In this episode, Ashley sits down with Catherine Licari to talk about what it really takes to build a business you are in control of. Catherine walks through her journey from working in magazines to starting her first online luxury brand at 25, getting her MBA from Columbia, and creating The Small Business Planner to help entrepreneurs get a clear handle on their finances and operations. In this episode, they break down: 💡 How Catherine used her media background to get press and grow her first brand on a small budget 💡 What she learned in business school about why most retail businesses are not actually making money 💡 Why working with ad agencies made her feel out of touch with her own business, and what she did to fix it 💡 Why learning paid ads is the single best move a business owner can make 💡 Simple tips for product-based businesses on shipping, checkout, and running ads on multiple platforms 💡 How growing a profitable business gave Catherine the freedom to fund her surrogacy journey If you run a product-based business and feel like your ads are not working, this episode will push you to stop handing over control and start owning your results. Catherine's story shows what is possible when you decide to lead your business instead of letting it lead you. Connect with Catherine: @small.business.planner Order Your Own Small Business Planner®: https://smallbusinessplanner.com/ Connect with Ashley: @ads.with.ashley Join the Challenge: Win With Paid Ads Challenge Read the Book: How to Win With Paid Ads