---
title: "The Artificial, Week 146: Expectations"
abstract: "Another week of The Artificial"
categories:
- work
content-tags:
- weeknotes
- theartificial
- business
external: https://theartificial.com/blog/2016/02/05/week-148.html
---

When Shannon and I started The Artificial 145 weeks ago, I found the "weeknotes" of existing agencies such as [BERG](http://berglondon.com/blog/2009/08/05/week-217/) and [Go Free Range](http://gofreerange.com/week-138) often helpful for orienting myself.

I hope to start paying it forward with occasional posts about building an agency from scratch. Let me begin with two simple lists of surprises.

## Easier than expected

These may not be "easy", but we were prepared for worse.

- Finding work
- Navigating a foreign market
- Establishing credibility as an agency
- Building a top-notch team
- Managing project timelines and team capacity

## Harder than expected

- Finding trustworthy service providers (accounting, legal)
- Keeping up with employment regulations for immigration
- Getting the attention of strangers
- Convincing startup clients to focus
- Networking with related agencies

Without committing to a regular schedule, I hope to dive into some of these in future weeks. [Email me](mailto:hans@theartificial.nl) if you're curious about anything in particular!
