[00:00:00] You address the problems that are in your market directly. That is how you differentiate yourself. I understand everyone's licensed and bonded. Everyone has photos, but go deeper. Understand where the negative or the bad perception on your industry is and take it on, head on.

[00:00:20] Okay. Welcome back to "A Chat with Chat." I'm Aaron Husak with Sequoia GEO, joined by ChatGPT as my co-host. Today, we're talking about a frustrating situation for contractors. People are finding your business, but that visibility isn't turning into the jobs that you want. Joining us is Benjamin Behrooz, founder and CEO of Branding, and they have multiple offices actually.

[00:00:46] He's joining us today from Los Angeles. Benjamin helps service-based businesses strengthen their positioning, build trust, and connect with the customers they wanna reach. We'll explore what happens between being found and getting hired, how reviews, messaging, and customer experience influence that decision, and where AI search fits into the picture.

[00:01:10] Benjamin, welcome. Thank you for joining us today. 

[00:01:13] Thank you, Aaron. Thanks for having me. Chat, excited to have you with me as well. Let's rock and roll, guys 

[00:01:19] So Benjamin, when a contractor tells you, "People are finding us, but we're not booking enough jobs," where do you typically start?

[00:01:28] it really depends on the company. We have new companies that have no footprint and they're like, "Why isn't anyone calling me?" Compared to businesses that have been there for about 10 years and they bu- they played their business as a secret, where it's maybe a Facebook group or personal referrals. So it's really depending on where somebody is, 'cause there is no two businesses that are the same, and different people have different opportunities because they have resources available to them that others don't. So one of the first things is audit. out where you are on the map so you know where you need to go, and that first, tipping point is figuring out what are the unique things about that entity that we can utilize to grow, because you don't wanna start from square one if they've already done things.

[00:02:09] So audit, figure out where you are on the map, and figure out the goal to success. Let's move forward

[00:02:15] Sure. Now, with that audit, y- when you say audit to me, I'm thinking auditing their website for technical SEO, for instance. What, when you say audit, what are you typically looking at? what are your top three indicators?

[00:02:30] So I think the main thing is, is coming backwards, right? Understanding the company, 'cause the company is the first thing that comes up, the owner of the company is the secondary thing that comes up, and what is that footprint that is there? The website becomes a tool to be able to help express and share and get found, but where are we now? when you look up the company, when you look up the owner, is there a negative connotation? Are there things that we need to kinda build against where things we're cleaning up? So I think it's understanding, again, where are we on the map and the client, the owner-creator role, 'cause we have a lot of our CEOs, they're now sharing on their own pages about how they're doing certain things more than ever.

[00:03:11] So figuring out where they stand, figuring out where the staff stands, and then kinda moving forward. So my audit is more so on the brand value as it is today, and this is something that's real. When we create a business, we create it to sell it. What do I mean by that? We're creating it to be able to identify value, identify things that in one year, two year, five years time, or 20 years time, an entity can come in and say there's true value within the company.

[00:03:37] And that's one of those things that we do, and business owners are like, "What do you mean? I don't wanna sell my business." I go, "No, you create it to sell so you have value at the end of the day. You're not trying to figure it out after." So a lot of systems checking that we're able to implement, understanding what the core values are.

[00:03:51] Do we have at that, or a table where we have 20 staff members? If they're not working, salary's hitting, so we gotta make sure they're working still. That audit really plays part on the individual, the company as a whole, and where can we help them best to where that CEO of that roofing company's not staying up the second payroll of the month saying, "How am I gonna pay these people?" We're justifying it. So if there's we're making a plan to have those liabilities become successes for us. So that's what I mean. So it just really goes back, and I know all these tools like your Instagram, your Facebook, the Angie's List, these are all tools that you incorporate into your main core.

[00:04:34] So those are secondary for us. So we really look at it piece by piece, so the individual, the liabilities, the goals. And I always tell people this, "Tell me your goal. We're gonna put it all the way on the right side of the wall, and me and you are gonna get in the car and we're gonna drive there. And the, the road might be bumpy, we might hit a few speed bumps, but we'll get to our goal as long as we know what it is." can't make points if you don't have a scoreboard. So we always wanna have a scoreboard. We always wanna have goals, keep things accountable, and keep things moving. So that's a big portion of how we start things

[00:05:06] That's fantastic. 

