
The Real Key To Success Isn’t Running Ads..
Author:
Aziza Azimova
Founder of AZE Media, Entrepreneur & Brand Builder
Hey there!
I want to talk about a big misconception in the PAID ADS world:
“If I could just nail those Facebook ads, my business would take off.”
I see this all the time — businesses jumping from one agency to another, spending thousands on ads, but not seeing the results. It's exhausting, right?
You might even think,
“Maybe I should learn this myself.”
That sounds like a better idea — so you go learn ads.
The Facebook Ads Trap
Next thing: You're pouring your heart, soul, and budget into Facebook ads, believing they're your golden ticket. You tweak, adjust, and obsess over every detail. But the results?
They're just not there. Or worse, they’re sporadic, time-consuming, and not scalable.
So, you start questioning everything — the targeting, the creative, the platform itself. Frustration builds. You’re tired. Your budget’s stretched. Deep down, you wonder if it’s even worth it.
You’ve been led to believe that the right hack, the perfect targeting strategy, will skyrocket your business.
But the harsh truth?
It's not happening because the issue isn’t the ads.
It’s the entire engine under the hood of your business.
Why Fixating on Facebook Ads Is a Waste of Time
I get it. When your ads aren't working, and you’ve been burned by multiple agencies, taking control feels like the only smart move.
But here’s the hard truth:
Most of the agencies and “experts” you’re hiring?
They’re platform experts — not growth experts. And there’s a big difference.
Platform experts: They know how to set up and run ads inside Facebook, TikTok, X, etc.
Growth experts: They go deeper. They look at your entire business, diagnose the real issues, and build systems that scale.
Most Businesses Aren’t Even Set Up for Scale
I’ve been a marketer for over 10 years, working with small businesses, corporate teams, and fast-growth startups.
Let me tell you what happens almost every time I’m brought in:
I’m called in because the ads aren’t working.
I take a look, fix a few things in the ad account, and… things are okay for a few weeks.
Then… performance drops again.
And that’s when I have to spin everyone’s wheels, doing invisible, foundational work — just to keep the business from burning cash.
Why?
Because the business isn’t ready for paid ads.
And what I end up fixing is the boring, invisible work that nobody talks about:
The customer journey
Making sure the tech stack works together
Audience segmentation
Funnels
Messaging angles
Fresh creative
Product-market fit
Website credibility
Tracking and reporting
Bounce rates
Sales handoffs
Once all of that is solid, then we can run paid ads that work consistently.
Here's What I See 9/10 Times
Businesses think they need Facebook ads.
What they really need is a system — one that can scale sustainably.
The invisible, boring work includes:
Building the funnel and automating it
Mapping the full customer journey
Creating onboarding workflows for repeat buys
Developing lead nurture strategies and messaging
Crafting compelling website & landing page messaging
Without this, dumping money into ads = burning money.
You Don’t Need a Growth Hack — You Need a Growth Plan
Growth isn't about trying a bunch of random tactics, hoping one works.
It’s not about chasing the next shiny strategy that went viral on Twitter.
A real growth plan means:
Thoughtful action over emotional reaction
Focused efforts on your brand’s actual levers
Deep understanding of your customers and what they want
Creating strategies that align with your market, brand, and goals
Case Study: True Classic Tees Went from $3K to $250M
Ever heard of True Classic?
Three friends started with just $3,000 in 2019. Today, the company is doing over $250 million in annual revenue.
At first, it was all about Facebook ads. But they hit a wall — they stocked too much inventory and almost tanked.
Their CEO, Ryan Bartlett, admitted: “We goofed big time.”
Then they got smart.
They started measuring the business, not just the ads.
They looked at:
Systems
Strategy
Operations
Messaging
Margins
Attribution
And that’s what made them truly successful.
Ads didn’t scale the company.
Understanding the business did.
Why You Need to Think Beyond the Ad Platform
Focusing only on ad platforms is like trying to fix a leaky faucet when the whole plumbing system is busted.
Growth marketing = fixing the entire system.
