Entrepreneur Building Business and Writing About the Process.

I help founders who are stuck.

Not stuck because they don't know enough. Stuck because they can't see what's actually working in their business.

I've spent years building companies, communities, and connections. But what I've learned is this: strategy without execution is just theory. And execution without perspective creates burnout.

What I do now:

Work with founders and leaders who are ready to:

- See their blind spots (the patterns they can't see themselves)
- Turn insights into action within 72 hours
- Bridge the gap between what they want and what's actually working

Think of me as your mirror—helping you see your path more clearly.

Three ways to work together:

- Clarity Session ($750) - 90-minute breakthrough on your biggest blocker
- Strategy Sprint ($4,500) - 30 days of strategy + implementation
- Transformation Partnership ($6,000/mo) - 6-month deep work on sustainable growth

Start here:

👉 Take the Founder's Blind Spot Finder (free, 5 min) → See what you're missing
👉 Ready to talk? DM me or book a Clarity Session
👉 Want weekly insights? Subscribe to Ground Control Newsletter (link in bio)

"The real ROI of human connection isn't measured in quarters. It's measured in years, in lives touched, in moments of breakthrough."

#leadership #transformation #clarity #growth #authenticity

Patrick Rife

TikTok and Meta ads for DTC Brands | Creative Strategist | UGC Producer|Founder of Tok-Vibes.com

Hi, I’m Oli!  a creative strategist who helps DTC brands turn scrolls into sales. I blend storytelling and data to build ads that not only grab attention but also drive growth. Here’s what I do best: I dig deep into your ad data and customer psychology to find out what truly makes your audience click. Then I craft fresh ad concepts (often leveraging UGC and AI content) grounded in those insights. The result = Campaigns that lower your CAC, boost ROAS, and scale your revenue sustainably. Over the past 5+ years, I’ve helped startups and global brands alike smash through growth plateaus:🔹 Scaled Loop Earplugs to exceed a $18M Q4 sales goal by 33%. (Yes, we overshot the target by a mile!)🔹 Drove 3.5X ROAS on $150K ad spend for a DTC accessory brand by reinventing their creative strategy (20% above benchmark performance)🔹 Cut CPA by 18% for a skincare client and found new customer angles that led 5 out of 50 test ads to drive 70% of their online revenue.I’m a founder, too... I launched an accessory brand with an innovative first product that I designed myself. I partner with you, founder-to-founder, treating your business like my own. If something isn’t working, I’ll tell you. If I spot an untapped opportunity, I’ll seize it. My approach in a nutshell: Test, learn, iterate. 📊 I run structured ad tests (thanks to my nerdy side that loves numbers) and then double down on the creatives that perform. No fluff, no ego.. just actionable insights and winning ads. And because I started as a content creator myself, I excel at producing ads that feel real and relatable (not like those stiff “agency” ads). On a personal note, I’m a bit of a nomad and nerd: I’ve lived on 3 continents, speak English &amp; French, and once grew a fitness Instagram to 15k followers just by talking about protein pancakes. 🥞 (Turns out, authentic content really does attract an audience...a lesson I carry into my ad strategies!). When I’m not optimizing campaigns, you can find me in a Reformer Pilates class and having lunch on a terrace with a friend.Ready to scale your DTC brand with ads that convert? Let’s chat. 😊 Send me a DM or book a call through my profile link, and let’s spark your next phase of growth.

Oli Cimet

Just had a client cancel because I used AI.

No joke.

New brand outside the US.
Was excited. We aligned on scope.

 I did a deep dive into their product + audience, like I always do.

Then I sent them a doc with early concepts + angles. 
Raw directions to align on strategy.
Spent 3 hours on that strategy work.

Client replies:
“Wait... was this made with AI?”

Yeah. It was. 
I use AI but I tweak, I sharpen, I test..
 But yes, I use AI in my process. Always.

 Reassured him this wasn't "lazy AI spam" 
This was research-backed strategy + ideas I’ve seen work before.

Still said he was “gutted” that it wasn’t 100% written by a human and cancelled the contract. 

🤷

Listen 

You shouldn't care how the idea came to life.
You should care whether it PERFORMS.

I've had ads scale past 6fig using this exact strategy workflow. multiple times.

AI isn't the enemy. Mediocre thinking is.

