Great Marketing Is Broken—and I’m Fixing Access

Marketing shouldn’t be a luxury item. Yet for too many brands, that’s how it’s priced, packaged, and delivered. My view is simple: great marketing is unfairly out of reach, and the industry’s structure keeps it that way. That’s not just bad for startups and mid-market companies—it’s bad for the entire economy.

More than a decade ago, I built and sold two ecommerce companies. Then I started advising brands—big names and scrappy challengers alike. The pattern hit me fast: execution breaks down where access breaks down. Teams weren’t short on ambition. They were blocked by a market full of overpromises, inflated retainers, and long contracts that punished speed and learning.

“Over ten years ago, I just finished building and selling two ecommerce companies… And what I found was when it came time for them to execute, it was really hard for them.”

“About 99% of marketers and marketing agencies have no idea what they’re doing.”

“There’s this inaccessibility to great marketing, and I really wanted to change that.”

The Core Problem No One Wants to Admit

Most marketing help isn’t helpful. That’s harsh, but it’s honest. I saw it working with global brands like Red Bull, Verizon, and HP, and with founders building from zero. The issue wasn’t just bad ideas—it was misaligned incentives. The few agencies that deliver real results often price themselves into a tiny corner of the market. Everyone else leans on buzzwords, vanity metrics, and fine print.

Here’s the truth most leaders feel but rarely say out loud: you shouldn’t have to sign a twelve-month contract to find out if a team knows what it’s doing. You shouldn’t need a Fortune 500 budget to get smart, accountable work. And you shouldn’t be forced to pick between overpriced “experts” and cheap noise.

What I Saw Up Close

After my exits, I advised companies across stages and sectors. The pattern was painfully consistent:

• High minimums and long commitments blocked the brands that needed speed and flexibility.
• Inexperienced teams hid behind dashboards, not results.
• Strategy and execution sat in different rooms, so accountability vanished.
• Founders carried the risk while agencies carried the guarantees.

That misalignment creates waste and slows growth. It also discourages teams from testing, iterating, and learning—exactly what modern marketing demands.

My Argument: Access Is Not Optional

We don’t have a creativity problem in marketing. We have an access problem. If skilled teams remain locked behind price gates and legal terms, most companies never get a fair shot. And the 99% figure I called out? It’s a wake-up call, not a punchline. It means leaders must change how they buy, evaluate, and hold marketing partners accountable.

Some push back and say, “Top talent costs money.” True. But cost isn’t the issue—commitment traps and opaque value are. If a partner believes in their work, they should be confident earning your trust with performance, not paperwork.

What Leaders Should Demand

If you run growth, lead a brand, or own a company, set a higher bar. The goal isn’t cheap—it’s clear, flexible, and accountable.

• Ask for modular support you can dial up or down as needs change.
• Insist on short terms with clear milestones and opt-outs.
• Measure impact with real outcomes, not vanity metrics.
• Choose partners who integrate with your team, not hover outside it.
• Reward learning speed—fast tests, fast insights, fast pivots.

This approach protects your runway and prioritizes outcomes. It also attracts the right partners—the ones confident enough to earn the next month by winning this one.

Why I Built Differently

I’ve spent my career building, growing, and selling companies. I helped scale Ellie.com to seven figures in months. That wasn’t luck. It was disciplined execution. When I saw how broken access to quality marketing had become, I decided to build a model that lowers the wall without lowering the bar. The mission is simple: make great marketing accessible, flexible, and results-first.

This is the future I want to see: more founders learning faster, more teams empowered to test and grow, and fewer businesses locked out by outdated terms. We get there by voting with our budgets and our standards.

The Bottom Line

Great marketing should be earned, not gated. If you lead a brand, stop tolerating long contracts, vague reporting, and excuses. Demand flexibility. Demand accountability. And if you’re a marketer, build your work so it’s easy to start, easy to scale, and impossible to ignore.

The market is ready for access. Let’s make it the norm.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What do you mean by “inaccessibility to great marketing”?

Too many teams face high retainers, long contracts, and vague deliverables. Good partners exist, but the path to them is blocked by cost and commitment traps.

Q: How can a company vet a marketing partner fast?

Start with a short project tied to clear outcomes. Ask for expected KPIs, timing, and decision points. If they resist transparency, move on.

Q: Are long-term contracts ever a good idea?

Only after trust is earned. Begin with shorter terms, hit milestones, then extend. Commitment should follow results, not precede them.

Q: What metrics matter most for evaluating impact?

Focus on revenue, contribution margin, CAC, LTV, and payback period. Vanity numbers like impressions mean little without a tie to growth.

Q: What first step should a founder take right now?

Audit your current spend and commitments. Renegotiate terms for flexibility and clarity, or pilot a new partner with tight goals and short timelines.