How to Turn Your Business Around Now with Clay Clark

0:02John Lee Dumas:Who's ready to rock today? Fire Nation, JLD here, and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire, brought to you by High Level, the all-in-one sales and marketing platform. And today we'll be breaking down how to turn your business around. To drop these value bombs, I brought Clay Clark and the EU Fire Studios. Clay is a co-founder of Five Kids, host of the six-times iTunes chart-topping Thrivetimeshow.com podcast, and 2007 Oklahoma SBA Entrepreneur of the Year. And today we talk about how leads drive everything, turnkey lead generation, systems of scale, measure what matters, management, mastery, and oh, so much more.

0:35John Lee Dumas:And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Clay and our sponsors. Fire Nation, if you have a high ticket offer and need more quality leads, Nexus Install is designed for you. We'll book you eight to 20 qualified calls each month, then train you to run the system yourself. Email my team at john at eofire.com to learn more and see if Nexus is the right fit for you. Stop duct taping your business together. High Level runs your website, your funnels, email, automation, scheduling, payments, and memberships all in one place. And when you sign up at highlevellfire.com, you get a 30-day free trial plus my exclusive bonus stack that includes weekly office hours with me and much more.

1:15John Lee Dumas:Visit highlevellfire.com. Highlevellfire.com. All right, Fire Nation, we are here. We're talking about how to turn your business around. And I have Clay Clark on the mic. This guy is just an amazing entrepreneur, as you've heard many, many times over the years on Entrepreneurs on Fire. And we have brought Robert, aka Bob, onto the mic as well, because we have some great things to talk about when it comes to turning your business around. So Clay, I'm gonna hand the mic over to you, introduce Robert, say what's up, and then we're gonna get into some good, juicy, meaty entrepreneurial content. Well, first off, for anybody listening here to the EOfire.com, the EOfire Nation podcast.

1:52I'll just say, you know, if you're listening to the show today, this show might be for you. And in the case of Robert, Robert started a company called SanDiegoSoftWash.com, and Robert Cassius was spending, and I don't want to get the numbers wrong, but I believe he was spending over$20 ,000 a month on AdWords. You know, you're running ads on Google AdWords and various social media platforms. and through the systems and processes that we've helped him implement. He is no longer spending$20 ,000 a month on AdWords and various other social media advertising, and he's now increased his revenue. So he's increased his revenue, cut expenses, and at the end of the day, what is the reason for starting a business, JLD?

2:32You know that. I know that. The purpose of creating a business is to create both time and financial freedom, and that is exactly what today's guest, Robert Cassius, the founder of sandiegosoftwash.com is doing JLD.

2:45John Lee Dumas:I love hearing that. And we're going to be bringing him in because listen, people come to Clay because they're missing something or in the case of a lot of people, many things to make their business thrive, to make their business successful. And I mean, you know, leads is obviously a big part of that. We're going to be talking about driving leads, lead generation, systems of scale, all these things that we talk about because they're so critical, so important to running a successful business. But Clay, go ahead, introduce Robert when he came in, like, tell us like what he was struggling with, what you did, and then we'll bring Robert in to kind of verify that everything's true, upstanding and correct.

3:18Yeah. Well, with Robert, Robert had some family that had worked with us or family that works with us. And so I think Robert knew about us through a referral from friends and family. We'll ask Robert in just a moment, but I think he had gone to thrivetimeshow.com. And when you go there, it's clear that we've been doing the same thing since 2005. We have thousands of testimonials. These are JLD, these are documented video testimonials of longtime clients. And he said, Hey, you know, I know you charge$1 ,700 a month. I know it's month to month. I know you have a proven path. So can you guide me down that proven path?

3:52And so the moves we had to implement to help Robert's company grow, there were six moves. There's hundreds of different moves and sub moves, but there's six main areas I want to focus on. The first area is we had to acknowledge that without leads, our business would not succeed. And it doesn't matter how good your product is or how great your service is. He's from your home state of California, lives in the San Diego area like you used to do. Taxes are high. The weather's good. The weather's good. Taxes are high. He has a great product, San Diego Soft Wash, the website, again, sandiegosoftwash.com.

