Paying for Growth in 2026
Podcast 44:35 | Download | Spotify| Stitcher | iTunes
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
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:
CHAPTERS
Audio:
(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
Video:
00:00 Welcome and Sponsor
00:38 Episode Setup Paid Ads
02:43 Meet Max Sinclair
03:10 Ads Are Mental Now
04:13 Beginner Tip Product Fit
07:06 Channel Picks and Tiers
11:54 Intermediate Let Algorithms Work
15:19 Creative Workflows with AI
17:55 Advanced Scaling Strategy
20:07 Small Budget Remarketing
21:47 DIY Learning Roadmap
25:00 Wayfront Sponsor Break
26:22 Agency Sales Mastery
30:59 Pricing and Deal Models
33:29 From Agency to SaaS AI
39:47 Teamwide AI Adoption
42:26 Financial Lesson Capacity Risk
45:29 Closing Thanks
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.
CONNECT:
Email Dan@tropicalmba.com
Follow on X (https://x.com/TropicalMBA)
Follow on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tropicalmba/)
links:
Join the DC
Subscribe to the newsletter
Follow us on Instagram
Free resources for business owners
Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella.
PLAYLIST:
The $10K Projects You Never Do (AI Just Changed That)
How to Build a 6-Figure Digital Business with Claude Code
Listening options:
Subscribe via iTunes.
Listen on Stitcher Radio.
Android users can grab our RSS feed here.
Right-click and “save file as” for direct download.
Or click here to get sent to the top of the page where the on-site player is.
Have comments about the show?
Do you have ideas for things you’d like Dan and Ian to discuss in future episodes?
You can email our producer Morgan at morgan@tropicalmba.com.
Thanks for listening to our show! We’ll be back next Thursday morning 8AM EST.
Cheers,
Dan & Ian