Honest Wealth Builders

Abi Asija interviews Haseeb Asif, the founder of Tenplus, about scaling from roughly $110,000 in annual revenue to at least $1 million within three years. Haseeb’s biggest challenge is generating consistent, qualified leads without relying so heavily on Fiverr and Upwork.

Key takeaway: growth comes from improving the entire sales system, not just getting more leads. Abi recommends faster lead response, better prospect qualification, stronger proposals, and a more proactive customer success process.

They break down Haseeb’s current funnel, where most leads come from Fiverr, and identify speed to lead as one of the fastest ways to improve conversions. Abi suggests having a team member respond quickly, direct prospects to a consultation call, and use BANT qualification to filter leads based on budget, authority, need, and timing.

The conversation also covers building a stronger offer using risk reduction, bonuses, urgency, scarcity, and clearer value. Abi emphasizes the importance of video testimonials to build trust, especially as Haseeb targets larger clients.

Finally, Abi recommends focusing more on existing customers through proactive check-ins, upsells, referrals, and repeat projects. The episode closes with clear priorities: improve speed to lead, qualify prospects earlier, track conversion rates, strengthen proposals, collect video testimonials, and build a recurring customer success process.

Abi Asija sits down with Igor Ivitskiy, a Google Ads consultant with 19 years of experience who helps businesses improve the efficiency and performance of their advertising. Igor's biggest business challenge is distribution: a sales funnel that worked extremely well in Ukrainian and Russian-speaking markets needs to be adjusted or rebuilt for the English-speaking market.

Igor's business has three main offers: high-ticket consultancy, an online school for entrepreneurs, and an agency that manages Google Ads for businesses. These three models allow him to serve clients at different levels, from businesses that need hands-on advertising support to entrepreneurs who want to learn the system themselves.

Key Insight: Igor's strongest opportunity is not serving hundreds of smaller clients. He prefers working with fewer, higher-value clients, especially companies with large advertising budgets that can benefit from his experience advising marketing teams. His previous high-ticket clients included companies spending millions on Google Ads each month, where he advised internal teams rather than replacing them.

Igor's strongest source of qualified clients has been speaking at conferences. In Ukraine, major conferences with thousands of attendees generated inbound leads from large companies, while in the last two years he has continued speaking at major conferences across the UK, US, and Europe. He estimates that conferences have influenced essentially all of his inbound clients, either directly or through referrals from people who heard him speak.

The bigger challenge is what happens after the first sale. Igor currently offers a one-week, fixed-price Google Ads audit, but his positioning emphasizes independence and tells clients he is not interested in continuing the relationship. That differentiation builds trust, but it also unintentionally removes the opportunity to retain clients and create recurring revenue. The conversation identifies client lifetime value and long-term retention as the key areas to improve.

The solution is to transform the initial audit into the entry point for a stronger consulting relationship. Instead of simply delivering an audit, Igor can educate clients on the ongoing value of having an experienced consultant monitor changes in Google Ads, guide their internal marketing team, and keep campaigns moving toward better results. A compelling offer can combine a clear outcome, an easy implementation process, risk reversal, bonuses, urgency, and limited capacity before transitioning qualified clients into a monthly retainer.

Viewers will gain a practical framework for turning conference-driven inbound demand into a higher-value consulting model, improving client retention, and building recurring revenue without needing to constantly chase more leads. Igor and Abi also explore how stronger positioning, education, and an irresistible offer can help Igor replicate his previous high-ticket success in the English-speaking market. To learn more from Igor, visit thedoctorads.com or search for Igor Ivitskiy online.

Abi Asija sits down with Slava Smagin, the owner of XIO AI, a robotics and AI company focused on helping businesses adopt emerging technology through automation, commercial robots, and AI agents. With more than $500,000 in sales already and a goal of reaching close to $1 million in annual sales, Slava is building multiple revenue streams while working toward a much larger vision in robotics.

Key Insight: Slava's biggest opportunity is turning a wide range of robotics and AI experiments into focused, profitable business verticals while staying ahead of a market that changes extremely quickly. Rather than relying entirely on broad advertising or cold outreach, he is testing customized approaches that allow him to identify the markets and customers most likely to buy.

Slava explains how XIOAI generates revenue through walking exoskeletons, commercial vacuum robots, and AI agents built as services for other companies. The AI side provides recurring revenue with relatively minimal ongoing work, while robotics creates opportunities to serve businesses looking to reduce labor costs and improve operations.

