We Know The Grind Because We've Lived It.

Jonathan Blake Co-Founder

I grew up severely dyslexic and barely scraped through school. The traditional path wasn't built for me, so I built my own. I discovered online marketing and self-education, and it changed everything.

In college, before any of that, I ran a pay-per-performance agency for home remodeling companies — I managed their Google Ads, built their funnels, set up their automation, then personally called and qualified every lead, booked the estimate, and followed up afterward. It was commission-only, so I learned a hard lesson early: most of those businesses weren't failing because of bad leads. They were failing because owners wouldn't answer the phone, never updated their CRM, and didn't know how to sell to a cold audience. That's the exact gap The Lead Venture is built to close.

I also dropped out of college to help a friend run a turnaround agency for medical spas across the Northeast. We ran their Facebook ads to get people in the door, then taught the staff how to consultatively sell $2,500–$8,500+ high-ticket memberships, with a structured downsell for anyone who said no. We lined the office with before-and-afters and sold straight off a resell intake form, customized to the client. It worked because the system did the selling, not raw pressure.

In 2015, I started a tree service. I didn't just learn how to cut trees, I had to learn how to survive. I struggled for years figuring out how to market, sell, create irresistible offers, and build websites that actually converted. Once I cracked the code, I ran that business for 6 years and scaled it to six figures a month before moving on in 2020. Before that, I'd also done the marketing and sales for my dad's home remodeling business.

Starting in 2018, I took on marketing and sales clients across more industries than most agencies touch in a decade: tree services, golf courses, home remodeling, dog waste removal, pest control, roofing and gutters, junk removal (websites and video), churches (websites and logos), about a dozen lawn care companies, and barbershops (content creation and SMS marketing).

Then I pivoted into residential home exterior sales, door to door. I knocked on 25,000 doors, had over 10,000 conversations, and personally closed more than 1,000 leads. In non-insurance exterior sales alone — no storm claims, straight retail — I generated over $1 million, netting $800K in a single year.

Today, I run a lawn care and landscaping business with a $1.3 million book of maintenance contracts and about $2 million in total revenue once enhancement work is added in, on top of personally selling millions of dollars in lawn care services over the years. In 2026 alone, I've personally sold over $1 million so far. I also sell for a lawn and hardscape company doing commercial and residential work, closing 50-60% of my leads the past several months: speed to lead under 60 seconds, same-day or next-day appointments only, both decision-makers at the table, a full presentation, then a direct ask for the sale — one-call close. If they say no, I follow up, friend them on Facebook and Instagram, like and comment on their posts, and ask for a referral anyway. It's the same follow-up-first system we put in Booked Solid, and it's why our clients get more than just a website. I've been doing marketing and sales since 2015, I've run Facebook ad campaigns for my own businesses and for more than 30 others, and I've taught hundreds of business owners through courses and YouTube.

Results shown are from specific clients and our own businesses. They aren't typical or guaranteed. Your results depend on your market, offer, pricing, sales process and effort. Details