Marketing Without Rules

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules, Lewis Vandervalk sits down with John Cody, founder of Trailblaze AI and Social Spike, who has helped clients add over $20 million in new revenue by solving the critical problem of missed calls and slow response times.  John shares his entrepreneurial journey from creating nutrition apps in 2012 to launching his agency just weeks before COVID, and how he...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules, host Lewis Vandervalk interviews Dale Dupree, the renegade behind the Sales Rebellion who proves that authenticity outperforms tactics every time.  Dale shares his unconventional journey from heavy metal band frontman to copier salesman to sales coach, revealing how he developed his signature "crumpled letter" strategy after being told to &quot...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules, host Lewis Vandervalk interviews Greg Wilkes, multi-award-winning construction business coach and author of "Building Your Future."  Greg shares the raw story of how his successful 7-figure construction business collapsed overnight due to scaling without proper systems, including hiring disasters like an alcoholic employee and a project manager...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules, Lewis Vandervalk sits down with Kevin Wiley, a relationship broker and founder of Demolition Group of America, who has built a multi-million dollar consulting business by mastering the art of face-to-face networking in the construction industry.  Kevin shares the legendary "donut strategy" passed down from his father, known as "the donut m...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules, Lewis Vandervalk sits down with John Dwyer, a direct response marketing expert from Australia who has spent decades helping businesses break free from price-based competition through creative incentive strategies.  John shares the legendary story of how he convinced Jerry Seinfeld to become the spokesperson for an Australian bank's "get a home l...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules, Lewis Vandervalk sits down with Kendall Hines, co-founder and CEO of Clicki, who transformed his family's struggling lawn care business from 90 customers to over 2,000 customers and nearly $1 million in revenue within six years and then went on to start a software company changing the game for business referrals.   Kendall shares his journey from bui...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules, Lewis Vandervalk reconnects with Marc Mawhinney, a lifelong entrepreneur who has been helping coaches get more clients since 2014 and hosts the Natural Born Coaches Podcast with over 900 episodes.  Marc reveals his remarkable consistency strategy of sending daily emails for over 8 years without missing a single day, explaining why most entrepreneurs fail...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules, Lewis Vandervalk sits down with Kasim Aslam, serial entrepreneur who built and sold Solutions Eight (the world's #1 ranked Google Ads agency) for eight figures to a SoftBanc-backed company.  Kasim reveals why most service business owners struggle with hiring and retention, sharing his counterintuitive approach that peak performers care more about gro...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules, Lewis Vandervalk walks through the complete playbook for rapidly scaling a junk removal business, using his own success story with Integrity Junk Removal as the foundation.  Starting from zero in May 2021, Lewis and his partner Ryan grew their Fredericton, New Brunswick-based business to $15,000 per month within just four months, serving a population of...

In this throwback episode of Marketing Without Rules, host Lewis Vandervalk sits down with Tommy Mello, founder of A1 Garage Door Service, who has built a remarkable home service empire spanning 15 states with 350 employees and is on pace to hit $300 million in revenue.  Tommy shares his unconventional journey from starting with limited capital in 2007 to developing a billion-dollar vision, emphas...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules, host Lewis Vandervalk sits down with Darcy Cudmore, founder of RepuLinks, a boutique digital PR and SEO agency that has secured over 5,000 organic backlinks for clients since launch.   Darcy, a journalism graduate turned PR expert, reveals his proven strategies for landing high-authority backlinks from major publications like Forbes, USA Today, and CBS N...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules, host Lewis Vandervalk interviews Kevin Hess, founder of Survivor Junk Removal and former standout team member at 1-800-GOT-JUNK. Kevin shares how he helped grow a franchise location from $800K to $9 million in revenue by transforming from a manager into a leader and developing his entire team as leaders.  He reveals the critical difference between managi...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules, host Lewis Vandervalk chats with Phil Risher, founder of Phlash Consulting, who shares the exact blueprint he used to scale a home service business from $3M to $5M in under two years.  Phil reveals how the original company achieved $3M in revenue with just 36 Google reviews by leveraging 100 B2B referral partners instead of relying on traditional marketi...

