Success School

Got a $20K+/month service business ready to scale? Apply below. We’ll find your biggest bottleneck and show you the fix. 1,000+ businesses helped.

Apply Here: https://successschool.typeform.com/to/wJqg436I

See Our Website: www.startsuccessschool.com

Want to start an online business but don’t know where to begin? Click the link below. This is the fastest way in.

Start Here: https://agencylaunchpad.ai/

You're constantly refreshing Instagram. Checking your inbox. Hoping another lead comes through so you can stop stressing about where your next client is coming from.

And even when you're not working, you're still thinking about work.

That's not just a lead generation problem. It's a business that's taking over your life.

In this episode, Tim sits down with Nico, founder of Revolution Health Coaching, a fitness and nutrition coaching business for women. Nico was stuck around $24K–$27K in monthly revenue, relying heavily on Instagram for inquiries and struggling to switch off. As a mum to a two-and-a-half-year-old, the constant pressure to find leads was taking away from precious moments with her family.

She shares how she stopped relying on Instagram and built a marketing ecosystem using paid ads, lead magnets, email marketing, and in-person events. After joining Success School, Nico broke through her revenue ceiling and hit her first $35K month, with a system now generating around four to five leads a day.

You'll hear how a simple recipe book became an effective lead magnet, why she runs four in-person conversion events every month, and how weekly KPI tracking and accountability helped her focus on what actually grows the business.

Nico also gets real about balancing motherhood with entrepreneurship, the mistake of filling every spare hour with work, and why getting comfortable with discomfort was key to her growth.

You'll hear:

• How Nico went from $24K–$27K months to hitting her first $35K month
• Why relying on Instagram for leads was draining her energy and affecting her family life
• The moment she realised waiting for things to change wasn't going to grow her business
• How she built a marketing ecosystem instead of depending on one source of leads
• The paid ads and lead magnet strategy generating around four to five leads daily
• Why a simple recipe book became an effective way to attract her ideal clients
• How she uses high-performing Instagram content to generate followers through ads
• Why she runs four in-person conversion events monthly instead of online webinars
• How speaking to her ideal clients' real problems made her marketing more effective
• Why showing up authentically on camera helped her attract the right women
• How weekly KPI tracking and fortnightly accountability calls kept her focused
• The weekly schedule she uses to balance client delivery, business growth, and family
• Why working more hours wasn't always producing better results
• How embracing discomfort helped her learn paid ads and build new systems
• Why having someone identify her bottlenecks was more valuable than just getting encouragement
• The mindset shift from waiting for leads to taking responsibility for growth

If you're an online coach or service business owner who's generating revenue but feels stuck at the same level, this episode is for you. Especially if you're relying on Instagram for every inquiry or wondering how to scale without sacrificing your family time.

Ready to build a business that grows without consuming every hour of your day?

Book a free Business Growth Call with the Success School team at startsuccessschool.com. We'll look at your business, show you where the gaps are, and map out what taking control of your pipeline could look like for you.

Got value from this episode? Hit follow wherever you're listening. It helps more service business owners find the show.

Follow Tim and Steph on Instagram:
@timxfrey (https://www.instagram.com/timxfrey/) · @stephgorton__ (https://www.instagram.com/stephgorton__/)

See you next week.

Got a $20K+/month service business ready to scale? Apply below. We’ll find your biggest bottleneck and show you the fix. 1,000+ businesses helped.

Apply Here: https://successschool.typeform.com/to/wJqg436I

See Our Website: www.startsuccessschool.com

Want to start an online business but don’t know where to begin? Click the link below. This is the fastest way in.

Start Here: https://agencylaunchpad.ai/

You're running ads. You're generating leads. People are booking calls. But when it comes time to talk about investing in your service, suddenly nobody has the money.

You're attracting attention, but not the kind of clients you actually want to work with.

And the problem might be the words you're using in your marketing.

In this episode, Tim and Steph break down how to attract clients who can actually afford your services, why even great marketing will still bring in unqualified leads, and the subtle messaging mistakes that could be filling your calendar with people who were never going to buy.

They explain why understanding your total addressable market matters more than most business owners realise, how niching down too far can limit your growth, and why speaking to the top of your market attracts a completely different type of buyer.

