Ethan Bence 4080 Scaling Academy Review – 5 Mistakes FB Advertisers Make! + A Free Alternative

What Are the Pros and Cons of 4080 Scaling Academy?

What Are 5 Facebook Ad Mistakes Advertisers Make?

1. They don’t test their Facebook Ads. One of the biggest mistakes Facebook advertisers make is that they don’t test their Facebook ads. What that means is they don’t test different aspects such as the copy, the image, calls to action, landing pages, etc. They think that by picking one image, one call to action and writing anything they want, their ad will convert. This will not work. The only way to succeed with Facebook ads is to test different things and see what generates more conversions.
2. They have poor audience targeting. The second mistake FB advertisers make is that they don’t do a good job targeting their ideal audience. Their targeting is too broad, or they try to add too many demographic options and user interests which can hurt your marketing campaign.
3. Their Facebook Ads & landing pages don’t match. Something else that hurts Facebook advertisers is not having any congruency with their Facebook ad and landing pages. If a potential customer comes across your ad and sees your landing page doesn’t match your ad, they’ll click back and move on. This has been hurting many advertisers’ conversion rate and wallet even though they’re getting engagement. If your ad and landing page never match, your account will get exhausted and no one will engage with it anymore.
4. They stick to one ad format. Sticking to one ad format is not a good practice to have. Although using one ad can work, you don’t want to just stick to one. After all, some people are more likely to engage with one type of ad than another type. Sticking to one ad format can hold you back from getting more customers. It’s best to try different ad formats to appeal to different people within your ideal audience and, as a result, increase your conversion rate.
5. They don’t monitor Facebook Ads or use Pixel. A massive mistake advertisers make on Facebook is going live with an ad and not monitoring it for days or weeks. Doing this will not allow you to know if there’s something you need to change or add. You can easily lose hundreds or even thousands of dollars in a matter of days with no ROI to show for it. This will be highly frustrating for you. Do not ignore your ads. Monitor them and use the Facebook Pixel to help you track what people are doing while visiting your websites.

What Do You Learn in 4080 Scaling Academy?

You learn how to test and scale Facebook ads from the 4080 Scaling Academy. This way, you can find winning audiences, creatives, budgets, and funnels that profitably bring in more customers. Here is the full course curriculum:

• Introduction To Testing. In the first module, you’ll learn why testing is a requirement for scaling Facebook ads and what almost all other marketers get wrong with Facebook ads. Ethan shows you the “perfect ads day” framework that can be done in under 5 hours per week and you get shown a step-by-step walkthrough of the testing procedure that was done for one of their 8-figure clients.
• Budgeting & Testing Planning. You learn why testing your ads too much can be just as detrimental as not testing at all, and how to bulletproof your testing KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). Ethan then tells you exactly how much you should spend on testing ads, for how long, and the ideal number of tests to run.
• Audience Testing. In module 3, Ethan touches on audiences and what the biggest mistake most advertisers make is. According to Ethan, it’s a difficult thing to burnout an audience. He explains why “audience hacks” aren’t real, what really gets you a return on ad spend, and how they’re able to never run out of new audiences to test.
• Creative Testing. There are many ad creatives that you can use to get leads. In this module, they show you how to create ads that have people clicking within seconds of viewing them. You also learn how to eliminate account-wide fatigue. This is when people get used to see ads from your business page so much that they don’t bother looking at even your new ads. Ethan also emphasizes the importance of testing when running paid traffic and how it’s the lifeblood of profitable scaling in paid traffic.
• Scale Testing. In module 6, you learn the difference between CBO (Campaign Budget Optimization) and ABO (Ad Budget Optimization), what they are, how to scale, analyze, and optimize them.
• Funnel Testing. Funnels are another aspect that needs to be tested when running paid traffic. This module shows you how, when, and where to scale you entire funnel. Also in this module, you’re taught how to run ads to each piece of your funnel, not only to just one product your selling.
• Backend Testing. The final module introduces what Retention Funnels are and how to use them. Ethan shows you where and when you can increase customer retention and how to pick the perfect upsell/cross-sell.
• Bonuses. There are 4 bonuses you get after buying this course. They are the Budgeting Spreadsheet, Avatar Worksheet, Ads Manager Dashboard, and a call with one of the 4080 advisors.

Is 4080 Scaling Academy Legit?

Yes, 4080 Scaling Academy is legit. It teaches you how to use and scale Facebook ads more profitably, and many people use it to grow their agency or service-based business.

However, like any online course, your results depend more on your own work than on the program itself. Some students like the training and get value from it. Others don’t like the marketing style or feel it didn’t match their expectations.

There’s no sign that 4080 Scaling Academy is a scam. You do get the training, community, and support that are advertised. Still, you should read reviews on places like Reddit, Trustpilot, and YouTube.

Who Is Ethan Bence?

Ethan Bence is the founder of 4080 Scaling Academy. He has a background in statistics in data analysis and started running Facebook ads in 2014-2015. Today, he mainly works with Commerce brands and info product creators to scale their businesses past 6 and 7 figures using Facebook ads. There isn’t much information online about his personal life.

What Are Alternatives to 4080 Scaling Academy?

