There exists, in this magical era of technology, great tools for creatives. Yet, the barrier to entering the market, in cost and learning curve, have caused over-saturation in the market. The only way to get ahead of the pack, other than working harder (and that is a good thing), or being better than the rest (also a good thing), is more, /better and /intense marketing. Even if you work harder, thought, and are better at what you do, it does not help you much if no one knows about your skills. But focusing on any other aspect of your art or trade steals you away from doing that which you love. What if there is a better way? What if you can work along with your competition instead of against them.
In a practical sense, marketing effort and the mundane things, like admin or training can easily be co-opted. Co-opting is great for cross-exchange of information and technique. Co-opting is great for apprenticeships, market stratification and accreditation. The best value add is giving your client the peace of mind that there is a support structure in place. Hell, it might even help you to sleep better at night.