activ Ideas Fest 2025
Don’t Wear Every Hat. Wear Ours.
If you heard from us at Ideas Fest 2025, you’ll know exactly what we stand for: making self-employment in marketing more rewarding, more profitable, and a lot less overwhelming.
What’s next?
This page is your next step.
Dive deeper into what we shared on stage, or in the bar queue in a brief cowboy hat chat (IFKYK!).
Explore how you can launch your own marketing agency with activ, and grab our exclusive Ideas Fest induction offer.
The Reality of Going It Alone
Freelancing sounds flexible… until you realise how many roles you end up taking on.
- Admin – building process, contracts and templates
- Sales – endless prospecting and pitching not knowing if your pricing hits the mark
- Tech – fixing websites and building tools
- Marketing – the client work you actually enjoy (if you get to it)
No surprise then that:
- 80+ hours a month can vanish on non-billable tasks
- Only 60–100 hours per month are truly billable
- Average freelance earnings sit at £20k–£45k/year
- 30% of consultants struggle to retain clients because they can’t do it all well
Sound familiar?
You’re not alone. But you don’t have to build your business this way.
The activ Difference
activ is here to change that for you.
We give you everything you need to run your own agency, without burning out or doing it all alone. Behind you is a full head-office team handling delivery, tech, admin, and marketing, so you can focus on what you do best.
- Save 45+ hours every month on non-billable tasks
- Build recurring income streams
- Work towards six-figure revenues by Year 2
- Be the trusted partner SMEs are looking for (75% prefer one provider)
- Join an award-winning BFA-accredited marketing franchise
Three Ways to Launch with activ
At Ideas Fest, Katie shared how you can choose the model that suits your life and ambitions best:
Location Franchise Partner
Build a recognised local agency under the activ brand with your own protected territory
Consultant Franchise Partner
Trade under your own name, backed by activ’s systems, training, and delivery support.
White-Label Agency Franchise
We’ll launch your agency from scratch under your own brand, with our team delivering behind the scenes.
Whichever route you choose, you’ll never be building alone.
The Market Opportunity
We also shared the size of the opportunity that’s waiting for you:
- Over 60,000 self-employed consultants in the UK
- Digital marketing industry growing 8–10% every year
- 99% of UK businesses are SMEs and 70% outsource their marketing
- Average hourly rates range from £50–£150
In short: demand is growing, businesses need support, and this is your chance to step in with a proven marketing agency business model that you don’t need to build from scratch.
Success Stories
Our partners prove just how powerful the activ model can be:
Lisa
Lisa left corporate life and launched her activ agency. Within months, she was running projects she loved on her own terms.
Lou
Lou was maxed out as a freelancer. With activ’s backing, she scaled her business sustainably.
Cameron
Cameron thought franchising wasn’t for him. Now, he runs his own agency with full support behind him.
BIG NEWS
Ideas Fest Induction Offer
We promised you something special, and here it is.
Our exclusive Ideas Fest induction (20% off) is now open for just two new starters this November.
Induction Details:
Date: Wednesday 26th November, 9am–5pm
Where: activ’s Cardiff Head Office
What’s included:
A joint induction day for you and one other Ideas Fest attendee
Hands-on training with the activ team to immerse yourself in your new business
Follow-up 1-2-1 online support with our CEO Katie Bullon over the next three months
A complete onboarding process so your agency is ready to launch for the new year
This is your moment to stop juggling every role, start your own agency, and be ready for the January 2026 rush when businesses are searching for new marketing partners.
#WearOurHat
Next step?
Complete the form on this page. You’ll get instant access to our brochure, the option to book a discovery call, and full details on how to reserve one of the two induction places.
Complete the form to get started.
