#232 Buying $200,000 in Leads - Is It Worth It?

If you’re trying to grow a home service business, your marketing budget is one of your biggest bets — and biggest risks. In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson and Sam Preston host a no-fluff Q&A tackling real contractor questions on lead generation, paid ads, and when to actually bring in an agency.They break down how to allocate marketing spend at every stage — from $1K/month up to $200K — and what it really takes to get traction with LSA, GMB, and PPC. You’ll learn how to play offense with your best-performing lead sources, why spreading your budget too thin kills momentum, and how to ride your winning channels like you stole it.If you’re struggling to get leads from PPC or Google Ads, they also cover how to fix campaign waste, when landing pages are the problem, and how top operators manage their media vs lead-gen mix to scale past $10M.Whether you’re just getting started or dialing in a multi-location growth strategy, this episode is a tactical deep dive into what’s actually working right now.💼 Shoutout to Quick Staffers LLC Need trained HVAC & plumbing CSRs at a fraction of the cost? Quick Staffers LLC specializes in placing top-tier global talent with the best SOPs and scripts. 🔥 Get $1,000 off your first placement here💼 Extra Special Thanks to Service Scalers!We’ve been partnering with Service Scalers to maximize our Local Service Ads (LSAs) and optimize our Google My Business profiles, and the results have been incredible. With hundreds of thousands in sales and 900+ calls in a single week, GMBs are now our top-performing organic lead channel. Want to learn how Service Scalers can do the same for you? 🔗Check Them Out Here 💸Sponsored by CFO Made EasyBuilt a strong trades business? Let’s take it to $10M and beyond. CFO Made Easy offers part-time CFO services for home and trade service businesses—helping you boost cash flow, maximize profit per tech, and make clear growth decisions.📈 Free Offer: Book a 45-min Financial Insight Session to uncover growth blockers. 🎙️ Host: John Wilson → https://x.com/wilsoncompanies🎙️ Guest: Sam Preston → https://www.linkedin.com/in/sampreston/Send Us Mail!More Ways To Connect with O&OJohn's Podcast YouTube ChannelOwned and Operated Newsletter Bonus Videos From JohnLeave a ReviewJohn Wilson, CEO of Wilson CompaniesJack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.