Learn powerful and proven direct response marketing strategies that will help you grow your business fast.
The Mindset Shift Every Entrepreneur Needs: Invest Big, Win Big
What does it really take to achieve massive success as an entrepreneur? Dive in to uncover the mindset shift that led to the creation of the million-copy bestseller The 1-Page Marketing Plan and why investing big can lead to even bigger wins.
When people ask me, “What’s the secret to writing a million-copy bestseller like The 1-Page Marketing Plan?” The answer is both simple and complex.
The simple answer? Write the book you wish you had.
The complex answer? Be willing to invest—not just time and effort, but money. In my case, $300,000.
Yes, you read that right. Three. Hundred. Thousand. Dollars.
It sounds absurd, doesn’t it? But let me take you behind the scenes of why that investment wasn’t just worth it—it was transformative.
When I first launched The 1-Page Marketing Plan, I didn’t go all-in from day one. Like any savvy entrepreneur, I started small, treating the launch like a minimum viable product (MVP). The goal wasn’t to create a perfect product but to test the waters, gather data, and learn what worked.
This lean approach meant low-cost initial investments. I focused on things like:
This allowed me to validate my product-market fit before committing significant resources. And here’s the key: once I saw traction, I didn’t stop.
Instead of treating my early success as the finish line, I treated it as the starting line.Starting small and testing is a proven strategy in any marketing campaign. Whether it’s launching a product, testing ads, or building a sales funnel, the MVP approach minimizes risk while gathering real-world data.
But the key is knowing when to scale once you see results.
Here’s where many people hesitate: the moment when small success requires bigger investment.
After seeing early validation for The 1-Page Marketing Plan, I made the decision to reinvest—and not just a little, but aggressively. I spent on:
This wasn’t about throwing money at the wall and hoping something stuck. Every dollar was strategically allocated to amplify what was already working.
Yes, it was risky. But it wasn’t blind risk. I had data to back up my decisions, from ad performance metrics to audience feedback.
Calculated risk separates successful marketers from the rest. Know your KPIs, analyze your results, and make decisions based on evidence—not fear. This applies whether you’re scaling ad spend, launching a new product, or entering a new market.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned—and one I share with my clients—is that marketing isn’t an expense. It’s an investment.
Let me share a recent example. A client of mine was running ads that were delivering great returns—more than 5x their monthly ad spend. But instead of celebrating, they panicked. Their instinct was to scale back, worried that continuing to spend might backfire.
My advice? Double down.
Here’s why: when you know your numbers, scaling up becomes a logical next step. In this case, their lifetime customer value far exceeded their ad spend, making every additional dollar invested a no-brainer.
Many businesses fall into the trap of penny-pinching when they should be scaling. This fear often stems from not fully understanding their metrics.
Knowing your cost per acquisition (CPA), customer lifetime value (CLV), and return on ad spend (ROAS) gives you the confidence to make bold moves.
Even today, years after launching The 1-Page Marketing Plan, I continue to spend over $15,000 a month on ads to promote my books.
Why? Because the returns go far beyond the immediate revenue. Ads don’t just sell books—they build a brand, expand your reach, and open doors to new opportunities.
For example, my continued investment in ads has led to:
Think of ads as a multiplier for your efforts.
A well-targeted campaign doesn’t just generate immediate sales; it creates momentum that fuels long-term growth. But to succeed, you need to constantly monitor and optimize your campaigns based on performance data.
You don’t need a $300,000 marketing budget to see results, but you do need to think like an investor. Here are some key takeaways:
The businesses that thrive are the ones willing to think big, take calculated risks, and invest in their own success.
You don’t need to spend $300,000 today, but you do need to ask yourself:
The journey to success isn’t about playing it safe—it’s about playing it smart.
So, what bold marketing move are you ready to make today?
How a Visionary-Integrator Duo Fuels Growth
Are you a Visionary or an Integrator? Discover how these two roles powerfully complement each other—and learn to harness their strengths for success.
As an entrepreneur, there’s one thing that never fails to spark my energy—big ideas. Ideas come to me in bursts, often in the middle of a busy day or even a late night. Some of these are ambitious marketing strategies; others, well…let’s just call them “creative” (like that late-night business brainstorm). Most of these ideas are scribbled down quickly, captured before they escape.
But here’s the problem: most big ideas, no matter how brilliant, never make it off the page.
The few that do? They’ve transformed my business in ways I once thought were impossible. In fact, one such idea was the seed for The 1-Page Marketing Plan, a project that’s propelled my business beyond what I imagined.
