Episode 47: Ads, Anxiety & AI - Lessons in Testing and Trust

In this episode of Minding Your Business, CJ Jolliff and Aaron Jarrels dive deep into the realities of running ads, building trust with your audience, and embracing AI as both a creative tool and a challenge. Aaron opens up about his struggles with anxiety, hapkido practice, and overcomplicating ad creation—before realizing that simple, direct messages like “Hey Omaha…” can be the most effective. CJ shares hard-won lessons from running campaigns, stressing the importance of long-term testing, split-testing variables one at a time, and setting realistic expectations. They also discuss: Why throwing more money at ads isn’t the answer How social platforms reward native forms over external links The importance of building trust by giving value first Aaron’s journey with AI video creation, creative pivots, and finding a supportive “first 10 fans” A surprise Adobe Premiere feature that sparks a discussion on the future of editing with AI Whether you’re a business owner frustrated by ads, a creator experimenting with AI, or someone looking for real-talk on entrepreneurship, this episode is packed with insight and honesty. Minding Your Business Website - https://mybpodcast.com Watch Being Bernard: https://www.youtube.com/@BeingBernard/videos Work with CJ: https://cjjolliff.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572729975495 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mindingyourbusinesspodcast/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/minding-your-business-podcast/ Patreon - patreon.com/MindingYourBusiness TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@myb.podcast Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/mybpodcast X - https://x.com/mybpodofficial YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@MindingYourBusinessPodcast Topics covered: Running ads Facebook Ads / Meta Ads Google Ads Split testing / A/B testing Anxiety and marketing Therapy advertising Brand awareness Social media strategy AI video creation Adobe Premiere Pro Creative pivots Building a community of fans