Season 2 · Episode 2 The Craft & Calling Podcast

Why Most Home Service Leads Never Convert and How Systems Fix It

Rethinking follow-up, visibility, and leadership when missed calls and broken systems quietly cost home service businesses real growth.

Many home service businesses invest heavily in marketing but still struggle with low conversion. Leads come in, phones ring, and opportunities quietly slip through the cracks.

In this episode, Christene Marie sits down with Leandra Grenier-Green to unpack why most lead loss is not a marketing problem. It is a systems problem. Together, they explore how follow-up, visibility, accountability, and operational clarity directly impact revenue, customer experience, and team performance.

This conversation is for owners who feel busy but uncertain, who are generating demand but not seeing consistent results, and who know their business needs structure to grow without chaos.

• Why missed calls and slow follow-up cost more than bad marketing
• How systems create consistency across the customer journey
• The hidden leadership gap behind low lead conversion
• Why clarity and accountability matter more than volume
• How operational structure protects growth, teams, and reputation

0:00 Intro

0:45 Guest Intro

3:06 Why most leads never convert

6:57 Missed calls and silent revenue loss

9:24 Call tracking to improve marketing ROI for home services

14:58 Lead scoring and inconsistencies in the call center

18:59 Designing a customer journey that converts

23:47 Google Ad campaigns and where to start

28:28 Data checklist from Foundation First Marketing

Customer & Marketing Data Checklist A practical, field-tested checklist designed to help home service businesses track the data points that directly impact revenue, customer trust, and long-term growth.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KxGYWYuak0R10JR777jC8rsp8ETX7jem/view?usp=drive_link

Leandra Grenier-Green is an operations leader with a passion for building strong, scalable systems and empowering high-performing teams. With a decade of experience in agency environments, she specializes in turning chaos into clarity so founders can focus on growth.

Leandra has helped scale digital marketing agencies by leading operations, people development, and internal strategy. Her work sits at the intersection of process and people, helping businesses grow sustainably without burning out their leaders or teams.

The Craft & Calling is a community built for trades leaders who care deeply about both their work and the life they are building alongside it. Through real conversations and practical insight, the show explores leadership, legacy, and what it means to build businesses that last.

Explore resources, conversations, and the community at: https://thecraftandcalling.com/linktr/

This conversation reflects the kind of leadership and strategic thinking that also informs the work of Foundation First Marketing, where Christene Marie serves as a co-founder.

Foundation First partners with home service businesses to build marketing strategies grounded in clarity, systems, and long-term vision, helping owners grow without losing trust, culture, or control.

Get a free marketing quote, grounded in real performance data. Request a free website design to see what is possible when your digital presence is built on a strong foundation. https://foundationfirstmarketing.com/

Season 2 · Episode 1 The Craft & Calling Podcast

The Future of Visibility Is Being Built Now: How AI, Content, and Trust Are Reshaping Home Services

Rethinking how home service business owners should approach AI, visibility, and trust as search and customer behavior rapidly evolve.

As AI, automation, and new search behaviors reshape how customers find and choose service providers, visibility is no longer just about rankings or ads. It is about trust, consistency, and showing up where decisions are actually being made.

In this conversation, Christene Marie sits down with Jennifer Bagley to explore how home service businesses can adapt without losing credibility, connection, or control. They discuss why content is becoming training data for AI systems, how Google Business Profiles and daily publishing influence discoverability, and what it means to build a brand that stays relevant as technology accelerates.

This episode challenges owners to rethink visibility not as a marketing tactic, but as a long-term leadership responsibility.

• Why visibility is shifting from websites to daily content and real-world signals
• How AI and automation are changing how customers search and decide
• The role of trust, consistency, and credibility in modern home services marketing
• Why content now functions as training data for search and AI systems
• How leaders can stay visible without losing authenticity

0:00 Intro 0:45 Guest Intro

2:27 Why visibility is changing

3:52 What first steps and tools trades owners can take with AI

10:08 The first prompt you should use with conversational AI

18:02 The difference between a bot and a companion in AI

24:36 Mastering AI and leveling up to agentic AI

32:22 Jennifer's story: rethinking the business structure and implementing AI

39:45 Running a business from your own MCP

44:41 What leaders must rethink now to gain more time, money, and freedom

Knowing Show – Prior Conversation With Jennifer Bagley Christene mentions a previous conversation on The Knowing Show that explores Jennifer Bagley’s background and the genesis of how she arrived at her current work in AI, strategy, and business transformation. This episode provides additional context and depth for listeners who want to understand Jennifer’s journey and perspective more fully.

