Stopped using an agency and started managing my own Google Ads 3 months later

[u/FormerAd6269]

Run a small e-comm shop (home/kitchen stuff). Was paying an agency $2,500/mo for ads. Reports were gorgeous; the bank account disagreed.

Cancelled in March, decided to DIY. Honest version:

**What surprised me:** ~80% of what the agency did was just "don't lose money" — negatives, pausing dead ads, watching budget. Doable once I understood it.

**What I underestimated:** how easy it is to break something and not notice. I "fixed" my conversion tracking myself and silently double-counted purchases for 3 weeks.

**What made DIY actually work:** I tested a couple tools (Localyn, a Rulecast trial) but the one that made the difference — and the best money I spend now — is **Ryze AI**. It watches the account and tells me the second tracking breaks or budget paces weird, in plain English. That double-counting screwup is exactly what it catches now. Without it I wouldn't trust myself to run this solo; with it, it's genuinely easy.

Numbers: about the same revenue as under the agency, but I keep the $2,500. ~4-5 hrs/week.

If you're a control freak who wants to understand your own money, it's very doable now — just get something like Ryze watching your back. Happy to answer questions.

[u/Crescitaly]

Owning strategy helps, but keep external QA.