The conversation explores Slava's approach to customer acquisition and why he prefers a customized strategy for niche products. Instead of leaving everything to Facebook's algorithm, he wants greater control over specific categories and geographic areas, targeting businesses such as fitness groups, shopping centers, and other B2B customers that can benefit from automation.

Slava also discusses the importance of targeting the right customer rather than trying to compete with massive companies such as Walmart. His strategy is to focus on the businesses in between—companies that may not have the resources to develop their own robotics but can benefit from purchasing existing technology and integrating it into their operations.

The episode also tackles one of Slava's biggest challenges: deciding how to balance multiple opportunities while the AI and robotics markets continue to evolve. He explains why staying ahead of market changes is critical and why profitable experiments should ultimately support the larger business instead of becoming distractions.

Viewers will gain a practical look at building a robotics and AI business through targeted B2B sales, recurring AI revenue, niche positioning, and continuous experimentation. Slava also shares his long-term goal of developing and manufacturing his own robotics products in Canada or the U.S., while recognizing that building the technology is only half the challenge, the company must still solve the sales problem.

Abi Asija interviews Shante Alexander, a leadership coach, consultant, author, and workshop facilitator, about building a direct-to-client coaching business after years of relying heavily on organizations and third-party platforms to bring her clients. With $40,000 in revenue last year and a goal of reaching at least $100,000 within three years, Shante is working toward a business that earns more per hour without requiring her to work more than 20 hours a week.

Key takeaway: stop waiting for other people to send you clients and build a direct pipeline by creating conversations with the people most likely to buy from you.

Shante explains how most of her revenue currently comes from contract coaching through organizations, with additional income from one-off workshops and leadership development engagements. The conversation dives into Shante's ideal customer profile: high-achieving women in their mid-40s who are experiencing burnout, identity transitions, and uncertainty about whether the success they have built is actually what they want.

Abi then helps Shante design a direct client acquisition strategy using the network she already has. Instead of spending months chasing visibility through books, podcasts, social media, or broad marketing campaigns, they identify roughly 800 existing connections across LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and other channels, then narrow that list down to the 100 people most likely to become clients. The goal is to start genuine conversations, collect feedback, generate referrals, and fill a limited number of coaching spots.

They build out a 90-day coaching offer around a clear outcome, an easy implementation process, risk reduction, bonuses, urgency, and genuine scarcity. Abi breaks down why a strong offer should make the value immediately understandable and explains how the right structure can make prospects feel confident saying yes.

The episode also tackles one of Shante's biggest problems: trying to pursue too many directions at once. With two published books, a LinkedIn newsletter, a Facebook group, coaching, consulting, workshops, and future speaking ambitions, Abi argues that the immediate priority should be one focused offer rather than trying to grow every part of the business simultaneously.

The episode closes with three clear action steps: build the 90-day program and landing page, identify the 100 strongest warm connections from Shante's existing network, and start genuine conversations with them to gather feedback and find her first direct clients.

To learn more about Shante Alexander, visit https://www.shantealexander.com to explore her coaching, books, and other ways to connect with her.

Abi Asija sits down with Carol Tice, a community builder, writer, and entrepreneur who built and sold Freelance Writers Den after growing it into a multi-six-figure business. After exiting her previous company in 2021, Carol is now building two new businesses: a 90-day community relaunch program and Sell Your School, a high-ticket offer designed to help community founders prepare their businesses for a profitable exit.

Key Insight: Carol's biggest opportunity may not be competing in the crowded market of people teaching others how to launch communities. It may be using her rare experience of actually building, growing, and selling a community to create a specialized exit-focused offer. Sell Your School is designed for founders who want to understand how to prepare their business for sale and potentially increase the value they receive when they exit.

Carol's current challenge is converting her existing audience into paying members. Her community had around two hundred free members but only fifteen to twenty paid members, showing the difficulty of moving an audience from free participation into a paid offer. She tested different pricing, including $47 and $97, and ultimately returned to the lower price while using additional programs such as her 90-day sprint to increase revenue.

The conversation then turns to Carol's much more ambitious $10,000 Sell Your School offer. Abi questions why she would move from struggling to sell a $47 community membership to launching a $10,000 offer. Carol explains that she is moving away from a crowded, low-ticket niche toward a much more specialized market where her personal experience could give her an advantage. The opportunity is highly niche, but she believes it could become a $200K-a-year business if demand is there.

