
In this episode, Ashley Brock dives deep into what business owners and entrepreneurs can learn from one of the greatest golf legends of all time, Rory McIlroy. We talk about what mastery really looks like, what it requires, and what it takes to...
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Welcome to the Marketing Matters podcast for small business owners, entrepreneurs, and really anyone who has anything that you want more people to find. Because you being the best kept secret helps no one, right? And that's because you can be so great at what you do. But if you aren't great at advertising what you do, then no one can find you, right? That's why in every single episode, I'm going to show you how you can use paid ads to hit your goals 10 times sooner. It's time you finally learn how to win with paid ads. I'll show you how to score and be known by more. Let's get started. We're talking about mastery at the masters with Roy McIlroy today. Now, he's not here, but we're going to pretend that I'm getting the opportunity to interview him because we're actually going to pull up his interview as he was about to get his green jacket. And what this means for you is the power of mastery and why it is so important that you are the person who not only masters your craft, but also masters the the world with paid advertising. And I'm gonna honestly prove it to you today on why mastery is exactly what you want. So I don't know if any of you were watching the Masters recently, but when I was watching Roy, did you ever get the feeling that he was just so much further ahead than you? Like, you're sitting there and you're like, wow, I'm so behind. Like, he has truly mastered this. And I realized something that I actually have in common with Roy McElroy. You want to know what that is? Mastery. He and I have both mastered our craft. No, it's not that we can both hit a double bogey, because, trust me, like that I can. But it is also mastery of something. And I want to go into. What does the actual definition of mastery say? It says, mastery means you've learned something so well that you deeply understand it and can use it skillfully, almost effortlessly. It's not just being good at something, it's being exceptional and in control of it. I'm telling you what, you put me behind a golf ball, it is kind of likely that it goes somewhere near where it's supposed to. I definitely don't have control over it. And so sometimes when I hit a drive and I'm like, you know, it goes 200 yards and I'm golfing with everybody else, I just have to act natural inside. I'm like, yes. I don't know how that happened, but I freaking love it. And Inside, I'm like, yeah, yeah, no problem. That's what you're supposed to do. You know, you act cool about it. I had no control over that ball. But do you know who does? Rory freaking McIlroy. And it's because he's mastered it. You know, he's been golfing since he was 2. I have four things I'm gonna share with you about stats, about mastery, and why some people do master things and why some people don't. So hang around because I'm gonna share those four things with you. But I actually wanted to start right before I share this clip of Rory, because I am going to play it for you because it's really, really powerful. But if you want to master paid advertising, and if by the end of this episode you're like, I'm in, then the first step towards mastery with your paid advertising for your company and your business is in the Win with Paid Ads challenge. So you can click the link below this podcast or this video, or go to ashleybrock.com challenge and join this five day challenge where you will start the framework of truly understanding and mastering paid advertising for the long haul. So, all right, we're going to talk about these pieces of mastery and why some people do and don't master it. But let's start with what Rory says. So I want to set the stage for you. So he had just won. He had gotten on his knees and cried. He kissed his wife, he saw his family. He's walking up. And I just imagine it is this human experience unlike anything else. Like, the whole world. He is surrounded by people and he's having. It gets me emotional watching it. I don't know if it's you, but when you watch, watch the Masters and you watch whoever that person is truly, like, become the victor. Like, truly win. Because the thing about the, like, golf, it is freaking hard. And it takes so much time, energy, and effort. I cannot imagine how many times Roy missed a putt, missed a putt, missed a putt, missed a swing, missed it. Like, I can't imagine how much refinement that he has had to go through to be able to get to that moment and to watch a human be so relentless and consistent and resilient and to finally win the game that they play. Like, everything in his life has built up to that one moment where he finally got to cash in and be like, I earned this. And in the book Psychology of Winning, it says that winners expect to win. You notice in Roy's acceptance speech, he was like, yeah, no idea. I must be lucky. Like, that's not what he said, right? He mastered this. He knew. He anticipated the win. And that is what winners do. And that is you too. So let me share with you if you're listening. I'm gonna play this here so you can hear what Rory said. So he's in the room. He's had this human experience. I've already cried 10 tears. Like, Kyle always peeks over at me, and I'm, like, crying when he kisses the wife or kisses the kid. I'm like, I can't. And so I'm just crying watching this human just, like, be recognized and celebrate, like, working so hard for something. It was so cool. Oh, my God, why do I cry every time? Love watching people win something. That's hard. And so, anyway, here's where he is. So he's in the room. He's about to get his green jacket, and they're interviewing him, and they're like, rory, like, what would you attribute this to? And here is what he said in a funny way.