• Ads Accelerator Membership (Nicole Diedrich). You learn how to plan, launch, and optimize Facebook and Instagram ads. It’s an ongoing membership that mixes course content, live calls, and support. Nicole walks you step by step through Business Manager setup, pixel, audiences, creatives, testing, and tracking. The big focus is on practical lead-gen campaigns, retargeting, and real-time feedback on your ads.
• Facebook Ads for Entrepreneurs (Dan Henry). You learn how to build a Facebook ads agency model, starting from offer “bait,” to funnels, to ad campaigns, and then into client acquisition. The course focuses on laser-targeted Facebook ads (pixel, targeting, retargeting, split testing, scaling). Then, it shows you how to package those skills into retainers, proposals, and fulfillment for local business clients.
• Ad Success Academy (Erdi Bus). You learn Google Ads and Meta (Facebook) ads with a strong emphasis on remarketing strategy and conversion tracking. Erdi teaches when to scale into YouTube vs use Facebook/Instagram remarketing. He backs it up with masterclasses on creatives, copy, tracking, email automation, and templates. There are weekly Q&A calls so you can improve paid campaigns across multiple platforms.

Are Facebook Ads Worth It in 2025?

Facebook ads aren’t worth it in 2025 because the cost of ad spend is rising each year due to all the competition flooding all ad platforms. The business model is far from passive because you need to monitor and test your ads daily, which can get more expensive. Ad exhaustion is a real problem if you aren’t a Facebook ad expert like Ethan Bence.

Another reason Facebook ads aren’t worth it is that you aren’t the one in control of your income. Your client can drop you at any time, and you lose out. Of all the online business models that promise you can earn a passive income, Facebook ads are not near the top of the list.

Should You Purchase 4080 Scaling Academy?

You should only purchase 4080 Scaling Academy if you want quick results from paid ads and have a good budget ($6k-$12k) for ad spend. This will allow you to go through the program’s ad testing stage without any risks. It’s also worth it if you just want to learn more about ads, since the program only costs $49. You will learn how to test all aspects of your ad, such as the ad format, ad copy, image, call to action, landing page, and more.

But it’s not a good choice if you don’t have the budget and dedication to do the rounds of testing. All you’ll be doing is wasting money and time. Plus, even if you follow the program to the T, you’re still not guaranteed clients and profit. This is because ads depend on changing algorithms, high competition, rising ad costs, audience behavior, ad blockers, and people simply ignoring ads.

If you’re looking for a free way to get high-quality traffic, go for local SEO. More specifically, I recommend the business model - local lead generation. This automatically attracts people who need you and are ready to convert. It’s also long-term and doesn’t need constant monitoring.

Why Local Lead Generation Is Better Than Facebook Ads?

Local lead generation is better than Facebook Ads because it’s a lot cheaper and more effective. Instead of spending $2k-$5k per month on ad testing and creative refreshes, you can build a local lead gen site for under $500, and it can bring in leads for years without paying for clicks.

If you’re a business owner, you can build your website, rank it with local SEO, and have leads visit it regularly. If you’re a marketer, you build local lead gen websites, rank them, and sell the leads to an actual business. Since quality leads are always coming in, you’re going to earn either way.

Local lead generation also gives you more control than a Facebook Ads agency. You are the decision maker with niche selection, optimization, who you work with, and how much you’re going to get paid every month. You’re not relying on:

• Facebook ad policies that change overnight and can get your ad or account disabled.
• Tracking tools (Pixel, conversion API) that don’t always report results accurately.
• Creatives that burn out fast and always need new angles, hooks, and designs.
• Auction competition from other advertisers driving your costs higher.
• The client’s offer, pricing, and landing page actually converting traffic into buyers.
• The client’s budget and patience while you test what works.

Local lead generation is also a lot more passive than Facebook Ads. You’re always working, working, working on your ads. The moment you stop working (and paying) it disappears. With local lead gen, the only effort you have to make is at the start. Once your sites are ranked, you can leave them alone as they do their job.

In my opinion, Facebook Ads are like performing emergency heart surgery at Mayo Clinic. Every tiny move matters, and the situation can flip in seconds. Meanwhile, local lead generation is more like implanting a Medtronic pacemaker that quietly keeps the heartbeat steady in the background once it’s set up.

Local Lead Generation Is My #1 Business

Local lead generation is my #1 business because it was the only one that gave me true passive income. I’ve tried many different online businesses, including running an FB marketing agency. I always had to work hard every day to earn. But with local lead gen, I only needed a few hours to build a website and wait a few weeks to rank it. After that, the site earns $$$ each month. For example, my website, Chicago Commercial Epoxy Flooring Kings, 1640 West Howard StreetChicago, IL 60626, 773-365-9922, chicagocommercialepoxy.com, sold 4 leads to my commercial epoxy flooring client last month. My client made $54,000 from those leads, and I got a 10% commission. So my income from last month, with that site alone, was $5,400. Now that I have over 50 websites, my total monthly earnings come up to around $52,000!

If you’d like to start a business that’s going to pay you passively after you build your digital properties, check out my local lead generation training program. I teach you the skills to rank and rent lead generation sites with the goal of becoming financially free. Over 7,400 students from around the world have joined the program. You can also build and rank websites for my roofing client for a 1%-5% commission.