The business in one offer
Who it serves
Owner-run home service companies, such as garage door, appliance repair and HVAC contractors, that already get some calls and want more steady booked jobs. They have tried running ads themselves or used a large agency, and want someone who explains spend and results in plain numbers from their own systems.
What to sell first
A 90-day search launch: one Google search campaign for the client's core service in their area, call and form conversion tracking, weekly search term cleanup, and a monthly report comparing spend with leads and booked jobs from the client's records. The client owns the ad account and pays Google directly. Excluded: display, video and social ads, landing page builds and call answering.
One campaign on one platform is quick to build and easy to explain. A flat management fee removes any reason to inflate budgets, and keeping the account in the client's name avoids billing disputes and lets them leave cleanly if it does not work out.
What could it cost to start?
This is an original example budget for the limited pilot described above. It is not a researched market average or a complete quote for every location.
| Item to price | Example allowance |
|---|---|
| Call tracking numbers and recordings, three months | $150.00 |
| Reporting dashboard tool, three months | $90.00 |
| Professional liability insurance quote allowance | $500.00 |
| Simple website with a sample report | $150.00 |
| Platform certification study time and test budget | $200.00 |
| Business registration and bank account allowance | $150.00 |
| Example total | $1,240.00 |
What this assumes—and excludes
Assumes you already know Google Ads and conversion tracking well. Excludes the client's ad spend, owner pay, office space, and any local license fees. Get your own insurance quote, and check current tool pricing before you budget, because it changes often.
Collect actual supplier, insurance and local-authority information. Add a reserve for delays and unexpected costs; the example total is not a funding recommendation.
How the unit economics work
At an assumed $750.00 per monthly client and $20.00 in direct costs, contribution is $730.00 before monthly fixed costs, owner pay and taxes. With 8 all-in working hours per unit, that is $91.25 per delivery hour before those deductions. These inputs illustrate the arithmetic; they do not establish a market price or expected earnings.
The example also allows $140.00 in monthly fixed costs. Include unpaid acquisition and administrative time when deciding whether the offer is worthwhile.
Try your own numbers
These are editable planning assumptions, not prices we have verified. Calculations stay in your browser.
Operating result = (price − direct cost) × units − monthly fixed costs. Before owner pay, taxes, financing and startup recovery. At these inputs, delivery requires 80 hours per month, plus any work not included in your per-unit estimate. Sales volume is a scenario, not a forecast.
How to find the first customers
Test a small offer before scaling traffic. Record the source of each enquiry, whether it fits the offer, and whether the buyer pays.
- Offer three local contractors a free 20-minute review of their current ads account, with screen sharing, pointing out wasted search terms. Follow up with a written summary and your flat fee.
- Ask web designers and phone answering services who serve trades whether their clients need ad management, and agree on a disclosed referral fee.
- Write one plain guide to reading a Google Ads search terms report for small contractors and share it in trade groups where posting is allowed, with your contact details at the end.
- Record which source each client came from and how long they stay. Use that to focus on the channel that brings clients who last beyond the first 90 days.
What to validate before spending more
- Before taking a client, confirm you can see their actual booked jobs from a CRM or invoices. Without that, you can report leads but not whether ads paid off.
- Run one pilot account for 90 days and log your weekly hours. If management takes more than ten hours per month, simplify the campaign or raise the fee.
- Test the client's form and call tracking with your own submissions and calls, and confirm each shows once, not twice, in the ads account.
- Ask an insurance agent whether professional liability covers claims about ad spend mistakes, such as a budget left uncapped.
The operational catch
Conversion tracking often counts spam forms, duplicate submissions and short accidental calls, which makes results look far better than they are. Reconcile reported conversions against booked jobs every month, filter calls under a set length, and tell the client plainly when the numbers in the platform do not match their records.
A practical way to fund the first step
Bill the management fee monthly in advance and never place client ad spend on your own card. Start with free reporting tools and add paid call tracking only when a signed client needs it.
Separate cash already available from money still to earn. Count only proceeds after direct expenses, and do not spend customer funds needed to fulfill their existing orders.
Questions before you start
Should I charge a percentage of ad spend?
A flat fee is easier to explain and avoids any appearance of pushing larger budgets. If spend grows a lot, raise the flat fee in steps tied to campaign count or complexity rather than spend.
How much should a client spend on ads?
That depends on their area, service and margins, so there is no single answer. Start with a budget the client can lose without harm during testing, and adjust once you see cost per booked job.
Can I write claims like 'best in town'?
Only if the client can support them. Ads must be truthful, and objective claims need evidence. Use specific, provable facts such as years in business, service hours or licenses held.
Source-backed checks
These references support the specific checks below. They do not endorse this business idea or substantiate the example prices, costs or demand.
The FTC's advertising FAQ says businesses must have evidence to support objective claims made in their ads. Federal Trade Commission: Advertising FAQ's: A Guide for Small Business.
SBA recommends multifactor authentication and strong passwords as basic steps to protect business accounts from compromise. U.S. Small Business Administration: Strengthen your cybersecurity.
The IRS explains that worker classification depends on behavioral control, financial control and the relationship between the parties. Internal Revenue Service: Independent contractor (self-employed) or employee?.
- Advertising FAQ's: A Guide for Small BusinessFederal Trade Commission · Reference checked September 8, 2026
- Strengthen your cybersecurityU.S. Small Business Administration · Reference checked September 8, 2026
- Independent contractor (self-employed) or employee?Internal Revenue Service · Reference checked September 8, 2026
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