Ideas alone, without a solid strategy and execution plan, don’t bring progress. They’re potential without power. Here’s how I learned the importance of balancing creative ideation with actionable steps—and why every visionary needs an integrator to bring their best ideas to life.
If you’re a business leader or entrepreneur, you know what it’s like to be flooded with ideas. Every new concept seems full of promise, each one a path to new growth or an innovative way to tackle a challenge.
But there’s a catch: big ideas are just that—ideas. They remain nothing more than scribbles on a notepad or notes in an app unless they’re nurtured and developed into actionable strategies.
Without the right follow-through, even the most brilliant ideas gather dust. And that’s where many business leaders, myself included, often struggle. How do you make the shift from brainstorming to building?
Gino Wickman’s book Rocket Fuel offers a powerful framework for tackling this challenge. Wickman describes two critical roles in any successful business: the Visionary and the Integrator.
The Visionary is the one who dreams big. They’re constantly spotting opportunities, envisioning new paths, and generating fresh ideas. Visionaries thrive on creative problem-solving, always looking for innovative ways to push the business forward.
The Integrator, on the other hand, is the one who ensures that these big ideas don’t stay trapped in the clouds. They’re grounded in practicalities, asking questions like, “How will we achieve this?” and “What needs to happen first?” An Integrator manages the details, turns concepts into plans, and brings those plans to life.
Together, Visionaries and Integrators create a powerful dynamic—one that’s essential for sustained growth.
In my business, I’m the Visionary. I’m constantly coming up with new strategies, ideas, and (sometimes wild) concepts. And if it were just me, most of these ideas would remain wishful thinking. Fortunately, I have Anna, our CEO and my Integrator, to keep things on track.
Anna is the person who asks the tough questions: “What’s most important right now?” or “Is this the right direction at this moment?” Her role goes far beyond managing tasks. She evaluates, organizes, and executes the ideas that matter most, ensuring that we’re constantly making meaningful progress.
It’s this Visionary-Integrator partnership that makes our business tick. While I focus on creativity and innovation, Anna is the glue that holds it all together, transforming raw ideas into real, impactful actions.
In many businesses, there’s a tendency to focus only on execution or only on creativity. But long-term success comes from a balance of both. The Visionary provides the creative energy and forward-thinking solutions, while the Integrator keeps the business grounded and productive. Without an Integrator, a Visionary’s ideas are at risk of stagnation. And without a Visionary, an Integrator may lack new avenues for growth.
The Benefits of a Visionary-Integrator Partnership:
Whether you’re an entrepreneur just starting out or leading a team, the Visionary-Integrator framework can transform your approach to big ideas. Here are some tips for finding the right mix of dreamers and doers:
Big ideas are only half the journey. Real progress comes when we have the right systems and people in place to bring those ideas to life. The Visionary-Integrator duo isn’t just a way to manage tasks; it’s a strategy for turning potential into progress, creativity into results.
So, if you find yourself sitting on a stack of uncompleted ideas and half-baked concepts, ask yourself: Do you have the right team or partner to help make them real? Because the magic doesn’t happen in the idea stage—it happens when ideas meet action.
Here’s to putting ideas into action and creating lasting growth.
Why Focusing on Your Strengths (Not Weaknesses) Drives Real Growth
Is focusing on your weaknesses slowing you down? Don't waste your time and energy forcing yourself into something you're not built for. Here's my advice on what you should do instead.
You’ve probably heard it countless times: *“Work on your weaknesses.”*
But here’s the thing—I disagree. And I’ll tell you why this common advice might just be holding you back.
If you spend all your time trying to fix weaknesses, what happens to your strengths? Those unique skills, the very things that make you stand out, can end up neglected. And if your strengths stagnate, so does your growth.
Let me give you an example.
I’m not a strong swimmer. No matter how many hours I train, I’m just not built for it. My strengths lie elsewhere—in marketing strategy, crafting campaigns, and guiding entrepreneurs to success. You won’t catch me in the pool anytime soon, but you will find me helping clients thrive.
Imagine if I spent all my time trying to become a better swimmer, forcing myself to spend hours at the pool. Sure, I might improve a bit, but at what cost? My time and energy are better spent on the things that come naturally and yield real results.
And this is what I encourage you to consider. Instead of getting bogged down by weaknesses, focus on making your strengths exceptional. Here’s my advice on how to do just that.
We often think that if we’re good at something, we should keep doing it ourselves. But consider this: if there’s someone who can do that same task at a fraction of the cost (and free up your time), why not hire them? For example, if administrative tasks or graphic design are taking up hours of your week, think about hiring someone to take those on.