Carol's previous exit provides the foundation for the new offer. She built Freelance Writers Den beginning in 2011, grew it into a business with a team of ten, and eventually reached roughly $600K–$700K in annual revenue before selling it in 2021 for a high six-figure exit. She explains how she simplified the business around recurring monthly membership revenue, grew membership by 50%, and positioned the company for a stronger sale.

One of the biggest lessons from Carol's exit was that buyers cared about predictable recurring revenue. Instead of continuing to sell multiple side products and services, she focused the business around monthly membership and removed distractions that could make the company less attractive to a buyer. Her experience shows how business owners can think about an eventual exit long before they are actually ready to sell.

Viewers will gain a practical look at building communities, converting free members into paid customers, choosing between low-ticket and high-ticket offers, and preparing a recurring-revenue business for an eventual exit. If you want to reach Carol, you can message her at [email protected]

Abi Asija sits down with Dick Wybrow, an independent author who has built a $300K-a-year publishing business through books, Meta advertising, reader relationships, and word of mouth. The conversation explores how low-priced books can become the starting point for a much larger customer journey.

Key Insight: The biggest opportunity for independent authors is creating strong read-through across a series. Getting a reader from book one into book two can lead to continued purchases throughout the rest of the series.

Reader relationships are also a major part of Dick's growth. He personally responds to emails, comments, and feedback, helping readers feel connected to him and encouraging them to share his books with others.

Meta ads are his primary revenue driver, accounting for an estimated 80–90% of his revenue. His ads use book imagery and reader reviews to attract potential readers while giving Meta signals about the audience most likely to engage.

The strategy works beyond the initial sale. Dick estimates spending around $3–$6 to acquire a reader, but that reader can generate additional sales through word of mouth and by continuing through his other books and series.

Dick also maintains a weekly email newsletter, using it to stay connected with his audience and share personal updates rather than only promoting books. This consistent communication helps maintain the relationship between author and reader.

Viewers will learn how an independent author can combine affordable books, paid advertising, reader relationships, word of mouth, and series read-through to build a sustainable publishing business and grow toward higher revenue. You can reach out Dick through his website at dickwybrow.com.

Abi Asija sits down with Norman Plotkin, CEO of a multi-clinic traditional Chinese medicine practice, to explore how he expanded a 29-year-old clinic into three locations, including a traditional Chinese medicine-based wellness spa.

Key Insight: Growth isn't always about getting more leads. Norman's biggest opportunity is maximizing the capacity and potential of the locations he already has before expanding further.

The discussion explores how the wellness spa became a profitable experiment, generating similar or higher revenue with fewer patients through membership packages.

Abi also breaks down why improving customer experience, sales follow-up, fast response times, and package upsells can help the business reach capacity without immediately increasing ad spend.

Norman shares his plans for corporate wellness memberships, which could help fill the spa's treatment beds and classes through employer-sponsored wellness programs.

The episode also tackles shiny object syndrome and whether Norman should continue experimenting with new ventures or double down on the traditional Chinese medicine model that he already knows works.

Viewers will learn how to identify growth opportunities within an existing business, maximize current capacity, and decide when expansion is actually the right move. To learn more about Norman's work or get in touch with him, you can visit Norman's websites at tianchaoherbs.com and violetwellnessspa.com.

Abi Asija sits down with Jeanine Lum, founder of an innovative wine bag business, to explore how a unique product can become a scalable and profitable company. Jeanine shares how losing wine to heat damage inspired her to design a wine bag with interlocking ice packs that protects the wine inside the bottle, not just the bottle itself.

Jeanine explains how the business generated around $31,000 in revenue last year and her goal of at least tripling that figure. The biggest constraint right now is having enough financial structure and capital to invest in marketing. The conversation explores the company's current sales channels and where the biggest opportunities for growth may be.

Key Insight: The product already has a strong differentiator, but the business needs a more scalable customer acquisition strategy. Online sales are currently the biggest source of revenue, while farmers markets, wineries, networking, referrals, and other relationships have also helped generate sales.

The conversation breaks down the company's marketing strategy, including Meta ads, SEO, email marketing, networking, influencer opportunities, and winery partnerships. Abi challenges the use of generic product advertising and explains why founder-led marketing could be a stronger approach, using Janine's personal story and the problem that inspired the product to create more authentic and difficult-to-copy advertising.

Abi also explains the importance of understanding customer acquisition cost (CAC) and lifetime value (LTV). The strategy involves continuously A/B testing different advertising angles to find winning messages, while referral bonuses can help increase customer acquisition when there are fewer opportunities for repeat purchases.