[00:05:08] 

[00:05:08] Um, so for HVAC contractors, plumbing contractors, roofing contractors, you've got, a, a very local focused, customer base in that region. I love what you said about thinking about the end and having that in mind. what are some of the things that, you're focusing on for home service type companies, and w- what's really the most important thing to them when it comes to that, that branding, branding and kinda thinking of their exit?

[00:05:44] I think the, the foundation that you come, to the table with, you need to have that be sustainable to where you're able to create this 100 s- 100 level building that you're looking to, this hierarchy. So for us, as we start a project, we wanna really make sure the foundation is there, and we're able to scale and become a skyscraper. So some of those things that we incorporate to make sure we're in a place to be valuable in five years' time, it comes to, what are those assets? What are those different revenue streams we can create? What are those end items that's gonna be on the checklist when private equity comes in and wants to buy your business from you?

[00:06:21] What are they looking at? So if you're planting those trees now, you're able to have the fruit of them later. This whole notion of, when is the best time to plant a tree? 20 years ago. But now we're here, so for us to be able to do it now and understand that where we wanna be in 20 years, we're setting up for specifically that.

[00:06:38] And I think it's really understanding where are there value systems, where are there reoccurring revenue that we can create? as well as helping the business become sustainable, and I know this is something, it's consistent, and there's a lot of different marketing companies that will get somebody hooked on running Meta ads until Meta changes their algorithm, whatever it is.

[00:06:58] So I really implore and I push people, create a pizza pie approach. Have different slices to where your business is able to have revenue come in. And depending on the time of year, depending on the return of investment, you will shift your energy to those different pies because the one-trick ponies that are getting leads from one, asset, they die. So I really advocate for creating this pizza pie approach to marketing, finding more ways to get leads coming in, and have it be sustainable. a lot of companies, what happens is, and I see this They will try to do everything themselves, but when they have a little bit of help, they have that assistant, they have that person with a task list of things to do, they do exceptionally well.

[00:07:42] So with us, as we work with clients, we push them to put an executive assistant with them. We push them to us helping with their back office stuff. So a lot of stuff we do is not front office always, it's back office. 'Cause if I get my clients... This happened. We had our construction company, I'm in Los Angeles right now, I have them begging me, "Stop the ads.

[00:08:01] Stop the ads because we don't have enough people to go walk the grounds to give people proposals." So there is this reality of if we're making this amazing growth and getting them leads and helping them scale, do they have the infrastructure in the back end to make sure it carries? Because this has happened.

[00:08:17] You give enough business to your client, they're not gonna call you back 'cause they're so inundated with what's going on. So I'm physically, with my team, going to job sites, showing them what's going on, and getting approval on the job sites, coming back full of

[00:08:31] Oh, wow. Yeah

[00:08:32] is what we have to do because luckily our clients are really busy.

[00:08:36] Construction and these specific industries are very sought after. AI's not gonna do a magic trick and have a wall go up, so we know the trajectory of this just keeps going up. And just helping with the back office as well as the front office, that's something that's essential or your marketing campaign will break. 'Cause we're good at what we do.

[00:08:56] That's excellent. That's excellent. yeah. Showing up on the job site, definitely going above and beyond for your customers there, which is fantastic. you talk about the pizza and a slice of the pizza being different types of marketing. How much of that are you recommending right now be focused on or pushing towards AI search or generative engine optimization?

[00:09:20] I think that's, a big slice of what you have. But as AI, AEO is really built off of SEO. AI helps search, sort, and identify. So if you have a story that you're creating, it's able to help search, sort, and identify. So making sure that you're allowing for that and that business to come in from that referral source, but know it's not gonna be made on its own. So making sure you have a core system that you're getting reviews after jobs, you are having people share about what's there. If you're in the middle of Florida and you are seeing nonstop tornadoes or whatever's happening, you need to put up shutter windows, whatever it is, then you need to talk about it. So there really is this notion of speaking about what you have, making it visible, making a video of your last sites, understanding that AI is not a marketing plan. AI is a resource and strategy to help that plan come to life. really think about what you're doing, documenting and making sure if you want more business coming in, you better put that video on YouTube because that's what YouTube is documenting, talking about those long-form videos.