🔗 https://youtube.com/live/A2CC2EDGfsE

Jennifer Bagley is a nationally recognized expert in AI enablement, digital strategy, and business transformation. She is the CEO of CI Web Group, where she helps contractors and service-based businesses scale with strategy, automation, and measurable results.

Jennifer is also the Co-Founder of JustStartAI.io and serves on the board of OnePath.ai. Her work focuses on aligning leadership, operations, marketing, and AI to create real business outcomes.

The Craft & Calling is a community built for trades leaders who care deeply about both their work and the life they are building alongside it. Through real conversations and practical insight, the show explores leadership, legacy, and what it means to build businesses that last.

Explore resources, conversations, and the community at: https://thecraftandcalling.com/linktr/

This conversation reflects the kind of leadership and strategic thinking that also informs the work of Foundation First Marketing, where Christene Marie serves as a co-founder.

Foundation First partners with home service businesses to build marketing strategies grounded in clarity, systems, and long-term vision, helping owners grow without losing trust, culture, or control.

Get a free marketing quote, grounded in real performance data. Request a free website design to see what is possible when your digital presence is built on a strong foundation. https://foundationfirstmarketing.com/

Blue-collar grit. White-collar systems. A path to freedom, presence, and legacy.

In this episode of The Craft & Calling, host Christene Marie sits down with Mike Abramowitz, co-founder of Better Than Rich, to unpack what it truly means to move from constant hustle into a Time Rich life.

Mike shares his personal journey growing up in the trades, watching relentless work ethic come at the cost of presence, relationships, and emotional health - and how he chose to break that generational cycle. Together, they explore how business systems, emotional intelligence, nervous system regulation, and intentional leadership are inseparable when building something that lasts.

This conversation is for trades owners and operators who are tired of firefighting, want their time back, and are ready to build a business that fuels family, freedom, and legacy - not burnout.

What if your business could support your life instead of consuming it?

🔍 WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

• How trades leaders move from survival mode into predictable, scalable businesses
• The hidden cost of hustle culture on family, health, and legacy
• Emotional intelligence as a leadership skill, not a “soft” add-on
• The Time Rich Six Framework for buying back time and building systems
• Why implementation beats ideas, and how immersive “war rooms” accelerate growth

0:00 Intro

2:25 Growing Up in the Trades

5:16 Out of the Grind and into Creating a Predictable Business

13:12 Generational Legacy: Reparenting, Healing & Emotional Maturity

15:20 Buy Back Freedom for Inner Work and Emotional Health

21:41 Simple Emotional Intelligence Frameworks

24:42 Nervous System, Boredom & Creativity

30:36 The Time Rich Six Framework Explained

39:29 Why Immersion Beats Coaching

47:27 Books and Next Steps You Can Take

⭐RESOURCES The Time Rich Six Framework by Mike Abramowitz:

• Founder Lifestyle

1. Boundaries
2. Communication Guidelines

• Business Predictability

1. Systems
2. Playbooks
3. Team
4. Tech

🎁Complimentary Offer:

Mike will Build 4 Systems. 30 minutes. No Pitch.

Book your Call Today:

https://betterthanrich.com/gsd/

📚Books Recommended in this Episode:

• Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
• Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell
• The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber

https://thecraftandcalling.com/linktr/

Mike Abramowitz is the co-founder of Better Than Rich, where he helps high-earning home service and trades business owners buy back their time, scale predictably, and lead with intention.

Drawing from his upbringing in the trades and decades of experience building systems-driven companies, Mike developed the Time Rich Six Framework, which blends business systems, AI-powered operations, and leadership boundaries to help owners grow past $5M without burnout.

Through immersive installs and proven playbooks, Mike has helped hundreds of businesses reclaim tens of thousands of hours - allowing owners to build profitable companies while staying present for family, health, and life.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeabramowitz1/ Website: https://betterthanrich.com/ Offer: https://betterthanrich.com/gsd/

💡 THANK YOU FOR WATCHING

• Like this video to help more trades leaders find it
• Comment with your biggest takeaway or challenge
• Subscribe for weekly conversations on leadership, systems, and legacy
• Share this episode with a fellow business owner who needs their time back
• Join The Craft & Calling Community for deeper conversations and resources

#CraftAndCalling #TradesLeadership #TimeRich #SystemsThinking #BusinessSystems #LegacyBuilding #TradesBusiness #EmotionalIntelligence #BlueCollarLeadership #FounderLife #BusinessFreedom #HomeServices #ContractorLife #LeadershipDevelopment

You don’t need a studio. You just need your phone and your story.

