Declaring your independence from a massive holding company such as IPG is a daunting prospect with a multitude of unanswered questions. In other words, it’s a great big adventure.

At Bozell, we chose to embark on that adventure 16 years ago. At times the ride has been bumpy, but today we are infused with an energy that borders on transcendence. We can’t imagine having made any other choice and we have never been more energized for the future.

Freedom is very different from servitude. You make your own decisions and pay for your own screw ups. There’s no more safety net, no one to bail you out, nor is there a hammer coming down on your head for obvious and some not so obvious reasons.

You get to think and act for yourself, your clients and your staff. You don’t even check the Dow Jones every day (unless you still own holding company stock, of course).

As with everything, there are pros and cons. But they’re your pros and cons. If you don’t fix it, it will cost you. But when it works, you can go the extra mile for your clients and your staff and nothing get siphoned off to “save a sister company” or fund the retirement of a big wig.

Ironically, TM used to be a sister company of ours before the great IPG scramble occurred. We have always been proud to have called them a sister … and even back then they were a formidable brand.

So, we at Bozell would like to be the first to congratulate you for your courage and vision, and to assure you that there IS life, and so much more, after living in a “holding” pattern.