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How to Budget Marketing in 2026 (Without Wasting Cash) In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson is joined by Sam Preston (CEO of Service Scalers) to break down how smart home service operators should budget for marketing in 2026. They explain why one-size-fits-all marketing budgets don’t work, h
Time: 48:01
In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson is joined by Sam Preston (CEO of Service Scalers) to break down how smart home service operators should budget for marketing in 2026. They explain why one-size-fits-all marketing budgets don’t work, how to reverse-engineer spend from the number of leads you actually need, and why most companies don’t have a lead problem—they have an execution problem.
This conversation goes deep on gross profit–based budgeting, flexible marketing spend, and the exact frameworks operators use to decide what to scale, cut, test, or deploy in emergencies.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
Why marketing budgets should be based on gross profit, not revenueHow to calculate marketing spend by backing into daily lead requirementsThe difference between budgeting for a new business vs. a 10-year-old companyThe 4 (plus 1) marketing budget buckets every operator should useA simple kill vs. scale framework to test marketing channels without guesswork💼 Extra Special Thanks to Service Scalers!
We’ve been partnering with Service Scalers to maximize our Local Service Ads (LSAs) and optimize our Google My Business profiles, and the results have been incredible. With hundreds of thousands in sales and 900+ calls in a single week, GMBs are now our top-performing organic lead channel.
Want to learn how Service Scalers can do the same for you?
🔗Check Them Out Here
If you’re trying to grow profitably in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, or any home service trade in 2026, this episode will help you stop guessing—and start budgeting with intention.
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👉 Book your demo
💼Shoutout to Avoca AI!
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🔗 Schedule a demo
🔗 Connect
John Wilson: https://x.com/WilsonCompanies
Sam Preston: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sampreston/
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Release Date: 27/01/2026, 15:30:00
