The Time I Lost $37K and Learned the Hard Way

So, recently, I lost. And I gave up. Not something I do often, but when the numbers, common sense, and cold hard cash finally kicked in, I had to face reality.

About two years ago, when AI was just starting to take off, I attended a Perry Belcher event and heard about how newsletters were going to be the next big thing. I had this grand idea—why not build my own AI-powered newsletter software?

I went all in. I recruited one of the best copywriters in the world. I found an up-and-coming software company. I invested a solid chunk of money. And I had the whole thing mapped out. Plus, I used to be a project manager for Fortune 100 companies—I knew how to run projects. What could go wrong?

A lot, apparently.

The Rollercoaster Ride
Things started on a high note. Our developers were driven, our first integration was "sort of" functional, and every update seemed like a small victory. But then reality hit:

• Scope Creep is a Sneaky Thief: Every new feature meant extra costs and time.

• User Experience is King: Our early design? Let’s just say it was a UX nightmare until we brought in a pro.

• AI Evolves at Warp Speed: Just as we caught up, the technology advanced, leaving us scrambling.

Still, we pushed forward. Until we didn’t.

Our developers wanted more money, but we still didn’t have a fully working product. So we parted ways. We found a new team—they lasted two months. Then we finally landed on the guy—the best developer I had ever worked with. He got us to full production.

Beta testers started using it. Things were looking good.

And then he left.

For a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with Google.

I begged. I bribed. I screamed (a little). But I couldn’t blame him—who passes up Google?

And just like that, $37,000 was gone. My copywriter friend, who believed in the project, was let down. And the thousands of hours I had poured into this? Down the drain.

Painful (but Valuable) Lessons

This was an expensive mistake—one I won’t forget. But it also taught me more than I probably wanted to learn:

1. Understand the full scope of your project. You and your developers need to be 100% aligned on what the final product needs to do and look like.

2. Know your costs upfront. Every change impacts time, budget, and complexity—make sure you understand all three before you approve anything.

3. AI development is brutal. Before building an AI app, check if OpenAI, Google, or Anthropic are about to release the same thing in a few weeks.

4. Corporate projects ≠ bootstrapped projects. Running a project with salaried employees and a big budget is very different from hiring contractors with your own money.

5. Failure doesn’t mean stop—it means adjust.

I officially threw in the towel—not because I wanted to, but because I didn’t have the funds or time to keep going. But that doesn’t mean I won’t try again.

Because while this investment flopped, most of my others didn’t. And if my $37K mistake helps even one of you avoid the same pitfalls, at least it wasn’t wasted.

Hope my pain saves you some money!

HighLevel Insider: Setting Up Google Ads in GoHighLevel (2025 Edition)

Ever tried setting up Google Ads inside GoHighLevel and felt like you were decoding an ancient scroll? Well, you're in luck because the latest tutorial featuring Ruben Rock just dropped, and it’s packed with golden nuggets. Whether you’re a local business or an agency, this one’s a must-watch—or if you’d rather read the cliff notes (like a true marketing pro), I’ve got you covered.

Here’s the TL;DR of setting up Google Ads inside GoHighLevel without losing your sanity:

Why This Matters

Google Ads remains one of the best ways to get high-intent leads for local businesses. But—if you set them up wrong, you’ll burn money faster than a bad poker hand. Ruben breaks down how to properly set up a campaign in GoHighLevel with tracking, conversion actions, and all the essentials to get you real results (not just clicks).

The 5-Step Playbook for Google Ads Success in GoHighLevel

1. Choosing the Right Campaign Type & Structure

• Start with a Google Search Campaign (not Performance Max or Smart Campaigns).

• For local businesses, try Local Services Ads (LSA) first—if eligible. Otherwise, Search Ads are your go-to.

• Stick to Google Search, turn off Display and Search Partners (they drain your budget).

• Organize your campaign with Ad Groups based on services (e.g., "Tile & Grout Cleaning" vs. "Carpet Cleaning").

💡Pro Tip: Name your campaigns properly! Example: TileSparkle - Search - BCJ (so you can track it easily).

2. Bidding Strategies That Actually Work

• Start with Maximize Clicks with a bid cap (e.g., $15-$20 CPC for home services).

• Once you have 10-20 conversions, switch to Maximize Conversions (Google’s AI needs data before this works).