In this episode of The Craft & Calling, host Christene Marie sits down with Reuben Rock, one of the most trusted digital marketing voices in the home-services world, to talk about the shift every contractor, cleaner, and trades owner needs to prepare for, and why it starts with simple selfie-style videos shot on your phone.

Reuben breaks down why authentic, real-location videos outperform polished agency ads, how field technicians can become your best content engine, and why 2026 will be a turning point for marketing in the trades. He also shares the exact systems he used to scale home-service companies using iPhone ads, YouTube placements, and Google’s full ad ecosystem.

If you’re a trades leader who wants more leads, more clarity, and a marketing engine that feels human, you’ll take notes on this one.

🔍 WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

• Why selfie-style iPhone videos outperform highly produced ads
• How documenting jobs can give you unlimited marketing content
• Why most home-service companies will fall behind by 2026
• How YouTube + Google Ads can scale a trades business fast
• What creators in the trades are doing differently, and why it works

0:00 Intro

3:05 Youtube Ads being Reuben's secret weapon

6:06 How to start creating simple ads with your iphone selfie-style

11:28 Google Business Profile and documenting jobs

14:46 Elevator Pitch and How Trades Teams Can Document Work for Unlimited Content

18:37 Answer Engine Optimization for the trades and your business content

24:04 From yellow pages to Google Ads program: staying ahead of the game

27:15 How companies began to service trades businesses

31:35 How to get started on creating video content

38:19 Creating a 5 star experience for your customer

46:31 Referral partners and how to get them

https://thecraftandcalling.com/linktr/

👤 GUEST BIO: REUBEN ROCK

Reuben Rock is a nationally recognized digital marketing expert and one of the leading Google Ads strategists in the home services industry. Praised by industry leaders: “probably the best Google Ads guy in the world right now,” according to Kasim Aslam. Reuben has spent more than 20 years running high-ROI campaigns for local service companies, national franchises, and Fortune 100 brands. Known for his integrated approach across search, video, and display, he now leads BookCleaningJobs.com, where he helps cleaning and home service businesses scale quickly using proven paid media systems and performance-driven strategy.

🔗 CONNECT WITH REUBEN ROCK

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reubenrock/ Company Website: https://gosearchparty.com/ Personal Website: https://reubenrock.com/ Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BookCleaningJobs

💡 THANK YOU FOR WATCHING

• Like the video
• Comment your biggest takeaway
• Subscribe for weekly episodes
• Join The Craft & Calling Newsletter
• Apply to be a guest on the show
• Share this episode with another trades leader

#CraftAndCalling #TradesLeadership #HomeServiceBusiness #ConstructionBusiness #LegacyLeadership #HomeServicesMarketing #OperationsSystems #ContractorBusiness #BuildYourLegacy #ResultsMarketing #DigitalMarketingForContractors #ServiceBusinessGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #ScaleYourBusiness

Legacy leadership starts with who you hire, how you develop them, and the mission you reinforce every day.

In this episode of The Craft & Calling, host Christene Marie sits down with Sean Madole, a third-generation trades leader who has carried his family’s construction business forward since the 1970s. Together they dig into what actually scales a trades company: values-based hiring, culture-driven retention, systems that compound, and leadership that evolves as the business grows.

Sean shares what he has learned across decades: how to inspire teams, how to build a company people want to work for, how to use CRMs to grow value, and why the future of the trades belongs to leaders who can evolve.

• Hiring for mindset instead of desperation
• What actually keeps trades talent (and why it’s not just pay)
• How to build mission, culture, and daily leadership rhythms
• Systems that increase valuation and long-term stability
• Who leaders must become to build a business that lasts

0:00 Intro

1:41 Sean’s 3rd-generation story & company origins

3:19 Why developing people is the foundation of growth

5:57 Labor shortages & Retention strategies that actually work

14:56 Social media’s impact on culture & retention

16:53 Why CRMs and systems matter more than ever

24:01 Financial tools & processes that support scaling

27:55 Who leaders must become to build a legacy

⚒️JOIN THE CRAFT & CALLING COMMUNITY

https://thecraftandcalling.com/linktr/

Sean Madole is a third-generation owner and president of Madole Construction, serving Nevada and Northern California since the 1970s. With 40+ years across three generations in the trades, Sean specializes in team development, operations, systems, and scaling high-trust construction teams.

