Success School

You're following up with leads. You're sending generic emails. And you're wondering why they're not converting.

That's not a follow up problem. That's a personalization problem.

Today we're breaking down the one AI tactic that boosted our close rate by 20%, and it's got nothing to do with better scripts, better objection handling, or better sales training. It's about mining your sales calls with AI and using that data to create personalized follow ups that actually convert.

We're talking about how to use Fathom to record every single call in your business, how to take those transcripts and feed them into Claude or ChatGPT to extract pain points and objections, and how to turn that into personalized email outreach, social media content, and follow up sequences that feel like you're speaking directly to the person.

We also get into how this works for sales calls specifically, why generic follow ups are killing your close rate, and how we implemented this exact process in our own sales team and saw an immediate 20% jump in conversions.

If you're a service business owner and you're not recording your calls and using AI to personalize your follow ups, this episode is for you.

If you're a service business owner and you're tired of relying on referrals to keep your calendar full, go to https://startsuccessschool.com/ and book a free Scale Session with our team.

We'll look at your business, show you exactly where the gaps are, and map out what a fully booked pipeline looks like for you specifically.

No fluff, no pitch fest. Just a real conversation about what's actually holding you back. We'd love to help you build something that actually works.

And if you got value from today's S*it that works!, make sure you hit follow wherever you're listening. It means the world to us and it helps more service business owners find the show.

You can also follow Tim and Steph over on Instagram at @timfrey__ (https://www.instagram.com/timfrey__/) and @stephgorton__ (https://www.instagram.com/stephgorton__/) for more content every week.

See you next Thursday for S*it that works!

You're running ads. You're burning cash. And you have no idea which funnel is actually right for your business.

That's not a strategy. That's just guessing.

Today we're breaking down the only three funnels you'll ever need to scale a service business in 2026. We're talking about the lead magnet funnel, the call funnel, and the webinar funnel. And by the end of this episode, you'll know exactly which one to run first, which one will make you the most money, and which one is burning out your ad budget without you even realizing it.

We get into the hairdresser who signed eight expensive blonde clients in six weeks using a lead magnet, the fitness coach who pivoted to AI and signed five clients in a month with zero proof using a call funnel, and how we've made over five million dollars from webinars alone.

We also talk about why most people think they have a leads problem when it's actually a sales problem, the number one mistake that kills webinar funnels before they even start, and why your ads will never work if your offer isn't different enough.

If you're a service business owner and you're sick of relying on referrals or guessing which funnel to run, this episode is for you.

You'll hear:

The number one mistake people make when they think about running Facebook ads

Why the more unique your offer, the cheaper your leads will be

The three funnels that actually work: lead magnet, call funnel, and webinar

How the lead magnet funnel works and why it's the easiest to start with

The hairdresser who signed eight expensive blonde clients in six weeks using a lead magnet

Why most people fall down on lead magnets (hint: they don't follow up)

The brutal truth about wanting clients to fall into your lap without calling anyone

How we've made over five million dollars from webinars and why they're not dead

The art teacher who signed 31 new members in five days from one webinar

Why webinars are the fastest way to build know, like, and trust with your audience

The call funnel: what it is, why it's the hardest to execute, and when it actually works

How a fitness coach pivoted to AI and signed five clients in a month with zero proof

Why your ads burn out and what you can actually do about it

Which funnel you should start with and how to scale horizontally once it works

Why your offer is everything and how to know if yours actually sucks

If you're a service business owner and you're tired of relying on referrals to keep your calendar full, go to https://startsuccessschool.com/ and book a free Scale Session with our team.

We'll look at your business, show you exactly where the gaps are, and map out what a fully booked pipeline looks like for you specifically.

No fluff, no pitch fest. Just a real conversation about what's actually holding you back. We'd love to help you build something that actually works.

And if you got value from today's episode, make sure you hit follow wherever you're listening. It means the world to us and it helps more service business owners find the show.

You can also follow Tim and Steph over on Instagram at @timfrey__ (https://www.instagram.com/timfrey__/) and @stephgorton__ (https://www.instagram.com/stephgorton__/) for more content every week.

See you next week.

You get a lead. You wait an hour to call them back. And by then, they've already booked with someone else.

That's not a leads problem. That's a speed problem.

