#858 Paying for Growth in 2026

Is 2026 the year you finally run paid ads? Something shifted at DC Mexico this year — more founders than ever are seriously considering paid ads as their next acquisition channel. Between AI making creative cheaper to produce and competitive research easier to do, the barriers are lower than they've been. Max Sinclair has run a paid ads agency for eight years. In this episode he breaks down what actually works for founders spending under $30K a year — how to start, what to expect, and whether it's even worth it for your business. Plus: how Max used AI to turn his agency's internal tools into a product, and what that transition looks like in practice. Guest: Max Sinclair — Snowball Creations & SaaS Ads Studio Sponsor: wayfront.com/tmba Thanks to this week's sponsor Wayfront — the AI-ready operating system for productized agencies. One client portal. One team dashboard. All your data, AI-accessible. TMBA listeners get an extra free month on top of the trial at wayfront.com/tmba. Links: Business Resources Upcoming DC Events 🎙️ Tropical MBA is a podcast for entrepreneurs building location-independent businesses. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on business, money, and the entrepreneurial lifestyle. Hang out exclusively with 7+ figure founders in DC BLACK https://dynamitecircle.com/dc-black CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) Welcome and Sponsor (00:00:52) Episode Setup Paid Ads 2026 (00:02:54) Meet Max Sinclair (00:03:13) Why Ads Feel Mental (00:04:21) Beginner Tip Product Fit (00:07:12) Picking Channels S Tier (00:11:52) Intermediate Trust Algorithms (00:15:07) Creative Workflows Win (00:17:34) Advanced Scaling Strategy (00:19:37) Small Budget Remarketing (00:21:15) DIY Learning Roadmap (00:24:22) Wayfront Sponsor Break (00:25:47) Agency Sales Mastery (00:30:19) Agency Pricing Models (00:32:41) Pivot to AI and SaaS (00:38:49) AI Native Team Systems (00:41:26) Biggest Financial Lesson (00:43:57) Wrap Up and Resources CONNECT: Dan Andrews is the co-founder of Dynamite Circle, author of Before the Exit, host of the Tropical MBA podcast, and an entrepreneur who has successfully launched and scaled multiple 7-figure businesses. Email [email protected] PLAYLIST: The $10K Projects You Never Do (AI Just Changed That) How to Build a 6-Figure Digital Business with Claude Code We Got Claude-Pilled