After building five successful agencies, advising 7,000 businesses, and sitting on the Google CEO Advisory Board, I've seen the truth: the agency model is broken. It's time to take back control.
Not just theory. Real-world experience building, scaling, and exiting marketing businesses while advising the world's largest advertising platform.
Selected to advise Google's C-suite on global marketing strategy and product direction.
Led CSG's transformation from startup to Australia's largest ICT company.
Supported thousands of Australian SMEs through multiple successful agency exits.
Pioneered marketing innovations that became global standards across Google's platform.
The journey that changed everything
I didn't start in marketing. I started in enterprise sales at CSG, where I learned how real businesses operate at scale. We took a $5 million company to $330 million and orchestrated a $130 million acquisition. I saw what real growth looked like: operational, systematic, and owned internally.
That experience taught me something crucial: sustainable growth comes from building capabilities, not renting them. But I didn't fully understand how broken the alternative was until I became the problem.
Between 2014 and 2022, I co-founded and scaled four successful digital agencies across Australia. We served 7,000+ businesses. We won awards. We got invited to Google's CEO Advisory Board, where I spent two years helping shape global marketing products.
Under my leadership, we launched 83 Google BETA programs, 80% of which were adopted globally. I was at the centre of the digital marketing universe, advising the advisors.
But I started seeing the cracks.
I watched brilliant business owners pay $10,000, $20,000, $50,000 per month for "strategy" that was really just junior talent executing templates. I saw agencies protect their own interests over client results. I saw businesses trapped in retainer cycles they couldn't escape because they didn't own their own accounts, data, or knowledge.
The model worked for us as agency owners. But it failed our clients. They were renting growth they should have owned. They were dependent when they should have been empowered. They were paying premium prices for commoditised execution.
I couldn't un-see it. So I decided to blow it up.
Today, I help companies do what I should have told them to do years ago: fire their agency and build their own internal marketing engine.
I bring Fractional CMO services, marketing recruitment that actually vets technical skills, and team training that transfers knowledge instead of hoarding it. I help you transition from dependency to ownership in 90 days.
This isn't about burning bridges. It's about building yours.
Book a strategy call and let's map out your transition from agency dependency to marketing ownership.
Book Your Strategy CallFour successful agency ventures that taught me exactly why the model is broken, and what to do instead.
Scaled to 120+ clients, focusing on performance marketing for Australian SMEs.
Specialised in eCommerce growth, achieving 3.8x average ROAS for DTC brands.
Built systemised agency model serving 200+ retainer clients with operational excellence.
Final agency focused on paid media optimisation before transitioning to in-house advocacy.
2022 onwards: Transitioned from agency ownership to helping businesses build what agencies promised but never delivered: internal marketing excellence.
The uncomfortable truths about the agency model that nobody wants to say out loud.
The agency model is fundamentally broken. They're incentivised to keep you dependent, not make you independent. More retainer months = more revenue. They profit from your ignorance.
Every dollar spent on agency retainers is a dollar not invested in building your own capabilities. Agencies control your accounts, your data, your insights, and your future. That's not growth - that's hostage-taking.
That senior strategist who sold you? You'll see them twice. The rest of the time, it's juniors running template campaigns while the agency marks up their time 300%. You're paying for an apprentice.
Companies that build internal marketing capabilities grow faster, retain more institutional knowledge, and achieve better long-term outcomes. You can't scale what you don't control.
"The best marketing team is the one you own. Everything else is just expensive rent."
Alex Frew
Three proven pathways to transition from agency dependency to marketing ownership.
I embed into your business 2 days per week to build strategy, systems, and capabilities you'll own forever.
Learn MoreWe don't just read CVs, we audit ad accounts and test actual technical skills before you meet candidates.
Learn MoreFollow our 90-day roadmap to safely fire your agency and build your internal team with zero downtime.
View RoadmapBook a 30-minute strategy call and I'll show you exactly how to transition from agency dependency to marketing ownership in 90 days.