There’s a huge difference between:

“I let AI do the work for me”
vs
“I use AI to go deeper, faster and then I still do the work.”

If you’re hiring creators, strategists, marketers and banning AI just know:

You’re not being more “pure.”
You’re just slowing down the people who could win you your next best ad.

Do you want your team to use AI, or are you weird about it too? 
Be honest.

DTC Creative Strategist & Growth Partner Scaling 7-8 Figure Brands with Data-Driven UGC + AI Creative for FB & TikTok Ads | Founder of Tok-Vibes | Entrepreneur for Life

How to scale ads in 2026?

 Use this creative stack:

No scripts. No guessing. Just this:

Pick 1 persona

Pick 1 problem they obsess over

Write 3 angles that hit that pain/desire

Pair each with different creative formats (POV, demo, testimonial)

You don’t need 50 ad variations.
You need 3 angles that actually matter to your customer.
That’s how you scale with less.

It’s wild how some people get when they hear someone used AI.

Not “I disagree.”
But full-on triggered.

They don’t just dislike the tools. They resent *you* for using them.

They talk like AI is the thing destroying the planet. As if using it automatically means you support everything wrong in the world.

No space for nuance. Just heat.

Most people using AI aren’t sitting back while robots do the work.
They’re still thinking. Still strategizing. Still delivering.
They're just doing it faster. Cleaner. With sharper insight.


Not because AI is bad. But because they’re afraid someone else will use it better than they can work without it.

There’s a reason major tech CEOs are saying that the biggest threat to your job isn’t AI it’s the person who learns how to wield it.

You can hate the tools. 
You can unplug. 
You can double down on “hand-crafted” everything.

But don't act surprised when someone outpaces you. 

Someone who uses the same skills as you just multiplied.

You don’t have to like it. But you do have to accept it’s here.

And it’s not going away.

The question now is simple:

Will you build your edge with it?

Or waste your time trying to gatekeep the people who already have?

Most founders think they have a content problem.

You don’t.

You have a clarity problem.

Talked to a brand spending $150K/month.
They’re pumping 40+ videos a week.
Zero winners.

Not one ad scaled.

The problem?

→ No one’s actually doing deep research
→ Strategy is vibes
→ Team's executing without clear direction
→ Their only “winner” was a static from 4 weeks ago

It’s not a production issue.
It’s a thinking issue.

I told them to stop the spam.
We dropped it down to 10 sniper-level briefs a week — high intent, fully mapped to angles that actually matter to their audience.

Most of you are trying to scale quantity.
But quantity without direction just burns money.

In 2026, the only ads that work are the ones that:

Speak to real pain

Are built on data

Are tested like scientists

And made for the platform

Stop copying frameworks.
Stop listening to every “creative strategist” with a Canva template.
Slow down. Get sharper.

Clarity > volume. Always.

Once you hit $50–100k/month in your DTC brand, it gets loud real fast.

Not from growth... from problems.

Ads stop working

You’re cycling through UGC too fast

You're stuck making creative decisions based on vibes instead of data

I’ve worked with multiple brands right at that inflection point. 

And here’s what I’ve seen work every time:

Install a creative testing system that maps angles → formats → outcomes

Create ads for different stages of awareness, not just a shiny front hook

Treat statics like angle tests, not just filler

Build modular creative libraries (you’ll thank yourself later)

Most brands at this level don’t need more media buying hacks.

They need clearer messaging and smarter content systems.

If you’re at this stage, what’s been breaking for you?

He scaled to $1.5M... and now wants to quit. Here’s why...

Recently spoke to a founder who hit $1.5M in 18 months.
Bootstrapped. No outside help.
Now he’s completely fried... and thinking of walking away.

Why?
Because everything in the business still runs through him.

→ He’s still the one coming up with angles.
→ He’s still the one editing ads.
→ He’s still the one deciding what to launch.
→ And now that growth has slowed... he's out of ideas.

He doesn’t need more team calls or SOPs.

He needs leverage

💡 That’s where a creative strategist changes everything.

Not by building systems or managing teams.
But by doing the one thing that actually moves revenue:

→ Giving clarity on what message needs to be said, to whom, and how.

That’s how you go from being a founder who’s “doing ads”…
to a founder who finally has room to run the business.