Today we're breaking down the one tactic that could literally triple your business overnight, and it's got nothing to do with better ads, better offers, or better sales scripts. It's about being the first person to call your leads. And if you're not doing this, you're leaving money on the table every single day.

We're talking about why 78% of people buy from the first person to respond, the Harvard study that showed you have a 391% increased chance of converting a lead if you call them within five minutes, and the exact story of how Steph hired a couch cleaner based purely on who got back to her first.

We also get into the service business owner who hired someone for $50K a year just to sit there and call leads immediately (and why it was worth every dollar), how to set up automated bounce backs and speed to lead systems in your CRM, and why your leads are never in as much pain as the moment they book the consult.

If you're a service business owner and you're not calling your leads within five minutes, this episode is for you.

If you're a service business owner and you're tired of relying on referrals to keep your calendar full, go to https://startsuccessschool.com/ and book a free Scale Session with our team.

We'll look at your business, show you exactly where the gaps are, and map out what a fully booked pipeline looks like for you specifically.

No fluff, no pitch fest. Just a real conversation about what's actually holding you back. We'd love to help you build something that actually works.

And if you got value from today's S*it that works!, make sure you hit follow wherever you're listening. It means the world to us and it helps more service business owners find the show.

You can also follow Tim and Steph over on Instagram at @timfrey__ (https://www.instagram.com/timfrey__/) and @stephgorton__ (https://www.instagram.com/stephgorton__/) for more content every week.

See you next Thursday for S*it that works!

Everyone's asking the same question. Should I focus on ads or organic to grow my business in 2026 and heading into 2027?

The answer isn't what you think.

Today we're breaking down the brutal truth about paid ads versus organic marketing, what's actually working right now, and why picking the wrong strategy could cost you months of wasted time and thousands of dollars in lost revenue.

We're talking about why ads work for every single business (and if you think they don't, your offer probably sucks), the uncomfortable truth about what it takes to actually succeed with organic in 2026, and why most people who rely on one strategy end up stuck at $40K a month.

We also get a specific influencer with 500,000 followers, who doesn't get a single client from organic, why 82% of online consumers rely on retargeting to purchase, the exact strategies working right now for both ads and organic, and why we'd pick ads over organic every single time if we had to start over.

If you're a service business owner and you're trying to figure out where to put your time and money in 2026, this episode is for you.

If you're a service business owner and you're tired of relying on referrals to keep your calendar full, go to https://startsuccessschool.com/ and book a free Scale Session with our team.

We'll look at your business, show you exactly where the gaps are, and map out what a fully booked pipeline looks like for you specifically.

No fluff, no pitch fest. Just a real conversation about what's actually holding you back. We'd love to help you build something that actually works.

And if you got value from today's episode, make sure you hit follow wherever you're listening. It means the world to us and it helps more service business owners find the show.

You can also follow Tim and Steph over on Instagram at @timfrey__ (https://www.instagram.com/timfrey__/) and @stephgorton__ (https://www.instagram.com/stephgorton__/) for more content every week.

See you next week.

Cold emails aren't working. LinkedIn DMs get ignored. And your competitors are all doing the same thing.

So how do you actually get in front of high value clients when everyone else is stuck behind the gatekeeper?

Today we're breaking down a strategy that helped one gym owner land 100 clients at $11K each, generating over $2 million in revenue from a single tactic. It's called Lumpy Mail, and it's one of the most underrated ways to cut through the noise and get straight to the decision maker.

We're talking about how to use physical gifts to bypass gatekeepers, the exact steps to run this in your business, and why one of our clients got a 100% response rate when she sent KitKats to HR managers with a QR code that said take a break, scan me.

We also get into the common mistakes people make when they try this, why you need to go for the big fish and not the easy wins, and how to make sure your lumpy mail actually converts instead of just sitting on someone's desk.

If you're selling a high value service and you're tired of getting ignored online, this episode is for you.

You'll hear:

What lumpy mail is and why it works when cold emails and DMs don't

The gym owner who sent boxing gloves to CEOs and made over $2 million from this one strategy

How to get past the gatekeeper and straight to the decision maker's desk

The exact steps to run lumpy mail in your business (from the gift to the call to action)

How to list out your 50 ideal clients and go for the big dogs, not the easy wins

The KitKat strategy: how one client got a 100% response rate from HR managers

Why this is a high effort, high reward strategy (and why that's a good thing)

The common mistakes people make when they try lumpy mail and how to avoid them

Why you need to commit a budget and start with five to ten before you scale

How to make sure your lumpy mail actually converts and doesn't just get thrown away

If you're a service business owner and you're tired of relying on referrals to keep your calendar full, go to https://startsuccessschool.com/ and book a free Scale Session with our team.

