Win With Paid Ads – Episode Summary

Episode Overview

Episode Title: $1.4M to $6.5M: The Exact Decisions Powering Our Growth and Our 2026 Plan
Host: Ashley Brock
Date: January 8, 2026

In this energetic and highly actionable episode, Ashley Brock explores the specific strategies and mindset shifts that propelled her business from $1.4 million to $6.5 million in revenue—and outlines her concrete plan to break the $10 million mark in 2026. This rapid-fire reflection covers the 10 key decisions that led to explosive growth, strategies for the year ahead, and memorable coaching moments—all targeted at entrepreneurs aiming to win big with paid ads and business expansion.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Make Decisions Quickly ([06:10])

• Ashley’s Core Principle: “Indecision is a prison. But you gain traction when you take action.”
• Observes that high-performing entrepreneurs (7–9-figure earners) make decisions rapidly: “As every step of the ladder goes up, they make decisions even more quickly.” ([07:31])
• Anecdote: Inspired by Tony Robbins’ “take massive action” advice; visualizes each quick action as earning a sliver of opportunity on a clock face—encouraging persistence until something sticks.
• Caution: Massive action should be targeted—avoid scattering energy without letting an effort gain traction.

2. Invest Before You’re Ready ([11:58])

• The team invests in hiring, advertising, and experts ahead of feeling ready, accelerating growth: “It has allowed us to pay for speed.”
• Willingness to “not have this money but have the asset, decision, or knowledge.”

3. Pay for the Four Cs of Expertise ([13:20])

Ashley breaks down four core investments:

• Coaching: Paying for others’ knowledge.
• Connection: Paying to be around those with valuable connections. “Even five minutes of just one-on-one time…could allow me to show them how I can help them.” ([15:24])
• Community: Investing in rooms of peers and those ahead, to widen perspectives and receive validation.
  • Memorable Moment: At the Hall of Fame retreat, high-earning entrepreneurs shared struggles with balancing business and family, providing unexpected, emotional support. ([18:56])
• Career Building: Hiring team members who are smarter or more experienced to elevate the company’s capabilities.

4. Take Feedback Like Crazy ([23:53])

• Cultivates openness to feedback from clients and team—applies it quickly.
• Celebrates client compliments: “I watched you change feedback and… I got more than I paid for.”
• Insight: Without feedback, improvement stalls. Proactively seek and act on it.

5. Make Your Product the Best ([26:25])

• Relentlessly improves product and client experience. Points to “The Science of Scaling,” which argues companies not rapidly growing are likely declining.
• Constantly analyzes competitors’ weaknesses to fine-tune her own offering. “Every time someone says they’ve taken another cheap ads course… I’m like, tell me about it. What was the pain point?” ([28:30])

6. Admit When You’re Wrong ([31:10])

• Adops “Extreme Ownership” and leads by admitting mistakes or unclear communication, rather than expecting others to read her mind. “If you’re expecting people to read your mind, you will always be disappointed.”

7. Treat Everything as Data ([33:40])

• “Nothing is good or bad. It is simply just data that helps us inform what we’re gonna do or not do.”
• Advocates for “Data over drama”: analyze results, don’t get emotional. Focus on what numbers really say. ([34:28])

8. Make Other People’s Wins Your Priority ([36:17])

• Inspired by the book “Unreasonable Hospitality”: “We choose to be the best on purpose and for a purpose.”
• Links team and company success directly to client wins: “I can’t take care of you if we don’t take care of the clients.”
• Going above expectations for clients becomes a core value.

9. Buy Back Your Time ([41:03])

• Consistently looks for tasks to delegate, freeing herself and her team for strategic, creative, or high-impact work.
• “My role as CEO right now is content, coaching, and being creative about how we can grow the company.”

10. More Ads, Better Ads, More Platforms ([44:00])

• 2025 saw highest-ever ad spend and corresponding revenue growth.
• Plans for 2026: Expand beyond Meta/Facebook/Instagram to Spotify, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Google, Amazon, Pinterest—“I want to be every single place that my prospects and clients are and where my competitors are.”
• The objective is “more ads, better ads, and more platforms.”

2026 Growth Plan – What’s New ([47:30])

• Deeper Talent: Hiring individuals with 10–20 years of departmental experience, especially those who’ve scaled much larger companies.
• Public Relations: Engaging a client’s PR agency for organic exposure, press, and partnerships, rather than relying solely on paid ads.
• Affiliate Partnerships: Seeking influencers and businesses with large audiences for mutually beneficial referrals and promotions.
  • “If you have a massive audience…I’d love to figure out what that partnership could look like.” ([52:06])
• Increased Ad Spend on Multiple Channels: Targeting more LinkedIn (organic and paid), continuing expansion of long-form podcast and YouTube content.
• Consistency in Content: Long-form content remains a core goal, with dreams of eventually expanding the podcast.

Key Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Action: “Indecision is a prison. But you gain traction when you take action.” ([06:10])
• On Community: “Sometimes you feel like you’re isolated… and just feeling seen and validated and not feeling guilt was just, it was a really special moment.” ([18:56])
• On Feedback: “You can’t get feedback if you’re not doing something to get feedback on or asking for the feedback.” ([24:31])
• On Leadership: “If you’re expecting people to read your mind, you will always be disappointed.” ([31:51])
• On Winning: “We don’t win if our clients don’t win. Our number one priority has to be our clients.” ([37:11])
• On Data: “Give me the data. Are the ads working? Are you getting clicks? Are you not getting conversions?... There is always a next move.” ([35:02])
• On Delegation: “Buying back my time gave me time to be able to think about the systems and process and team and strategy and coaching that…would help our clients elevate and win.” ([41:47])
• On Expansion: “I want to be every single place that my prospects and clients are and where my competitors are.” ([44:49])
• On Belief: “You have to have a little bit of a crazy level of unreasonable belief that you can do something even though it doesn’t make sense.” ([55:15])

Timeline of Important Segments

• 06:10 – Make decisions quickly; “Indecision is a prison”
• 11:58 – The value of investing before you're ready
• 13:20 – Four Cs: Coaching, Connection, Community, Career Building
• 18:56 – Mastermind moment: Navigating parent guilt
• 23:53 – Take feedback like crazy
• 26:25 – Obsession with making the best product
• 31:10 – Admitting you’re wrong, “Extreme Ownership”
• 33:40 – See everything as data, not drama
• 36:17 – Make client wins the top priority (“Unreasonable Hospitality”)
• 41:03 – Buy back your time (and the team’s time)
• 44:00 – More ads, better ads, more platforms
• 47:30 – 2026 Scaling plan: PR, affiliate partnerships, deeper hires, expanded content
• 55:15 – “Unreasonable belief” in achieving $10M

Tone & Style

Ashley’s presentation is energetic, motivational, and no-nonsense. The episode blends actionable business frameworks with vulnerable, real-life reflections on leadership, team building, and personal growth. Ashley is relentlessly positive but highly practical—emphasizing both empathy (for team and clients) and ruthlessly strategic decision-making.

For Listeners

This episode provides a transparent look at what it takes to scale a rapidly growing business with paid advertising at the center. Ashley’s 10-step breakdown, expanded 2026 strategy, and memorable examples make it essential listening for any entrepreneur serious about accelerating their own growth and mastery of paid ads.