Should freelancers start a one-person agency for branding and sellability advantages?

Yes, freelancers should start a one-person agency for branding and sellability reasons. A freelance outfit earning $200k can't be sold because the business relies entirely on you. Forming a company gives you the opportunity to sell it later, even if it's a one-person entity, because you can use the company as a branding vehicle and open the door to equity-building steps. While branding yourself as an individual (e.g., 'I'm Nick Zerbe') can lead to faster growth because clients prefer working with a human, creating an agency separates the corporate worker-bee job from freelance work and makes the transition to a full agency easier when you hire help. In short, the advantage is primarily equity-based: building an asset, investing time, energy, money, and risk, then selling it to capture capital gains and avoid high taxes.