AI Summary
5 min readThe $10 Million Funnel: How AJ&Smart Built a System That Turns Strangers Into Customers
Jonathan Courtney, CEO of AJ&Smart, walked through the exact funnel his company used to generate $252,000 in revenue from $86,000 in ad spend in a single month—a 318% return on investment. The conversation centered on a simple but counterintuitive insight: most small businesses avoid paid ads because the people offering them are either too expensive or too sleazy. That gap, Courtney argues, is a massive business opportunity for anyone willing to be the "not douchey" ad consultant.
The Anti-Slack Manifesto
Before getting into funnels, Courtney explained why he recently moved his entire company off Slack back to Basecamp after four years. The problem wasn't the tool itself—it was what the tool incentivized. "I started to have the feeling that my company was becoming like a chat room," he said. He noticed that senior team members were spending their days replying to Slack messages instead of doing the high-value strategic work that actually drives revenue. "Wouldn't we make way more money if you used your marketing strategy skills instead of replying to fucking Slack messages?" The move was part of a broader restructuring: changing office space, doubling down on in-person work, and eliminating the tool that had become "the default interface" of the company. The lesson: the tools you use
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **The "Not Douchey" Ad Consultant Opportunity** - The guest identifies a gap in the market for trustworthy, non-agency ad consultants for small businesses and solopreneurs.
- 2 (14:08) **How to Launch This Business in One Month** - A concrete, actionable playbook for getting the first client.
- 3 (16:00) **Why Meta Ads Are Not Dead** - A key insight on audience targeting that counters common startup wisdom.
- 4 (20:40) **When to Start Running Ads** - A practical sequence for beginners: organic first, then paid.
- 5 (26:10) **Anatomy of a $10 Million Funnel** - A detailed walkthrough of the guest's most successful sales funnel.
- 6 (34:22) **Real Funnel Stats: $80k Ad Spend, 318% ROI** - The guest shares exact performance data from their $10 million funnel.
- 7 (37:10) **The Book Funnel Strategy** - A front-end funnel that loses money on purpose to build a list.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
I’m joined by Jonathan Courtney, as we deep dive on how to set up million dollar sales funnels.
1) Startup Idea 1: Paid Ads Agency
• Huge market for one-person ad consulting businesses
• Target specific verticals (e.g., hair salons, female info product owners)
• Take a cut of revenue instead of charging upfront
2) Facebook ads still crush it (for 40+ demo):
• Still effective for 40+ demographics
• AJ&Smart spends $80k/month on FB ads
• 318% ROI in June ($252k revenue from $80k spend)
"Meta ads are only dead for people under 35" - Jonathan
3) Funnel basics:
• Opt-in page → Free training video → Call booking
• Use ClickFunnels for quick tests
• Use Framer for validated funnels
Pro tip: Automate everything possible in your funnel
4) The book funnel strategy:
• Offer free digital + physical book
• Lose money upfront to get email addresses
• Monetize later with other offers
Example: http://workshopperplaybook.com/
5) Copywriting hacks:
• Focus on increasing status (even for B2B)
• Use pain vs. pleasure framework
• Adjust tone based on economic conditions
Key insight: Status increase drives purchases, even in corporate training
6) Jonathan's funnel philosophy:
• Don't obsess over tracking every conversion source
• Focus on overall company growth
• Prioritize Facebook ad spend ROI
"You have your monthly P&L. You just make sure your company is growing" - Jonathan
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Episode Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
06:41 Startup Idea 1: Paid Ads Agency
26:19 Funnel Hacking and Conversion Optimization
34:34 AJ & Smart Funnel breakdown
44:27 Copywriting Hacks
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