We'll look at your business, show you exactly where the gaps are, and map out what a fully booked pipeline looks like for you specifically.

No fluff, no pitch fest. Just a real conversation about what's actually holding you back. We'd love to help you build something that actually works.

And if you got value from today's S*it that works!, make sure you hit follow wherever you're listening. It means the world to us and it helps more service business owners find the show.

You can also follow Tim and Steph over on Instagram at @timfrey__ (https://www.instagram.com/timfrey__/) and @stephgorton__ (https://www.instagram.com/stephgorton__/) for more content every week.

See you next Thursday for S*it that works!

Two days. A room full of founders doing $1M+ months. And more lessons than we could fit in our notes.

We just got back from what we're calling the best marketing mastermind in the world, and today we're breaking down everything we learned from people who are actually doing it. We're talking about the guy who went from struggling to scale to a million dollars a month by creating 10 new ads every single day, the offer pivot that took someone from $200K to $1M a month in four months, and why your offer probably isn't as strong as you think it is.

We get into why building a sales team is like recruiting Navy SEALs (and why you need to be the Navy first), the info diet of Fortune 500 CEOs, and why hanging out with lifestyle entrepreneurs will blunt your goals if you actually want to build something big.

We also talk about why most people can't see the whole chessboard, what it means to innovate in your industry, and why we feel like we're playing so small after watching The Men Who Built America on Prime.

If you're ready to think bigger, this episode is for you.

You'll hear:

What we learned from spending two days with founders doing $1M+ months

Why creating 10 different ad formats every day unlocked a million dollar month

How different avatars buy in different ways (and why you're missing out if you only run one funnel)

The offer pivot that took someone from $200K to $1M a month in four months

Why your offer is everything and how to know if yours actually sucks

The harder your thing is to deliver, the more valuable it is (and why group coaching is dying)

Why building a sales team is like recruiting Navy SEALs (and why you need to be the Navy first)

How to build a seven figure business versus an eight figure business (and the type of people you need)

Why you need to find your crowd (and how the wrong room will blunt your goals)

You can't play the game if you can't see the whole chessboard

What's your info diet? The books, shows, and biographies that Fortune 500 CEOs consume

Why The Men Who Built America made us feel like we're playing so small

Why Australian entrepreneurs think too small and how to break out of that

If you're a service business owner and you're tired of relying on referrals to keep your calendar full, go to https://startsuccessschool.com/ and book a free Scale Session with our team.

We'll look at your business, show you exactly where the gaps are, and map out what a fully booked pipeline looks like for you specifically.

No fluff, no pitch fest. Just a real conversation about what's actually holding you back. We'd love to help you build something that actually works.

And if you want to join us at one of our upcoming masterminds in Vietnam (September) or at our mansion in Koh Samui, Thailand (January/February 2027), send us a DM on Instagram. We'd love to have you.

You can also follow Tim and Steph over on Instagram at @timfrey__ (https://www.instagram.com/timfrey__/) and @stephgorton__ (https://www.instagram.com/stephgorton__/) for more content every week.

See you next Monday.

$226,000. That's how much we almost lost.

And we had no idea it was sitting right there in our CRM the whole time.

Today we're breaking down exactly how we used AI to find that money, the OpenClaw and GHL integration that changed everything, and the three simple prompts that uncovered opportunities our team had completely missed.

We're talking about the people who slipped through the gaps in our pipeline, the sales calls that never happened, the hottest leads buried under 50,000 names, and how we turned all of that into a quarter of a million dollars in recovered revenue.

This isn't some theoretical AI strategy. This is what actually worked. The exact tools, the exact prompts, and the exact results. If you're sitting on a CRM full of leads and you're not doing this, you're leaving money on the table.