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QuickFrame Creator: Meta Platform Expert

QuickFrame Creator: TikTok Platform Expert

Certified Personal Trainer & Nutrition & Postnatal Coach

Visual communication -  Front End 

Back-End Web Developer

Fashion Styling and Editorial Certification

Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce

Meta & TikTok ads for DTC Beauty & Health brands | Performance Creative Strategist | Ecom | Startups to Fortune 500s

Tok-Vibes is a small creative strategy team that crafts ad campaigns rooted in psychology and boosts performance. 

I'm an expert in growing DTC businesses, but outside of work I've:

Lived on three different continents, built a holistic health brand, and became a Pilates reformer lover.

Stopped writing hooks. Started stealing them.

Best-performing ad angle I’ve tested in 6 weeks.

Here’s what happened:

I was working with a fragrance brand.
Instead of brainstorming hooks with ChatGPT (or overthinking it in a doc), I just read their reviews.

Not marketing copy.
Not competitor scripts.
Just... actual things people say when they love the product.

I found this gem:

👉 “I smell like a CEO now.”

We tested it. It crushed. Lowest CPA in 6 weeks.
No ad rewrite. No 30-minute brainstorm.

Just a sticky line straight from the customer’s mouth.

Now I do this for every client:

– Read their reviews
– Read competitor reviews
– Cluster the copy
– Extract hooks and benefits
– Build angles from real words real humans use

Because the truth is:
Your next winning angle is already written.
You just haven’t gone looking for it yet.

If your ad or your landing page makes me think too much?

I scroll. I bounce. I click out.

Not because I’m dumb!!! because I’m busy.

You’ve got 2.02 seconds.

If your message has a high cognitive load (aka: it takes effort to “get it”) you lose me.

That’s why the smartest marketers write like they’re talking to a 7th grader.

Stop trying to sound clever. Start making sense.

If I have to think? I scroll.

Every. Single. Time.

Founders, read this if you're trying to scale in 2026.

A few highlights from this week’s ecom news:

Amazon is bleeding influencer talent (they're underpaying creators)

TikTok is dominating DTC sales, especially impulse buys

Meta’s pushing deeper into product tagging & AI tools

Facebook Marketplace ads are evolving fast

AI-generated UGC is getting indistinguishable from real creators

What this actually means if you're a founder:

UGC costs are going up. Good creators know their value now. If you’re not building a system for performance-based testing (AI + UGC + hooks), you’ll burn cash fast.

Impulse is everything. TikTok isn’t for branding — it’s for “scroll → stop → click.” If your creative doesn’t hit a pain point in 1.2 seconds, you’re invisible.

Meta is still king... if you play smart. But that means creative built for systems not just volume.

 Angles that go deep. Testing across age splits. Copy-first.

I work with brands scaling in this climate and the ones winning aren't the loudest. 

They're just better at understanding the customer and speaking directly to them.

Are you building creative for today’s platforms or still stuck in 2021?

Saw someone turn their mom’s hoarding problem into a $4k/month side hustle.

Not because they had a genius product.
But because they nailed the angle.

It wasn’t "junk removal."
It was emotional decluttering.

That’s the power of positioning.

It’s what I do every day for brands:
take a basic product → find the real problem it solves → craft messaging that cuts.

You’re not selling a product.
You’re selling a narrative your customer already believes.

Get that right, and you’ll print.

You don’t need more content, you need more control.


Most teams are just “creating ads” not designing systems that let them scale predictably.

Don’t just brainstorm random concepts.

Use a repeatable messaging system:

✅ Angle (strategy)

✅ Hook (attention)

✅ Creative format (expression)

✅ Persona (target)

✅ Pain/desire/motivation (psychology)


Great creative doesn’t just start with a cool visual it starts with a clear plan.

If you want to grow fast stop talking about what you sell.

Instead, own the problem. Own the hole your customer is in.

Think about it like this:
No one wakes up wanting your product.
They wake up trying to solve a problem.

So your job?
Repeat that problem over and over until you’re the only name they associate with fixing it.

You don’t sell “carpet cleaner” you sell “the solution to 15-year-old pee stains.”
You don’t sell “a budgeting app” you sell “never worry about money again.”
You don’t sell “ads” you help people stop burning $10K/month with no returns.

Whoever owns the hole, wins.

👉 What hole does your product own?

