From Losing £1,500 a Month to Scaling Smarter: The Power of AI-Optimised Ad Targeting

In the early days of building my first startup, I did what everyone said to do: build a brand, invest in paid ads, test everything. So I did. I ran Facebook ads with a £2,000 budget, hoping for traction, leads, and a few sales.

What I got instead? £500 in revenue.

I was told it was “fine”—that it was part of brand building.

But let’s be honest: when you’re bootstrapped or trying to extend a tight runway, losing £1,500 a month isn’t fine. It’s terrifying.

Founders are expected to wear a thousand hats—marketing expert, product manager, finance lead… And when it comes to paid ads, many of us go in blind.
We’re handed general advice:
"Start with broad targeting."

"Let the algorithm do the work."

"It’s about visibility first, conversions later."

But without clarity on your audience or performance signals, you’re basically lighting money on fire.

Things changed when I started using tools that leaned into AI—platforms that could read patterns faster than I could, test creatives more efficiently, and adapt targeting automatically.

Here’s what shifted:

• I stopped relying on generic demographics and started targeting based on actual behaviour.
• Ads were tested and optimised faster.
• I wasn’t reacting—I was adapting in real time.
• I could see when creative fatigue was coming before performance dropped.

For the first time, it felt like the playing field was level. I didn’t need a six-person growth team—I just needed better tools.

You’re probably told that losing money on ads is normal. That it’s an investment. That it’s all part of the game.

But here’s my take: being scrappy doesn’t mean being reckless.
You don’t have to burn thousands to learn what works.

With the right approach, better insights, and smarter targeting, you can start spending like a business that’s already scaled—even when you’re still building.

So if you're still in the test-and-pray phase of paid ads, maybe it's time to test less… and optimise more.