Your Marketing Agency Is Probably Robbing You Blind. I Know Because I Used to Run One.
Most UK businesses spending £3,000+ monthly on marketing are funding campaigns on autopilot, paying for junior staff at senior rates, and getting reports designed to hide failure. I’m an ex-agency owner who got sick of the exploitation. Here’s what they’re actually doing with your money.
Your Marketing Agency Is Probably Robbing You Blind.
I Know Because I Used to Run One.
Most UK businesses spending £3,000+ monthly on marketing are funding campaigns on autopilot, paying for junior staff at senior rates.
I’m an ex-agency owner who got sick of the exploitation. I’ll help you discover what they’re actually doing with your money.
No sales call required. Written report in 5 working days.
If Any of This Sounds Familiar, You’re Being Exploited
Your Agency Is Underperforming If:
- You don’t have direct access to your own Google Ads or Facebook accounts
- Your reports are full of impressive charts but you still can’t answer “is this working?”
- Your agency goes silent when you ask tough questions about ROI
- You’ve been “testing” campaigns for 6+ months with no clear winners
- You’re paying for “strategy” but getting generic tactics from a junior team member
- Contract terms make it expensive or complicated to leave
- You feel like you’re throwing money to the wind every month
“We’re constantly being told to market this way or that way, but without any of my own expertise, I admit that it always feels like I am just throwing money to the wind with our marketing budget and seeing what sticks.”
— UK Business Owner, Construction Industry
The worst part? Most business owners know something’s wrong but can’t prove it. That’s exactly what agencies count on.
What’s Actually Happening Behind Those Reports
I ran a marketing agency for 6 years. I’ve seen these tactics from the inside. Here’s what most agencies won’t tell you:
The Junior Staff Bait-and-Switch
You’re sold by a senior strategist. Your account is managed by someone who started 3 months ago. The agency pockets the difference between your retainer and their salary.
The Reporting Black Box
Reports designed to look impressive whilst hiding the truth. Vanity metrics (impressions, reach) instead of business outcomes (leads, sales, profit).
The Data Hostage Situation
They set up your ad accounts under their ownership. When you leave, you lose access to years of performance data and audience insights. Starting from scratch costs you thousands.
The Contract Trap
Lengthy notice periods, liability caps, and automatic renewals protect the agency (not you). Most clients never read the terms until they want out.
The Accountability Avoidance
When campaigns underperform, they blame algorithm changes, market conditions, or your competitors’ increased budgets. Never their strategy or execution.
The Minimum Attention Fee
Fixed monthly retainer means their revenue is guaranteed whether they actively optimise your campaigns or not. Many accounts sit on autopilot for weeks.
“I repeatedly explained that our industry had specific seasonal buying patterns and regulatory requirements. The agency kept running the same campaigns year-round and created content that made compliance claims we couldn’t legally make. When I pointed this out, they said they’d ‘take it under advisement’ but never changed their approach. We wasted around £25,000 before I finally terminated the contract, which was my mistake, I admit.”
Glass Manufacturing Business Owner, London
The Hidden Cost of “Giving It More Time”
Most business owners wait 12-18 months before admitting their agency isn’t working. Here’s what that costs you:
Direct Waste
Example: £600-£900 monthly in ineffective campaigns × 12 months =
£7,200-£10,800 gone
Opportunity Cost
Revenue you didn’t generate because your marketing wasn’t working properly.
Often 5-10× the direct waste
Switching Costs
Starting from scratch with new agency. Lost data. Lost momentum. 3-6 months of “testing” again.
Competitive Disadvantage
Whilst you’re burning cash on ineffective campaigns, your competitors are capturing market share with marketing that actually works.
What Actually Happens When You Get the Truth
Here are three recent examples (client details anonymised):
Manchester Manufacturing Company
Problems Found:
- £847/month wasted on broad match keywords attracting DIY consumers (not B2B buyers)
- Junior account manager making basic targeting mistakes (campaigns targeting entire UK when business only serves Northwest)
- No remarketing to website visitors (leaving 73% of site traffic on the table)
- Landing pages not mobile-optimised despite 61% traffic from mobile
- Agency charging £1,200/month but account hadn’t been touched in 6 weeks
Outcome: Client used the report to renegotiate their contract. Agency reduced fee by 30% and assigned someone senior. Within 2 months, lead quality improved 34% and cost-per-lead dropped 28%.