You don’t have to outsource everything. Start with one or two areas that you can comfortably hand over to others. This way, you can stay focused on where you bring the most value—areas of expertise and creativity that drive your business forward.
Every business needs foundational marketing in place, but many entrepreneurs spread themselves too thin trying to do everything. When it comes to marketing, there’s a better way to leverage your strengths: budget for specialized support. Whether that means setting aside funds for a marketing coordinator, copywriter, or digital strategist, building a team around your strengths is invaluable.
A good rule of thumb is to budget around $5,000 per month for specialized support in marketing (to start). While it may seem like a big commitment, investing here can yield a far better return on your time and effort than tackling it all yourself. Bringing in skilled people to manage specific areas allows you to focus on your strongest contributions to the business.
Hustling is great, but without support, you’ll hit a growth ceiling—or worse, burnout. Rather than constantly working on your weaknesses, staff them. This means hiring people who are skilled in the areas where you aren’t, whether it’s technical tasks, operations, or customer service.
For instance, team building is non-negotiable for my clients. Before joining my program, we make sure clients are either ready to hire a marketing specialist or have already brought one on board. The impact this has on long-term growth is immeasurable. One client recently shared their story of how changing their marketing coordinator gave their business the boost it needed:
*"Since June, it’s been skyrocketing! We changed our marketing coordinator and found the right fit for us. Things were stagnating, but with her help…it just took off."*
When you staff your weaknesses, you can channel your energy into what you do best, ultimately fueling sustainable growth.
Focusing on your strengths isn’t about ignoring your weaknesses—it’s about recognizing where your time and energy yield the highest return. By outsourcing, investing in support, and staffing your weaknesses, you can keep your focus on what you’re truly best at. It’s not about avoiding challenges; it’s about investing your resources wisely for the best possible growth.
Remember, growth is about working smarter, not harder. Embrace your strengths, delegate your weaknesses, and watch your business thrive.
Business is a Team Sport
Struggling to grow your business while doing everything yourself? Don't be a lone hero like Clark Kent. Start leading like Tony Stark! Discover how letting go of control and building a strong team is the key to scaling your success.
Most entrepreneurs get stuck in Superman Syndrome.
It’s that do-it-all mentality that pushes your business to new heights…only to leave you burnt out in the end.
The second your business hits a bump, you’re Superman and you swoop in to save the day…again and again.
While being Superman feels great when you’re just starting your business, it will ensure that you’ll never grow.
The problem is it leaves you wide open to Entrepreneurial Kryptonite:
And while trying to do it all sounds heroic, it’s not a sustainable path to business growth, especially marketing.
It’s a fast track to burnout, bad decisions, and entrepreneurial fatigue.
Business is a team sport. So it’s time to stop playing in single-player mode.
It was when I empowered my team to take full ownership—giving them the ability to make strategic decisions.
That shift (letting go) was one of the hardest things I’ve done. It also paved the way for rapid growth and getting my sanity back.
Like everything, it starts small—meetings I didn’t need to be part of. Then spending decisions to a certain level. Then more strategic decisions. Now it’s come to a point where I'm able to keep the engine running without being involved in many discussions.
This allows me to focus on big-picture, strategic (and fun) projects.
Being a bottleneckBeing bottleneck puts a firm limit on how much you can accomplish—even if you strap on your cape every single day and play Superman.
My best advice?
Don't just hire, invest.
Invest in a team of people who care about the success of your business as much as you do. People who are ready to roll up their sleeves and execute.
When you build that high-performance culture, you’re free to focus on what truly matters: working on the business, not in the business.
In other words:
Instead of trying to be Superman, putting out every fire yourself…
Be Tony Stark.
Lead your own Avengers—a dream team of experts, each with their own unique strengths, working together to win the day.
Assemble your Avengers, and trust them to handle the rest.
Essential Elements of Crafting Magnetic Messaging
Transform your business by unlocking the secret to crafting a magnetic marketing message that resonates with your ideal clients and inspires action. Dive in to learn more!
What separates a business that thrives from one that struggles? While the reasons are multifaceted, from a marketing perspective, messaging is a major differentiator.
A clear, compelling message can mean the difference between attracting your ideal clients and losing them to the competition.
The key question: Do your prospects instantly understand your value, and are they moved to take action as a result?
In this post, we’ll dive into the essential elements of crafting magnetic messaging that resonates with your target audience and drives profitable results.
The first step in creating a powerful marketing message is knowing exactly who your ideal client is. These are the people who:
If you’re not clear on this yet, you’re not alone. Many businesses struggle here. Getting clear on your ideal client is foundational, and it’s the first block of the 1-Page Marketing Plan we teach at Lean Marketing.
