How 100s of Brands Hit $1M+ Without Spending More on Ads with Matthew Stafford
Wed Jan 21 2026
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 clickThe #1 revenue leak hiding in plain sightWhy ads get blamed for website failuresHow clarity beats persuasion every timeWhy redesigns don’t fix conversion problemsThe mindset block keeping founders stuck at 6–7 figuresHow data (not design trends) actually drives scaleThis 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:
(0:10–0:52) | You Don’t Have a Traffic Problem
Why most Shopify stores are leaking money after the click.(4:12–4:31) | Ads Aren’t Broken, Websites Are
The real reason paid traffic doesn’t convert. (3:18–3:28) | Why Confused Buyers Don’t Buy
Clarity vs persuasion in modern e-commerce.(5:19–5:35) | High-Converting Sites Are Built With Data
Why redesigns fail and analytics matter.(6:44–7:05) | The Biggest Revenue Leak: Navigation
How buyers actually find (or don’t find) products.(9:42–10:23) | How to Identify Where Your Store Is Bleeding Money
Using add-to-cart, checkout, and conversion data correctly.(10:45–11:15) | What “Good” Conversion Rates Actually Look Like
Benchmarks based on AOV. (12:03–14:05) | Why Brands Stall at 6–7 Figures
The mindset issue that founders don’t want to admit.(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.”Resources:
All Episodes: Think Millions PodcastQuestions or Comments: support@thynkconsultinggroup.comAlexa’s Instagram: @dralexadagostinoAlexa’s Website: AlexaD'Agostino.comBook a Discovery Call with Alexa: Discovery CallThynkFuel Agency: ThynkFuelMedia.com
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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 clickThe #1 revenue leak hiding in plain sightWhy ads get blamed for website failuresHow clarity beats persuasion every timeWhy redesigns don’t fix conversion problemsThe mindset block keeping founders stuck at 6–7 figuresHow data (not design trends) actually drives scaleThis 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: (0:10–0:52) | You Don’t Have a Traffic Problem Why most Shopify stores are leaking money after the click.(4:12–4:31) | Ads Aren’t Broken, Websites Are The real reason paid traffic doesn’t convert. (3:18–3:28) | Why Confused Buyers Don’t Buy Clarity vs persuasion in modern e-commerce.(5:19–5:35) | High-Converting Sites Are Built With Data Why redesigns fail and analytics matter.(6:44–7:05) | The Biggest Revenue Leak: Navigation How buyers actually find (or don’t find) products.(9:42–10:23) | How to Identify Where Your Store Is Bleeding Money Using add-to-cart, checkout, and conversion data correctly.(10:45–11:15) | What “Good” Conversion Rates Actually Look Like Benchmarks based on AOV. (12:03–14:05) | Why Brands Stall at 6–7 Figures The mindset issue that founders don’t want to admit.(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.”Resources: All Episodes: Think Millions PodcastQuestions or Comments: support@thynkconsultinggroup.comAlexa’s Instagram: @dralexadagostinoAlexa’s Website: AlexaD'Agostino.comBook a Discovery Call with Alexa: Discovery CallThynkFuel Agency: ThynkFuelMedia.com