Think Millions Podcast

How 100s of Brands Hit $1M+ Without Spending More on Ads with Matthew Stafford

• Alexa D’Agostino

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Most e-commerce brands think they have a traffic problem.

They don’t.

They have a leakage problem, and it’s draining their bank accounts every single day.

In this episode of Think Millions, Dr. Alexa D’Agostino sits down with Matthew Stafford, an E-commerce Growth Expert who has helped hundreds of brands cross the million-dollar mark without dumping more money into ads.

Matthew has seen the backend of more Shopify stores than most founders ever will — and what he sees over and over again is the same pattern: brands blame ads, social, and platforms while ignoring what’s actually broken after the click.

In this conversation, we break down:

  • Why most stores are failing before the first click
  • The #1 revenue leak hiding in plain sight
  • Why ads get blamed for website failures
  • How clarity beats persuasion every time
  • Why redesigns don’t fix conversion problems
  • The mindset block keeping founders stuck at 6–7 figures
  • How data (not design trends) actually drives scale

This episode isn’t about hacks or tactics.
It’s about fixing the real mechanics of growth, and getting out of your own way.

Keys Parts of the Conversation:

  1. (0:10–0:52) | You Don’t Have a Traffic Problem
    Why most Shopify stores are leaking money after the click.
  2. (4:12–4:31) | Ads Aren’t Broken, Websites Are
    The real reason paid traffic doesn’t convert.
  3.  (3:18–3:28) | Why Confused Buyers Don’t Buy
    Clarity vs persuasion in modern e-commerce.
  4. (5:19–5:35) | High-Converting Sites Are Built With Data
    Why redesigns fail and analytics matter.
  5. (6:44–7:05) | The Biggest Revenue Leak: Navigation
    How buyers actually find (or don’t find) products.
  6. (9:42–10:23) | How to Identify Where Your Store Is Bleeding Money
    Using add-to-cart, checkout, and conversion data correctly.
  7. (10:45–11:15) | What “Good” Conversion Rates Actually Look Like
    Benchmarks based on AOV.
  8.  (12:03–14:05) | Why Brands Stall at 6–7 Figures
    The mindset issue that founders don’t want to admit.
  9. (16:45–17:32) | Scaling Isn’t Magic, It’s Mechanics
    The real formula behind sustainable growth.

Great Quotes from the Podcast:

  • “Most e-commerce brands don’t have a traffic problem. They have a leakage problem.”
  • “If people are clicking but not buying, the ads aren’t broken, the site is.”
  • “Confused buyers don’t convert. They bounce.”
  • “A high-converting site isn’t built with design tools. It’s built with data.”
  • “Pretty doesn’t scale. Clarity does.”
  • “You can’t fix what you don’t measure.”
  • “Most founders would rather redesign their site than read their own metrics.”
  • “Businesses don’t have business problems — they have people problems.”
  • “Scaling isn’t magic. It’s mechanics.”
  • “Stop throwing money at traffic before you fix the leaks.”

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