You'll hear the real example of a business owner who filled her webinar with interested prospects using the message "Booked Up But Broke," only to discover that none of the people booking calls could afford to invest. Tim and Steph unpack why words like struggling, overwhelmed, and broke can attract the wrong audience, and how shifting to aspirational messaging can change who's coming through your funnel.

They also get into why AI can't replace actually talking to your ideal clients, the customer interviews that helped Success School discover an opportunity to raise its prices, and how everything from your camera quality to your confidence on a webinar is silently influencing whether high-ticket clients trust you enough to buy.

You'll hear:

• Why generating more leads won't fix your business if you're attracting people who can't afford your services
• The total addressable market (TAM) rule Tim uses to assess whether a niche is big enough to scale
• Why Tim recommends having at least 50,000 potential buyers in your target market
• The 3% rule and why only a small percentage of your market might be ready to buy at any given time
• Why even the best marketing will still attract people who aren't financially qualified
• How speaking to the top of your market can attract higher-value clients without excluding everyone below them
• The marketing words Tim and Steph recommend avoiding, including struggling, broke, overwhelmed, and lacking confidence
• How one "Booked Up But Broke" webinar attracted plenty of registrations but failed to bring in buyers who could invest
• Why aspirational messaging like "100K Clinic" can attract more established business owners
• How to speak to ambitious clients who want to reach their next level instead of people simply trying to survive
• Why relying entirely on AI to write your marketing copy can make your ideal client messaging worse
• The customer interviews that revealed Success School clients would have paid double or triple for their program
• Why interviewing your best clients can uncover better messaging than guessing what your audience wants
• How your appearance, camera quality, lighting, and presentation influence trust before you've even made an offer
• Why Tim invested in a speaking coach to improve how he communicates and builds authority on camera
• How Steph's five-to-six-hour webinar preparation process helped her become a more confident presenter
• Why taking your marketing and presentation seriously matters when selling services worth $3K, $15K, or more

If you're a service business owner who's generating leads but constantly hearing "I can't afford it," this episode is for you. Especially if you're trying to attract higher-ticket clients, wondering why your marketing brings in the wrong people, or looking to position your business as the obvious choice for buyers who are ready to invest.

Ready to attract better clients and build a business that can actually scale?

Book a free Business Growth Call with the Success School team at startsuccessschool.com. We'll look at your business, show you where the gaps are, and map out what taking control of your pipeline could look like for you.

Got value from this episode? Hit follow wherever you're listening. It helps more service business owners find the show.

Follow Tim and Steph on Instagram:
@timxfrey (https://www.instagram.com/timxfrey/) · @stephgorton__ (https://www.instagram.com/stephgorton__/)

See you next week.

Got a $20K+/month service business ready to scale? Apply below. We’ll find your biggest bottleneck and show you the fix. 1,000+ businesses helped.

Apply Here: https://successschool.typeform.com/to/wJqg436I

See Our Website: www.startsuccessschool.com

Want to start an online business but don’t know where to begin? Click the link below. This is the fastest way in.

Start Here: https://agencylaunchpad.ai/

You're trying everything to grow your business. Different funnels, different marketing strategies, different offers. You're putting in the work, but nothing seems to stick.

Sometimes the problem isn't that you're doing too little. It's that you're trying to do too much.

In this episode, Tim sits down with Austen Young from Jump X, an online coaching business that helps athletes jump higher and dunk. Austen went from making around $5K a month and struggling to figure out his marketing to hitting $20K–$25K months, with a recent high of $27K, after joining Success School and making a few major changes to the way he runs his business.

He shares how he went from opening Meta Ads Manager and feeling like he was launching a space shuttle to actually enjoying running ads, why committing to one funnel made such a massive difference, and how raising his prices helped him attract better clients while making paid advertising more profitable.

You'll hear how Austen stopped relying on one winning ad hook, why switching from pain-based messaging to desire-based messaging started getting better results, and the lessons he learned from trying to expand into the US market before he'd fully capitalised on Australia.

Austen also gets real about the fear of wasting money on ads, the mistake of spreading his attention across ten different things, and why having a coach hold him accountable was what finally helped him stop overthinking and start executing.

