Monthly plans from $1,000 · you own the stack — recovery starts with an asset map, not a cost-savings percentage versus the last retainer.
Sound familiar — invoices cleared, operating system missing
Pitch deck energy vanished after the signature
The room had seniors. Delivery had juniors or tickets. You still cannot point to a workflow that runs without chasing someone.
Reports arrived; logins did not
PDF summaries look busy. Ad accounts, CRM, or publishing tools sit under a vendor login you cannot export cleanly.
Switching feels like starting at zero again
Fear says you will pay twice for the same mess. So you stay stuck, even though the current retainer produces no owned system.
Another vendor promises a full creative bench you do not need yet
You came for pipeline or a working stack. The next pitch sells brand theater and production staff before one live channel exists.
What happens if you keep paying for absence
- This week: another status call without recovered access.
- This quarter: assets stay hostage while your team works around shadow logins.
- Six months of retainer: more decks, still no single live link you can operate alone.
What I assemble after a paid engagement underdelivered
01
Make the damage visible on one page
I inventory contracts, access, content, ads, CRM, and automations. You gather invoices, emails, and any credentials you still hold.
You leave with: bought-vs-broken map with keep / kill / recover tags.
02
Move assets into accounts you control
I help migrate ad accounts, domains, CRM, and repositories into your org. You approve legal/admin steps with the prior vendor where needed.
You leave with: access checklist marked complete or blocked.
03
Prove the stack works on a narrow path
I pick the highest-leverage channel or workflow and make it run under your login. You choose the business priority for that first link.
You leave with: one live system with a weekly readout.
04
Leave a runbook, not tribal knowledge
I write how the live link works and what sits unfinished. You store it in your drive.
You leave with: operator handoff pack.
What the first month includes — and what it does not
Included
- → Bought-vs-broken audit
- → Access recovery plan for accounts you should own
- → One live workflow or channel under your login
- → CRM or reporting hygiene required for that link
- → Weekly status tied to what shipped, not vanity slides
- → Handoff documentation
- → Honest stop rules if access cannot be obtained
Not included
- → Trashing a prior vendor by name
- → A week-one cleanup of every foreign account without an access audit
- → A full creative/production bench for brand-wide campaigns
- → A rewrite of the agency-vs-operator model essay (that lives on /compare/vs-agency)
Look at the path — not another paragraph
Asset checklist in the visual slot — access, workflows, content, report — what stays yours after the switch; no calculator, no spend dashboard.
- Domain / DNS
- CRM access
- Ad accounts
- Scripts / automations
- Content library
- Reporting source of truth
Who this fits
A fit
- → You already paid and delivery failed, stalled, or vanished
- → You want owned access and one live system, not another deck
- → Someone on your side can approve migrations and priorities
- → You can work month-to-month while trust is rebuilt
Not a fit
- → You need a large creative and production bench for full-funnel brand work
- → You will not pursue account ownership and prefer vendor-held logins
- → You are still shopping models and have not paid anyone yet — start at /compare/vs-agency
How this path differs from other options
Who does the work
This operator: One operator on recovery then one live link
First artifact
This operator: Bought-vs-broken map in about a week
Who owns accounts
This operator: You — required
How payment looks
This operator: Starter under $1K; monthly from $1K
What you will not get
This operator: A promise to clean every account in seven days without audit
Day 7 · Day 30 · Day 90
Day 7
Asset checklist filled; blocked access named; keep/kill/recover tagged.
Day 30
Critical logins under your org; one live link shipping with a simple weekly note.
Day 90
You decide whether to expand channels — with ownership intact, without a long lock-in.
Where you can start
One-time starter under $1,000: bought-vs-broken audit and the first access recovery plan.
Monthly from $1,000: operator time to finish recovery and keep one live link running.
No annual contract required to begin.
Questions before the call
Recover what you paid for, then ship one thing that runs
Free Growth Audit — inventory ownership and pick the first live link. Same quiz as the hero, prefilled for agency underdelivery.