From Freelance Hustle to Top 20 Agency: Brendan Ellich’s BluFire Journey
Most agency owners talk about growth like it’s a straight line. Brendan Ellich’s story is far more honest. In this episode of The Growth Equation, he walks through how a “why not?” freelance experiment during COVID turned into BluFire, a paid media agency now recognised among the top 20 in Australia. He started by helping random Melbourne businesses get online when lockdowns hit, then made the call to stop treating it as side income and build a proper agency with his business partner, Cameron. That meant moving from one-off projects to retainers, hiring a team, and learning the hard way how an agency actually needs to be structured.
Instead of going fully remote like many COVID-born businesses, Brendan chose an in-office model. Today, BluFire runs from a two-storey warehouse, with the team mostly in the office four days a week. For him, it’s about speed and collaboration: walking upstairs to knock out a client strategy in 15 minutes, getting everyone around a table or on the couches to review a new account, and building an office culture people actually enjoy. He’s seen how full-time work-from-home can leave people disconnected, and believes creative, collaborative work simply moves faster when people share the same space.
On the business side, Brendan breaks down how BluFire works with clients, especially trade and service businesses looking for Google Ads. Every engagement starts with a frank conversation about goals, budget, and expectations. If someone wants “just a couple of leads a month” but doesn’t want to spend enough for the platform to even get traction, he calls that out. BluFire runs a retainer model with ad spend tiers, then backs it up with landing pages, clear strategy, and a focus on what really matters: lead volume and lead quality, not just clicks.
Lead quality is the pain point he hears most often, and it’s where BluFire does things differently. Instead of a quick check-in once a month, Brendan’s team speaks with clients weekly. That rhythm means they can catch problems early—whether it’s poor-quality enquiries, not enough leads, or changes in the market—and adjust campaigns quickly rather than wasting months on the wrong approach. He’s blunt about the fact that he faces the same frustrations in his own business, which is why he leans so hard into fast feedback and constant optimisation.
One of the most relatable parts of the conversation is around getting business through the door. Despite running ads for clients, Brendan admits they didn’t initially run them for themselves. They tried everything: in-person networking, email marketing, different channels and tactics. The traditional breakfast networking circuit, in particular, turned into a time sink—hours in weekly meetings and follow-up coffees that didn’t always justify the effort. Looking back, he’d rather pour that time value into paid acquisition, especially once the business has the cash flow to support it.
Brendan is also open about the emotional side of building an agency. There were plenty of moments he wanted to quit—days where cash flow was tight, clients complained, staff issues popped up, or someone left unexpectedly. He talks about those periods where you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, but you know it’s there if you keep going. Early on, he had no real resources—no extra hands, no buffer—so every problem landed on his desk. As the team has grown, those same challenges still show up, but they’re easier to handle because the business now has structure and support.
Looking ahead, Brendan wants BluFire to keep growing revenue and headcount while staying performance-focused. He believes many of the agencies that popped up during COVID without much substance are already being filtered out because the market now demands real results and consistent delivery. On AI, he sees a future where smaller-budget campaigns may be run largely by automated systems, but more complex businesses will still need human strategy, especially where offer structure, margins, and customer behaviour all intersect.
For any entrepreneur or agency owner stuck in the messy middle—from one person to a small team, juggling sales, delivery, and cash flow—this episode is a grounded look at what it really takes to build something durable. It’s about learning quickly, fixing mistakes, and understanding that what got you here won’t get you to the next stage, unless you’re willing to change how you operate.
Connect with Brendan Ellich
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendan-ellich/
Company Website: https://www.blumedia.com/
Brendan Ellich’s Company Socials
IG: https://www.instagram.com/blufire.digital/
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Evolve To Grow: https://m.mtrbio.com/evolve-to-grow