You'll hear:

0:00 How AI found us $226,000 we almost lost

The OpenClaw and GHL integration that changed everything

How to connect your AI agent to your CRM (even if you're not technical)

The first prompt: finding everyone who slipped through the gaps in your pipeline

The second prompt: analyzing everyone who booked a sales call and never showed up

The third prompt: pulling the hottest 100 leads from 50,000 names in your database

What we did with that list and how our sales team turned it into revenue

Why your CRM is probably full of money you don't even know you have

The three things you can do right now to replicate this in your business

If you're a service business owner and you're tired of relying on referrals to keep your calendar full, go to https://startsuccessschool.com/ and book a free Scale Session with our team.

We'll look at your business, show you exactly where the gaps are, and map out what a fully booked pipeline looks like for you specifically.

No fluff, no pitch fest. Just a real conversation about what's actually holding you back. We'd love to help you build something that actually works.

You can also follow Tim and Steph over on Instagram at @timfrey__ (https://www.instagram.com/timfrey__/) and @stephgorton__ (https://www.instagram.com/stephgorton__/) for more content every week.

$20,000 a month to $80,000 a month. In 90 days.

And she did it by spending her last dollar on coaching, firing her agency, and fixing the one thing that was broken in her business.

Today we're breaking down exactly how Ana went from zero in her bank account to consistently hitting $20,000 weeks in her beauty salon. We're talking about the ads that were literally advertising the wrong city, the sales process that was leaking money, and the one funnel that changed everything.

We get into why everyone thinks they have a leads problem when it's actually a sales problem, how Ana went from trying to book consultations with guys who were too ashamed to pick up the phone to closing 10 to 15 clients a week, and the moment at our mastermind table when everyone overcomplicated the answer and Tim just said increase ad spend.

We also talk about what it takes to put your balls on the line when you're at zero, why firing her agency immediately saved her $5,000 a month, and how she's now launching a course to teach other salon owners how to do the same thing.

If you run a beauty salon or any service business and you're playing below your potential, this episode is for you.

You'll hear:

0:00 How Ana went from $20K to $80K a month in her beauty salon in 90 days

Who Ana is and what her business does (scalp tattooing for men)

Why she was at zero when she started working with us and spent her last dollar on coaching

The ads audit that revealed her agency was advertising the wrong city

Why everyone thinks they have a leads problem when it's actually a sales problem

The funnel switch: from VSL call funnel to DM funnel and back again (and why it worked)

How we fixed the sales process and got them closing 10 to 15 clients a week

The two biggest levers: fixing sales and increasing ad spend

The mastermind table moment when everyone overcomplicated the answer

How Ana bought a house, hit $20K weeks consistently, and is now launching a course

What it takes to put your balls on the line when you're at zero

The one scalable way to grow a beauty salon business right now

If you're a service business owner and you're tired of relying on referrals to keep your calendar full, go to https://startsuccessschool.com/ and book a free Scale Session with our team.

We'll look at your business, show you exactly where the gaps are, and map out what a fully booked pipeline looks like for you specifically.

No fluff, no pitch fest. Just a real conversation about what's actually holding you back. We'd love to help you build something that actually works.

And if you got value from today's episode, make sure you hit follow wherever you're listening. It means the world to us and it helps more service business owners find the show.

You can also follow Tim and Steph over on Instagram at @timfrey__ (https://www.instagram.com/timfrey__/) and @stephgorton__ (https://www.instagram.com/stephgorton__/) for more content every week.

See you next Monday.

Most people think building a seven-figure business is about working harder. It's not.

It's about knowing what's actually working right now, what's dying, and what you need to let go of before it drags you down with it.

Today we're breaking down exactly how to build a seven-figure business in 2026. We're talking about the offers that are printing right now, the ones that are sinking, and why your attachment to your current offer might be the thing keeping you stuck. We get into marketing, why organic and email are becoming less effective, and why ads are no longer optional if you want to scale. And we talk about team, why trying to do it all yourself will burn you out, and the biggest mistakes people make when hiring.

We also share the story of a client who pivoted from fitness business coaching to AI systems and went profitable almost immediately, why the coaching industry is struggling at the lower end, and why we think 2026 might actually be the easiest time ever to build a million dollar business.

You'll hear:

0:00 Why 2026 might be the easiest time to build a seven figure business

4:37 The one thing that makes people want to buy an offer right now

9:12 How a client pivoted from fitness coaching to AI and went profitable almost immediately

14:28 Why being a phenomenal entrepreneur with a bad offer will keep you stuck

19:45 The industries that are sinking right now and why online fitness coaching is dying

26:33 Why the low ticket versus high ticket debate is completely irrelevant

32:51 Why organic and email are becoming less effective and why ads are no longer optional

38:19 The call funnel that's working right now and why 80% of our webinar traffic is ice cold

43:07 Has business actually gotten harder or did we just get spoiled between 2020 and 2024?