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And I just think all week how I responded to setbacks. I think that's what I'll take from this week. And, you know, couldn't be more proud of myself for that and being able to bounce back when I needed to.
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So we said he was so proud of how he responded to setbacks and how he could bounce back when he needed to. And that one sentence, if you choose to, it could change your life. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know why this, like, thought gets me so emotional every time. But, like, watching, like, could you. Could you imagine if every game. Could you imagine if Rory. He started the day off in the Masters and had a double bogey. AKA, for those of you that don't watch golf, that's too above par. It's not great. Below par is, like, really great. Okay. And for Rory, he can do birdies. He's done eagles. Pretty sure he's done a hole in one. It is so admirable that the person who won the Masters had a terrible first hole. Like, he had every excuse in the world to be like, well, really, jack this up. I'm too over parents. But of course, the winner, a winner, responds to setbacks like Rory did. They don't let it stop them, and they keep going. And so when you think about mastery, mastery does not come because you did something for a little while. In fact, I actually looked up what does it really mean to master and how long does it take to master something? So I Have Veronica and Robert here. And I told him I was going to ask him a question. So I want you guys to guess. How long do you think that there's. So there's a study. Let me back up. There's a study from Malcolm Gladwell and Anders Ericsson, and they did a study about how many hours of practice someone has to have to say that they've mastered something. If you had to guess, how many hours do you think mastery requires? I'm gonna say one to two hours a day. So one to two hours a day. If you had to say a total amount of hours, if it was like this total amount leads to someone mastering, what do you think that that total amount would be? Robert, what do you think?
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I'm a fan of his, so I already know the answer.
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Okay, he already knows the answer. All right, so it's down to Veronica here. Veronica, drum roll. What do you think? I don't know. 50. Okay, she's going 50 hours. So good thing is. Good thing is we love Veronica. And it is not 50. It's actually a lot more than that. So there's this study, and it's called the 10,000 hour rule. 10,000 hours. And what it says is it takes roughly 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to achieve mastery in any field. And most people try golf, try videography, try reporting, try video editing. They do all those things for maybe 10 hours, maybe 100, maybe a thousand. But 10,000 is what they call mastery in this study. And So I asked ChatGPT, I said, hey, ChatGPT, if I've been doing ads since this time, how many hours of ads do I have? And I have 20,794 hours as of today. So I think I got like a double master. Now, I don't have my master's, but I feel like I should in ads from that many hours. And I was actually gonna chat GPT and ask how many hours of mastery Rory has, because he has been golfing since he was two. Now, I did it on like an average 40 hour work week. And I can tell you right now, there's times I've been doing ads for 60 hours a week. That is, for dang sure. Especially agency life. Like, you're running hundreds of thousands of dollars a day. People are want some hourly changes and updates, and you've got multiple clients. Like it was. It was. It was. You work your little booty off consistently every day, all day, and you're on call when they need you. If an ad gets disapproved, I don't care if it's 9:00 at night. You gotta F and be ready. So. Oh, my gosh. Did you look up how many hours you had? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. How many hours do you have, Robert in videography? 80,000 hours. Okay, so Robert has 80,000 hours of video editing skills. That's why he's so great. You know, it's just, if you really think about that, it is why most people don't master things. Who is really willing to stick with something long enough, right? So that is when you look at someone and you say, what is mastery? I'm gonna start saying, how many hours? Right. It's actually why, when you think about certification programs and internships and fellowships, the goal is to hit a certain amount of hours to inch away towards being on the destination of mastery of something. Now, here's what I have. Good news for you, by the way. If you're listening here and you're like, well, Ashley, that just proved my point. Not learning ads. I'll tell you right now. When you