4:26But no leads were coming in. And so step number one, we had to find a turnkey way to generate those leads. And, Robert, I want to ask you on this. How much money were you spending on AdWords before you and I first connected?

4:40John Lee Dumas:Yeah, it was on average about$20 ,000, sometimes a little less, most times a little bit more. That was on Facebook ads and Google ads. And what kind of return were you getting? Again, you have a soft wash company. I want to ask you, what kind of return on investment were you getting? and I guess first is what kind of services do you offer and what kind of return on investment were you getting for that$20 ,000 a month you were spending on Facebook and Google AdWords? Yeah, we were spending about 20%, 25 % of revenue on ads. So like a 4X return for just paying for ads. It was really stressful trying to operate within those margins.

5:22John Lee Dumas:But yeah, what we offer is a soft washing for San Diego County. So all of San Diego County, we do roof cleaning, house cleaning, window cleaning, everything on the outside of the house we clean. But, yeah, it was about 25%. So 4X return on Facebook ads and Google ads. JLD, when you interact with the members of the EO Fire Nation, I find that often when I've met some of your great listeners at our in-person workshops, the elephant in the room with many highly educated and talented, skilled people that have great ideas, maybe even a great website or a great product or service, is most people don't have leads.

6:02And your business just cannot succeed without leads. JLD, I could not be more passionate about point number one.

6:08John Lee Dumas:Leads drive everything. Not some things, Fire Nation. They drive everything. And Robert, quick question for you. So were you actually spending 20 to 25 % on AdWords for your overall revenue that you were generating every month or just revenue that was generated from those ads? Overall revenue. You heard him say a few times, like, so I was getting about 4x my spend. No, he wasn't getting even close to 4x, not even close to that because he was having referrals. He was having people just find him in other ways. Like he wasn't getting 4x on his ad spend. He was maybe getting 1x on his ad spend, maybe 0x, maybe 2x.

6:40John Lee Dumas:I mean, we don't really know the numbers because we're not going to get into them right now. But I mean, if he was spending overall 25 % of his overall revenue on ads, all those ads weren't generating all of that Forex revenue, they were generating some of it. And so that's where you're going to be very careful about saying I was getting a Forex return because that would just make you be like, okay, well, let's do this all day long. Let's just go up to$100 ,000 in revenue and I'll make$400 ,000. No, like that's not how it works. You need to find the right ways to generate leads. And so this is come when we get into turnkey lead generation.

7:11John Lee Dumas:So, you know, how can Clay creating turnkey lead generation, an actual system, how can that increase compensation, revenue, and overall business growth without getting the numbers wrong? Okay, Robert, I want to throw it back to you for 15 seconds before I answer that, because this is so important. I think when you hear a show like this and you say, this guy's offering turnkey lead generation, at least my inner dialogue is whatever. I immediately think, whatever. There's no way. That's not possible. I might think, there is no way possible. There's no way possible that a guy can hop on the EOfire.com podcast show and tell people he has a turnkey way to generate leads.

7:49If you're a conspiracy theorist, you're paranoid, you're slightly aware of life, you're concerned about being manipulated. When you hear turnkey lead generation, you start to think, that's not possible. Robert, what were you thinking when before you filled out the form and requested a 13-point assessment what were you

8:06John Lee Dumas:thinking uh kind of skeptical for sure it was it was kind of too good to be like you know to believe uh but i was willing to try i was kind of like i was in the hole i was making a deep hole we lost a hundred thousand dollars last year uh so i was willing to try anything and then my brother law signed up and it was like it was working for him like you know what i'm i'm doing something wrong here. I need to fix it. Uh, but yeah, then we scheduled a 13 point assessment and, uh, took from there. Yeah. You guys, I think definitely turn key as far as you guys made the website, San Diego soft wash dash San Diego dash soft wash.