You'll hear:

• How Austen grew Jump X from $5K a month to as much as $27K a month in revenue
• Why he believes most business owners are too scared to run ads and how he overcame that fear himself
• The three changes that made the biggest difference: mastering one funnel, raising prices, and improving ad messaging
• Why trying ten different marketing strategies was keeping him stuck at $5K a month
• How committing to a simple ad-to-landing-page-to-sales-call funnel helped him scale
• Why raising his prices and encouraging paid-in-full purchases improved his return on ad spend
• How charging more helped him attract better clients who were more committed to getting results
• Why the ad hook that built his business eventually stopped working
• The shift from pain-based hooks to desire-based hooks that started getting better results
• Why running a super-niche business means constantly testing new creative angles to avoid ad fatigue
• What went wrong when Jump X tried advertising in America and why Austen decided to focus on Australia first
• Why he uses organic content to build trust and support paid ads instead of relying on views for leads
• How he went from overthinking every marketing decision to confidently managing ads himself
• Why having someone hold him accountable was more valuable than constantly chasing new strategies
• The mindset shift from focusing on immediate results to mastering the process that produces them
• Why Austen believes the fastest way to grow is to stop hesitating and start taking action

If you're a service business owner who's trying everything but still struggling to grow consistently, this episode is for you. Especially if you're nervous about spending money on ads, spreading yourself across too many marketing strategies, or wondering whether your niche is too small to build a successful business.

Ready to stop guessing and start scaling?

Book a free Business Growth Call with the Success School team at startsuccessschool.com. We'll look at your business, show you where the gaps are, and map out what taking control of your pipeline could look like for you.

Got value from this episode? Hit follow wherever you're listening. It helps more service business owners find the show.

Follow Tim and Steph on Instagram:
@timxfrey (https://www.instagram.com/timxfrey/) · @stephgorton__ (https://www.instagram.com/stephgorton__/)

See you next week.

Got a $20K+/month service business ready to scale? Apply below. We’ll find your biggest bottleneck and show you the fix. 1,000+ businesses helped.

Apply Here: https://successschool.typeform.com/to/wJqg436I

See Our Website: www.startsuccessschool.com

Want to start an online business but don’t know where to begin? Click the link below. This is the fastest way in.

Start Here: https://agencylaunchpad.ai/

You've just finished a sales call. The prospect loved everything you said. They're excited to get started. They said yes.

Then you send the payment link, wait for the sale to come through, and hear absolutely nothing.

That's not always a lead problem. Sometimes it's a sales process problem.

In this episode, Tim and Steph break down how to double your sales without taking a single extra sales call, starting with one simple change that could stop your hottest prospects from disappearing after saying yes.

After collecting over $15 million in online sales and building and selling three businesses, they've learned that making more money isn't always about generating more leads. Sometimes it's about getting better at closing the opportunities already sitting in front of you.

They share the exact tactic Steph uses to take payment on the sales call without making things awkward, why confidence matters more than complicated closing techniques, and how to know when a prospect needs more time rather than another sales pitch.

You'll also hear the story of their former salesperson who could close six to nine deals in a week with only three calls booked, why their average buying cycle can take 35 to 42 days, and the follow-up framework that turns forgotten conversations into paying clients without sounding desperate or pushy.

You'll hear:

• Why prospects say yes on a sales call and then disappear when you send the payment link
• The simple change Steph recommends to help double sales without booking more calls
• Exactly how to ask for payment on a Zoom call without feeling pushy or uncomfortable
• Why staying silent after sending the payment link is one of the most important parts of closing
• How asking someone to sign up immediately reveals the real objection behind their hesitation
• Why confidence and leadership sell better than pressure, discounts, or complicated sales tactics
• The difference between a one-call close and a two-call sales process, and when to use each
• Why Tim considers a 30% close rate a solid benchmark and how to stop overreacting to slow sales weeks
• How a 35-to-42-day buying cycle changes the way you should approach follow-ups
• The salesperson who closed six to nine deals with only three calls booked by working his existing pipeline
• Why you could have five to ten forgotten deals sitting in your inbox right now
• The three-to-five follow-up approach that keeps prospects engaged without using fake urgency
• How to use AI and your sales call transcripts to write more personalized follow-up emails
• The two simple follow-up questions that can restart conversations with prospects who've gone quiet
• Why building a consistent pipeline matters more than obsessing over this week's sales numbers
• The one thing Tim believes makes the biggest difference on a sales call: confidence in your ability to deliver results

If you're a service business owner having plenty of sales conversations but struggling to turn interested prospects into paying clients, this episode is for you. Especially if you're tired of getting ghosted, uncomfortable asking for payment, or sitting on a pipeline full of people who said they'd get back to you.