• Watch your Cost Per Click (CPC)—if Google starts charging too much, switch back to Max Clicks for a bit.

💲Golden Nugget: One guy was paying $40 per click on Max Conversions. When they switched back to Max Clicks with a $15 bid cap, CPC dropped to $8 overnight!

3. Laser-Targeting the Right Audience

• Use location targeting properly! ONLY target people physically in your service area.

• DO NOT leave Google’s default setting (which includes people "interested" in your area—bad news).

• Use Phrase Match and Exact Match for keywords (DO NOT use Broad Match—it’ll waste your money).

Example Keywords for a Tile Cleaning Business:

• "tile cleaning service near me"

• ["tile and grout cleaning Seattle"]

• "best tile cleaner in Tacoma"

💡Pro Tip: Use Google’s Keyword Planner to find what people are searching for in your area!

4. Writing Ads That Convert Like Crazy

Use a mix of these elements in your ads:

• Brand Headline: Tile Sparkle - Tile & Grout Cleaning

• Offer Headline: 75¢ Per Sq Ft - Get Your Floors Sparkling!

• Social Proof: 100+ 5-Star Reviews | #1 in Seattle

• Location Insertion: Tile Cleaning in {City:Seattle}

• Call-To-Action: Call Now for a Free Estimate!

Adding Click-to-Call Features:

• Use a high-level tracking number inside your ad (so you can record and monitor calls).

• Enable Google’s Call Extension to let people dial you directly from the search results.

5. Conversion Tracking: The Make-or-Break Step

Most people mess this up, and their ads flop.

Here’s how to track conversions properly inside GoHighLevel:

• Set up conversion actions in Google Ads for:

  • Lead Form Submissions

  • Chat Widget Leads

  • Click-to-Call Ads

  • Calls from Your Website (using Google’s free call tracking!)

• Connect GoHighLevel to Google Ads:

  • Go to Settings > Integrations > Google Ads

  • Create Automations in GHL to fire conversion events for form submissions & chats.

• Install the GoHighLevel Tracking Script in Google Ads:

  • Copy the UTM Tracking Template from GHL and paste it in Google Ads > Account Settings > Tracking.

• Set Up Google Tag Manager (Optional but Recommended!):

  • Use GTM to install Google’s remarketing & conversion tracking in one place instead of messing with each page.

• Activate Google’s Free Call Tracking:

  • Instead of buying multiple tracking numbers for a "number pool," Google dynamically replaces your website phone number for ad visitors—and it’s FREE!

🛑DO NOT Skip Conversion Tracking!
If Google doesn’t know which clicks are bringing in leads, it can’t optimize properly. Bad tracking = wasted money.

Final Thoughts: Do This Right & Your Ads Will Crush It

If you set up Google Ads correctly in GoHighLevel, you’ll start seeing high-quality leads fast.

But here’s the thing—Google Ads is a long-term game:

• Expect at least 90 days for things to stabilize.

• Start with $50/day minimum (anything less is starving your campaign).

• Watch your CPC & switch bid strategies if needed.

• Track conversions properly—or Google’s AI will be flying blind.

💡Pro Tip: If all this sounds overwhelming, you can hire an expert like Ruben Rock to set it up for you. (He's spent millions on Google Ads and knows what works.)

AI Build: Creating Your Own GPT Army (Without the Headache)

Imagine this: You’re on the road, your client calls in a panic, and they need website copy—like, yesterday. Instead of scrambling, you whip out your phone, answer a few questions, and boom! The copy is done and sent. No stress, no all-nighter, no burnout.

Welcome to the power of custom GPTs.

This week, I went deep into creating an army of AI bots—not some sci-fi dystopian takeover, but an actual, practical system that automates marketing, sales, and customer service in ways that make your life ridiculously easier.

And the best part? You don’t need to be a coder.

Why This Matters

The problem with most people using ChatGPT (or any AI tool, really) is they treat it like a one-time-use gadget. They type in a prompt, get an answer, and then have to repeat the whole process next time. Total waste of time.

Instead, what if you had a team of AI assistants, each specialized in their own task, ready to go at the click of a button?

Here’s what that looks like:

1. The Website Copywriter – Need copy for a dog grooming business? It asks five simple questions and spits out a full website copy that’s actually persuasive.

