Joseph ( Dr. Joey) Drolshagen, left behind a high-powered corporate career to launch his own coaching business built on the SMT Method—Subconscious Mindset Training. He's seen incredible success helping companies grow, but in this conversation we’re not talking about the wins.
We're digging into one of his biggest flops: a year-long coaching program called Struggle to Soar—designed for men navigating divorce, loss, or career upheaval. He spent over a year building it and more than $50,000 on development and ads. The result? One client. Just one.
And yet, buried in that failure were the seeds of everything he does today.
What Was the Idea? A high-ticket, year-long personal development program tailored to help men rebound after major life disruptions. The concept was born from personal experience and fueled by his passion for mindset transformation.
What Went Wrong? Two things, really:
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The audience wasn't ready. Joey targeted men, a group far less likely (at that time) to seek out emotional or mindset support.
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He went big, too soon. Rather than testing the waters with a small group, he dove into the deep end—ads, funnels, course content, the whole enchilada.
What He’d Do Differently: Start small. Joey now knows he could’ve launched with a free Facebook group or a low-commitment mastermind. That would have created a feedback loop, built a real community, and helped him tweak the offer before dropping tens of thousands of dollars.
The Takeaway for Business Owners: Don’t confuse a powerful idea with a market-ready offer. Even the best ideas need the right audience, timing, and delivery method. Before you invest in the big rollout, build a small tribe. Talk to them. Test your concept in real time. Then, scale what sticks.
Or in Joey’s words: “I still believe in the mission. I just needed to serve it up with a side of cheese—something familiar to get them to take that first bite.”
LEARN MORE ABOUT JOEY – https://coachwithjoey.com
GET THE BOOK Book Link: https://a.co/d/8ateFjK
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