"She just dropped $30K on another mentor,” Jess said from her pool chair, sunglasses on, margarita in hand. She’s another fractional CMO — same client profile as mine with the same front-row seat to the pattern we've both been observing in the online space for years.
I didn't have to ask who she was talking about. Nearly every version of this founder who is trying to build a name for themselves is convinced there's a thing they don't know that their next coach does — a secret, a shortcut, a missing piece — and that's why they're not growing.
But here's what I know from sitting behind many of these online marketing brands that are widely followed online: they aren't smarter than you.
They don't know something you don't know.
They're just more well-known because they've committed to thing you haven't: volume.
The lie the industry runs on
The online business world runs on a very subtle lie — that there's a thing you don't know, and the right mentor has it, and if you just pay enough (another $12K, another $30K, another mastermind, another "intimate" retreat), you'll finally get the key.
It's a brilliant business model because it prints money and sells programs.
But it's also not the answer to the problem you're trying to solve.
You want a top-ranked podcast, 100k+ followers on Instagram, a bestselling book, sold out retreats, and ultimately be known for the work you do.
And the gap of where you are right now and where you'd like to be has nothing to do with your lack of knowledge, experience, or even your client results.
It's how many opportunities you create in a day for someone to discover you.
You're not behind. You're just not posting enough.
Look around at the people you think are "crushing it." The names you can't escape on Instagram. The ones who feel unavoidable. The ones whose launches are bringing in more than your annual revenue.
Here's the part no one will say out loud: a lot of the time, you are smarter than them.
You're more experienced, you understand your customer better, and you could out-strategize them in a 20-minute conversation.
But they are out-marketing you ten to one.
You post three times a week. They post three times a day.
You send one email a week. They send four.
You launch twice a year. They sell every single day.
That's it. That's the whole "secret."
It's nothing new, its more.
They are putting in more reps.
This isn't sexy, it won't create FOMO, and no one wants to hear "keep doing the thing you already do — just do it four times as often."
But it is, almost without exception, what separates the founders who keep exponentially growing and those who continue to stay stuck at a plateau.
Why "do more" feels harder than "pay more"
Paying more is instant gratification. And "do more" is somehow harder to accept than "pay someone to tell me something new."
Writing a check for a mastermind feels like progress. You get a hit of dopamine, it feels decisive, and you've taken 'action'.
You can tell your spouse, your team, your group chat — I'm investing in myself.
There's a Zoom link, there's a Voxer thread, there's a feeling that you've already solved the problem when you made the purchase.
But posting the fourth reel of the week when the third one flopped? That just feels like Tuesday.
This is why so many founders get stuck in the loop — course, mastermind, mentor, new coach, next program. It's not because they're dumb. It's because every one of those purchases gives them permission to change their strategy and get distracted without increasing volume or quality on what they're already producing.
Stop looking for the 'easy' way to success. It does not exist.
Whether you choose to build a Youtube Channel or an Instagram Following — it will be hard.
Both things are hard — building a business is hard — that's the whole point.
Run toward the hard things not away from them because that's where the success you crave is at — on the other side of hard things.
(It'll also save you a lot of money. You don't need another $30k mastermind, that $30k would be better invested in a part-time team member who could help you execute on more marketing).
What I actually see on the inside
I've been the CMO on dozens of multi 6 and 7 figure launches — I'm looking at the revenue and marketing numbers of some of the biggest names in the online space and I'm telling you….
It's not your framework. It's not your tech stack. It's not the coach you hired this year.
It's your volume - you need more reps!
It's the founder who sends the email even when her last one got crickets. The founder who ships the reel at 10pm with the baby on her hip. The founder who does the 47th podcast interview of the year and still only gets 100 downloads on an episode.
The founders who are "crushing it" are not operating from a different knowledge base than you.
They're operating at a different pace.
The gut check before the next swipe
So before you buy the next program, ask yourself one honest question:
Do I actually need to learn something new — or do I just need to do more of what I already know works?
If you already know what to write about, you don't need another content course. If you already know your audience, you don't need another clarity workshop. If you already know your offer converts, you don't need another offer audit.
You need to hit publish more often than feels comfortable, for longer than feels reasonable, when no one is watching, when the algorithm is punishing you, and yes, even when the last post tanked.
That is the whole secret.
The extra mile is never crowded for a reason — almost nobody will actually walk it.
To more volume over new frameworks,
Ashley
P.S. — Real talk: I have been guilty of this SO many times. It’s hard not to feel you’re missing something when results feel slow and everyone around you seems to be going fast. But truthfully — the feeling that someone knows something you don't — is often just really great marketing from them :)
P.S.S. Also, I want to say two things: there is a very real season when you're growing as entrepreneur and there's a lot you DON'T know, and you do need to invest into a coach or mastermind. I'm a huge advocate for learning and growth — however this article is specifically for those who are established business owners, have invested a lot of money already, and still feel stuck.
Second: I'm not promoting hustle culture and telling you that your already full plate is not enough. I'm highlighting that many in the online space would save money and get better results if they used their time to double their marketing efforts — instead of giving 10 hours a week to a new program.
What are your thoughts? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below, or send this to a friend who needs to hear that they aren’t missing anything they don’t already know.
If you are interested in working together and hiring me as your Fractional CMO, click here.