There’s a significant distinction between simply creating awareness and actually driving action.
You may know that certain foods are healthy, but knowing is different from actually planning your meals around them. The same applies to your marketing—your message should not just inform; it should inspire action.
The goal? Get your prospects to hear, understand, and act on your message. When this happens, you make a meaningful connection—and profit follows.
Here’s a common challenge: You feel like your business blends in with competitors, making it hard to communicate your unique value.
Often, businesses assume that more marketing or bigger ad budgets will solve this problem. But in reality, amplifying a weak message won’t help—just like amplifying a bad singer only makes things worse. Before you increase your volume, you need to refine the message itself.
Here are three key challenges you’ll likely encounter in your messaging:
One of the most important lessons in marketing is understanding what your audience is actually buying. Hint: It’s not always the surface-level product or service.
Consider the example of insurance. People aren’t really buying insurance—they’re buying peace of mind in case something happens. Understanding the deeper motivations behind purchases can help you craft messaging that resonates on a more emotional level.
A useful tool for uncovering these motivations is the “5 Whys Technique.” Keep asking “Why?” until you reach the core emotional reason behind the purchase.
There are seven fundamental drivers that compel people to make purchases:
While not all of these triggers will apply to every business, understanding which ones resonate most with your audience is crucial. Identify the most relevant triggers for your product or service and build your messaging around them.
A powerful message can help you rise above the competition—even if you’re facing price wars. If you’re constantly competing on price, it’s likely because you haven’t differentiated yourself enough through messaging.
Think of it like two apples: If both appear the same, you’ll choose the cheaper one. But if you learn that one apple is organic and healthier, suddenly the higher price makes sense. The difference? Messaging that highlights value beyond cost.
Here’s a framework to help you craft magnetic messaging:
When you incorporate these elements into your messaging, you’ll see a dramatic shift in how your audience responds. Clarity, emotional appeal, and a clear call-to-action are the cornerstones of a successful message.
By focusing on your target audience, understanding their motivations, and refining your message with precision, you’ll not only capture attention—you’ll inspire action and drive real results.
The Power of Storytelling
Facts tell, stories sell. Transform your marketing by tapping into your audience's emotions using storytelling. Here are my top tips for crafting a compelling story.
The air was thick and the faint smell of coffee lingered...
As I stared at the blank screen, the cursor blinked mockingly as silence and that familiar feeling slowly filled the room...
Yup, it was page fright.
See what I did there?
I painted a picture.
That's so much more powerful than simply saying, "I had writer's block."
Storytelling is one of the most effective skills you can develop as a marketer.
Humans crave stories, and we've been sharing them for thousands of years (dating back to the days of cave drawings and loincloths.)
Good stories yield immense power:
That last point is critical to your marketing.
People buy based on emotion first and logic second.
So, if you can tap into their emotions through vivid storytelling, they'll move directly into the buying zone.
I'm a huge AI nerd—and I've heard a lot of chatter about how it's going to make writing obsolete.
And while AI may make mediocre content creation easier, cheaper, and faster, there's one thing I know for certain it CAN'T do: share your stories and experiences.
AI models are predictive, meaning they use patterns to determine what comes next.
This creates generic-sounding, cliché-filled output. It's stuff that puts your audience to sleep and practically ensures they don't buy.
There's simply no substitute for good storytelling.
Here are some of my most important tips:
This is the first and most pivotal copywriting commandment I lay out in my book, Lean Marketing.
Think of your content as infotainment. It's job is to entertain first and inform second.
If your content is boring, it doesn't matter how valuable it is—it won't get consumed. So, make sure your writing is memorable and stands out.
How do you avoid staring at a blank page?
You never start writing from scratch.
I always write interesting stories down and store them in my story bank to draw inspiration from them for my content whenever I'm in need.
Not just that, but I'll take note of stories from the real world...powerful marketing, ads that sold me, things I heard on a podcast, etc.
It will make your writing process immensely easier.
This simple storytelling framework to become one of the world's top keynote speakers:
Lead with the incident. End with the point.
And along the way, fill your story with details—what you saw, heard, smelled, anything that will transport the audience to that world.
I believe anyone can be a great storyteller—and, by extension, a great marketer.
But here's the truth:
If your writing is bland, forgettable, or cranked out by the dozen, it won't stand a chance.
Make your writing bold. Make it interesting. Make it you.
In marketing, storytelling isn't just a tool. It's your edge.
The Most Powerful Tool in My Marketing Toolbox
Experiencing high churn with your product or service? Don’t give up just yet—here’s how I brought in more clients and completely eliminated churn.
