencies, including McCann, McKinney, PPK, Deutch NY, Slap Global and Fancy. Since our founding in 2021, we’ve paid out over $3 million to 50 total historical freelancers, a significant impact to such an intimate group. By always striving for great work, not glory, we’re hired again and again to deliver top-quality strategy and professionalism – 75% of our agency clients have signed on a second time, and we’ve added 10 new agencies in 2025 alone. No Single Individual hit $1 million in total revenue after Year 3, before exceeding that figure in Year 4. Our past awards include the 2023 Bronze Stevie Award for Company of the Year (Business Services, 10 or Less Employees), and the 2024 Netty Award for Best Digital Rebrand. None of this would be possible without the flexibility and autonomy of being an independent agency.
After being told, “If I could clone you, I would” by a resourcing manager, No Single Individual founder & CEO Christine Olivas landed on the independent team-based freelance model to answer big client and strategic challenges. The model also came from a general envy of the team-based approach creatives have enjoyed for decades, which is not often replicated in other departments. In practice, we learned that our bespoke teams don’t think or act like outsiders – they immediately become insiders by adapting to every agency's culture, process and ways of working, which builds trust and confidence from the outset. With limited training, tight onboarding and high demands for continuity, No Single Individual’s agency partners have found that a small team covering leaves or hiring gaps is more effective, and both enriches and relieves internal resources. These experiences helped shape the agency and set us on a successful indie path.
As an independent service that often operates behind the scenes or in a white-labeling capacity, No Single Individual rarely takes center stage credit for its work. To overcome this challenge, we recently redesigned the company website so the NSI personality can shine through: weird, sharp, resourceful, not trying to look big, just trying to look right. Visitors can open and move multiple windows, draw in NSI Paint and play music – all features that reflect the flexible and hands-on way we operate as an indie in 2025. Beyond the website, we frequently position our executives as visible thought leaders to raise No Single Individual’s brand awareness. Our executives frequently appear in broader industry discussions, inviting conversations on social platforms and networking across our ecosystem’s many in-person events. We also have glowing testimonials from agency partners, who may not speak to the exact projects or accounts we’ve supported (and we won’t tell!) but will gush about our talent, flexibility, cost-effectiveness and ethical way of doing business.
For No Single Individual, independence is our past, present and future. By the end of 2026, more than 50% of the industry will be independent, a trend that dovetails with the 63% of agency professionals who, at the start of 2024, were considering leaving their firm or the industry entirely. As the industry evolves to a more fluid talent model and actually embraces the mantra that great talent comes from anywhere, No Single Individual’s indie teamlancing approach will become the preferred solution. The agencies we work with want agile partners, and the best way to maintain that organizational adaptability is by staying independent. No Single Individual is the voice of indie agencies and talent, helping usher in the future of work with its teamlancing method that best meets the needs of today and tomorrow.