Most brands think they have a creative strategy.

But if I ask them to pull 5 ads from their account right now...

🛑 They all speak to the same person
🛑 They all hit the same awareness level
🛑 They all push the product the same way

That’s *not* a strategy. That’s copy/paste.

Let me break it down for you real quick and you can **test this on your own brand** in 2 minutes:

🔥 **Level 0: You’re only running statics or UGC
You’re not testing formats. You’re testing vibes. That’s why your ads fatigue in 3 days.

🔥 **Level 1: You changed formats but not the message**
Cool. You’ve got a green screen and a meme now. But every ad still says the same sh*t. Congrats, you added “creative diversity”.

🔥 **Level 2: You’re only targeting product-aware people**
If your ad says “Here’s why our product is better...” guess what? That person already *knows* the problem.


🔥 **Level 3: No one’s buying from desire**
Are you writing ads that tap into real psychology? Or are you just listing features and calling it a day?
Because “8 hours battery life” doesn’t compete with “never miss your kid’s call again.”

🔥 **Level 4: You think everyone buys for the same reason**
You’re selling one offer to one person in 40 variations.
Different personas = different angles = different creative. 
That’s how real brands scale.

🔥 **Level 5: You built a system that fuels all of this**
Your content engine hits every part of the funnel, every persona, every motivator and your team can actually deliver it. 
That’s when paid and organic *both* pop off.

👉 If you’re a founder pull up your ad account right now.
Ask yourself:

→ Do these ads speak to different stages of the journey?
→ Are we tapping into real desires, not just benefits?
→ Are we hitting different *types* of buyers?
→ Or are we just posting UGC and hoping for the best?

Want to scale in 2026? Get your strategy past Level 2.

😘

The old way of making ad creative is dead.
If you're still thinking like it’s 2022, you're bleeding money.

Let’s talk about what’s actually working in paid right now:

1. You’re making ads for humans. But AI decides what they see.

You write a hook and hope people click.
But Meta doesn’t care. 

It’s pulling signals from Reddit threads, YouTube tutorials, Amazon reviews, and training its algorithm to match what real people are already saying and searching.

If your ads don’t reflect that, they don’t scale.

2. Funnels are dead. Messages win.

Nobody follows your TOF > MOF > BOF funnel anymore.
They see an ad, Google you, come back 3 weeks later. Or they binge your ads in one night.

If your content only makes sense “in funnel order,” it’s not converting.

Every ad needs to hit. Standalone.
Make the message punch even if it’s the only ad they ever see.

3. Your problem isn’t scary enough.

Better product? Nobody cares.
Cheaper? Cool. You still lose.

Make the pain worse.
Expose what’s actually broken in their life if they don’t buy.
That’s what gets clicks. That’s what sells.

Don’t talk about your “solution” until you’ve built the monster.

4. Your positioning is too soft.

If I don’t know who it’s for in 2 seconds, I’m out.

Good positioning sounds like:
→ Skincare for hormonal acne
→ Watches for guys who destroy everything
→ Planners for ADHD business owners

Nobody wants “premium quality.” They want “this is for me.”

5. Your creative has no energy.

2026 is all about energy. Opinions. POV.
Not polished UGC. Not founder videos that sound like a podcast.

Be raw. Be direct. Show real moments. Make people FEEL something.

If your video doesn't grab in the first 3 seconds, it’s dead.

Paid ads right now are 80% creative, 20% media buying.
If you’re still only testing formats or hooks, you’re behind.

Start testing:
→ Real problems
→ Real beliefs
→ Real pain
→ Real people

That’s what scales now.

What are you testing lately?

How long does it really take to "make it"?

Saw a post where entrepreneurs who hit $10M+ were asked how long it took.

Most said:
→ 7-10 years
→ Multiple failed businesses
→ Years of eating sh*t before things clicked

Not 6 months.
Not your first course launch.
Not your first “big idea.”

That part matters because a lot of people are out here thinking they're behind when really... they're just early.

No one posts the 4 years they made $0.
No one brags about the failed Shopify store.
No one tweets about the 80-hour weeks before the team existed.

But it’s all part of the path.


Detach from timelines.
Solve the next problem in front of you.

🚨 A watch ad just did something wild:

No influencer.
No studio shoot.
No hypey CTA.

