Anthony Tsigourakos, co-founder of SmartSpend Advertising and growth advisor at Good Name Consulting, knows the hidden costs of scaling. After helping dozens of agencies break through plateaus, he’s learned that real growth isn’t just about adding clients or revenue…it’s about protecting your capacity, your margins, and your energy.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Why most agencies think they’re scaling when they’re actually stalling
• The balance between execution, strategy, and personal energy
• Real ROI versus vanity metrics...and how to track what truly matters
• Building a business that fuels your life instead of draining it

Whether you’re running a $250K shop or a multi-million dollar agency, this episode will help you rethink your growth plan, sharpen your focus, and lead with intention.

📍 Connect with Anthony:

• SmartSpend Advertising: https://smartspendadvertising.com
• Good Name Consulting: https://goodnameconsulting.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonytsigourakos/

🎙 Hosted by Adam W. Barney, Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising? explores the truths, myths, and hidden realities behind marketing, growth, and leadership.

💡 If you enjoyed this conversation, make sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, leave a review, and share this episode with one other agency owner, founder, or leader who needs it.

What actually works when paid ads stop performing?

In this episode, Patrick Cumming, Head of Marketing at KleintBoost, joins Adam W. Barney to cut through the noise and talk shop: what’s real, what’s BS, and why most agencies are still chasing vanity metrics.

We go deep on:

• 💥 How to audit your funnel without losing your mind
• 📊 The real KPIs that matter for sustainable growth
• 🧠 Client psychology, performance myths, and decision-making under pressure
• 🤖 Why attribution is broken, and how to market anyway

Whether you’re an agency founder, media buyer, or brand leader tired of spinning your wheels, this episode gives you the clarity (and fire) to reset your strategy.

🔥 Hosted by Adam W. Barney, Host of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, the show where agency leaders unpack what’s real…and what’s just noise.

🎧 Subscribe + Listen + Rate today!

What do you do when Google, Meta, TikTok, and every other ad platform shut the door in your face? You break the rules, rewrite the playbook, and scale anyway.

In this episode of Is Anything Real in Paid Advertising?, I talk with Pauline Schmiechen: badass founder, consultant, and builder of multiple high-traffic adult platforms, who’s thriving in the shadows of mainstream media.

With 3 million+ users a month and zero access to traditional ad platforms, Pauline isn’t asking for permission...she’s building power in places most marketers are too afraid to look.

Here’s what we dive into:

• Why “intimacy is the new currency” in digital marketing
• How TrafficJunky, Telegram groups, and SEO still outperform when used right
• Creative campaigns like billboards, Discords, and even a plane over Coachella
• Fanblast, the WhatsApp/iMessage platform giving creators a direct line to fans (and revenue) and why Pauline’s all-in on it
• The myth that “nobody pays for porn” (they do...and, shocker, it’s billions)
• The backlash, the double standards, and why Pauline still shows up fully clothed at her laptop like every other founder you know

We also dig into the real reason OnlyFans exploded and why traditional marketing can’t handle industries built on human behavior, emotion, and connection.

This isn’t about adult content. It’s about stigma, scale, and what happens when creators and marketers get locked out of the “acceptable” world...and still thrive.

🔗 Resources & Mentions:

• Pauline’s LinkedIn
• Kotti Konsulting
• Fanblast – WhatsApp/iMessage for creators

📬 Subscribe to explore what’s real (and what’s just noise):

https://isanythingrealinpaidadvertising.adamwbarney.com