8:40John Lee Dumas:Uh, it's awesome. It's beautiful. It converts leads by itself. It's awesome. Uh, but yeah, you guys have a good system is posting images, SEO, uh, yeah. Getting reviews, all that stuff is great. So JLD though, the turnkey aspect of this, we have to create a, what's called a three-legged marketing stool. So you have to create a way in which your business, if you're listening to the show can generate leads in a turnkey manner in a way that doesn't require your personal, uh, ongoing, uh, door to door grassroots networking. And so leg number one of the marketing plan we developed is what's called search engine domination or search engine optimization.

9:19Leg number two is online reputation management. And leg number three, we want to get that word of mouth going. Okay, so leg number one, search engine optimization. We got to be top in the search engine results. Grok, ChatGPT, Google Search Assist, every possible AI assistant, every possible Google search. We want to be top for that. The second, we have to manage our online reputation. It's so important that we're intentional about managing our online reputation. And then the third is we need to make sure we're wowing the customers so that we are generating copious amounts of leads. And so I encourage everyone to visit the website that we made, that we're making for Robert as we're talking about that.

9:57That's at SanDiego-SoftWash.com. SanDiego-SoftWash.com. So every single week we hop on a coaching call. And what Robert needs to do is he needs to do VISM. What does that mean? V. Every week we need video testimonials or video examples. I. We need images from Robert. So Robert needs to give us videos, images, S, search engine content. We need to get that content, M, more Google reviews. Every week, VISM. So what does Robert have to do? He has to get us video clips, images, search engine content, and more Google reviews. Then what do we do? My team optimizes that content. We put in the permalinks, the title tags.

10:33We submit it to the search engines. And so our entire process is every single week we do VISM. D, what does D stand for? Diagnostic. Every single month, we do diagnostic tests and updates on our websites to make sure they're constantly compliant with all the search engines. You might have heard that Grok 4.5 just came out or Google just did an update or your Samsung phone just did an update or your iPhone just did an update. Every time an update happens, every website needs to be updated to adhere to all of the compliance rules. And so every week we get on a call with Robert. We block out an hour a week for our coaching call.

11:05And every week he faithfully provides videos, images, search engine content, and more Google reviews. And then we take it from there. We diagnose the website. We update the website. And we make sure it's search engine compliant. And so that's how we dominate the search engines. Leg number two, online reputation. You got to get those video testimonials. You got to gather video testimonials from real customers. Get the video testimonials. Because you never want to say something you can't prove. That's why I can tell your listeners. Go to ThriveTimeShow.com. Click on the testimonials button. And you will find thousands of video testimonials of clients that I have actually worked with since 2005.

11:39You can see them right there. Doctors, dentists, lawyers, drywall companies, home remodelers, home cleaning companies, window cleaning companies, oxifresh.com. We help them grow from a couple locations to 500 locations. Colawfitness.com from one location to, I believe, seven locations. Colawfitness.com. Windowninjas.com from one location to 11 locations. Windowninjas.com. I could list them all day, but that's what you have to do. And then the final thing is you got to wow those customers so you get that word of mouth. So JLD, that my friend, someone might have to play that back in slow-mo. That is the turnkey system that we're implementing each and every week right there for San Diego Softwash.

12:20John Lee Dumas:And Fire Nation, I will say that I know you don't use slow-mo on that because you are used to Clay's fire. You are used to Clay's passion, his energy, and of course the truth that he is spitting with every single syllable that he is breaking out today. We have a lot to talk about, measuring what matters, management mastery, and more when we get back from thanking our sponsors. every business wants a website that looks custom built but very few have the time or resources to make it happen that's where framer comes in it combines a visual design canvas responsive layouts and integrated cms and hosting into one single platform making it easy to launch polished production ready pages from day one framer is the pro ai website builder for creators teams and businesses that care deeply about design and user experience what makes it especially powerful is combines human creativity with Framer's AI agents that help speed up the process and handle repetitive tasks while people stay in control of the decisions, design, and final details.