In this solo episode, host Lewis Vandervalk discusses how business owners can secure a prominent place in search results as AI transforms how people find local companies. With Google AI overviews, ChatGPT, and other AI tools now scanning the internet for signs that people are talking about your business, the old approach no longer works.  Lewis shares four specific strategies: getting detailed rev...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules, host Lewis Vandervalk interviews Zac Garside, President of Prolific Brand Design. They dive deep into the hunter mindset, creative marketing strategies and the biggest mistakes contractors make when trying to stand out. Zac shares actionable insights on boosting email deliverability, crafting captivating campaigns that actually get replies, and building...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules, host Lewis Vandervalk welcomes Chris Scoville, founder and CEO of Improvifi, to break down what they’d do to launch a home service business from scratch.  Using a fictional brand called “Generator King” , Lewis and Chris brainstorm creative marketing strategies, branding tactics and referral-based growth plans that any local service business owner can us...

What if every job you completed quietly brought in 3, 4, even 5 more without running ads or chasing cold leads? In this free training, Marketing Without Rules host Lewis Vandervalk reveals the exact local marketing strategy that service pros are using to multiply their jobs using trust, visibility, and smart systems. This week's episode is a special encore replay episode of a workshop Lewis ho...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules , host Lewis Vandervalk sits down with Mitch Smedley, owner of Smedley Plumbing and co-founder of Trade Wins , to unpack the real story behind what it takes to grow a trades business and why most owners stay stuck in the field longer than they should. From turning a plumbing van into a go-kart and strapping a 12-foot skeleton to a service vehicle… to hiri...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules , host Lewis Vandervalk sits down with Joseph Hughes from Contractor Dynamics to unpack the real reason most contractors fail at marketing and what to do instead. Sponsored by Blue Crocus Solutions, the conversation unpacks Joseph’s journey from struggling entrepreneur to a highly sought-after marketing educator in the roofing space. Joseph reveals how hi...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules , host Lewis Vandervalk sits down with Adam Sand, roofing entrepreneur and founder of Roofing Business Partner to unpack what it really takes to build a service business that grows without depending on you. Adam shares his journey from being an operator in a roofing company to founding the Roofing Business Partner, a consulting firm focused on helping roo...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules , host Lewis Vandervalk is joined by Chris Weir, the founder of Spartan Junk Removal, one of Maryland’s fastest-growing junk removal companies. Chris shares his unique journey from summer jobs in junk removal to building a purpose-driven business rooted in strong core values and community connections. They dive into the real-world challenges of running a...

In this episode of 'Marketing Without Rules,' host Lewis Vandervalk welcomes back Barry Hartman, co-founder and CEO of 505-Junk, (a $6 million+ junk removal company) and founder of Bolt Accelerator.  They discuss the concept of 'vivid vision' in both personal and professional realms, emphasizing the importance of clearly defining future goals. Barry shares his journey of crafting a...

In this episode of 'Marketing Without Rules,' host Lewis Vandervalk engages in an enlightening conversation with Dan Platta, a blue collar dude who actually makes bookkeeping exciting. The discussion kicks off with Dan sharing his recent experience of being hacked on Facebook and the chaos that ensued. (don’t click sketchy links in messenger, people) Dan explains the critical importance of bookkee...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules, host Lewis Vandervalk interviews Chris Chisholm, Marketing Director of Allied Junk Partners (comprised of  Fire Dogs, Joseph's Junk Removal, Lug Away, and Junk Bear) Chris shares his journey from being a fireman to starting a junk removal business and eventually moving into marketing. He discusses the importance of building a strong brand, the efficacy o...

In this episode of Marketing Without Rules, host Lewis Vandervalk chats with Al Levi, known as the Seven Power Contractor. Al shares his expertise on simplifying and systematizing contracting businesses using a robust seven-part framework. These 'seven powers' include planning, operating, financial, marketing, sales, staffing, and leadership. By implementing these principles, contractors c...