The goal?
Build a machine that spits out more cash than it eats.
That’s how businesses grow.
Not from the ad itself. But from how everything connects:
Ads
Emails
Funnels
Product pages
Tech
Brand voice
Targeting
Retention systems
You Don’t Need to Hack Facebook Ads
Let’s be real:
The FB ad "hacks" that worked 5 years ago are dead.
Why?
Because:
Privacy laws killed precise targeting
Audiences are savvier (and burned out)
Everyone uses social differently now
Creative has to be better
People are skeptical after being burned
What used to work simply doesn’t anymore.
The Truth About Why Your Ads Aren’t Working
You're not broken.
Facebook ads aren't broken either.
The truth is: Your business needs growth expertise.
That could be you.
Or someone you hire.
But it’s not about learning the ad platform.
You need strategy.
Not hacks.
Not trends.
Not another agency.
So What Is Growth, Really?
Growth is the master output of your business.
We measure it through two main KPIs: Revenue and Customers.
All marketing activities = growth inputs.
Those levers control the machine.
If you pull them in the wrong order, you won’t get results.
But when you pull the right ones in the right order?
✦ You get consistent, scalable customer acquisition.
Growth Is NOT:
Jumping from one tactic to another
Copying competitors blindly
Spreading yourself thin
Running on emotion instead of data
Growth IS:
Strategic
Focused
Logical
Repeatable
Data-backed
Why Growth Marketers Are the Missing Piece
Growth marketers aren’t campaign operators.
They’re high-level thinkers.
They connect all the pieces — from paid media to funnels to messaging to retention.
They're often on executive teams because they own the vision and implementation of long-term, scalable growth.
What’s Changing in Marketing (And Why It Matters Now)
AI is already reshaping everything:
Campaign setup is automated
Targeting is smarter
Platforms are easier
But strategy? Still on you.
That’s why the growth skillset will always be relevant.
It’s the skillset that connects the data to the customer to the outcome.
Your Next Step: Build a Growth Engine
If you’re tired of being burned by agencies, stuck in ad platform hell, and unsure why your ads aren't working…
This is your sign to zoom out.
Look at your business like a growth marketer.
Start by:
✓ Auditing your entire marketing funnel
✓ Mapping your customer journey
✓ Reviewing your offer, messaging, and product-market fit
✓ Fixing backend tech, automation, and measurement
✓ Building a reporting structure so you know what works
✓ THEN… run paid ads
Only after this groundwork will Facebook ads (or any channel) actually scale.
Have I Convinced You That Your Business Needs a Growth Marketer? No? Let's Look Deeper, Then.
Growth marketers are top-level employees, and they can be considered a member of the executive team — sometimes comparable to C-levels, sometimes just below them.
They're responsible for:
High-level strategic vision
Long-term planning
The short-term actions used to implement those long-term strategies
I find that this long-term vision differentiates a company between a small, struggling business and a successful long-term endeavor.
Small businesses often operate month to month and sometimes even week to week. Their budgets are tight; they don't have the time or energy to devote to:
Marketing
Experimentation
Metric monitoring
They might not have room in their roster to hire someone to do it, even though it would be a smart move.
The Problem with Staying Reactive
So they end up struggling — flailing wildly through Facebook ads and across trending social media platforms. They might use out-of-date techniques they read about or half-remembered from past reading.
They often look like trend-chasers.
Rather than pushing forward with strategy and clarity, they’re stuck trying to keep up.

Meanwhile, a company that has the foresight to hire a growth marketing manager, by whatever title you want to call them, is a company that can develop longevity.
They can:
Identify what’s worked in the past
See what’s working now
Evaluate what isn’t working
Know exactly where to invest, even on a tight budget
Turn that budget into consistent, repeatable growth
In short?
✓ They grow the company.
Final Words
You don’t need to learn how to run Facebook ads.
You need to learn how to grow your business.
Let’s build your growth engine together.
Because ads are just one piece of the puzzle.
When you're ready, the strategy is waiting.