Most home service owners think marketing is about getting more leads. Dave Carroll will tell you it’s really about focus, discipline, and doing fewer things better than everyone else.
Dave is the founder of Dope Marketing, a software and print platform built for home service businesses that want better jobs, not just more volume. His path wasn’t linear. Dave grew up around drugs and crime, went to prison in his early twenties, and came out with no safety net, no resume, and no margin for error.
After prison, Dave started a window cleaning company, then stumbled into software without knowing how to spell it. He sold his first product to 400 customers in 90 days and learned that systems scale faster than hustle. Over the next decade, he built, broke, and rebuilt businesses, learning hard lessons through failed products, lawsuits, and operational chaos.
What he ultimately discovered is simple but uncomfortable for most owners. Growth doesn’t come from going wider. It comes from going deeper.
In this conversation, Dave breaks down why neighborhoods matter more than zip codes, why sending more mail to fewer people works better than blasting thousands of homes, and how clean data changes everything. He also shares how systems, self-awareness, and communication allowed him to step out of the day-to-day while scaling Dope Marketing to over 100 employees.
This episode is part grit story, part marketing reality check, and part leadership lesson for business owners who want predictable growth without chasing shiny tactics.
What You Will Learn in This Episode
- How Dave went from prison to running an eight-figure business
- Why most home service marketing fails before it ever works
- The difference between going wide and going deep in local marketing
- Why neighborhoods outperform zip codes every time
- How sending more mail to fewer people increases trust and conversion
- What clean CRM data unlocks for marketing decisions
- Why branding matters before customers are ready to buy
- How seven to eleven brand touches show up in real life
- Why relying on one platform creates hidden risk
- How systems replace hustle as a company grows
- Why managing by facts instead of feelings changes everything
- What “to have control is to give up all control” really means
More From Profit & Grit
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If you listen to any of the following shows, we’re sure you’ll love ours too! To The Point Home Services Podcast, Toolbox for the Trades, Masters of Home Service, Home Service Business Coach With David Moerman, BlueCollar.CEO, The Home Service Expert Podcast, Next Level Pros, Blue Collar Business Podcast, Home Service Millionaire with Mike Andes, The Contractor Fight with Tom Reber, and Blue Collar Success Group
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