Have Your Job and Moonlight, Too ALMOST a century ago, a hit song lamented the difficulty in persuading American soldiers who saw the world during the Great War to return to their rural homes. The title said it all: "How Ya Gonna Keep "Em Down on the Farm? After They've Seen Paree. Similarly, a song today might wonder "How Ya Gonna Keep "Em Down With the Ad Business? (After They've Seen Silicon Valley or Alley) " - in other words, what can agencies do to hold onto valued employees when, it seems, it has never been easier to start a business of one's own. One way Madison Avenue is coping with restlessness amid the ranks is to help workers achieve entrepreneurial goals while remaining on the job. For instance, Deutsch L.A. - the office of Deutsch, owned by the Interpublic Group of Companies, in the Marina del Rey section of Los Angeles - has started an initiative named the Side Project Project, offering its estimated 475 employees an opportunity to have agency resources devoted to personal business ventures. Those resources are donated, in the same way that Deutsch L.A. would work pro bono on a public service campaign. An ad for the Bouqs Company is part of the work of the Side Project Project of Deutsch L.A. As part of the initiative, which began in 2012, employees make five-minute presentations at periodic agencywide meetings, after which senior managers evaluate the concepts. So far, the projects of two employees have received green lights, with the second about to get visibility with a commercial scheduled to begin running on cable television. Plans call for a third request for proposals in the first quarter. "The Side Project Project grew out of this notion to help people at Deutsch L.A. scratch their entrepreneurial itches," said Kim Getty, partner and chief operating officer at Deutsch L.A. "People who work in advertising have always had a desire to create businesses," she added, but it rings particularly true when it comes to "the millennial generation, for whom the idea of starting something up is quite sexy." Ms. Getty, asked to estimate the dollar value of the resources and time devoted to each concept selected to be a Side Project Project, said it was difficult because that "will vary, based on the "ask" and the needs of the business." The first choice for a Side Project Project was from Victoria Guenier, at the time the director for content production at Deutsch L.A., who sought assistance with marketing an independent film, "Between Us," for which she was an executive producer. The agency worked on materials, Ms. Getty said, like a trailer, an electronic press kit and a poster for the movie. Ms. Guenier is now managing director and head of production at Omelet, an agency in Culver City, Calif. The second choice of the Side Project Project was to help David Plafchan, a senior copywriter at Deutsch L.A., get off the ground a business called the Bouqs Company in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Venice, which offers, at thebouqs.com, an online floral delivery service. "Bouqs" is shorthand for "bouquets." When Mr. Plafchan is not at his day job, writing ads for Deutsch L.A. clients, he is the creative director at Bouqs. "I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit," Mr. Plafchan said. After discussions with a friend, John Tabis - who started Bouqs with Juan Pablo Montufar - Mr. Plafchan decided to ask for assistance to introduce and market the company. Mr. Plafchan and Mr. Tabis, the chief executive at Bouqs, made a joint presentation to an agencywide meeting in August 2012 and were elated when they were chosen. "We're getting insights from the executives and partners here at Deutsch," Mr. Plafchan said. Seeing the higher-ups pulling for you, excited for you, believing in you, that's a cool thing. Mr. Tabis said he told Mr. Plafchan, " "Dude, this is like winning the lottery for a start-up." " The assistance from Deutsch L.A., Mr. Tabis said, has included advice on naming the company, public relations and, now, the commercial that is to run on cable. The Bouqs commercial is a lighthearted appeal to men to send flowers to compensate for behaviors like leaving the toilet seat up. Mr. Plafchan joked that he and Mr. Tabis "came in like your typical client: We asked for a "viral video," " using a term that raises the hackles of advertising professionals because no one can guarantee that a video will go viral - that is, quickly become a hit in social media.