Reports & Research
from Solo.

The data behind the only studio built for the gap. Original research on the agency model, AI cost floors, and what it means for the businesses agencies left behind.

Issue 001 live · Q3 & Q4 in progress

Updated July 2026

Free to download

73%

The State of the Agency, 2026

Agency model AI Issue 001 June 2026

The State of the Agency, 2026

Why 73% of businesses don't know if their marketing works, how the agency model structurally broke for 36 million businesses, and why AI didn't just improve marketing — it reset the cost floor by 95–98%. The data, the gap, and the only model built for what came next.

73% flying blind

$30K–$144K agency retainer

95–98% cost floor drop

36M+ businesses in the gap

26%

The AI Growth Stack, 2026

AI & marketing SMB growth Issue 002 Q3 2026

The AI Growth Stack, 2026

A practical audit of the AI tools actually moving the needle for growth-stage businesses — categorized by function, cost, and leverage. Why marketing reports the highest rate of AI-related cognitive overload of any function, what's commodity, what's an edge, and the one layer you can't buy.

26% marketing overload

3 tools where it inverts

23% AI-tool retention

$250K hire-nobody floor

The Solo Research Series

Three reports, one thesis: the marketing model broke for the middle, AI reset the floor, and there's exactly one category built for the gap. Each report is free, cited to primary sources, and designed to be useful whether or not you work with Solo.

Start with Issue 001 →

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The State of the Agency, 2026

The AI Growth Stack, 2026

The Solo Research Series

Get each report when it drops.

Agency Tax Calculator

Free Growth Audit