London Professional Services Firm
Problems Found:
- Approximately 70% of ad spend going to mobile users who were served homepage as landing page
- No exclusion of existing clients from remarketing campaigns (wasting budget advertising to people already converted)
- Agency wasn’t tracking phone call conversions despite 40% of leads coming via phone
- Search campaigns allocated approximately 40% of budget to keywords which were semantically incompatible with the services offered
- Display ads showing in irrelevant placements (news sites, gaming apps, apps for kids)
Outcome: Client implemented fixes themselves using our recommendations. Terminated agency contract. Now managing campaigns in-house with quarterly audits from us. Marketing costs down 38%, lead volume up 22%.
Birmingham Retail Business
Assessment Found:
- Agency actively optimising weekly (clear in change logs)
- Senior team member genuinely involved in account
- Proper conversion tracking across all channels
- ROI calculated at 4.2× (profitable)
- Transparent reporting showing real business metrics
Outcome: Confirmed continued investment was justified. Owner now has peace of mind backed by data. The bottleneck wasn’t marketing (it was website checkout process with 44% cart abandonment). We recommended CRO specialist instead.
Note: This represents roughly 20% of our audits where agencies are actually performing well.
Why I Switched Sides
I started a marketing agency at 22. For 6 years, I tried to do it differently (honest reporting, senior-level involvement, transparent pricing).
But I kept losing to agencies that promised the world and delivered PowerPoint presentations. Agencies that charged premium rates whilst staffing accounts with juniors. Agencies that made themselves impossible to fire.
The honest approach couldn’t compete with empty promises.
After 6 years, I realised I was in the wrong position. I’d rather help the business owners being exploited than keep losing to agencies that exploit them.
Track Record
I speak their language. I know their playbook. I make them accountable.
I Don’t Replace Your Agency. I Make Them Actually Deliver.
I audit marketing agencies. I verify their claims. I translate their jargon into plain English. I identify exactly where your money is going.
What This Actually Looks Like:
Independent Performance Audits
- Verify reported numbers against actual platform data
- Check if campaigns are being actively optimised or left on autopilot
- Confirm who’s actually managing your account (senior staff or juniors)
- Calculate your TRUE cost per lead and ROI (not their vanity metrics)
- Identify wasted spend and missed opportunities
- Audit entire marketing infrastructure (not just one channel)
Plain English Answers
You get clear answers to the questions that matter:
- Is this working or not?
- Where is money being wasted?
- What should be happening that isn’t?
- Are you being overcharged?
- Should you stay or switch?
Proper Accountability Systems
- Get you direct access to your own advertising accounts
- Set up dashboards tracking real business outcomes (not vanity metrics)
- Review contracts for exploitative terms before you sign
- Ongoing audits to keep your agency honest
What This Actually Costs
Free Marketing Assessment
Initial audit and written report: £0
You keep the full report regardless of whether you hire me ongoing. No strings attached. Most businesses find it eye-opening.
Ongoing Oversight (Optional)
Typical range: £600-£1,500/month
Price depends on your number of channels and complexity.
My Pricing Guarantee:
- I won’t charge more than I save you
- My goal: Save you at least 2× what you pay me
- If I can’t find significant savings opportunities, I’ll tell you honestly
- No long-term contracts (cancel anytime)
- Monthly billing, paid upfront
Minimum requirements: At least £3,000/month in ad spend. Below this, usually there isn’t enough data for reliable analysis (unless agency dishonesty is blatant and obvious on multiple fronts).
Example economics:
If we uncover £750/month in wasted spend, that’s £9,000 annually. Even if ongoing oversight costs £900/month (£10,800/year), you’re still ahead (plus you have continuous protection against future waste).
Common Questions
Will my agency know you’re auditing them?
No. I access your accounts with read-only permissions that appear as you checking your own data. Your agency has no visibility into my analysis unless you choose to share the findings. Unless you want me to handle the communication with agency.
What if my audit shows my agency is performing well?
Then I’ll tell you exactly that. Roughly 20% of audits reveal agencies that are genuinely doing good work (they’re transparent, actively optimising, and delivering ROI). If that’s your situation, the report will confirm it with data. You’ll have peace of mind and evidence to justify your continued investment. That’s worth knowing too.
Won’t this damage my relationship with my agency?