47:52 Why trying to build a seven figure business without a team will burn you out

52:44 The biggest mistake people make with team and why expectation is killing your hires

58:19 Why marketing is the last thing you should outsource, not the first

If you're a service business owner and you're tired of relying on referrals to keep your calendar full, go to https://startsuccessschool.com/ and book a free Scale Session with our team.

We'll look at your business, show you exactly where the gaps are, and map out what a fully booked pipeline looks like for you specifically.

No fluff, no pitch fest. Just a real conversation about what's actually holding you back. We'd love to help you build something that actually works.

And if you got value from today's episode, make sure you hit follow wherever you're listening. It means the world to us and it helps more service business owners find the show.

You can also follow Tim and Steph over on Instagram at @timfrey__ (https://www.instagram.com/timfrey__/) and @stephgorton__ (https://www.instagram.com/stephgorton__/) for more content every week.

See you next Monday.

You're working 14-hour days. You're pushing hard. You're building something real.

But what's the point if you burn out before you see it through?

Today we're sitting down with Dr. Harry, a longevity doctor who works with some of the highest performing entrepreneurs in the world. And we're getting into the stuff that actually matters: what's killing entrepreneurs, what you should be doing right now to live longer, and why most of the stuff you see on Instagram is probably a waste of money.

We talk about AI in medicine and how it's going to change everything from blood tests to drug design. We get into testosterone, why levels are dropping worldwide, and what that means for you as a business owner. We cover peptides, the experimental ones everyone's jabbing, and which ones Dr. Harry thinks are actually worth it.

We also talk about the stuff no one mentions: why your relationship is probably the biggest health factor you're ignoring, how stress is a slow killer until it's not, and why most supplements are just expensive piss.

You'll hear:

0:00 - Will AI make us live forever? The upside and the very real downside

5:42 - How AI will change medicine: precision treatment, drug design, and decades of data in one diagnosis

11:28 - What entrepreneurs should actually be doing for longevity (it's not cold plunges)

18:15 - Risk factor management: the thing that will bite you if you're not paying attention

24:37 - Why every entrepreneur should be lifting weights and doing cardio (even if you hate it)

29:44 - Nutrition for longevity: win the day, win the week, win the year

35:19 - The only supplements that actually matter (and the ones that are a waste of money)

42:08 - What peptides actually are, why drug companies dropped them, and which ones Dr. Harry uses

49:53 - Retatrutide: why Dr. Harry doesn't recommend it and the liver failure cases in Australia

54:26 - Why testosterone levels are dropping worldwide and what that means for entrepreneurs

1:02:11 - TRT: the placebo effect, the real effect, and why most guys feel like shit without knowing it

1:08:34 - What's overhyped in longevity? If it's not training, sleep, nutrition, or screening, it's probably bullshit

1:14:47 - Reviewing Tim's protocol live: what's working, what's missing, and the one thing he's ignoring

1:19:22 - Why your relationship is the biggest health factor you're not paying attention to

1:23:55 - How to know if you're too stressed and what chronic stress is doing to your body

1:28:41 - What Dr. Harry is most excited about: data, behavioral change, and the plug in socket problem

1:34:16 - What Dr. Harry thinks of Bryan Johnson and why he'll never get back the time he's investing

1:38:29 - My Performance Doctor: how Dr. Harry built a subscription medical business by accident

If you're a service business owner and you're tired of relying on referrals to keep your calendar full, go to https://startsuccessschool.com/ and book a free Scale Session with our team.

We'll look at your business, show you exactly where the gaps are, and map out what a fully booked pipeline looks like for you specifically.

No fluff, no pitch fest. Just a real conversation about what's actually holding you back. We'd love to help you build something that actually works.

And if you got value from today's episode, make sure you hit follow wherever you're listening. It means the world to us and it helps more service business owners find the show.

You can also follow Tim and Steph over on Instagram at @timfrey__ (https://www.instagram.com/timfrey__/) and @stephgorton__ (https://www.instagram.com/stephgorton__/) for more content every week.

See you next Monday.