learn from someone who is mastered, it compresses time for you. I can guarantee you this. If I could pay Rory McIlroy to train my son in golf two hours a day, I am going to. I would be willing to bet a million dollars, which I, you know, it's a lot of. I would be willing to bet at least a million dollars that my son would be better at golf than 99% of people if he, like, mentored with Rory McIlroy for, let's just say, a year. Would you agree? That's not 10,000 hours, but I imagine it would compress time and speed things up. Because when you learn from someone better than you at something, it takes you from having to be the one to figure out the elbow, the. The leaning, getting every little even aspect of your shot or your approach, right? Because you're just learning from someone else. It's why. The example I've given 8 million times, if I wanted to go build a car today, it would probably take me 50,000 hours to go figure out how to build a car. But if I worked with someone who had built cars for 50 years and had mastery, they could give me the shortcut lane and they'd be like, just click here, click here, try this, put this here, use the wrench. And that car would be built before we knew it. I bet we could build a car in a month if we had the right parts and the right person to teach me. That is compressing time. That is speed. That is what's possible for you with ads, and really with any skill that you want to learn is when you learn from someone who has mastered that thing. Now let's talk about the three other reasons why some people do and don't master things. So first, it's the 10,000 hour rule. Second, it's actually really interesting. So this is called the plateau concept. And I want you to envision this. And what the plateau concept says is that you make fast progress at first. So for those of you watching on YouTube, you can see my angle of my arm. Like, if this is the beginning of the chart, it's fast progress at first and then it actually plateaus for a little bit. So if you're listening, think of a steep incline. And once you hit that steep incline, there's a part where it actually just flattens out. This is the plateau concept. And by the end of where that plateau ends, that's where most people quit. They're like, okay, I saw fast progress. I learned and learned and learned. Didn't make much progress. And they normally drop off. But the people who succeed, it flips and it begins to incline again. It's just most people get stuck here in the plateau before they can grow. Right? So mastery means you push through the plateau so that you can grow. And that is like when you think about mastery, Mastery is not about perfection. It is about the relentlessness to continue. Even when you're not doing a great job, even when it feels like you're not making progress, even when your campaign has spent $500 and doesn't have a lead yet, it's pushing through. And so mastery is knowing about what levers you can push. Yes. It's also knowing what you can fix when something's broken. That's why when people come to me and they're like, have you ever seen this before? Have you ever tried this? I am so unworried about whatever the circumstance is. It's like a pilot who's been flying a plane for 25 years. He experiences lightning in the air, he experiences turbulence, he experiences wind. Like when you do something over and over and over, you're experienced again and again and again with these scenarios that only time can offer you. Right? I know. With like video editing, I'm sure Robert, in his 50,000 or however many hours of experience, I'm sure there's been something. Tell me if I'm wrong, Robert. Where you accidentally recorded something and there was no audio. Of course that. And guess what? I bet you learned and I bet you double checked some other things because of the Mistakes that you made, that is a gift that only time and experience can give you. If someone came up to Robert today and said, robert, teach me everything you know, like, there's so much he can do to help save them. And what he might do is actually tell them. Now, listen, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is forgetting the audio. And maybe you have all the intentions, you get everything right. Well, here's how you can triple check and double check that you have the audio. Whereas a newbie who'd never done it, they would have to learn that lesson on their own. Right? So that's why compressing time and working with someone who's mastered something can really speed things up for you. It's not about perfection. It's about knowing what to pour gasoline on and how to stay calm when the platform freaks out, when your ads freak out, when the audio is missing. So most people, they don't master because they don't make it through the plateau. Number two, it's the 10,000 hours. Number three. So there's this U.S. news study