[00:10:26] So get yourself to be available for AI. Make sure you're there 'cause it's coming. It's something that you can't mess with. So definitely putting a lot in- into AI, and you're supporting the things that AI wants you to do. So as we know it, when you look up a plumber, let's say, before a normal consumer would ask two to three questions. AI is saying, "Hey, I need a plumber that does this." It's gonna come back, say, "Do you want them to be licensed and bonded? Do you wanna know if they work on the weekend? Do you wanna know if they work on your specialty house?" So the conversation now with AI is going not two to three questions, it's 20. They're happening on their own. And for us, we answer those questions. We allow our consumers to know that we do offer that service. And a lot of it is done with layered marketing from being able to understand where the questions are coming in, answering them, and figuring out how do we become specialized in certain things by raising our hand. All AI really is raising your hand. Raise your hand, be chosen because if you don't raise your hand and you're running old world game of "My business is a secret. I don't wanna tell people what I'm doing," bye-bye. Your business will be bought out shortly by some kid graduating from school and you can go and retire. Sorry to say that, but that is the real world. And for us, we're getting a lot of amazing businesses that are thriving. Now they want their flowers. Now they wanna become that top recommendation. And luckily, majority of them have history. So AI is able to go pull and sort every time they were on CNN, they were on Spectrum, they were...

[00:11:56] They ran a campaign, they did their backpack drive. All that stuff is so amazingly available now to us. You can't fake it So it's a part of our trajectory. We're definitely making AI a big part of it. We know it's coming, but there's anti-AI anti-AI steps you can take that can actually earn you more money because you are going against the grain, and I advocate for that for people, and I'll explain what I mean by that

[00:12:21] Yes, please tell us more about the anti-AI strategy you're referring to

[00:12:27] Trade shows are probably the number one thing that we're seeing scale. My door-to-door salesmen are doing what they were doing 10 years ago. People hate dealing with the AI voice responding to them when they have a problem and something's on fire. They just recently released that they're about to start loading up 911 calls to be answered by AI. help us all. So you know what's about to happen there. I'm gonna give you a perfect example. Morgan & Morgan, one of the biggest personal injury firms in America, the amount of leads that they get, you would think they're using AI, right? No. No. Someone's calling you with a problem, gonna give them another problem? Empathy is lost through AI because that person, individual, that problem they have is lost. become that anti-AI. And I'm not saying say no to it, but pick and choose when you use it. Have empathy in your company. If someone's calling you, they have a hole in their wall, they hear that AI voice, badoo, they don't want that. And for us, we deal with the top 1%. We don't deal with the lower half where business is leading to these contractors that are making $3 million, $5 million, $10 million a year. There's this higher level of support 'cause they wanna keep their business going. So the second they say, "I'm gonna AI secretary," I'm like, "Ha ha, okay.

[00:13:53] Do that for your own thing. our call-ins are gonna go to a live caller picking up the phone." So that's what I mean by anti-AI, just figuring out where your opportunities are that other people are saying, "I don't need them. I'm gonna fast-forward." So I am going, I am sending my people to different, commerce meetings.

[00:14:09] I am having them speak at shows. I am having them do different educational summits that we're able to bring people in. That's what I mean by going against the grain. It really does shine a light and helps those that need the help and are willing to pay for it find you

[00:14:25] Well, it seems like an appropriate time to bring Chat into the conversation. Chat, are you with us?

[00:14:30] I'm here with you. What I'm taking from that is AI can still help people find you, but only if your story and offerings are clear online, and then you win with the human follow-through when they call. For your audience, maybe we frame it as use AI to be found, but design the first live interaction to earn trust where automation can't.

[00:14:51] If you want, I can turn that into a short on-air takeaway. Yes, I'm sure you can, Chat. For now, while we're recording the podcast, did you have any questions for Benjamin? 

[00:15:01] One thing I'd love to ask Benjamin is when a contractor hears build your story for AI, it can sound huge. What's the smallest visible thing they could change this month that would actually move the needle? Sure. What's the smallest thing a contractor could make visible online this month that would actually help AI systems and homeowners understand them better?

