Paid Ads That Actually Work for Coaches with Mike Lisi

Unlock the real playbook for paid social ads as a coach.  In this Business of Coaching Workshop, Andrew Jackson sits down with Mike Lisi, founder and CEO of Ignite Entrepreneurs, to break down how personal trainers, gym owners, and online coaches can finally run profitable ads—without burning cash. Mike isn't a "theory" guy. He runs two gyms, helps operate several more, and manages paid ads & CRM systems for coaching businesses across the country. His insights come straight from the trenches—what's actually working in 2025. What You'll Learn Why most coaches fail with paid ads What's working right now on Meta and Google How to pick the right avatar and messaging Why lifetime value, not cost per lead, is the real success metric The three pillars of fitness marketing (prospecting → member retention → reactivation) How long ads really take to work—and how to budget for them When to scale ad spend (and why increasing too fast tanks your results) How to know whether your problem is ads… or your product Why CRM systems and follow-up matter more than perfect creatives If you're a coach overwhelmed by marketing—or you've wasted money on ads before—this episode gives you a clear, proven roadmap to make paid ads finally work for your business. Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome & Mike's introduction 03:00 – Mike's entrepreneurial journey and first gym 06:45 – The early marketing mistakes and what he learned 10:30 – Why systems matter more than hustle 13:20 – How Ignite Entrepreneurs started 18:40 – The 3 pillars of fitness marketing 22:10 – Why most coaches' messaging is too bland 26:30 – Avatar creation and why it matters 31:00 – What's working in paid ads right now 36:00 – A/B testing: why silly intros sometimes win 39:20 – How to correctly measure ROI 44:10 – When to scale ad spend (and when NOT to) 48:00 – How to diagnose whether your product or ads are the issue 52:30 – The power of CRM systems for retention 56:20 – Advice for coaches overwhelmed with marketing 58:40 – Where to find Mike & free Avatar Generator 1:00:10 – Outro & TurnKey Coach discovery call information PS - Want to scale your coaching business without burning out? Schedule a 1:1 call: https://app.reclaim.ai/m/mac-barbell-logic/turnkey-coach-team-call Connect with Andrew Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewbarbender/  X: https://x.com/AndrewBarBender Connect with Mike intro.ignite-entrepreneurs.com Check out his avatar builder FREE through the end of 2025 using code tk here.