You didn't want to hire an agency. Too expensive. Too rigid. Too much overhead.
By John Aspinall ✱ · March 5, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
You didn't want to hire an agency.
Too expensive. Too rigid. Too much overhead.
So you went the "smart" route:
▣ PPC freelancer → $2,500/mo
▣ Listing copywriter → $1,500/mo
▣ Graphic designer → $2,000/mo
▣ Inventory consultant → $1,000/mo
▣ VA for catalog management → $800/mo
Total: $7,800/month.
Not bad, right?
Except here's what you forgot to budget for:
⤷ Your time.
You're now the one:
→ Making sure the PPC person knows the copywriter changed the title.
→ Chasing the designer for assets the listing needed last week.
→ Relaying inventory data to the ad manager so they don't overspend on OOS products.
→ Sitting on 4 different Slack channels, 3 email threads, and a WhatsApp group.
Nobody owns the strategy.
Nobody sees the full picture.
Nobody is accountable for the outcome.
You wanted to avoid hiring an agency.
⤷ Instead, you became one.
Just without the systems, the experience, or the infrastructure.
If you're managing more than 2 freelancers for your Amazon business right now, how much of YOUR time is going to coordination? Be honest.