Should You Run Ads as a Small Business? Here’s the Honest Checklist.

Running ads can be a great growth tool — but only if you’re ready. Otherwise, it’s like pouring water into a leaky bucket.

Here’s a quick checklist before you spend money on Meta or Google ads:

✅ Clear offer. Do you have one product or service that’s profitable, repeatable, and in-demand?

✅ Strong landing page. Is there a clear place to send people (your site, booking page, or even a polished social profile)?

✅ Defined audience. Can you describe your ideal customer in a sentence (e.g., “Calgary homeowners over 40 who need furnace tune-ups”)?

✅ Budget you can test. At least $300–$500 to start — otherwise you won’t see enough data to improve.

Here’s a real-world example: a home renovation company wanted to run Google ads but had a website that didn’t list their services clearly. They would’ve paid for clicks that led to dead ends. Instead, we spent two weeks tightening their service pages first. Once the ads went live, the conversion rate was nearly double what they would’ve had.

👉 If you check all four boxes, you’re likely ready for ads. If not, fix the gaps first.

That’s exactly what I do with my Smart Ads Launchpad: we set up your first campaign together, write multiple versions to test, and do a follow-up review so you know what’s working — without throwing money away.