[00:15:22] This is amazing. Document your life. Document your life. There's something, there's a big misconception about having to fake it. If you're really doing these jobs, you're really going on site, you're really doing these things, your life. And I say that to everyone. I'm like, "You don't need to do TikTok dances to be able to have your business grow." For your business that you have, they wanna make sure that you actually are doing what you're doing. You're actually going on site. You have a little dirt on your shoulder, your boots you have on. There's something about fulfilling the role that the person on the other side wants to feel and know. You can go show somebody how to put on a roof, show them 100 steps on how to do it. How many people are actually gonna do it? 2%. The 98 are gonna contact you 'cause they figured out, "This guy knows how to do it." Proof is in the pudding, so there really is a reality that people wanna make sure that the person on the other side is really who they are. The same me when you have your Google My Business page, you put a virtual tour, you let them see where they're going.

[00:16:28] People are scared to leave the house. They don't wanna call. They wanna have these pre- items that they can help evaluate within their own system of trust. Do I trust this guy? Do I not trust this guy? So before the phone call's even made, there is this value system within the consumer. Is this person the right job?

[00:16:44] Are they not the right job? And from the media you create, when they look you up, they see that you're going on a ladder, going on a roof. They're... You're in Los Angeles. They're in Los Angeles. You're in Buffalo. They're in Buffalo. There's this connection that's made by showing them that you're actually doing what you're doing. Document your work. Get in the pickup truck. Let them know where you're heading. Today's task is this. and there is a differential between the creator as well as the company. If you don't wanna share all that within the company, that's absolutely fine 'cause this is something I'm gonna advocate to everyone. An individual can have a bad day, a tough day, can go through hardships, can have a crack, can have whatever it is, and people will humanize him and follow him through his journey. The company can never have a crack. It can never have a bad day. It can never have a day off. This company is like Fort Knox. It needs to stay stellar. So picking and choosing where you share and what you share, that's something that you really need to understand, but share. Please, people want you to help them. They are not able to figure it out with all of these different choices. Have your reality, have your day-to-day be the reason they hire you, and I really advocate for it.

[00:17:54] Don't create content. Document what you're doing

[00:17:58] Yeah, there's a couple things there really stood out. I liked what you said about being vulnerable, being yourself, being authentic. Th- those are all critical aspects. And, on the other side, so I'm, s- I think maybe, I'm hoping that we've hit peak, TikTok dance from contractors because, I saw one today and I'm friends with the people that put this together, and it was like they were throwing a party in the office, and it was like this...

[00:18:26] If this was the actual party and you were filming like, "Hey, we're having a great..." This was all just set up for the camera, which I get it. you're sh- trying to show that you guys have fun in the office, and it's a cool place to work. Those are all positive things, but it's just too staged now, and it's too, like you said, TikTok dancey.

[00:18:46] And, I think if they were showing what they were doing on a job site, th- probably more beneficial, to your point, 

[00:18:52] I think the reality is you're creating it for what reason? You do that... Are you putting up that video because you have horrible reviews that says these are grumpy people, don't call the office, and they're trying to change it? Or are they trying to show that, hey, we're drinking at the office? so there is this reality where I have some of my clients like, "Oh, we wanna send a videographer to be able to come in for our holiday party."

[00:19:17] I'm, "Okay, he's leaving at 8:00, because I don't

[00:19:19] Yeah.

[00:19:20] photos of you guys drunk at 10:00, 11:00 o'clock," and then the company goes, "Brrr."

[00:19:24] Yeah

[00:19:25] there is this reality of me being Kevlar for a lot of our clients, and this thing I keep telling people, you're creating it for what reason? What value is that other person going to get? An indicator of you going viral and not going viral is many times someone will share that post.

[00:19:43] Mm-hmm.

[00:19:43] I've hit millions on millions on millions on millions of views specifically from these different things. One is humor, where someone can relate 'cause they have that same person in the office, and they're wanting to make a joke, and you're able to do it. Or you're actually solving a problem saying, "Hey, Google Excel, this is the secret. Do this, and this." And then they share it to the person that needs to do it. So it's that checklist of you communicating what is the goal? What is the goal? You're just doing it 'cause it's a trend and you wanna do it?

[00:20:13] Good for you. It's gonna get dumped, and no one's gonna watch it. But have that checklist or your reasoning. You're creating this with the notion of what, with the success rate of what are you trying to execute? Because this is the same thing, playing basketball without a scoreboard. No point in doing it.

