Some interesting takes here. I'm captive but know a lot of Inds and while the daily battles may differ a bit there will always be something to deal with. You can be very successful taking either route with the right approach and work ethic. If you want to own an agency the long term vision needs to ...

Definitely the IT component. We're a small biz so that hat falls in our heads and none of us are networking or computer pros. An IT snafu can shut things down pretty quickly.

The key is to dominate on a local level. People in your community would rather relate to a name and face than a big brand alone. You've got to pick your battles and get in front of your community on a personal level in a way the parent company can't.