You’re in control of what happens next. If the audit shows they’re underperforming, you have evidence to demand improvements or negotiate exit. If it shows they’re performing well, you can share the findings as third-party validation. If you want to keep it confidential, that’s your choice (the audit is yours). Your agency never knows I’m involved unless you tell them.
What if I’m locked into a contract?
The audit will review your contract terms and identify any exploitative clauses. I’ll show you exactly what your exit options are, including notice periods and any penalties. Most contracts have outs that agencies don’t publicise (I’ll find them).
I’m spending under £3,000/month. Is this still worth it?
The free assessment works for any budget, but below £3,000/month there often isn’t enough data for fully reliable analysis. However, if you’re spending £2,000/month and 25% is wasted, that’s £500/month or £6,000/year. The audit pays for itself if it finds even one month of waste. Contact me and we’ll determine if it makes sense.
How do I know you’re legitimate?
Fair question given the industry. I never ask for payment until after you’ve received the free assessment report. You can verify the quality of my analysis before committing to anything ongoing. I also work under NDA with enterprise-grade security protocols (your data is never shared, stored beyond the audit period, or used for any purpose except your assessment).
What exactly do you audit?
Everything: Campaign structure and targeting, bid strategies and budget allocation, landing page performance, conversion tracking setup, reported metrics vs platform reality, contract terms, team expertise assigned to your account, and whether campaigns are actively managed or on autopilot.
What happens to my data after the assessment?
All data can be handled under NDA with enterprise-grade security protocols. After the audit is complete and you have your report, your data can be permanently deleted from my systems. Nothing is stored, shared, or used for any other purpose unless you approve it. Your information stays yours.
You’re based in Poland but service UK businesses?
Correct. I lived in the UK from 2015-2023 and now provide services remotely from Poland. This doesn’t affect the quality or turnaround time of audits (everything is done digitally anyway). Same-day response times, UK business hours availability.
Find Out What’s Really Happening (Free Assessment)
Here’s what actually happens when you request an assessment:
Step 1: You Send Me Your Data (15 minutes)
Give me:
- 3-6 months of agency reports
- Read-only access to your advertising accounts
- Your contract with the agency
- What you’re actually trying to achieve
No sales call required. Though if you’d like to personally brief me on your situation, that would be appreciated.
Step 2: I Audit Everything (5 working days)
I analyse:
- Where your money is actually going
- What’s working vs what’s waste
- Whether you’re being overcharged
- Specific ways you’re being exploited (if any)
- Concrete recommendations with expected impact
Step 3: You Get a Written Report
You keep this report regardless of whether you hire me ongoing.
The report includes:
- Exact amount of wasted spend identified
- Performance compared to industry benchmarks
- Whether your agency is actually optimising or coasting
- Contract terms that need renegotiating
- Priority fixes with expected impact
- Plain English summary (no jargon)
I don’t hold information hostage. You get the full report whether you continue with me or not.
Step 4: Decide What to Do (Optional)
After seeing what’s actually happening, you have three options:
- Fix the relationship: Use the report to demand better performance from your current agency
- Leave with evidence: Take the findings to a better agency or manage in-house
- Ongoing oversight: Keep me as your marketing watchdog for ongoing oversight (£600-£1,500/month depending on complexity)
What Happens When You Actually Know Your Marketing Is Working
Instead of checking reports with dread, you’ll have:
Real-time Visibility
Dashboard showing actual lead flow and costs. No more waiting for monthly reports to know if you’re profitable.
Certainty About ROI
Know exactly which campaigns generate profit and which don’t. Make decisions based on data, not agency promises.
Direct Account Access
Verify everything yourself. No more taking their word for it. You own your data.
Time Back
Focus on running your business instead of questioning your marketing. That constant nagging doubt? Gone.
Confidence to Scale
When you know what’s working, you can invest more in it. Or cut what isn’t and stop the bleeding.
Peace of Mind
That “dopamine boost when the problem solution just clicks”? That’s what proper marketing accountability feels like.
You’re Not Paranoid. You’re Right.
That feeling you’ve had for months that something’s wrong? Trust it.
Your agency probably IS underperforming. The reports probably ARE designed to confuse you. You probably ARE being overcharged.
Not because you’re naive. Because you lack the specialised knowledge to verify what they’re telling you. That’s exactly what agencies count on.
I’m offering independent verification.
If your agency is performing well, I’ll tell you. If they’re exploiting you (they usually are), I’ll show you exactly how.
No sales pitch. No manipulation. Just the truth about your marketing performance.