that was recently done, and it said only 8% of people stick to their goals. Only 8% of people stick to their goals. What does that mean for you? It means you can beat 92% of people if you just stick to something long enough, right? Like simply just keeping the game allows you to be better than 92% of people. And here's how I want you to think about this. Most people quit before they get competent, let alone excellent. Most people quit before they get competent, let alone excellent. Don't quit when it's hard. Quit when it's good. If you're struggling with something, that's not the moment, you give up, give up on that thing after you pushed through the hard thing, made it to the other side, and it got good, and then decide, you know what? Now's the time, Right? That's why with marriages, with relationships, raise your hand if you've ever had some relationship challenges. I know I sure as heck have. And most people, some people quit when it's hard, when it's like we're on the same page, okay? We've been off each other's page, and we're like this for months. That's when most people quit. It's like, why don't you get through that hard thing and get to the other side and then decide, was I making a decision because it was hard or was I making a decision because it's what I really want? Right? So only 8% of people stick to their goals. You can be that person. And so mastery on what, whatever it is, whether it's ads, whether it's something related to business or another skill, it lives on the other side of boredom and trial and temptation to quit and you pushing through anyway. So the last thing on what kind of can prevent people from actually mastering something. This one is really, really interesting. So I didn't know this existed. And it's called the forgetting curve. Have you heard of the forgetting curve? The forgetting curve says that 70% of new information we lose unless we have repetition, unless it's reviewed and unless it's practiced. So if you've ever like, I know for sure because I have an ADS training program. People look at me like, this is ad school. Yeah. It's not a cheap, it's not a quick, it's like a actual legit, comprehensive, step by step, all this. Okay. So people come to me and we get on these coaching calls and like, hey, Ashley, I have a question. And they're asking question and I'm like, I see that they've watched the module where I said that and I read another study. I need to go back and look at the exact stats. But it's something like your brain can only process so much new information at once. I think it's like on a normal, routine day. I believe, if I remember correctly, 90% of what we do is automatic or like frequent. Especially when you've been. Obviously when you're starting a new job or when you're getting a new car, or when you're moving into a new place, there's new thoughts, new ideas. But once you get into the motion of something, it's typically that 90% of our day is routine and only 10% of it is new. When you're going to class, when you're going to school, when you're learning something new, so much more of it is newer. And your brain actually, physically, realistically cannot capture it all. So I'll ask someone a question like, did you watch the module? And they're like, yeah, it wasn't in there. And I'm like, it's not that it wasn't in there, it's that your brain was consuming so much newness it can't take in every living, breathing word. Which is why repetition is needed, which is why people don't master. Because we forget 70%. Oh, this is it. I even missed it. Even better. We forget 70% of new information in the first 24 hours unless it is practiced or reviewed. Right. So that is why when people come to me and they'll be like, even students of mine, clients of mine, they'll say, hey, Ashley, I'm having to watch it like two or three times. I'm like, you should watch it. 7. Honestly, it's brand new information. I didn't go to Spanish class for two classes and I'm fluent in Spanish. And it's going to be the same thing for ads or any skill that you have. The practice, the repetition, the doing it long enough that you're actually making a mistake allows you to really, really get good, okay? So mastery requires repetition, refinement and recommitment over and over again. And I want you to think of it like muscles, okay? You see these things? These are what you call guns, right? These are some guns. Now listen, I did break my foot one time, okay? I broke my foot. I'm not going to tell you how that happened. All I got to say is I did not see the ledge, okay? So it was only a couple inches. But I did break my foot and it's pretty, pretty darn bad. And it was on lake weekend. Lake weekend, by the way, is like one weekend a year where we get our friends together and we rent a boat and we just have lake weekend and it's really fun. Well, Ashley, it may have been