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The Route To Revenue

The Route To Revenue

Written by: Mike Walker & Ben Magee
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 At The Route to Revenue, we believe recurring revenue is the engine that drives freedom, stability, and growth in home service businesses. Our mission is to share real, practical strategies from entrepreneurs who are in the trenches not theory, not hype. Too much misinformation is being spread in our industry, and it's holding business owners back. We're here to change that. Through open conversations, real-world experiences, and proven tactics, we want to help fellow home service entrepreneurs cut through the noise, build recurring income they can rely on, and create businesses that last. Together, we can move the industry forward, one clean route to revenue at a time.2025 Careers Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Personal Success
Episodes
  • The Truth About Google Reviews Most Home Service Owners Miss

    The Truth About Google Reviews Most Home Service Owners Miss
    Jan 22 2026

    Most home service owners treat reviews like a vanity metric instead of what they really are: a powerful driver of trust, pricing leverage, and predictable growth. In today's market, customers are not asking their neighbors who to hire. They are checking Google. If your review strategy is passive, inconsistent, or mishandled, it is quietly costing you jobs, margin, and long-term recurring revenue.

    In this episode of The Route To Revenue, Ben Magee and Mike Walker break down how experienced operators actually use reviews as part of their revenue system. They share real-world lessons from managing hundreds of reviews, handling negative feedback the right way, automating requests without losing the human touch, and turning mistakes into long-term customer loyalty. This is a practical conversation for home service entrepreneurs who want clarity over hype and systems that support sustainable, repeatable revenue growth.

    👉 Follow us for more recurring revenue strategy, real founder stories, and step by step breakdowns of what actually works in home service businesses.

    🎯 Connect with Mike Walker founder of Spiffybin
    🔗 Website: spiffybin.com
    🔗 Instagram: instagram.com/spiffybin
    🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpiffyBin/

    🎯 Connect with Ben Magee founder of Green Can Cleaner
    🔗 Website: greencancleaner.com
    🔗 Instagram: instagram.com/greencancleaner/?hl=en
    🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greencancleaner/

    🔔 Subscribe on our YouTube Channel
    https://www.youtube.com/@TheRouteToRevenue

    00:00 – Why Reviews Matter More Than Ever in Home Services
    03:10 – Reviews as the New Neighbor Recommendation
    06:45 – How Reviews Increase Pricing Power
    09:30 – Handling Negative Reviews the Right Way
    13:20 – Turning Bad Reviews Into Trust Builders
    16:10 – Automation vs Human Touch in Review Systems
    19:05 – Free vs Paid Review Tools That Actually Work
    22:40 – Why Fresh Reviews Matter More Than Total Count
    26:10 – Incentives, Ethics, and Google Rules Explained
    29:10 – Responding to Reviews as an Operational Habit
    31:30 – Simple Weekly Action to Strengthen Your Reputation


    #HomeServiceBusiness #RecurringRevenue #ServiceBusinessGrowth #GoogleReviews #LocalServiceMarketing #HomeServiceEntrepreneur #CustomerRetention #PricingStrategy #OperationalExcellence #RouteToRevenue
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    33 mins
  • Why Your Home Service Business Can't Run Without a CRM | The Route To Revenue - Ep 5

    Why Your Home Service Business Can't Run Without a CRM | The Route To Revenue - Ep 5
    Jan 15 2026

    If your home service business feels disorganized, reactive, or dependent on you remembering everything, the problem isn't hustle, it's systems. Missed calls, forgotten quotes, scheduling issues, billing errors, and inconsistent follow-ups aren't growth problems. They're symptoms of a business running without the right structure.

    In this episode of The Route to Revenue, Ben Magee and Mike Walker break down how SOPs and systems create predictability, recurring revenue, and real owner freedom. You'll learn why SOPs are the difference between owning a job and owning a business, which processes matter most in the field and in the office, and how documenting the right systems improves consistency, onboarding, customer experience, and retention. They share real-world lessons from building service businesses that don't rely on the owner to hold everything together, helping the industry move forward with clarity, honesty, and practical execution.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    • Why SOPs are critical to scaling without burning out

    • Which processes every home service business should document first

    • How SOPs reduce owner dependency and team mistakes

    • The connection between systems, consistency, and recurring revenue

    • How better processes lead to better customer experience and retention

    👉 Follow us for more recurring revenue strategy, real founder stories, and step by step breakdowns of what actually works in home service businesses.

