“I’m just not a marketer.” If you’ve ever said that (or “I hate marketing,” or “I just want to hire it out”), this episode is for you, my friend. In this fired-up solo episode, I’m sharing why you’re not bad at marketing, you’re just new at it. I get real about hiring an Online Business Manager to take operations off my plate, and why the “stay in your zone of genius” advice steered me wrong. Outsourcing is great, but you don’t get to outsource being the leader of your business.

We’re also digging into why Facebook and Instagram ads can be the push local business owners need to finally commit to becoming a marketer. When you put your chips in, you show up differently. Plus, I share what my daughter learning to ride her bike taught me about failure, and why every “wasted” investment you’ve made actually puts you ahead of the pack.

In this episode:

• Why “I’m not good at marketing” is an identity problem, not a skill problem
• The job description exercise that reveals what you really want your days to look like
• What hiring an OBM taught me about leading vs. outsourcing
• The runner analogy: why marketing is simple, but not easy
• How spending money on ads keeps you motivated and consistent
• Why past failures (ads that flopped, courses you didn’t finish) mean you’re ahead
• The identity shift it takes to go from 5K months to 15K months and beyond

Ready to stop guessing with your ads? Join Hometown ADvantage, my monthly membership for local business owners who want profitable Facebook and Instagram ads: https://www.nicoleeldridgemedia.com/hometown?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio

Follow along on Instagram: @nicoleeldridge_ads

🎯 FREE LIVE TRAINING: 3 Steps to Run Ads That Convert to Local Clients

Want your ads bringing in actual local clients instead of just clicks? Join Nicole live on November 5th at 1:00 PM ET for a free training on the exact 3 steps to run ads that convert.

Plus, for one week after the training, Hometown ADVantage opens with the best bonuses Nicole has ever offered.

Join for 12 months and get:

• Your ad account set up for you by Nicole’s

“I don’t have time to learn Facebook ads.” Sound familiar? In this episode, I’m breaking down a moment where Alex Hormozi told a seven-figure HVAC owner that his biggest growth lever was learning to run his own ads instead of handing them off to an agency. His answer to “how long will that take?” might surprise you. We’re flipping the “I’m too busy” story into the identity shift every local business owner needs to make: stop acting like the best employee in your business and start acting like the boss.

I’m sharing why growth and marketing deserve the same priority as taking care of your own health, the “bucket carriers vs. pipe builders” mindset that changed how I see ads, and the exact Sunday reset routine I use to plan my week around business growth first. If you’ve been riding the feast-or-famine rollercoaster and waiting on referrals to keep the lights on, this one’s your permission slip to block the time and actually start.

In this episode, we cover:

• What Alex Hormozi told a $1.3M HVAC owner about learning to run his own ads
• Why “I don’t have time” was never really the problem
• The “I do, we do, you do” teaching method and why you learn ads by doing them
• How to stop being the best employee in your business and start acting like the CEO
• Why skipping marketing and sales hurts your business the same way skipping self-care hurts your body
• Bucket carriers vs. pipe builders: why ads are the system that keeps leads flowing while you’re at your kid’s baseball game
• My Sunday reset routine (and how I use Claude and Airtable to track weekly goals and habits)
• Why 2 hours a week on your calendar beats 2 days locked in a room
• How to scale your time investment as your business grows

Resources mentioned:

• Join Hometown ADvantage: https://www.nicoleeldridgemedia.com/hometown?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio
• Follow Nicole on Instagram: @nicoleeldridge_ads

How long do Facebook ads take to work? It’s the question every local business owner asks before they hit “publish,” and the honest answer is that it depends. In this episode, Nicole breaks down the two factors that actually decide how fast your Facebook and Instagram ads get results: how much you spend, and how well your offer converts people who have never heard of you. She explains CPMs in plain English, the difference between cold and warm audiences, and why ads give you more control over your growth than referrals or organic social ever will.

She also shares how her client Tanesha, a permanent makeup artist, broke through a long plateau of $8 to 10K months and grew to $18 to 20K months once she added ads to her referral business. Plus, Nicole makes the case for a simple $150 a month visibility budget that compounds over time and turns you into the go-to business in your neighborhood. If you’ve been waiting until you feel “ready” to run ads, this one’s your sign to start walking.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The two biggest factors that decide how quickly your ads start working
• What CPMs (cost per 1,000 impressions) are and how they affect your reach and results
• Why a cold audience needs a different offer than your referrals and longtime followers
• How ads build a warm audience that keeps converting long after someone first sees your ad
• The visibility, leads, and sales framework for solving one ad problem at a time
• Why $5 a day on visibility ads is the smartest starting point for local businesses
• The mindset shift that separates business owners who win with ads from those who quit too soon

Mentioned in this episode:

• Join the Hometown ADvantage membership: https://www.nicoleeldridgemedia.com/hometown?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio
• Follow Nicole on Instagram: @nicoleeldridge_ads