dark and Ashley may or may not have missed like a three inch step. That's the bad part is the ledge was like three inches. Anyway, broke my foot, went to the hospital, was in cast for about eight weeks. And do you know what happened? Atrophy. What is atrophy? So atrophy is defined as a gradual decline or wasting away of something due to underuse, neglect or lack of activity. Atrophy, when you try to. When you try to learn something and you don't repeat it and you don't use it, that skill atrophies, that skill declines. That skill wastes away. That skill goes away due to underuse and neglect and lack of activity. Someone will say, well, I watched that module four months ago. I'm like, if you're doing it again, you're going to need to watch it again if you want to master it. If you want to get really good at it, you're not crazy for having to rewatch it. There's nothing wrong with you because your brain can't remember what you just watched. It takes repetition to really, really get good at something. And in any skill you have in business and in life, it will atrophy when you don't use it. Using this skill of advertising all day, every day could Allow you to do. What happened to Rory? Are you ready? What happened to Rory? $4.2m in a day is what he made. Now there's taxes, but he made $4.2 million in a day. Great news. I'm nowhere near as cool as Roy McElroy. I pray one day that I can, like, be as cool as him. But what's really cool is I have a skill that has already made me over 4 million in the last couple of years. Right? Me and this company and my clients, I made them millions of dollars per month with this skill. So, no, I'm not as cool as Rory. And I have a skill that it can allow you and your company and your business and your impact to be able to make way more than $4.2 million, right? Some. Some clients are making $4.2 million in a day. Okay, Rory McIlroy, esque. But this skill of mastering paid advertising can give you that win and that victory, too. And you can master it, and it can pay exponentially more than any master's purse could ever pay for the long term, for your life and business and your family. So that is the power of mastering paid advertising. And so if you have not joined the Win with Paid Ads challenge, I want to invite you to click the link below this video or this podcast and join where we're going to start on your journey to mastering paid advertising. Because it's likely going to be the thing that can allow your business to grow the most because more people find out about you, right? You don't have to rely on only posting and hoping on Instagram. You actually are targeting and guaranteeing certain exposure. And this skill is something that you can master and then you can delegate it to someone on your team so that you never have to outsource this expertise ever again. And what's cool for those of you with the seven and eight figure businesses, I know you're busy. I know you're like, I don't want to learn it. You should, because it'll allow you to more confidently manage this person. And when I say you should, I mean because this is probably going to be the line item on your business that is the highest that in your team. And it's going to be the thing that makes you the most amount of money impact and allows you to do what I believe that you were created to do, that God created you to do, is serve the people with your gift that you have, and let's get the gift to them. And that is speed. That is through mastery of paid advertising. So I want to invite you into the challenge and you win the paid ads challenge. So click the link below and I will see you on next episode.
Marketing Matters with Ashley Brock
Episode #65: What Rory McIlroy Can Teach You About Ads, Not Golf
Release Date: April 30, 2025
In Episode #65 of the Marketing Matters™ Podcast for Small Business Owners, host Ashley Brock delves into the concept of mastery, drawing parallels between the legendary golfer Rory McIlroy and the art of paid advertising. This episode explores how mastering your craft—whether in sports or marketing—can significantly accelerate your success and help you achieve your business goals more efficiently.
Ashley opens the discussion by reflecting on Rory McIlroy’s exceptional performance at the Masters. She emphasizes the importance of mastery by highlighting Rory's dedication and consistent practice that has honed his skills to an elite level.
Notable Quote:
“At the end of this episode, you're going to understand why mastery is exactly what you want.”
— Ashley Brock [00:02]
Ashley shares a personal anecdote about feeling inspired by Rory’s mastery, drawing a connection between his golfing prowess and the mastery required in paid advertising.
Notable Quote:
“Mastery means you've learned something so well that you deeply understand it and can use it skillfully, almost effortlessly.”
