DiscoverScrappy ABMShockingly honest lessons: contractors, W2s, and turning down six–seven million | Ep. 202
Shockingly honest lessons: contractors, W2s, and turning down six–seven million | Ep. 202

Shockingly honest lessons: contractors, W2s, and turning down six–seven million | Ep. 202

Update: 2025-09-08
Share

Description

Scrappy ABM host Mason Cosby sits down with Nick Bennett on 1,000 Routes and tells the story behind a “little teeny tiny side hustle” that became “sold a million bucks” and then “another million” within months. Starting with a $25,000 win in March 2023 and a $150,000 deal that “backed out,” Mason lays out “project revenue,” the activation playbook, an $80,000 annual contract, and why “less is more” with “two service lines.” It’s all inbound from LinkedIn and a podcast, plus “speaking engagements,” saying yes to interviews, and an “absurd number of webinars”—including 60 podcast interviews and 18 webinars in ~60 days that created over $2 million in pipeline.


He gets “shockingly honest” about 120 hour weeks, a postpartum spouse editing podcasts, firing seven contractors, moving to W2s, and then learning seasonality and sales cycles. Mason explains why a debt free approach matters, how he’s scaling out for a two-month paternity leave, and why he turned down six to seven million to stay focused on a mission: equip a million marketers with repeatable account-based playbooks by January 2035.


Nick Bennett — host of 1,000 Routes. In this conversation, Nick steers the candid discussion on solopreneurship, scaling, contractors vs. W2, and the shift from “Mason the marketer” to “Mason the CEO.”


📌 What We Cover

  • From “little teeny tiny side hustle” to “I think I have a business”: $25K in March ’23, a $150K deal that “backed out,” and stacking project revenue with one $80K annual contract.
  • Why “less is more”: from 16 service lines to two service lines that are “way easier to sell.”
  • All inbound: LinkedIn, a podcast, “speaking engagements,” saying yes to podcasts, networking calls, and an “absurd number of webinars.”
  • Buying back time: hiring a contractor at $70/hr, “bought back 65 hours,” and discovering margin without doing the delivery.
  • Contractors vs. W2: “shockingly honest” lessons, firing seven people, then learning seasonality, fixed costs, and building a bench of professional contractors.
  • Scaling out of delivery and most selling: hiring an AE, a COO, and “four specialists” per client so the team “does it better than me.”
  • Pipeline swings and seasonality: 60 podcast interviews + 18 webinarsover $2M in pipeline as H2 budgets open.
  • Mission over exit: turning down six–seven million, staying debt free, and the goal to equip a million marketers by January 2035.


🔗 Resources Mentioned


If you enjoyed today’s episode and found valuable insights for your business, be sure to subscribe to the Scrappy ABM podcast for more expert discussions. Don’t forget to leave a review and share this episode with your team or fellow marketers!

Comments 
In Channel
loading
00:00
00:00
x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

Shockingly honest lessons: contractors, W2s, and turning down six–seven million | Ep. 202

Shockingly honest lessons: contractors, W2s, and turning down six–seven million | Ep. 202

Mason Cosby