The Annual Review (Agent Edition)

Agency work doesn’t really stop when the year ends.

Conversations continue. Negotiations stay open. Things you decided months ago are still affecting what’s possible now. By the time December comes around, you’re usually already deep inside the logic the year created.

That’s exactly why reviewing the year matters.

For me, the first step is always the same.

I look at what worked.

Who did I actually enjoy working with this year?

Which promoters were respectful, easy, or simply nice to deal with?

Which artists really showed up and trusted me?

And then I say thank you.

Agents forget this very easily. We’re busy, we’re stressed, we move fast. But appreciation matters. Relationships are the core of this job, and they don’t just maintain themselves.

After that, I look at the roster.

Not in a blaming way.

Not in a “what went wrong” way.

But structurally.

How dependent am I on one artist or one income stream?

Am I standing on one foot or two?

And if things aren’t balanced, what would actually help create more stability?

Another big topic is time.

What really took up most of my time this year?

What created the most frustration?

What were the same challenges coming back again and again?

If you have a team, look at how that worked. Where did things flow well? Where were you doing things that aren’t really your strength? Is there a way to give tasks to others, extend support, or simplify things so you’re not constantly overwhelmed?

Being overwhelmed is not a sign that you’re doing well. It usually means something in the structure needs attention.

I also think agents should look at their own long-term direction.

Not only bookings. But creatively. Are there projects or ideas that could make the work more enjoyable again? Something that keeps your spirit alive instead of just managing pressure all the time?

Looking back also means acknowledging what didn’t work.

And sometimes that includes apologising.

To artists.

To promoters.

To collaborators.

Saying “this year was stressful, I know I wasn’t at my best in every moment” can change relationships much more than pretending everything was fine.

This way of reviewing the year is something we work with quite directly inside Become an Agent.

Not as theory. Not as motivation. But as a practical way of looking at how decisions were made, how habits formed, and how pressure shaped behaviour over time. The goal isn’t to judge yourself. It’s to enter the next year with more awareness instead of just repeating patterns.

Personally, I used to sit down at the end of the year and go through my emails from January onwards. Slowly. Not to judge myself, but to see patterns. How I communicated. Where I was short. Where I was present. Just doing that already changed how I worked the year after.

You don’t need to change everything.

But you do need to look.

Because if you don’t review the year consciously, it will repeat itself unconsciously.

And this job is too demanding to run purely on habit.