🔗CONNECT WITH SEAN

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-madole-9a95475b/

Website: http://MadoleConstruction.com

💡THANK YOU FOR WATCHING

• Subscribe for weekly episodes
• Join The Craft & Calling Community
• Apply to be a guest (builders + owners welcome)
• Sign up for our free newsletter
• Follow us on TikTok & Instagram for daily clips

#TradesBusiness #ConstructionLeadership #CraftAndCalling #TeamCulture #LegacyLeadership #BlueCollarBusiness #HomeServicesGrowth #TradesPodcast

Bravery in the trades isn’t just about the work-it’s about showing up, telling your story, and owning your voice.

In this episode of The Craft & Calling, host Christene Marie sits down with Todd Weyandt, marketing leader and host of the award-winning Bridging the Gap podcast, to explore the truth about personal branding in the trades - and why courage, storytelling, and authenticity matter more now than ever.

Todd breaks down how every business owner, operator, and trades professional already has a personal brand… the question is whether you’re shaping it intentionally or letting others define it for you. From reframing failure as innovation to building trust through vulnerability, this conversation is a blueprint for becoming a leader people actually want to follow.

• Why every trades professional already has a personal brand
• The difference between humility and hiding
• How to reframe failure as a superpower
• Why people connect with people, not companies
• How storytelling builds culture, trust, and legacy

⏱️ CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro

2:00 Misconceptions in the construction industry

6:22 Why failure makes you better

14:18 Generational pressure + Millennials: "we don't know how to fail well"

17:40 Owning your personal brand

22:47 Leadership, legacy, and humanizing your company

29:41 Changing the story of construction

🛠️JOIN THE CRAFT & CALLING COMMUNITY

https://thecraftandcalling.com/linktr/

👤 GUEST BIO: TODD WEYANDT

Todd Weyandt is a marketing leader and host of the award-winning Bridging the Gap Podcast, known for transforming complex construction and technology topics into clear, engaging insights. With over 15 years of experience, he helps teams connect strategy with real-world outcomes through storytelling and innovation.

🔗CONNECT WITH TODD LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddweyandt/

Website: https://asti.com/

Podcast: https://bridgingthegappod.com/

💡THANK YOU FOR WATCHING

• Like the video
• Comment your biggest takeaway
• Subscribe for more episodes
• Join the newsletter
• Listen to the audio version on all major podcast platforms

#CraftAndCalling #ToddWeyandt #ConstructionPodcast #TradesLeadership #PersonalBranding #BridgingTheGap #ConstructionInnovation #AuthenticLeadership #BuildYourLegacy

Freedom comes when you stop running your business by memory and start running it by systems.

In this episode of The Craft & Calling, host Christene Marie sits down with Courtney Boomer, systems expert and co-owner of multiple trades-based businesses, to talk about what it really takes to scale sustainably.

Courtney shares how she helped her husband’s coatings business go from chaos to a fully booked calendar - using CRMs, customer journey mapping, and streamlined communication. Together, they unpack the mindset shift from “doing it all” to building a legacy that runs smoothly without you.

If you’ve ever felt buried in calls, emails, and disorganization, this conversation will help you simplify, systematize, and scale - without losing your personal touch.

• How to implement systems that free up your time
• The role of CRMs like Housecall Pro, Jobber, and Drip Jobs in trades success
• Mapping your customer journey for better communication
• When to hire a bookkeeper or virtual assistant
• How marketing, operations, and culture work together to build a legacy

0:00 Intro

1:56 Courtney’s path from corporate burnout to entrepreneurship

3:54 Implementing CRMs: where to start and what tools to use

7:47 Bare Bones: Automating follow-ups and reminders for customer satisfaction

12:23 Customer journey and customer experience

14:49 Admin support and how to make marketing decisions based on real data

18:11 Clear schedules that are ideal for the team and clients

18:09 Creating a healthy company culture in small trades teams

22:59 How storytelling and authenticity build loyal customers

26:54 Courtney’s top three things every small business should do today

Courtney Boomer is the Founder and Director of ScaleUp with Courtney, where she helps entrepreneurs and small teams regain control over their businesses by implementing scalable, efficient systems.

