The Company Road Podcast E85 James Fitzjohn: Swapping Comfy Corporate for Consultancy Hustle
In this episode of The Company Road Podcast, Chris Hudson speaks with James Fitzjohn, founder and director of Brew Consulting. James is a certified "agency nomad," having spent over 20 years with advertising heavyweights like Ogilvy, AKQA, and DDB across London, Dubai, Melbourne, and Perth.
James shares the epiphany that led him to ditch the corporate life for the independent hustle. He realised that brilliant brands were happily spending fortunes on "shiny new websites" and "truckloads of performance marketing" without ever addressing the fundamental business strategy underneath.
This frank conversation delves into the raw, human reality of making that leap. The fear, the vulnerability, and the exhilarating freedom of building your own thing. It's a must-listen for anyone who's ever considered trading their office chair for a blank page and a new purpose.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
- The epiphany moment that showed James the massive disconnect between marketing tactics and core business strategy.
- The reality of the "agency nomad" life and the universal lessons learned from 20 years inside the world's biggest ad agencies.
- The fear and vulnerability of the first 6 to 12 months after leaving the corporate safety net.
- Why strategy must be a foundational element before any budget is spent on "shiny marketing."
- The shift in mindset required to go from being a big agency intrapreneur to a solo entrepreneur.
- James's generous offer to listeners who are considering their own career leap.
Key Links
- Brew Consulting: brewconsulting.com.au
- James Fitzjohn's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jfitzjohn/
About our guest
James Fitzjohn is the Founder and Director of Brew Consulting. With over 20 years of experience, James has held senior leadership roles at globally renowned advertising firms, including Ogilvy, AKQA, and DDB, spanning four continents. His consultancy was founded on the belief that too many businesses confuse brilliant marketing tactics with core business strategy. James helps clients stop faffing about with the superficial and focus on getting their foundational strategy right, delivering better, more honest marketing as a result.
About our host
Our host, Chris Hudson, is an Intrapreneurship Coach, Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching and consultancy Company Road.
Company Road was founded by Chris Hudson, who saw over-niching and specialisation within corporates as a significant barrier to change.
Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.
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