Research from Fight or Flight, NewtonX, and Shepard & Ewe Shows Individualists are the Power Brokers of B2B Buying
NEW YORK, March 11, 2025 – A new era is emerging in workplace technology, where individual autonomy and career ownership are transforming how decisions are made. According to new research, workers now have greater authority and influence over budgets, prioritizing personal innovation and reshaping traditional approaches to B2B purchasing.
The Individualist Era Report was released today by Fight or Flight, an integrated B2B firm known for creating creative campaigns that drive commercial results. The report was developed in collaboration with NewtonX, the leading B2B research firm, and Shepard & Ewe, LLC, a consultancy specializing in guiding B2B leaders and technology companies.
The research was conducted by NewtonX, known for delivering verified data and insights from professionals. The study surveyed professionals in the United States and United Kingdom across the automotive, healthcare, software/technology, financial services, and professional services industries. Participants ranged from individual contributors to C-level executives at organizations of all sizes. Using clustering techniques and qualitative interviews, NewtonX revealed how individual autonomy has reshaped B2B buying.
The Individualist Era Report highlights the shift from traditional industrial marketing to today’s individualist era in B2B. It explores the implications for marketers and provides strategies for thriving in this new landscape, including insights on effectively engaging with the individualist archetypes driving this transformation.
The report findings include:
Employees are driving their career growth through emerging tools.
Half of employees (50%) feel their role is becoming more difficult, and 62% feel more pressure to be more efficient. So, the vast majority (77%) are willing to experiment with new tools. In fact, 82% report using tech that makes them more productive, and 79% specifically call out AI. 74% also consider the tools they use at work essential to career growth.
“Rugged individualism has arrived at the workplace, and work technology is the new personal competitive edge,” said Brooke Shepard, Founder of Shepard & Ewe. “The shift has created an individualist-powered workforce with greater individual buying power, opening a new era in B2B services and marketing.”
But some businesses are lacking the technology and the policies needed.
While employees are confused about their organization's policies on AI and other technology, with only 14% believing their organization’s policy is “very clear,” the competitive marketplace has pushed them towards embracing it.
Notably, 39% of respondents say they find it easy to use outside or not officially approved tools, and while 77% use ChatGPT, 36% use it for tasks unknown to their company.
In fact, the surprising employee benefit of 2025 might just be the right workplace AI software, with 62% saying they would turn down a job if a company utilized outdated or legacy technology and 54% saying they would leave their job if they took away software or tools essential to their role.
These evangelists have more autonomy and are spending money.
A whopping 56% have more autonomy over tool and service purchases. Moreover, 40% said they would spend more individually on tools and software than their company currently spends, and 62% feel they would be rewarded for introducing a new tool if it drives organizational improvement.
“B2B companies need to understand the shifting buying power within organizations and how they grab attention and build advocacy among the new power brokers influencing spend,” said Tim Fry, North American Chair at Fight or Flight. “The most effective way to cut through in the Individualist Era is creative communication that speaks to individual workers and acknowledges the dynamic among their colleagues.”
To help marketers navigate this shift, the report identifies four archetypes of workers—High-Flyer, Adaptable, Reliable, and Builder—based on their attitudes toward innovation, risk, and compliance. These archetypes provide insights into the unique motivations driving each group. Marketers can learn more about these unique drivers here.
“The research shows that in B2B, the end buyer is no longer just a job title—it’s an individual with unique motivations, goals, and influence,” said Jackie Cutrone, CMO at NewtonX. “Reaching them means understanding how they work, their openness to new ideas, and the personal value they seek from the tools and services they choose.”
Methodology: The research was conducted from October 18 to October 28, 2025, surveying 150 full-time professionals across the United States and United Kingdom. Respondents were screened to ensure familiarity with AI and its influence on the workplace. Participants represented a diverse range of industries, including automotive, healthcare, software/technology, financial services, and professional services. They also spanned various organizational levels, including 30% associates or individual contributors, 19% managers, 19% directors, 19% vice presidents, and 14% C-suite executives. This diversity ensured a comprehensive understanding of perspectives across industries and levels of responsibility.
About Fight or Flight:
Founded in 2020 by Charlie Meredith-Hardy, Joe Walton and David Woodward, Fight or Flight specializes in creative B2B campaigns that deliver both emotional and commercial impact. The agency’s global team of PR, social and branded content experts are on a mission to rid the world of tedious whitepapers, building earned, owned and social campaigns that turn heads and make headlines. Fight or Flight has garnered global recognition for its award-winning campaigns, including The Drum’s 2023 and 2024 B2B Awards for ground-breaking creativity. For more information, visit https://fightorflight.com.
About NewtonX: NewtonX is the only B2B research company that solves the challenges of today’s insights leaders by connecting them with verified business expertise. Our AI-driven algorithm— the NewtonX Graph—custom recruits the perfect audience for your business question from an open network of 1.1 billion professionals across 140 industries. Every professional is 100% verified, so you can make your next bold move with confidence. To learn more, head to newtonx.com.
About Shepard & Ewe, LLC: Shepard & Ewe helps B2B leaders tap into the increasing buying power of today’s fast-changing workforce, identifying new market opportunities for growth and building the marketing plans to seize upon those opportunities. For more information, contact founder Brooke Shepard on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-shepard/.
Media Contact:
Anna Johnson