    🎯 Connect with Mike Walker founder of Spiffybin
    🔗 Website: spiffybin.com
    🔗 Instagram: instagram.com/spiffybin
    🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpiffyBin/

    🎯 Connect with Ben Magee founder of Green Can Cleaner
    🔗 Website: greencancleaner.com
    🔗 Instagram: instagram.com/greencancleaner/?hl=en
    🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greencancleaner/

    🔔 Subscribe on our YouTube Channel
    https://www.youtube.com/@TheRouteToRevenue

    00:00 – Welcome to The Route to Revenue
    01:45 – What a CRM actually does
    03:55 – Why home service businesses miss calls and quotes
    06:20 – When calendars and spreadsheets stop working
    08:50 – CRM impact on customer experience
    11:40 – How automation saves time and money
    14:30 – What to look for when choosing a CRM
    18:10 – Why switching CRMs is expensive
    21:45 – Mobile use, crews, and field efficiency
    25:10 – User error vs software problems
    28:40 – Scaling with confidence using systems
    32:30 – CRM as the backbone of recurring revenue
    35:30 – Final takeaways and owner challenge

    #HomeServiceBusiness #RecurringRevenue #CRM #ServiceBusiness #BusinessSystems #OperationalEfficiency #EntrepreneurLife #ScalingAServiceBusiness #RouteToRevenue #HomeServiceMarketing
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    37 mins
  • Why SOPs Are the Secret Weapon Behind Scalable Trash Can Cleaning Businesses | The Route To Revenue - Ep 4

    Why SOPs Are the Secret Weapon Behind Scalable Trash Can Cleaning Businesses | The Route To Revenue - Ep 4
    Jan 8 2026
    If your home service business falls apart when you step away, you don't own a business—you own a job. In this episode of The Route to Revenue, Ben and Mike break down why SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), systems, and processes are the foundation of profitable, scalable recurring revenue businesses—especially in the home services and trash can cleaning industry. They share real-world examples from their own operations, including onboarding new drivers, reducing mistakes, improving customer experience, and creating consistency across every route, truck, and team member. In this episode, you'll learn: Why SOPs are the fastest path to freedom for owner-operators How systems reduce stress, mistakes, and customer complaints How to onboard new hires faster (and keep trucks on the road) The difference between "good service" and 5-star service How to start building SOPs without perfection or overwhelm Why SOPs should be living documents—not static manuals Whether you're just starting your home service business, scaling routes, or trying to step out of daily operations, this episode gives you a clear, practical roadmap to building a business that works—even when you're not there. Take one process this week and document it. Progress beats perfection. 🥇 👉 Follow us for more recurring revenue strategy, real founder stories, and step by step breakdowns of what actually works in home service businesses. 🎯 Connect with Mike Walker founder of Spiffybin 🔗 Website: spiffybin.com🔗 Instagram: instagram.com/spiffybin🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpiffyBin/ 🎯 Connect with Ben Magee founder of Green Can Cleaner 🔗 Website: greencancleaner.com🔗 Instagram: instagram.com/greencancleaner/?hl=en🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greencancleaner/ 🔔 Subscribe on our YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@TheRouteToRevenue 00:00 – Welcome to The Route to Revenue 01:25 – Why most owners are stuck owning a job 03:18 – SOPs as the escape from owner dependency 05:35 – Why systems save time, money, and stress 07:58 – Consistency and five-star customer experience 10:20 – Faster onboarding through checklists 12:45 – SOPs are living documents, not static rules 15:05 – Real-world example: systems solving problems fast 18:10 – Truck, CRM, and field SOPs that matter 21:05 – Why cutting service corners kills retention 24:10 – Storing SOPs so teams actually use them 27:05 – Getting team buy-in without resistance 30:20 – One SOP every owner should build first 33:00 – Final takeaway: systems create freedom 📣 If this episode helped you see where systems could save you time and stress, hit like, subscribe, and share it with another home service owner who's stuck wearing every hat. Take one process from today's episode and turn it into an SOP this week. Progress beats perfection every time. #RecurringRevenue #HomeServiceBusiness #SOPs #BusinessSystems #TrashCanCleaning #ServiceBusiness #Entrepreneurship #ScalableBusiness #OperationalExcellence #RouteToRevenue
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    35 mins
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