13:14John Lee Dumas:Framer also delivers the reliability that growing companies need with premium hosting, enterprise-grade security, and 99.99 % uptime SLAs. That's why leading brands like Perplexity and Miro trust Framer to build and maintain their websites. Learn how you can get more out of your site from a Framer specialist or get started building for free today at That's framer.com slash fire for 30 % off a Framer Pro annual plan. That's framer.com slash fire for 30 % off framer.com slash fire. Rules and restrictions may apply. Fire Nation, ideas are exciting, but systems will allow you to create freedom. That is where High Level comes in.

13:51John Lee Dumas:High Level allows you to build and run your entire business from one platform. Website builder and hosting, funnel and landing pages, email marketing, automation and workflows, calendar booking, payments and subscriptions, even course and membership hosting. Everything works together seamlessly. Plus, award-winning 24-7 support so you are never stuck. And when you go through my link at highlevelfire.com, you unlock my full bonus stack, a 30-day free trial of High Level with full access, a private 50-minute coaching call with me, weekly live office hours with me, a digital copy of my book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success, my 50 Days to Something execution roadmap and more.

14:29John Lee Dumas:Stop piecing tools together. Start building momentum. Visit highlevelfire.com and start building your something today. Clay, Robert, we're back. And you know, it's all well and good to know that leads drive everything. Leads do drive everything. To understand the turnkey lead generation. But I kind of want to move into systems that scale because you just talked about that, Clay. You just talked about how every, you know, once a week you have Robert show up and you have him do that entire process that is so key and critical to success. So talk about how the systems that scale and how they're so important.

15:04John Lee Dumas:And of course, within those systems, how we measure what matters because how are we going to achieve our financial goals predictably if we're not measuring what actually matters? Clay, take it away. Well, step three, once that phone starts ringing, you've got to have sales scripts in place. You need to have sales scripts so people can answer the phone or people can book online. And then you need to have systems in place and checklists so people that are not you can go out and actually do the work. So anytime that you need to build a repeatable system or process, you need to have a system. Anytime you need to create or implement a repeatable process, you're going to need to have systems and scripts and documented ways of doing things.

15:42We're talking about operations manuals and checklists and scripts, all the things. That's what makes the business run. That's why when you go to Starbucks, there's not a guy by the name of Starbucks who's personally working there, and he's not the only guy who can serve you coffee. Okay, it's a system. It's a process. Robert, do you remember when the phone started ringing and you maybe started thinking, uh-oh, my phone is ringing a lot more than it used to?

16:04John Lee Dumas:Yeah, yeah. That was big. I remember talking to Natalie about it. I just set up the call recording, how we answer the phone, when we answer the phone, if we miss the phone call, how quick we have to call back, follow up with the customer, just try to schedule the on-site assessment. But yeah, yeah. It's powerful. And again, you know, JLD, again, I'm just giving a lot of examples on today's show. Point number four, you got to measure the results. You have to measure what you treasure. And this is a true story. If you go to Tulsa Wood Floors and More, that's the website, folks, Tulsa Wood Floors and More.

16:38One of my clients, Greg, he told me this in our meeting last week, and he said this on the mic at conferences, and he says it to people. he says clay i have so many leads coming in that if i could just install all of the wood floors that i'm actually getting requests for i could literally end the year with a million dollar net worth jld and one year my client who tulsa wood floors and more who used to not get any leads has told me he said if i could literally just install all of the wood floors i have such a waiting list if i could just install all the wood floors that people have requested me to install before the end of the year, I would end the year with a million dollars in my bank account.

17:17And I said, Greg, that is a good problem. That's a good problem to have. That's a good problem to have. And that's why we're building all these systems. And so now my meetings with Greg with Glue and Nails and our meetings with Robert, a lot of it has to do with systems. And you can't really know what your biggest limiting factor is unless you track. And one of my wonderful clients, JLD, he happens to be a professional basketball coach. And you would not believe the level of statistics that go into professional basketball yeah and they'll they'll point out to a player who is who's these are these are the best athletes in the world and my client will have to sit down with a top level athlete and say when you dribble the ball to the left side you statistically when you shoot the ball your percentage of the shots going in over the last two years is 25 percent less than when you drive to the right so henceforth in the offense we are not allowing you to go left we want you to go right off of a pick and roll and the athlete doesn't even know that he favors going to the right off of or he'll say Mr.