— Ashley Brock [03:00]
Ashley introduces the 10,000 Hour Rule, a concept popularized by Malcolm Gladwell, which posits that achieving mastery in any field typically requires around 10,000 hours of deliberate practice.
Notable Quote:
“So there's this study, and it's called the 10,000 hour rule. It says it takes roughly 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to achieve mastery in any field.”
— Ashley Brock [07:30]
She humorously shares her own extensive experience in advertising, claiming over 20,000 hours of practice, and compares it to Rory’s lifelong dedication to golf.
Notable Quote:
“I have 20,794 hours as of today. So I think I got like a double master.”
— Ashley Brock [07:50]
Ashley underscores the importance of consistent effort and how commitment to a single discipline can lead to exceptional proficiency.
The Plateau Concept explains that individuals often experience rapid progress initially, followed by a period of stagnation where improvement seems to halt. Most people give up during this plateau, never reaching the next level of mastery.
Notable Quote:
“Most people get stuck here in the plateau before they can grow.”
— Ashley Brock [09:30]
Ashley encourages listeners to persevere through these challenging periods, emphasizing that true mastery involves pushing past these temporary setbacks to achieve further growth.
Notable Quote:
“Mastery is about the relentlessness to continue, even when you're not doing a great job.”
— Ashley Brock [10:15]
Referencing a U.S. News study, Ashley points out that only 8% of people stick to their goals. She draws a parallel to relationships, suggesting that many give up during tough times rather than persevering until conditions improve.
Notable Quote:
“Only 8% of people stick to their goals. You can be that person.”
— Ashley Brock [12:00]
She advises listeners to maintain their commitment, especially when faced with difficulties, asserting that perseverance is a key component of mastery.
Notable Quote:
“Mastery lives on the other side of boredom and trial and temptation to quit.”
— Ashley Brock [12:50]
Ashley introduces the Forgetting Curve, a psychological concept that suggests we forget 70% of new information within the first 24 hours unless we actively review or practice it.
Notable Quote:
“The forgetting curve says that 70% of new information we lose unless we have repetition.”
— Ashley Brock [15:10]
She explains the necessity of repetition and reinforcement in mastering paid advertising, encouraging listeners to continuously engage with the material to retain and apply their knowledge effectively.
Notable Quote:
“Mastery requires repetition, refinement, and recommitment over and over again.”
— Ashley Brock [17:00]
Bringing all these concepts together, Ashley emphasizes how mastering paid advertising can transform a business. She argues that expertise in ads can lead to significant financial gains, much like Rory McIlroy’s mastery in golf leads to substantial earnings.
Notable Quote:
“The skill of mastering paid advertising can give you that win and that victory, too.”
— Ashley Brock [20:00]
Ashley promotes her Win with Paid Ads Challenge, a five-day program designed to help business owners begin their journey toward mastering paid advertising. She highlights the benefits of mastering this skill, such as increased business exposure, predictable growth, and the ability to delegate advertising expertise within a team.
Notable Quote:
“Join the Win with Paid Ads challenge, and you will start building the framework of truly understanding and mastering paid advertising for the long haul.”
— Ashley Brock [21:50]
In this compelling episode, Ashley Brock effectively uses Rory McIlroy’s dedication to mastery in golf as a metaphor to illustrate the importance of mastering paid advertising for business success. She provides actionable insights into achieving mastery through consistent practice, perseverance, and overcoming the natural challenges that come with learning a complex skill. By the end of Episode #65, listeners are not only inspired to pursue mastery in their marketing efforts but are also equipped with the knowledge and resources to begin that journey.
Final Call to Action:
“If you have not joined the Win with Paid Ads challenge, I want to invite you to click the link below this video or this podcast and join where we're going to start on your journey to mastering paid advertising.”
— Ashley Brock [26:00]
This episode serves as a powerful reminder that mastery, whether in sports or business, requires dedication, resilience, and continuous learning. By embodying these principles, small business owners can elevate their marketing strategies and achieve remarkable success.