What I wish I knew before I spent ₹1,26,000 on ads

I was standing at the checkout counter of a local stationery shop.

A quick run to grab some post-its.

Ahead of me was a kid, 10 years old, holding a shiny remote-control car.

It was one of those dummy plastic ones — the kind that looks nice but doesn’t survive three turns.

The kid was pleading with his mom to have it.

The mom asked, “Are you sure you want this? It breaks easily.”

The kid didn’t care. He wanted it.

I smiled. Because I’ve been that kid.

Not at ten. Even as an adult.

Not for toy cars — but for shiny ideas.

For quick wins.
Speedy results.
The easy hack.

Like the time I thought the answer to growing my business was… Facebook ads.

I was running my first agency back then.

Excited.
Hungry.
And, to be honest, a little impatient.

I hadn’t figured out my value-prop.

Hadn’t nailed the messaging.

Didn’t know who I was really trying to help — or why they should care.

But hey, I had ₹1,26,000 sitting in my account.

So what did I do?
I threw it at ads.

And watched the funds burn.

Zero leads.
Zero calls.
Except one wrong number who thought we were selling gym memberships.

It wasn’t the platform’s fault.
It wasn’t even the budget.
It was me.

I was trying to amplify a message that didn’t exist. And I was just shouting like this.

Here’s the thing no one tells you: “Marketing is a megaphone. Not a wonder.”

If your core strategy is weak, ads will just make that weakness louder. It’s like putting a microphone in front of someone who hasn’t figured out what to say.

Noise. But no music.

The businesses that thrive don’t just spend. They plan.
They know who they’re speaking to.
They understand what makes their value-prop irresistible.
They’re clear on their promise — and they make sure they can actually keep it.

That’s when they hit the gas.

Speed is tempting.
But smart wins.

This is why inside The Brand Engine, the first thing we do isn’t marketing-tactics.

It’s strategy.

Because running ads without a strategy is like buying that dummy remote-control car.

It looks fun.

But it crashes before the first turn. If there’s one lesson I learned the hard way?

Build smart.
Not quick.

See you at the finish line.
— Shashank

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