18:20Athlete when you're dribbling the ball down court you're taking too long to get down there therefore this play is not effective so on these plays we're not going to use you but on these plays we are because he measures what he treasures you will slack where you do not track and so we have very detailed information and now we know uh Robert Now, how much money are you spending to get a lead now on AdWords? Like, how much money does it cost you on AdWords to generate a viable lead for your real company, SanDiego-SoftWash.com?

18:49John Lee Dumas:Yeah, we are completely off AdWords, off Facebook ads. We are running ad-free right now, and we're maintaining revenue, if not doing a little bit more than last year at this point. That right there, JLD, that's called time freedom and financial freedom. That's where, think about that. What would it mean if you're watching today's show, if you're listening to today's show, and you could generate customers without needing to spend money on advertising? And someone says, well, Clay, how much does Robert pay you? Robert, when you pay us$1 ,700 a month, are there any extra fees? Am I saying, oh, our call went longer on Tuesday.

19:27It's extra. Or, hey, you had a question on a Wednesday. It's more. Or, hey, wow, Robert, you need to talk more this week than last week. It costs more. Is it a flat fee? you kind of explain how the fee structure works because I want the entrepreneurs listening to this show to know what it really looks like behind the scenes.

19:42John Lee Dumas:Yeah, I'm kind of impressed. Definitely. Uh, as far as like, it's the$1 ,700 to a fee and that's it. Like I will hit up Natalie or Andrew middle of the week. If I have a win, I'll text them. They respond. If I need something, they'll respond anytime. And then they, yeah, like we are weekly meeting goes as long as it needs to be. If I have a problem, we're going to work it out, figure out, come up with a solution and start executing on it. But, yeah, it's really – it is a coach whenever you need it. We're running six and a half days a week over here, and they're working six and a half days a week with us.

20:18And JLD, we don't do that for Robert Cassius just because he looks like a Kennedy. But if you look him up, if you go to his website – I'm not kidding. He looks like a Kennedy. This guy's a beautiful man. Everybody should go check him out. The website, sandiego-softwash.com. we don't give him a great deal just because he could be a model but he's probably one of the most attractive people in the soft washing industry objectively speaking so jld back to you

20:41John Lee Dumas:wow i i love what i'm hearing here and i mean fire nation you know we just got done with the world cup and so we just got to see everything that's happening with those little chips in the soccer balls and getting to measure everything there and just like clay was talking about with the basketball players the exact same thing it's like hey you are holding the ball like 20 of the game and like that's causing us to lose. Like we need you to hold the ball for less and they can track everything. So actually measuring what you treasure is so key. It's so important. So it's so just critical to understanding exactly how to run a successful business.

21:12John Lee Dumas:But what's another step in that process of running a successful business? Well, I'm glad you asked. It's called management mastery. If you're not a master at managing people, at managing your team, at creating your team, about having those right sales scripts, following up with those sales scripts, making sure that everybody's operating at the highest level, you are not going to succeed at the highest level. So Clay, what are the biggest mistakes that leaders make when managing both people and performance? Well, I'll tell you this, Chet Holmes, the bestselling author of The Ultimate Sales Machine.

21:42It's a legendary book, by the way. May he rest in peace, Chet Holmes. He wrote a book called The Ultimate Sales Machine. And in that book, he writes, the missing ingredient for nearly all of the 1000 plus clients that I've worked with directly to improve their business is pig headed discipline and determination. Another way to look at it is Robert Kiyosaki, who's been on my show multiple times, the bestselling author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. He has said Octa non verba is his life motto. What does that mean? It means Octa non verba means don't listen to what someone says. Watch what they do. Andy Grove, the founder of Intel, right?