The discussion also explores how Janine can increase the value of each customer through additional products and accessories, while building stronger referral opportunities. Abi and Jeanine discuss promotional email campaigns, recurring offers, winery referral bonuses, and ways to turn founder conversations into authentic testimonials that can also be used as marketing content.

Viewers will learn how Jeanine can turn a differentiated wine product into a stronger growth engine through founder-led advertising, A/B testing, email marketing, referrals, strategic partnerships, and customer testimonials. The conversation provides a practical roadmap for reducing acquisition costs, increasing customer value, and scaling the business beyond its current sales channels.

Abi Asija sits down with Greig Watts, co-owner of DWB, a songwriting and music business that has evolved from a royalty-driven model into a growing business built around mentorship, coaching, music production, and songwriting camps.

Greig shares how the changing music industry has affected the traditional royalty model and why DWB is increasingly focused on coaching and mentorship. While royalties still provide credibility, coaching and mentorship have become the more profitable side of the business, creating an opportunity to build a more scalable and predictable growth strategy.

Key Insight: DWB's biggest constraint right now is not the product,  it's generating enough qualified leads. The company previously relied heavily on organic demand, Facebook connections, word of mouth, and referrals, but Greg explains that this organic demand is starting to slow down.

The conversation breaks down DWB's current customer acquisition strategy, including its Facebook audience, email list, networking meetings, paid advertising, and word-of-mouth referrals. Abi also identifies four different ways the business can market its offers: one-to-one warm, one-to-one cold, one-to-many warm, and one-to-many cold.

A major opportunity comes from DWB's experience with Eurovision. The team has had 18 Eurovision entries over the last 11 years, giving them a powerful credibility and proof-based marketing angle. Abi explains why this achievement should become the central hook for their advertising rather than simply promoting a generic songwriting networking event.

The discussion also explores DWB's ideal customers, particularly aspiring songwriters between roughly 35 and 55 who have established careers in other industries but still want to pursue songwriting.

Greig explains DWB's offer structure, including six-month group mentorships, in-person songwriting camps, courses, music production, and one-to-one support. The mentorship typically includes groups of six to nine people, while camps are held in different locations, with the UK being particularly profitable.

The conversation goes deeper into pricing, positioning, and the idea of creating a more compelling Eurovision-focused offer. Abi and Greig discuss making the offer more benefit-driven, creating a stronger guarantee, using testimonials as proof, and potentially shifting from a fixed six-month program toward a recurring monthly model.
AI is also beginning to affect songwriting, creating uncertainty around how the industry will evolve. Greg explains that AI has disrupted songwriting but has not eliminated the need for human expertise, while DWB continues to explore opportunities across Eurovision, K-pop, and other areas of the music industry.

Viewers will learn how DWB can turn its Eurovision track record into a powerful marketing advantage, generate more qualified leads, improve its offer, build recurring revenue, and adapt its songwriting business to a rapidly changing music industry. You can reach out Greig to [email protected].

Abi Asija sits down with Stewart Cohen of Superstock, a media licensing company with more than 32 million digital assets across photography, fine art, and video. Stewart shares his journey rebuilding the 50-year-old business and his goal of growing revenue from $1.5 million to $10 million.

Key Insight: Superstock’s biggest challenge is generating consistent awareness and qualified demand in a competitive market. Improving outbound sales and turning its large content library into predictable revenue are key opportunities.

Superstock sends around 150,000 emails per month, but response rates remain limited. The conversation explores how more targeted messaging could better connect with high-value prospects and their specific visual content needs.

The discussion also highlights Superstock’s ideal customers, including book publishers, advertising agencies, movie studios, and documentary filmmakers. These businesses have a strong and recurring need for licensed visual content.

Recurring revenue is another major focus. With roughly 90% of the business being transactional, Stewart and Abi discuss how a compelling subscription offer could create more predictable revenue and increase customer lifetime value.

The conversation also covers competition from larger companies like Getty, Shutterstock, and Artlist, as well as how Superstock can differentiate itself through unique collections, research services, and strong contributor relationships.

AI is changing the visual content industry, and Superstock is exploring ways to integrate its library into AI-powered search through an MCP server. Viewers will learn how Superstock can improve sales, build recurring revenue, compete in a changing market, and adapt its business for the rise of AI. To connect with Stewart, email [email protected] or visit superstock.com.