Earlier this year, I had a major problem with our flagship program. I knew this was a killer program. In fact, it was the best thing we’d ever built…
Despite the fact that we got lots of positive signals about the program, we had a high rate of churn…people leaving the program before they had a chance to get results.
This was frustrating. Worst of all, I knew had they stayed enrolled, they would have reaped the benefits.
Fast forward to today.
We’re bringing in 4x more clients every week and have practically eliminated churn altogether.
The clients inside our program are thriving, consistently breaking records, and setting our daily wins board ablaze.
So, what changed?
We didn’t change the target market.
We didn’t change the content.
We didn’t throw more money at ads.
We didn’t throw more money at ads.
And, because I believe—and still believe—in the value of our program, we didn’t change a thing about it.
Instead, we made small but powerful tweaks to something foundational—our messaging.
A small shift in how I communicated with my audience doubled our conversion rate…in just two months.
The difference between a product or service that’s leaking revenue or compounding it can be how you talk to your leads.
Marketing is the master skill of business. And copywriting is the master skill of marketing.
Being able to communicate in a way that makes people not only listen but take action is the most powerful tool in my marketing toolbox.
It’s the same tool that’s helped hundreds of my clients scale to multiple seven and eight figures.
And here’s the kicker —it’s something anyone can learn to master (the exact tool we teach you to use to your advantage inside Accelerator).
If you’re facing challenges with high churn, low conversions, or long sales cycles—I encourage you to take a step back and revisit your messaging.
Are you speaking in a way that truly resonates with where your clients actually are?
Are you addressing their pain points and desires with laser-like clarity?
Are you tapping into their dreams, desires, and fears?
I’ve seen firsthand how sharpening your message can unlock the next level in your business.
Because when you get your messaging right, the rest of your marketing is easy.
The Most Precious Resource in My Business
Business owners chase fleeting trends that often waste their most valuable resource: time. Discover how to achieve greater results with less effort through the three force multipliers.
Let's talk about time.
Many business owners treat it like a four-letter word.
I don't blame them.
When you think about it, time is actually a great stand-in for swear words.
Social media campaign flops? Time it.
Spend hours on sales calls that never convert? Forget this time.
Waste a bunch of money on failed ads? This time is crazy.
If there's one thing I wish I had more of in my business, it's time.
Time is the most precious resource for your business.
And it feels like your time is constantly slipping away, you might be falling for bright shiny object syndrome.
The problem many businesses face in their marketing is jumping on the latest marketing trends without considering how it will impact their business.
They're searching for that silver bullet that shoots them to success.
Unfortunately, there's no silver bullet.
When you spend your time doing random acts of marketing, you may as well be flushing your time down the toilet.
The difference between being a struggling business owner and a successful one is how you leverage your time.
One of the best things I've ever done is learn how to leverage my time to maximize the return on time investment for my business.
The only way to multiply your business results without multiplying the time and resources you put in is with leverage.
Leverage is anything that multiplies the force of your inputs. If you can put one unit of time, money, or energy in and get more than one unit back out. That's leverage at work.
Leverage is a force multiplier.
Three force multipliers will help you create a devastatingly effective marketing system - one that gets you bigger results with fewer inputs.
By getting clear on these force multipliers, you'll better leverage your resources and your time for maximum impact.
The (Unsexy) Path to Financial Freedom
Do you want to unlock the door to financial freedom? Shortcuts are tempting, but the real gems might be right in your backyard. Find out how a simple strategy can pave the way for massive success.
What if I told you there was a guaranteed path to financial freedom?
The concept is simple:
It's a compound interest.
If you stash $50 away in a shoe box every week, you'll have $130,000 in 50 years.
But if you invest $50 every week into the S&P 500 instead, with an average rate of return you'll have over $1.7 million in the same amount of time.
That's the magic of compound interest.
So why aren't more people millionaires?
Because quick wins are sexier (like gambling on some dumb crypto coins or the stock tip that's a "sure thing.")
Easy fixes and shortcuts are always more appealing than slow steady success.
With compound interest, it seems like nothing is happening for a long time...until eventually, you see a sharp uptick and massive returns.
It's the same thing with marketing.
A lot of your early marketing efforts will feel disappointing. You'll question if this stuff actually works.
But marketing is a process, not an event.
And those big long-term gains come from the compound interest of your daily, weekly, and monthly efforts.
So if you want to unlock the potential of compound interest, it's time to double down on what's working and cut what doesn't.
The tricky part is figuring out what those are.
Once you get clear on the systems and processes that breeds success, you'll start to see small returns that pave the way for big results down the road.