Ready to stop losing sales and start turning more conversations into clients?

Book a free Business Growth Call with the Success School team at startsuccessschool.com. We'll look at your business, show you where the gaps are, and map out what taking control of your pipeline could look like for you.

Got value from this episode? Hit follow wherever you're listening. It helps more service business owners find the show.

Follow Tim and Steph on Instagram:
@timxfrey (https://www.instagram.com/timxfrey/) · @stephgorton__ (https://www.instagram.com/stephgorton__/)

See you next week.

Got a $20K+/month service business ready to scale? Apply below. We’ll find your biggest bottleneck and show you the fix. 1,000+ businesses helped.

Apply Here: https://successschool.typeform.com/to/wJqg436I

See Our Website: www.startsuccessschool.com

Want to start an online business but don’t know where to begin? Click the link below. This is the fastest way in.

Start Here: https://agencylaunchpad.ai/

You're getting followers. You're sending messages. You're booking calls. But you're stuck at 30 or 40K a month when you know you should be at 100K.

That's not a marketing problem. That's a constraint problem.

In this Business Breakthrough episode, Tim sits down with Sam and Taylor, founders of an online coaching business for busy professional women who want to lose weight without making fitness their entire personality. They hit a $110K month in November, then made one decision that completely blew up their business and sent them back to square one.

They ran a Black Friday promo that cashed in all their brand equity at once, offering nine months for the price of six. 25% of their clients took the deal. The result? A massive month followed by zero recurring revenue, a disgusting tax bill, and six months of trying to rebuild what they already had.

Now they're running follower ads at $100 a day, getting 50 new followers, sending DMs, and booking calls. But their chat to call conversion is sitting at 1%, and their close rate is 38%. Tim breaks down exactly which metric they should double to get back to 100K months, and why trying to close someone in the DMs without nurturing them first is like going for a home run on the first date.

You'll hear why Google's 7-11-4 principle matters more than your DM script, how to use voice memos and long form content to warm up cold followers, and why most fitness coaches are leaving money on the table by refusing to run webinars.

This is a behind the scenes look at how Success School's constraint based model works. If you want this done for your business, this episode is for you.

You'll hear:

• How Sam and Taylor hit a $110K month and then completely blew up their business
• The Black Friday mistake that cashed in all their brand equity and tanked their recurring revenue
• Why 25% of their clients took a nine month deal that destroyed their cash flow for six months
• How they're running follower ads at $100 a day and getting 50 new followers per day at $2 to $3 each
• Why their DM reply rate is sitting at 20 to 25% and how to get that to 50%
• The 1% chat to call conversion rate that's killing their business and how to fix it
• Why boosting viral content doesn't work if the followers aren't your ideal client
• How they changed their messaging and started booking better quality calls in two weeks
• Why a 61% show rate and 38% close rate means the problem isn't sales
• The Google 7-11-4 principle and why prospects need seven hours of content over 11 touchpoints in four mediums
• Why trying to close someone in the DMs without nurturing them is like going for a home run on the first date
• How to use voice memos and long form content to warm up cold followers before making an offer
• Why Taylor should be sending voice memos using her own voice instead of generic text messages
• The 11 Labs voice cloning hack and how to get it working with enough audio samples
• Why most fitness coaches refuse to run webinars and how that creates a massive opportunity
• How to use YouTube videos on your confirmation page to get into the algorithm and stay top of mind
• Why fixing one metric can double your business instead of blowing everything up and starting again

If you're a service business owner running follower ads and struggling to convert DMs into calls, this episode is for you.

Got value from this episode? Hit follow wherever you're listening. It helps more service business owners find the show.

Follow Tim and Steph on Instagram:
@timxfrey (https://www.instagram.com/timxfrey/) · @stephgorton__ (https://www.instagram.com/stephgorton__/)

See you next week.