With four kids five and under and a portfolio of businesses to manage, Courtney understands the importance of optimizing every minute. Over the past several years, she has worked with companies like Your Garage Floor Guys, scaling them by 50%+ year-over-year through smart automations and process optimization.

At ScaleUp CRM, she specializes in helping small teams streamline their operations, implement custom CRMs, and maximize potential using tools like ClickUp, Zapier, and more. Whether you need a systems audit, CRM build, or workflow optimization, Courtney’s mission is to help you work smarter, not harder.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneyboomer/

Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/scaleup-with-courtney/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scaleupwithcourtney/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/court_boomer/

💡THANK YOU FOR WATCHING

• Subscribe to The Craft & Calling for more conversations with trades leaders
• Join our newsletter for exclusive tools and event invites
• Apply to be a guest if you’re building legacy in the trades
• Watch more episodes on our YouTube channel

#CraftAndCalling #TradesBusiness #SmallBusinessSystems #CRMforContractors #TradesLeadership #WomenInTrades #LegacyLeadership #HomeServicesMarketing #ConstructionPodcast #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #OperationalExcellence

Communication can build or break your business - let’s talk about building it stronger.

In this episode of The Craft & Calling, host Christene Marie sits down with Ron Nussbaum, Founder and CEO of BuilderComs and host of the Construction Champions Podcast. A former U.S. Marine turned construction entrepreneur, Ron is on a mission to eliminate chaos in the construction industry through better communication, leadership, and systems.

Together, they unpack why communication breakdowns cost construction companies millions, how to build SOPs around trust and transparency, and why truth, not fear, creates the best customers. Ron also shares how veterans’ discipline, clear handoffs, and customer empathy can transform job sites into high-performing teams. If you’ve ever struggled with dropped handoffs, client misalignment, or frustrated crews, this episode is your blueprint for change.

🔍WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

• The #1 communication breakdown costing construction companies time, trust, and profit
• How to create smooth handoffs between sales and production that build customer confidence
• Why honesty and transparency are more powerful than perfect performance
• The role of leadership, systems, and emotional intelligence in building better teams
• How BuilderComs is changing the game for construction businesses through messaging-first technology

0:00 Intro

3:36 Why Communication is Construction’s Biggest Problem

6:44 Chaos Without Systems: Where Breakdowns Begin

10:22 Two Points Where Companies Drop the Ball Most

14:47 The Power of a Proper Handoff Between Sales & Production

21:29 Transferring Trust: How to Bridge Sales to Delivery

23:26 Emotional Connection and the Human Side of Construction

29:32 Truth Over Fear: Why Real Talk Wins the Right Clients

35:13 Eliminating Callbacks: The 10x–100x–1000x Cost Rule

40:22 Truth as a Brand Strategy and Leadership Practice

⭐RESOURCES

The 11 star experience talk by Airbnb Founder Brain Chesky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMvM3g0_ebA

⚒️JOIN THE CRAFT & CALLING COMMUNITY

https://thecraftandcalling.com/linktr/

Founder of BuilderComs

U.S.M.C. Veteran

Host of the Construction Champions Podcast

BuilderComs is transforming the construction industry by addressing its most significant challenge: communication. We offer customizable systems and software designed to streamline project management, enhance client relationships, and eliminate inefficiencies.

Ron Nussbaum is the founder and CEO of BuilderComs, the messaging-first project management platform built specifically for construction teams. A former U.S. Marine turned entrepreneur, Ron is on a mission to end chaos in the construction industry by helping builders communicate better and build faster. He’s passionate about leadership, legacy, and creating tools that actually serve the people in the field.

🔗 CONNECT WITH RON

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-nussbaum/

Website: https://www.buildercoms.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theronnussbaum/?hl=en

💡THANK YOU FOR WATCHING

• Watch Next: → [Previous Episode - Why Grit, Gratitude, and Faith Define Great Entrepreneurs: https://youtu.be/HVpn4zr-UpE
• Question for You: What’s one communication system you’re ready to fix in your business this week?

#CraftAndCalling #ConstructionLeadership #BuilderComs #RonNussbaum #CommunicationInConstruction #ConstructionChampions #TradesLeadership #BuildingLegacy #ConstructionBusiness #SystemsAndProcesses #LeadershipPodcast #Craftsmanship #BusinessGrowth #ChristeneMarie #EntrepreneurshipInTrades