If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past two years of building the In-House Agency Leaders Club community, it’s that, when it comes to in-house, there is no single model for how to do it. Every business has different needs, so every in-house agency is set up slightly differently in order to meet those needs.

There are, however, some common principles for success. With the help of leading members of our group, I’ve been pulling them together in the form of an In-House Agency Manifesto. It’s a list of ten (plus one) guiding principles, requirements – demands even – that are key to success in-house. They overlap, they’re not necessarily in a strict order, and they vary in importance, but they all matter.

Let’s start with the most basic – Remits and North Stars. Not to be overdramatic about it, but any IHA needs to ask itself ‘why do we exist and how will our work help the business?’ Out of this most basic form of self-analysis should come the remit for the agency. It will determine what kind of work the agency should do and, therefore, who it needs in order to do it. Yes, saving money is important, but that cannot be the only reason an in-house agency exists.