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.
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