Show Notes:
This week on Beyond Six Figures, Mike Schmidt (co-founder of Agency Coach and Anchor Wave, 5× Two Comma Club award winner) breaks down how he scaled a coaching business from $0 to $1M in 14 months by running the same webinar every week—and why most “lead problems” are actually activation problems. We get into his Agency Operating System (Attract → Activate → Ascend → Deliver), turning a boom-or-bust funnel into stable MRR, and the practical moves he used to step out of his agency while it kept growing.
Episode Highlights:
- How repeating the same webinar weekly (with small tweaks) took Mike from 0 → $1M in 14 months (~$300K ad spend)
- The week an unscripted emotional moment spiked conversions and how Mike learned to “bring the performance” consistently
- Why leads don’t suck - they’re just not prospects yet. Mike’s approach to nurturing leads until they raise their hand
- Attract, Activate, Ascend, Deliver and where most coaches over-invest (lead gen) and under-invest (activation & nurture)
- Running webinars in Zoom Simulive while maintaining 1.6–1.8 ROAS this year
- The pandemic pivot from launches to recurring coaching (Mastermind at $1,500/mo; Foundations at $750/mo; 8-week sprints at $1–2K)
- Promoting a CEO at his agency, dropping to 8–12 hours/year of involvement, and focusing fully on coaching
- Aim to break even on cold ads and win on backend monetization via nurture and ascension
- If you want to close more deals, start more conversations
About Mike Schmidt:
Mike Schmidt started Anchor Wave, a digital marketing agency, straight out of college - without ever having a traditional job. With no one to tell him what was impossible, he built a multi 7-figure agency that runs without him. Now, through Agency Coach, he helps agency owners do the same - teaching them how to scale, generate recurring revenue, and create true freedom. As the co-creator of FunnelHub, he’s helped thousands of entrepreneurs turn their marketing into a powerful client-generating system.
What started as a bold leap has evolved into a proven framework for helping agencies own their business—and their life—by mastering three key areas:
- Lead Flow & Sales – Attracting ideal clients, nurturing leads, and building effortless conversion systems.
- Recurring Revenue – Stacking MRR and creating predictable, scalable income.
- Fulfillment & Delivery – Systemizing services, optimizing teams, and delivering big while working less.
Mike’s journey is a testament to the power of taking risks, following your passion, and daring to believe in what others call impossible. As a Bootstrapped.com Agency of the Year winner and a multiple 2 Comma Club X award recipient, he now shares his expertise with fellow agency owners - helping them own their agency and own their life on their own terms.