Got a $20K+/month service business ready to scale? Apply below. We’ll find your biggest bottleneck and show you the fix. 1,000+ businesses helped.

Apply Here: https://successschool.typeform.com/to/wJqg436I

See Our Website: www.startsuccessschool.com

Want to start an online business but don’t know where to begin? Click the link below. This is the fastest way in.

Start Here: https://agencylaunchpad.ai/

You want to grow your business. You want more freedom. But you're stuck making every single decision, and your team keeps coming to you for answers.

That's not a team problem. That's a systems problem.

In this episode, Tim and Steph break down exactly how to double your business in the next 90 days without needing you in it. They share the three part framework they've used to scale past $15 million while working less, traveling more, and building a team that actually makes decisions without you.

You'll hear the PSR framework that stops your team from dumping every problem back on your plate, why hiring key decision makers in sales, marketing, and operations is the only way to get out of the day to day, and the ultimate test that shows you exactly what's broken in your business.

They also get into why most founders stay the bottleneck because they secretly love being needed, how to train your team to think like you using company values, and the story of how hiring an operations manager freed up Tim's mental energy to focus on creative work and growth instead of failed payments and Slack messages.

This is the exact playbook they used to go from working seven days a week to taking weeks off without the business falling apart. If you're drowning in decisions and your team can't function without you, this episode will change everything.

You'll hear:

• The PSR framework and how it trains your team to make decisions instead of dumping problems on you
• Why you need to hire key decision makers in sales, marketing, and operations to scale past seven figures
• How an operations manager is the easiest hire and why it immediately frees up your mental energy
• The breaking point when Tim and Steph moved to Thailand and realized they needed to stop being the bottleneck
• How to use a decision making budget so your team knows when to check with you and when to just handle it
• Why company values are the key to getting your team to make decisions in alignment with how you would make them
• How integrity as a value stops your sales team from going rogue and making deals you would never make
• Why health is one of their highest values and how they get their team to prioritize movement and sleep
• The ultimate test to see what breaks in your business when you go on holiday for two weeks and fully switch off
• How Steph was spinning out on the plane and Tim told her to just let the balls drop and see what happens
• Why some founders stay the bottleneck because they secretly love being needed by their team
• The ego trap of believing no one can do it like you and how that keeps you stuck in the business
• How Tim's introvert energy makes him love solitude and why being needed all the time is draining for him
• Why Steph injects herself into processes because she fears being unvaluable or forgotten

If you're a service business owner who's stuck making every decision and your team can't function without you, this episode is for you.

Got value from this episode? Hit follow wherever you're listening. It helps more service business owners find the show.

Follow Tim and Steph on Instagram:
@timxfrey (https://www.instagram.com/timxfrey/) · @stephgorton__ (https://www.instagram.com/stephgorton__/)

See you next week.

Got a $20K+/month service business ready to scale? Apply below. We’ll find your biggest bottleneck and show you the fix. 1,000+ businesses helped.

Apply Here: https://successschool.typeform.com/to/wJqg436I

See Our Website: www.startsuccessschool.com

Want to start an online business but don’t know where to begin? Click the link below. This is the fastest way in.

Start Here: https://agencylaunchpad.ai/

You're running a successful business. You're great at what you do. But somehow, your competitors are getting all the attention, attracting better clients, and becoming the go-to names in your industry.

That's not because they're better than you. It's because nobody knows who you are.

In this Business Breakthrough episode, Tim sits down with Bernard Marcello (Bernie), founder of a personal branding business that helps seven-figure founders become trusted authorities in their markets. Bernie is currently generating around $40K a month when all his clients are active, and he wants to build a million-dollar business. But after pivoting his ideal client, he's facing a familiar problem: how do you consistently attract high-ticket clients without relying entirely on networking and referrals?

Tim breaks down exactly how he'd turn Bernie's $5K-per-month Story Sell System into a scalable client acquisition machine using paid ads, a high-converting webinar, and an application funnel designed to attract founders who are actually ready to invest.

They get into why niching down by industry isn't always the answer, how to speak to the deeper fears and motivations of successful entrepreneurs, and why building a personal brand is about a lot more than followers, views, or looking good on camera.