2. The Email Sequence Master – Daisy-chain this with the website bot, and now your AI drafts follow-up emails, nurture sequences, and appointment reminders—all automatically.

3. The Facebook Ads Generator – Once your emails are done, you ping the Ad Copy Bot, and it creates high-converting Facebook ad variations.

4. The Newsletter Writer – (Ahem, like this one.) You can create different AI personas for writing various newsletter sections, making each piece unique while keeping it cohesive.

This is AI daisy-chaining, and it’s a game-changer.

How It Works

To build a powerful custom GPT, you need to train it properly. That means giving it clear instructions like:

✅ Role – What is this bot’s job? ("You are a direct-response copywriter for dog grooming businesses.")
✅ Task – What should it do? ("Write a persuasive website copy.")
✅ Examples – Show it what good looks like (e.g., “Here’s a website I like: [URL]”)
✅ Specifics – Add any special instructions (e.g., "Keep it light and humorous.")
✅ Goal – What’s the end result? ("Drive conversions by making customers book a grooming session.")

Set this up once, and now you never have to start from scratch again.

💡Pro Tip: Daisy-Chain Your AI for Maximum Efficiency

Want your AI bots to work together like a real team? Use daisy-chaining.

Here’s how:

1. Start with one bot (e.g., Website Copy Bot).

2. Once it finishes, ping the next bot (e.g., Email Copy Bot) with the results.

3. Keep going down the chain—Website → Emails → Ads → Social Posts → Newsletters.

All this can be done manually (by tagging bots with “@”), or automatically using Zapier or Make. Push a button, and it generates everything—from ad copy to a full nurture sequence.

How to Set Up Your First AI Assistant (In 5 Minutes)

1. Go to ChatGPT (paid version required) and hit "Explore GPTs."

2. Click "Create" and name your bot.

3. Paste in clear instructions (using the format above).

4. Test it. Tweak it until it responds exactly how you want.

5. Save it and pin it. Now, you’ve got an AI-powered assistant that’s always available.

The bottom line?

This isn’t just about saving time. It’s about building an AI-powered marketing team—one that works 24/7, never gets tired, and executes exactly the way you want.

Oh, and if you want to get extra fancy? You can even use AI to translate emails, read documents, and personalize responses instantly. That’s next-level automation, and it’s all stupidly easy to implement.

So, the next time someone asks, “How do you get so much done?”—just smile and say, "I have an AI army."

AI Update: OpenAI’s Roadmap, Major Changes & a Little Drama

Well, folks, it’s been a wild week in AI—because, apparently, nothing in this space can happen without a little drama.

Elon Musk tried to buy OpenAI for $97.6 billion (yes, billion with a B). Sam Altman basically told him, "Nah, we’re good." Elon fired back, calling him a swindler. Meanwhile, OpenAI revealed some major roadmap updates that could change the way we use ChatGPT forever.

Let’s get into it.

The OpenAI vs. Elon Saga: What’s Really Going On?

So, what’s Elon really up to?

• He’s suing OpenAI, claiming they’ve strayed from their original mission of being open-source.

• He put in a $97.6B offer to buy OpenAI, knowing they probably wouldn’t accept it.

• Some think this was a strategy to slow OpenAI down, force them to reveal internal data, and muddy their transition into a for-profit model.

Sam Altman? Not impressed. When asked about it, he essentially said,
"Elon’s just trying to slow us down. We’re not for sale. Move along."

And that’s that. For now.

OpenAI’s Roadmap: What’s Coming Next?

Now, onto the good stuff—actual AI upgrades that will impact you.

No More Model Confusion – Ever felt like OpenAI gives you too many options? (GPT-4, GPT-3.5, GPT-4-Turbo, Pro, Mini, Research Mode…)

• Sam Altman agrees: “We hate the model picker as much as you do.”

• Soon, ChatGPT will automatically pick the best model for your query, so you don’t have to think about it.

 GPT-4.5 & GPT-5 Are Coming Soon

• GPT-4.5 (codenamed Orion) will be the last non-chain-of-thought model.

• GPT-5 will integrate all their AI technologies into one system that "thinks" before answering.

