In this first of a new series, Simon Davies explains the lessons he’s learned from building, scaling and selling an independent agency. Davies founded Bastion Brands in 2012, building it into Australia’s leading specialist health and pharmaceutical creative agency, servicing global companies including CSL, Danone and Pfizer. In 2022 he sold the business to Havas Group, completing a three-year earn-out in June 2026. He began his career as a Graduate with George Patterson Bates in 2023.
Starting an independent agency looks glamorous from the outside.
Freedom. Creativity. Being your own boss.
The reality is a little different.
It’s payroll stress, client pressure, cashflow management and the occasional 3am wake-up wondering how you’re going to pay everyone next month.
I’ve built an agency from scratch, scaled it nationally, sold it and thrived through the earn-out. Looking back, there are a few truths about building an independent agency in Australia that people don’t talk about enough.
If you’re thinking about starting one, these are the lessons that matter.
1. Have a crack
Most people never start. They wait for the perfect timing, the perfect client, the perfect safety net. It never comes.
When I started my agency I didn’t have a perfect business plan. What I had was belief and a willingness to get uncomfortable.
Entrepreneurship isn’t about eliminating risk. It’s about backing yourself to manage it. You don’t need a 50-page strategy document. You need conviction and the courage to make the first call.
Momentum favours the brave.
2. Avoid the tax on cool
Generalist agencies are struggling. Specialists are thriving. But there’s a trap most founders don’t see — what I call the tax on cool.
When everyone wants to work in a glamorous industry, competition becomes ferocious and margins get thin. The cool kids fight each other for a slice of the same pie. Meanwhile, the unglamorous sectors — healthcare, insurance, industrial, agricultural — have serious budgets, real problems to solve, and far fewer agencies with the expertise to help.
We chose healthcare. Not because it was easy — it isn’t — but because it’s complex, regulated and high trust. That complexity became our moat. We weren’t competing against a hundred agencies. We were competing against a handful, and we could charge fair value for genuine expertise.
Pick a lane. Own it.
3. Massive action wins
Founders who win move faster and try more things. In agency sales it can take 10–12 touchpoints just to get a meeting — emails, coffees, events, follow-ups and plenty of rejection.
I spent nearly three years trying to break into a global Pharmaceutical client. Probably twenty coffees, a dozen meetings and multiple proposals. Nothing. Then eventually they gave us a small opportunity. That account became one of our biggest clients for seven years.
Persistence and action beat talent more often than people realise.
4. Discipline beats hype
Agencies love ideas. But scale comes from systems.
Financial discipline. Weekly WIPs. Margin focus. Clear accountability. Saying no to the wrong revenue. I call it “bush maths”: always know what’s coming in and what’s going out.
“How much came in this month, and how much went out?”
Growth without discipline creates chaos — and chaos kills valuation.
5. This is an ultra marathon
There will be moments you want to quit. Clients leave. Staff leave. Markets turn. You lose pitches you thought were certain wins.
Resilience isn’t motivational poster stuff. It’s showing up when things are hard and staying calm when your team is watching. Relentless resilience is a cost of entry.
You can have six or nine brutal months where everything goes wrong. Then suddenly things turn. If you last long enough — and keep improving — the compounding effect kicks in.
It’s lonely on the extra mile. Make sure you do that extra mile.
6. Date before you marry
If you sell your agency, choose a partner — not just a buyer.
We dated Havas for three years before doing the deal. That time was critical. We got to know each other properly and tested whether the cultures actually aligned — not just on paper.
Selling a business isn’t just a financial transaction. After the deal is done, you still have to work together. Make sure the chemistry is right. Make sure the incentives are aligned. Make sure the people you’re joining respect what made the business successful in the first place.
Havas has been all of that and more. A genuine partnership that has worked for all parties — you don’t often hear this in the post-acquisition world.
A good financial deal, additional firepower to grow your business, and strong chemistry- the three ingredients to a good agency sale marriage.
Australia is a tough but brilliant market for independent agencies. We move fast, stay close to clients and punch above our weight globally.
If you’re thinking about starting one, my advice is simple:
Have a crack.
Just don’t expect it to be easy. Expect it to be worth it.