You'll also hear the practical roadmap for scaling beyond $50K a month, including when to hire a videographer, how to build a team across multiple cities, and why the right marketing message can open up an entirely new market.

You'll hear:

• Why successful business owners are losing clients to less-experienced competitors who are simply more visible
• How Bernie built a $40K-per-month business and what's stopping him from reaching his next revenue milestone
• Why relying on networking and referrals could be slowing down his growth
• The $5K-per-month Story Sell System and how to position it as something more valuable than content creation
• Why Tim recommends a webinar funnel to attract seven-figure founders at scale
• The three-pillar webinar structure that teaches, builds trust, and leads into a high-ticket offer
• Why an application funnel makes more sense than booking calls with everyone for a $5K service
• How a six-month client worth $30K changes the way you should think about advertising costs
• Why niching down by your ideal client's mindset and motivations can work better than targeting one industry
• The hidden fears of high-achieving founders and how to use them to create stronger marketing messages
• Why having more followers doesn't necessarily mean you're building a more profitable personal brand
• The $50K monthly recurring revenue milestone Bernie wants to hit before hiring his next videographer
• How to scale a content business across Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth without personally filming every client
• Why interviewing five to ten ideal clients could be the most valuable thing Bernie does before launching ads

If you're a service business owner who's great at delivering results but struggling to attract the right clients consistently, this episode is for you. Especially if you're relying on referrals, trying to figure out your messaging, or wondering how to turn what you already do into a scalable offer.

Got value from this episode? Hit follow wherever you're listening. It helps more service business owners find the show.

Follow Tim and Steph on Instagram:
@timxfrey (https://www.instagram.com/timxfrey/) · @stephgorton__ (https://www.instagram.com/stephgorton__/)

See you next week.

Got a $20K+/month service business ready to scale? Apply below. We’ll find your biggest bottleneck and show you the fix. 1,000+ businesses helped.

Apply Here: https://successschool.typeform.com/to/wJqg436I

See Our Website: www.startsuccessschool.com

Want to start an online business but don’t know where to begin? Click the link below. This is the fastest way in.

Start Here: https://agencylaunchpad.ai/

You're posting content. You're networking. You're trying everything. And you're still not getting enough leads.

That's not a marketing problem. That's a strategy problem.

In this episode, Tim and Steph rank the eight most effective ways to generate leads in 2027, from worst to best. They break down exactly what works, what doesn't, and why most business owners are wasting time on tactics that will never scale.

You'll hear why guerrilla marketing and PR get a 10 out of 10 for effort but only a 2 out of 10 for effectiveness, why networking works to get your first clients but taps out fast, and why Instagram content with a million followers can still leave you flat broke.

They also get into why LinkedIn ads are expensive but effective for the right business, why YouTube and long form content build trust faster than anything else, and why 78% of their sales come from people who've binged the podcast.

And at the top of the list, the two methods that beat everything else: Meta ads and Google ads. Tim explains why he changed his mind on Google ads after seeing clients crush it with high intent leads, and why Meta is still the most effective way to generate volume at scale.

You'll hear:

• Why guerrilla marketing gets a 10 for effort and a 2 for effectiveness
• The brutal truth about PR and why people with awards are still broke
• Why networking works to get your first clients but doesn't scale
• How AI and SEO are becoming more effective but still rank low on volume
• Why LinkedIn ads are expensive but get you real contact details
• The problem with Instagram content and why a million followers doesn't mean money
• Why YouTube and podcasts build parasocial relationships that convert
• How 78% of their sales come from people who've listened to the podcast
• Why Tim changed his mind on Google ads after seeing clients crush it
• The difference between in market and out of market audiences
• Why Google ads work for local businesses but not online coaches
• How Meta has 50,000 data points on every person and why that matters
• Why Meta ads are the most effective way to generate volume at scale

If you're a service business owner and you want to install any of these methods into your business, this episode is for you.

Got value from this episode? Hit follow wherever you're listening. It helps more service business owners find the show.

Follow Tim and Steph on Instagram:
@timxfrey · @stephgorton__

See you next week.

Got a $20K+/month service business ready to scale? Apply below. We’ll find your biggest bottleneck and show you the fix. 1,000+ businesses helped.