[00:20:27] I don't wanna practice. I practice enough

[00:20:29] Absolutely. Now, when it comes to contractor in their market, and what you see a lot of times is, you've got one company, another company, a third maybe estimate that the customer's getting, and they're all saying the same things. Licensed, experienced, family-owned, great service. it's just, h- how do you go in and help address some of the messaging that maybe home service or contractors are using so they don't sound like everybody else?

[00:21:05] I got you. One of the best tricks, tips that you can have, go in your area and look all the negative reviews.

[00:21:14] One, one of, one of the ways to really differentiate yourself is definitely understanding what is happening within your market. By what does that mean? Where are the biggest pitfalls within your industry, within your geolocation that you're able to address and raise your hand and take a step to say, "I am not that"? So if you start going through the reviews and you say, "The person doesn't show up. They said they were gonna show up. They didn't show up." Do you add a guarantee in there? you tell the people that, "I'm the CEO, this is my personal phone number. You have an issue, you call my phone, I'll get them to the job"? You address the problems that are in your market directly. That is how you differentiate yourself. I understand everyone's licensed and bonded. Everyone has photos, but go deeper. Understand where the negative or the bad perception on your industry is and take it on, head on. the CEO understand this is the problem, and I am going to do this, and this to be able to bring that additional business in, and we are the differential in the market. The same thing with our company. We are the differential in the market. We take on the things that other people can't do. Zero of our projects are simple projects, I tell everyone that works with us, "Congratulations. You're in the world of difficult projects." that's how we do well, because we do well with difficult projects that others can't take on or they've hit a ceiling with them.

[00:22:39] They're like, "I need some steroids pumping into my project," and we scale their project times 10. this is a consistent thing that we're ki- always jumping into and I love what we do 'cause for me, I really don't have a lot of hobbies. go fishing. I hunt money, I hunt leads, and this is something I love doing 'cause I always wanna find my own parking spot.

[00:23:02] And I say this to everyone: You're not gonna find a parking spot behind five other cars. I'm gonna break the door, I'm gonna find the back door, and I'm gonna get in and get a beautiful spot. And then I'm gonna have that be the proof of concept to bring 10 other cars in behind me. And this is something I've always done and I advocate for my team to do so. We're always breaking new ground.

[00:23:21] Excellent. Excellent. And when you're working with your clients, is that typically, you're acting as their marketing, director? what, what place or responsibility are you t- typically taking when you're working with a client?

[00:23:38] What's happening now, and this is very ch- very much so present as we deal with people don't wanna hire companies anymore. They wanna hire individuals that are gonna lead. Right now, there's thousands of machines, there's a bunch of different departments. They just need a leader leading everything and putting architecture into place. We walk into a lot of businesses to where they have sustainable things. Things are going well. Not every single part you walk into is a mess. So one of the processes that we do is making sure that there is a foundation to it. If you have an amazing videographer, great. Get him in a good place to keep going.

[00:24:12] You have an amazing call center. They're doing great. What do you do? So just figuring out these different blocks that are around us, and then building from that

[00:24:21] Yeah, so it's much broader than branding or marketing at that point. it's ensuring that when you're doing your job, that the bene- the business is actually going to benefit from that. 'Cause if the call center's not in place

[00:24:36] They're not gonna keep us on, and I te- and I tell my customers this when I ask those questions, I'm like, "If I do a good job, you're not gonna tell anybody 'cause we're gonna be your secret, and you're not gonna fire us." So I know the reality is that. So if we do a good job, we're able to get what we need done, and we're able to bring value into the project, we will stay on. We don't have a revolving door with our clients. People work with us, they stay with us. We're able to do scaling. It might be doing an engagement every quarter 'cause they need a little bump. It may be doing their newsletter. It may be doing whatever it is, but we really have relationships with our clients based on what helps them, not what helps everybody.

[00:25:17] And I think that's one of the things that goes back to our audit to understand the business and how we can help them, 'cause everyone's different. out of this generic realm of giving everyone generic marketing. It doesn't work. It's gonna break. Generic marketing is for AI to jump in and just making sure your foundation stuff is done.

[00:25:32] That unique, new strategies, new initiatives, where we're coming in. And I think having a company h- understand that someone's in charge on their side and managing all of the craziness, that's what people want. And I think for me, I'm stepping in a lot of roles, and a lot of my managers are, where we're becoming the back office. We're becoming the director of marketing, and we're helping lead their team, giving their staff a day-to-day what to do. I share this with my team. Our clients will have employees that go and come. We're that pillar that doesn't leave. We're that pillar that trains the new staffer to do better when they do things.

