Back in February 2024, Jonny Swift returned from three months of travelling and got a job back at his old workplace as their PPC Manager. He had no experience with Google Ads, but he knew it was a great opportunity to learn valuable skills that businesses pay for to save money in the long term. “I went into the role thinking about the future and what I could do with it, including setting up my own consultancy business.”
Come March 2025, he started Jonny Swift PPC, a consultancy business for those wanting to run Google Ads. After working extra hours for a few months helping other businesses, in September 2025, Jonny decided to take the leap into full-time freelancing. “I’m lucky enough to have had a great start, even after just one month, and I’m only a few clients away from matching what I was making in my 9–5”. Jonny now works around four hours a day, which is plenty of time to do this role properly. Once he takes on more clients, the hours may increase, but he is hoping to reduce them again by automating the boring tasks.
Lessons Learned
The most valuable thing for Jonny wasn’t books or materials; it was crunching the numbers and talking. The numbers helped him make sure he wouldn’t end up on the street with the big switch. Talking to co-workers, his boss, and even his barber about his thoughts on the change helped Jonny figure out whether he was crazy or not.
A big lesson for Jonny was that his emails weren’t set up properly, so clients who were trying to get in touch were finding the emails he sent going straight into their spam folders. He also took too long to get back to clients, which made some move on or ignore him. Finally, Jonny sometimes took on clients even when he wasn’t sure it was going to work. It’s fine to say no.
Jonny would recommend doing something on the side, even if you’re working full-time. It goes against the principle of escaping the 9-5, but when you’re eventually ready to take the leap, it makes the transition much smoother. Another tip is to write things down instead of keeping them in your head. It’s easy to start thinking about work while watching Netflix with a loved one before bed, and it won’t improve your life if those thoughts just linger. “Ever since I started turning ideas into written reminders, using tools like ClickUp, my work/life balance has improved significantly.”
The Value of Freedom
Before Jonny escaped the 9 to 5, he was working 7:30 to 4, which didn’t include the 45-minute commute. Now he’s getting plenty of sleep with the later start. “I’m picking up hobbies I’d let slide, such as playing acoustic guitar. I also have much more time for learning and networking, which I didn’t do enough of before.”
Looking Ahead
Jonny is already seeing more ‘AI’ within Google Ads, but none of it is truly valuable for businesses that have no experience in running ads. He thinks that one day it could be as easy as entering a website and pressing a button, but right now we’re not at that stage. For the moment, Jonny uses AI to create ads much quicker by providing more suggestions for ad copy and descriptions. It’s also useful for tasks he is less confident with, such as some of the administrative aspects of running the business.
“Down the line, I plan to employ someone to handle most of the heavy work for me. I see myself as the ‘big boss’, with trusted colleagues beneath me taking care of the heavy lifting. I’m aiming for this to happen in about a year, all being well.”
Primary URL: https://www.jonnyswiftppc.com/