Apply Here: https://successschool.typeform.com/to/wJqg436I

See Our Website: www.startsuccessschool.com

Want to start an online business but don’t know where to begin? Click the link below. This is the fastest way in.

Start Here: https://agencylaunchpad.ai/

You've been outsourcing your ads for years. You're paying thousands in agency fees. And you're still getting inconsistent results.

That's not a marketing problem. That's a control problem.

In this episode, Tim sits down with Anna James, founder of Inked SMP and multiple beauty businesses in Melbourne. Anna went from paying four different agencies up to $8,000 a month in fees to taking complete control of her marketing and scaling from inconsistent $10K months to consistent $80K months.

She shares the exact moment she looked in her ad account and found the wrong city, the wrong business name, and even a competitor's name running in her ads. That was the breaking point that made her fire her agency and learn to run ads herself.

You'll hear how Anna went from overthinking the change for three years to implementing it in weeks, why she hired a VA to help scale ads across three businesses, and the mindset shift that came from finally knowing her numbers and running a truly profitable business instead of just chasing revenue.

Anna also gets real about the sales process she didn't have, the mistake of trying to look like everyone else in her industry, and why success loves speed more than perfection.

You'll hear:

• Why Anna paid four agencies up to $8K a month and still got terrible results
• The moment she opened her ad account and found a competitor's business name running in her ads
• How she went from overthinking the change for three years to taking action in weeks
• Why she hired one VA to run ads across all three of her businesses
• The KPI tracking system she didn't want to do but now can't live without
• How getting clear on her ideal client avatar changed everything in her marketing
• Why focusing on eight qualified bookings per week beat chasing 60 leads a month
• The sales process she didn't have and how her partner went from winging it to crushing it
• Why trying to look like everyone else in the beauty industry killed her results
• How knowing her numbers helped her go from busy to actually profitable
• Why AI generated images hurt trust in her industry and tanked conversions
• The mindset shift from selling treatments to selling transformations
• Why success loves speed and you already know what you need to do

If you're a service business owner paying an agency to run your ads and you're not getting the results you want, this episode is for you.

Got value from this episode? Hit follow wherever you're listening. It helps more service business owners find the show.

Follow Tim and Steph on Instagram:
@timxfrey · @stephgorton__

See you next week.

Got a $20K+/month service business ready to scale? Apply below. We’ll find your biggest bottleneck and show you the fix. 1,000+ businesses helped.

Apply Here: https://successschool.typeform.com/to/wJqg436I

See Our Website: www.startsuccessschool.com

Want to start an online business but don’t know where to begin? Click the link below. This is the fastest way in.

Start Here: https://agencylaunchpad.ai/

You've hit six figures. You've proved people want what you sell. So why does growing the business still feel so hard?

In this episode, Tim and Steph break down six lessons they've learned about scaling a service business—and the problems that another strategy, another hire or more ad spend won't automatically fix.

They share what happened when they jumped back on sales calls for two weeks, why hiring closers as appointment setters can change your sales process, and how knowing your numbers helps you tell the difference between a marketing problem and a sales problem.

You'll also hear the four-slide Instagram story sequence designed to start conversations with potential clients, plus the story of a client who had a $150K month but couldn't explain what drove it.

And beyond sales and marketing, Tim and Steph get honest about the personal cost of running a business: the Sunday Scaries, panic attacks on the couch, and learning to build a schedule that leaves room for a life you actually enjoy.

In this episode:

• Why you should consider hiring closers as setters—and how to pitch them on the role
• How two weeks back on sales calls revealed where deals were falling apart
• Why a competing offer that sounded too good to refuse still lost the sale
• How to financially model your marketing so you know what's working
• Why a strong revenue month means less when you don't know how to repeat it
• The four-slide Instagram story sequence that generates inquiries and starts sales conversations
• How quarterly whiteboard sessions help identify what's broken in life and business
• Why removing the wrong people can shift the energy of your entire team
• How to stop letting your business dictate every hour of your life

If you're a service business owner ready to grow beyond six figures without sacrificing your life in the process, this episode is for you.

Follow Tim and Steph on Instagram:
@timxfrey · @stephgorton__