[00:26:12] We're that pillar that puts in the SOP that the company as a whole will run via Bible. So we do a lot more than just on a island running Meta ads. Hopefully, they get some leads and they don't fire us. We're really in the back office. We're look- looking at their systems, incorporating AI tools to have things automate, removing AI tools that will hurt us.

[00:26:33] So just playing this balance game to make sure they stay in business and they keep us. Because if they're in business, they need to keep us. And I'm... We're almost two decades in. We've had businesses sell to private equity. We've had amazing businesses got bought out, and we have amazing entrepreneurs that are all crazy, and we love them.

[00:26:52] And they're able to do more and more, and we really are able to become that inspiration for them to be able to see different things are possible, and we're that push that helps them get there

[00:27:03] Fantastic. Fantastic. Now, if you could leave a contractor with, one thing, takeaway, what, what's something that contractors should be doing right now that they could implement immediately?

[00:27:18] Aaron, I'm about to hit you with something saucy. No one's doing this, okay? So there's something called the ARV. What this is the estimated return that you'll have if you make an investment on your property. For my roofers, you have the ability to look up every single property you. Look them up. You say, "Hey, your roof hasn't been changed for 20 years. if you do this, the, your property value will go up because your com- because your neighbor just sold their house." Right now, we're in a place that businesses, and I'm sure all my contractors, they're definitely offering financing 'cause they have to 'cause no one's spending money. The

[00:28:00] Yeah

[00:28:00] aspect is everyone's trying to take home equity lines and trying to pay off other stuff, and they're trying to build their value. So my people, look around, do skip traces. You're able to actually see who owns the house, and you giving them a call saying, "Hey, neighbor just did their house.

[00:28:19] Your property value went up almost 40%. Would you be okay with me sending you a quote to be able to have your roof and increase your value?" 'Cause a lot of people are trying to figure out what to do with what they have, or they might have crazy credit card bills. What I'm telling you is something we're doing at a high level, and it's really working.

[00:28:37] So this little nut I gave you guys, I hope you guys make millions of dollars from it, send me some love if you do. Take a fruit basket. It really works, guys, and this is not the BS of just running meta ads hoping. This is looking in your area, figuring out real numbers, understanding right now that people need equity in their homes to be able to do what they can do, and having people call.

[00:28:59] As simple as a phone call, that might change, allow you to be able to get five to 10 more jobs a month just because the people right now do have high credit cards. do need to bring more equity into their homes. So this is a little bit deeper. It's a little more scaled than the BS running some Google ads hoping it hits.

[00:29:17] This is actually proactiveness. Tomorrow morning, you look up within a 10-mile radius of every, every single home around you that you can do that with

[00:29:25] That is, that is definitely a unique strategy. I like where you're headed with that. What, online tools, Zillow comes to mind in terms of property value. how are you finding out who maybe recently did their roof, or is it that you did their roof recently and then the property value went up?

[00:29:43] What, what tools are they using to search for this?

[00:29:45] So you have to think about this as a realtor. So imagine a realtor, he sells a house 10 blocks away. The whole area, because of the comps, the price goes up. Hey, we just sold your house next door. We sold it over asking, whatever it is, because you know the comps go up in the area. The same thing. roofers are going to become contract-- they're gonna become real estate agents.

[00:30:09] So what they're looking up is people within a certain area that a s- a home was just sold, and then look up ARV value. That AR value-- That ARV value is connected to the comps in the area. You have PropWire able to help you give you some off-market stuff. You also have the ability to use Claude and Chat. More than ever, if you look up the term ARV, it really will help you, and I think a lot of things of back sourcing most expensive homes sold in the area where the comps are drastically changed, and then you work around it because that's your pinpoint. You just work around it. And this whole notion is understanding how the market works, figuring out how do you interlay yourself knowing that value's there.

[00:30:54] Before they even know that, before that they make it a point that I need to change my roof, you're proactively reaching out to them, seeing the possibilities that are there. That same person you reach out to on the phone, you send them a postcard. You send them a hello during Christmas. You call when rain is hitting like crazy. So my contractors, my roofers, you have your lead list, guess who you're gonna call after a storm on that Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday? Who are you gonna send out a newsletter to tell them, "Hey, don't let any sitting water sit on your roof. Do this. We have this new application where you can put this white sealant.