Just a voiceover + B-roll.

Here’s the setup:

“15,000 watches are about to be destroyed because the logo is off-center by 0.2mm. They work perfectly. So we’re selling them at 50% off before they hit the dumpster.”

Sounds stupid, right?

That’s why it works.


✅ Loss aversion: “You’re saving something from the trash.”
✅ Curiosity trigger: “They’re flawless... but being scrapped?”
✅ Human POV: “I convinced management to let us sell them.”
✅ Real urgency: Not a timer. A policy.
✅ Show, don’t tell: Drop tests. Mud. Water. Still works.

Lesson:
You don’t need a fancy story.
You need one, told well.

This ad’s been running for 9 months straight and scaled to 6 fig...

Here is what *actually* makes it work.

It’s not the visuals.
(It’s just a girl cutting fruit.)

It’s not the polish.
(She’s in a kitchen, talking to camera.)

It’s the psychology.

What makes this a killer ad?

1. Built-in credibility (without flexing)

“My sister is an environmental scientist...”

We immediately trust her *without* her needing to list credentials.

This is *borrowed expertise* one of the most persuasive techniques in DTC.


2. Specific, sensory language

> *“She looked at me like I was bathing in battery acid.”*

It’s not just shampoo = bad.
It’s *visceral.*
It paints a mental image.
You *feel* the guilt, the ignorance, the shift.


3. Anchored in **real-life tension**
She’s skeptical.
She uses $30 shampoo.
She doesn’t want to change.
But she’s *nudged* by someone she trusts.

This is what makes the resolution feel earned — not forced.

**4. Introduces the product *after* the problem feels personal**

She only mentions the product after the emotional tension is maxed out.

This creates *pull*, not push.
You’re not being sold... you’re just watching a personal transformation unfold.

**5. Closes with social proof + logic**

> “Now my hair feels better... it’s cheaper… and my sister approved it.”

✓ Product benefit (hair)
✓ Financial benefit (cheaper)
✓ Emotional benefit (peace of mind)
✓ Environmental benefit (plastic-free)

All layered in under 60 seconds.

---

This is what happens when you blend:

✔️ A great hook
✔️ Clear tension
✔️ Conversational writing
✔️ Psychological triggers
✔️ Zero “salesy” energy

study **why** they work not just *what* they say.

Let me know if you want more teardown posts like this.


### CTA suggestion:

💡 Drop a comment if you want the full swipe of this ad — happy to share.

---

Let me know if you want this formatted for a carousel or want a few headline variants too.

Everyone talks about media buying as the unlock from $50k → $100k/month.

But most of the time? It’s creative + messaging that’s leaking revenue.

If your ad:

Gets a good hook rate

Has a decent CTR

And still isn’t converting...

The problem isn’t targeting.
It’s what you're saying and how you’re saying it.

That’s where creative strategy comes in.

You don’t need to make 100 more videos.
You need to make the right ones mapped to the right angles, based on the right voice-of-customer data.

If you're in that $50–100k range, get obsessed with messaging.

 It's the highest ROI move you'll make.

You don’t need a ‘new’ ad.

Everyone's out here trying to make the next viral ad like:

“Let’s reinvent the script. New hook. New angle. New concept.”

Just do what’s already working... but better.

The format doesn’t need to be new.
The message just needs to hit harder.
The voice needs to feel real.
And the target audience needs to go, “yo that’s me.”

Original is overrated. Effective wins.

What do we really mean when we say an ad needs "storytelling"?

→ It’s not about writing a Pixar movie.
→ It’s not about having a beginning, middle, and end.
→ It’s not even about narrative structure (most of the time).

In performance marketing, storytelling = context + emotional relevance.

That’s it.

The real job of storytelling in ads is to:
✅ Make the product make sense in someone’s real life
✅ Reframe the product around something they already care about
✅ Deliver emotion before features

No brand copywriter would’ve come up with that line.
But it hits because it’s true, visual, and emotionally loaded.

That’s what storytelling really is.

So next time someone says “this needs more storytelling,” ask:
❓ What moment in the customer’s life are we dropping into?
❓ What feeling are we anchoring the product to?
❓ What tension are we resolving?

If you can answer that you're doing it right.
If not, you’re just writing filler copy.

taplio

The Battle

Patrick Rife

Oli Cimet

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