How Much Does It Cost To Start An Online Advertising Agency? (In 2024)

"The costs (which I like to call investments) of building out Fantôm from scratch can be broken down into two main items and no credit cards or loans were necessary: The cost of things needed to do the work: Website, Software/tools, Energy drinks, Online courses, Online communities, Books, Mentors."

Luis Camacho is the founder of Fantôm Agency, a digital advertising agency that focuses on helping mid-to-late stage SaaS companies scale through paid advertising channels.

"In fact, launching our agency as a 100% remote-working based company reduced the initial starting costs, and opting for freelancers instead of hired workers helped us scaling up gradually and allowed us a certain degree of flexibility in business management. *In the first years, our costs have been mostly around freelancers and online tools.***"

Francesco and Valerio are the founders of Loop, an Online Advertising Agency that achieves $35K/Mo, focusing on Paid Advertising services and recently expanding to chatbot projects.

"Today, Flying V Group employs 12 people, has worked with over 300 clients, operates internationally, and is on pace to double revenue for the second year in a row. Crazy to think about being here when my brother and I both got up and quit our corporate jobs and put $5k into the project to get us started!"

Robb Fahrion is the co-founder of Flying V Group, a digital marketing and advertising company that helps businesses grow through online strategies.

"In the early days, we self-funded our business in three ways. Kathryn had a good job, so we saved as much money as possible and lived well within our means. Like many other business owners, we also used credit cards and put ourselves in situations that were challenging. It was never out of control, but we wish we’d done less of that. The third way was fortuitous. We started our company in 2002 when the market in California wasn’t moving. Then, over the next five years, our house tripled in value, so we had investment capital we were able to take out of the house for the business. Through those three methods, we were funded without having to take out loans."

Michael and Kathryn Redman are the founders of Half A Bubble Out, a full-service marketing and advertising agency based in Chico, California.

"The MVP took just 2 weeks to build and cost only $400. I registered the domain and it cost $12.99. It really didn't cost much."

Bant Breen is the founder of Qnary, an executive reputation management and talent branding solutions company that started in 2012 and now has thousands of executive and enterprise clients globally.

"In terms of finance, in the beginning, I was very resourceful. As I mentioned earlier I had a three-year-old and a newborn and we were going backwards financially fast. So there was no startup capital to speak of. I simply did a lot of hard work, and any time I made a profit, we reinvested it all back into the business. In the early days, I took no wage, later I took a small wage, and it was probably around nine years into the business and two years after Kat and I became 50/50 shares in the business that we both finally started to pay ourselves the sort of wage we could command if we went out into the workforce."

Yvette Adams is the founder of The Creative Collective, a full-service marketing agency that started in 2007 and has since experienced significant growth and revenue increases.

"In terms of the costs, it was fairly minimal starting out. I freelanced as I was transitioning from my product-based business, so my startup costs were primarily just my time. Now, we invest in subcontractor labor and some software, but we're a remote agency, so overhead is still low compared to traditional agencies."

Michael Maher is the founder of Cartology, a service agency focused on managing Amazon channels for brands that has grown significantly since its inception.

"Never had startup capital, never went into debt borrowing money."

Roger Sievers is the founder of Sievers Creative, a full-service marketing agency in Minnesota.

"Major Impact Media was launched completely self-funded."

Brice Gump is the founder of Major Impact Media, a hybrid agency/education company started in 2015 that focuses on providing marketing services and education to experts, coaches, consultants, and online service providers.

"I started this business with $60 and nowadays we make on average $50K-$100K on recurring revenue. And don’t do any web project smaller than $50K."

Ash is the founder of Motif, a growth-driven digital agency that helps DTC Fashion, Luxury & Lifestyle brands with proven strategies and methodologies to grow faster.