[00:31:33] Your roof will never leak for ten years. You don't need to change the roof." So we're-- The way I'm talking about this, because we're doing it every day, and I'm seeing people be extremely successful with it. So find different ways to success. Please don't follow everybody else. It is not a good path to follow.

[00:31:49] And the understanding that the top of the funnel no longer comes from Meta. of the funnel engagement where they get to know you comes from a mailer, a trade show, an outreach, or it comes from different places. People are not gonna trust you directly from Meta unless you have Catherine Zeta-Jones on there, unless you have something that they feel comfort with.

[00:32:12] You have someone from a home improvement show that's on there. You're able to use them as a reference. But different arena. Use the tools that you have. Technology's utterly amazing. You can have a hundred people to call by Monday 

[00:32:28] Get proactive about it. Yeah. Excellent

[00:32:30] I do where I'm able to help coach with call centers. So we have a lot of our clients have call centers now. So us helping going in and coaching and creating the SOPs on how they can look for new avenues to do things. Right now, zoning changes are immense. The number one thing right now happening is zoning changes.

[00:32:49] Those zoning changes are turning into that soil that you have is worth more. So people adding additions, people doing these things. So you understanding what the laws are within the city, understanding that you can speak to those laws, and let the people know that this is available to them. We have ADUs taking off, and it's the people educating and showing how the ADU can work and how much more money's being made.

[00:33:13] That's in every single house. We've had a whole up- uprising in California with ADUs, and every single property value's gone up 20%, 30%. Now it's a revenue source. Now it's additional placement. So zoning changes are happening. Be mindful of what's going on. Don't close your eyes to what's happening in the government, 'cause it actually affects you drastically

[00:33:33] Yeah. Yeah. Excellent.

[00:33:36] Chat, I wanna give you another shot at asking a question here. Is there anything else that you wanted to ask Benjamin before we wrap up? 

[00:33:43] Yeah, one more grounded thing. For a contractor who's solo or just has one office person, what's a realistic version of this they could sustain without a team?

[00:33:56] I think it's starting, having a goal, and I always say this, bullets before bombs. What do I mean by it? Couple bullets, you figure out what hits, and then you start dropping bombs. So as you're a solo entrepreneur, you will do those 5, 10, 20 calls. If the thing works, then it's worth the investment to be able to move forward with it. Bullets before bombs. Try it. If it works, then it makes sense, then you have a good problem. You have a lot of leads to call back. Your business can grow. So bullets before bombs. Like everything else, the entrepreneur, a self entrepreneur that this amazing country is built on. Do it yourself. Figure out a way.

[00:34:30] Add additional people when you have that good problem, which is you have leads to call. Bullets before bombs

[00:34:36] Excellent. And Benjamin, where can our listeners learn more about your work and connect with you?

[00:34:43] we are in fa- in five, five cities. So we are located in Los Angeles, we are located in Texas, we're located in New York, we're in Miami, we're in Hawaii. we're in five different markets. Our clients are vast. We work with a lot of different people. Each one of our locations has different staff members that are there. depending on what your goals are, feel free to reach out to us. will list off all the domains, so if you guys would like to check them out, brandinglosangeles.com, brandingnyc.com, brandingaloha.com, brandingtexasagency.com, and brandingmia, which is our newest baby. feel free to reach me. my, I have a personal

[00:35:22] email, Ben Burrus.

[00:35:23] a personal website, benburrus.com. I'm always and happy and excited to meet new people, talk about new topics. I love technology and how it's growing. If you're a creator and you're wanting to join our team, love that. If you're s- if you're a small business owner and you're wanting to give your business a kick in the ass and pump some steroids and have an amazing 2027, we're here.

[00:35:43] And we're always here to answer questions, so if you hit a speed bump, hit us up. We'll do our best to try to help. Our goal is to be able to help, and that's what we always try to do

[00:35:51] Well, it's been great information. I hope that our listeners take some action based on what you've shared with us today, and, really appreciate you joining the show. Thank you for being on today

[00:36:03] Pleasure. Thanks for having me

[00:36:04] Sure thing