Unlimited GPT-5 Access for Free Users (With a Catch)

• Free-tier ChatGPT users will get unlimited access to GPT-5 (but at "standard intelligence").

• Paid subscribers will get higher-intelligence versions with better performance.

New Features Rolling Out Now

• File & Image Uploads are now available on GPT-4-Turbo (so you can analyze PDFs and images).

• Mobile Deep Research Mode is now available on iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows.

• Higher Limits for GPT-4-Turbo Mini (7x more usage for Plus users).

AI is Getting Smarter (and Faster) Everywhere

And OpenAI isn’t the only one making moves.

Anthropic (Claude AI) is Building a Hybrid AI Model

• It decides on-the-fly whether to think deeply or give a quick answer (saving computing power).

• Sounds familiar? That’s OpenAI’s goal too, but Anthropic might beat them to it.

Perplexity AI Just Went Insanely Fast

• New AI model processes 1,200 tokens per second (for context, Claude does 75 tokens/sec 🤯).

• They also accidentally leaked their new Deep Research tool before deleting the announcement.

Google’s Gemini AI Now Has Memory

• Gemini Advanced remembers past conversations (like ChatGPT does).

• You can review & delete saved data anytime.

YouTube’s New AI Features

• AI will generate video ideas, thumbnails, and automatic dubbing into multiple languages.

• Shorts now have AI-generated clips using DeepMind’s new V2 model.

Adobe Firefly (AI Video Generation is Here!)

• Text-to-video lets you generate cinematic drone shots, animated backgrounds, and more.

• It’s commercially safe—everything is trained on licensed/public domain content.

• You can now animate existing images into video, making AI video more powerful than ever.

Apple Built a Pixar-Like AI Lamp That "Feels" Emotions

• Yes, a lamp. It tilts, moves, and reacts to you in real-time.

• Is it practical? No clue. But it’s fun.

The Big Takeaway: AI is About to Change (Again). Are You Ready?

Between GPT-5, AI-generated video, and hybrid models that "think" before answering, AI is shifting from being just a chatbot to a fully integrated tool.

Soon, you won’t be choosing models, tweaking settings, or doing AI guesswork—you’ll just use it, and it will know exactly what to do.

And for us marketers, business owners, and creators?
That means more automation, better AI-powered workflows, and less time wasted figuring out which tool to use.

Now’s the time to experiment, build AI workflows, and get ahead—because once GPT-5 drops, everything changes.

🚀 What are you most excited about? Reply and let me know!

Cool Shit We Found on the Internet: The Future of Farming is a Shipping Container?

Forget everything you thought you knew about farming. The days of wide-open fields, back-breaking labor, and praying to the weather gods are over. Meet Brick Street Farms—a high-tech, vertical hydroponic farm that’s proving you can grow 70 acres’ worth of food on just a third of an acre. And the best part? It all started in a garage.

That’s right. This $3M-a-year farming operation began as a DIY experiment in a Florida backyard, and now it’s completely reinventing the way we grow food.

How Does It Work?

Instead of soil, sun, and seasons, this farm runs on:

• Hydroponics – Plants grow in nutrient-rich water, not dirt.

• Shipping Containers – Each container is a fully controlled micro-farm.

• LED Lighting & Automation – Everything from water to climate is monitored 24/7.

The Numbers Are Insane

• One rack of lettuce generates $10K per year.

• One shipping container pulls in $8K–$155K per month.

• The whole farm? On track for $3.2M in revenue this year.

• Power bill? ~$1,000 per container per month (but still cheaper than traditional farming).

Why This is a Big Freaking Deal

• No pesticides.

• No soil depletion.

• No food waste from farm-to-table delays.

• No “hope the weather cooperates” nonsense.

Want In? Here’s How You Can Start Small

If you’re thinking, "This sounds awesome, but I don’t have a warehouse full of shipping containers," don’t worry. You can start hydroponic farming at home for as little as $200.

• For personal use? Small hydroponic systems on Amazon start at a couple hundred bucks.

• For profit? Microgreens are super profitable and have a 7-day turnaround—you can start in your garage and scale up from there.

This is the future of farming. It’s faster, cleaner, smarter, and more profitable—and it's only getting started. Who knows, maybe your next salad will come from a farm like this…or maybe you’ll be the one growing it.

Would you ever try urban farming? Let’s hear it!

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