12 Lead Generation Service Success Stories [2024]
Here are some real life success stories of starting a lead generation service:
1. Franchise UK ($600K/year)
Joel Bissitt, founder of Franchise UK, had always dreamt of being an entrepreneur. Drawing inspiration from UK business icons like Richard Branson and Alan Sugar, he started the business at the age of 19 with just £1000 of funding. Through his expertise in SEO and a user-friendly website design, Franchise UK has experienced rapid growth, achieving a 50% increase in turnover last year and attracting some of the world's largest brands.
How much they make: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 5
Franchise UK is the UK’s largest franchise directory helping franchise businesses to grow by generating quality franchisee recruitment leads online, with a 50% increase in turnover last year and big plans to further expand in different directions over the coming years.
2. Pearl Lemon ($960K/year)
In August 2017, Deepak Shukla founded Pearl Lemon after experiencing a moment of disappointment and a renewed seriousness about starting his own company. With a background in marketing and a drive to be successful, Deepak focused on building a pipeline of clients through cold outreach, LinkedIn, Upwork, and more. Today, Pearl Lemon generates between 80-110K per month and has expanded into various niches, with plans to continue growing and attracting 1000 leads per month within 18 months.
How much they make: $960K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50
Current team size: 27
Deepak Shukla founded Pearl Lemon in 2016, and as of February 2022, the company generates between $80-$110K per month providing SEO and B2B lead generation services to clients ranging from small businesses to public companies.
So... can you actually make money with a lead generation service?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
3. LinkHelp ($48K/year)
a risk-free way to try out LinkHelp and see if it meets their needs.
Referral Program We have implemented a referral program that rewards customers for referring others to our platform. This has helped us in acquiring new customers and retaining existing ones through word-of-mouth marketing.
Customer Support We prioritize excellent customer support and provide timely responses to any queries or issues our customers may have. This level of support helps us in building trust and loyalty with our customer base.
Continuous Product Improvements We constantly listen to customer feedback and make regular updates and additions to our product based on their needs and suggestions. This helps us in providing a better user experience and retaining customers.
In terms of marketing, what has been your most successful strategy? Our most successful marketing strategy has been content marketing. We create and share valuable content through our blog and social media channels, focusing on topics that are relevant to our target audience such as LinkedIn lead generation, networking tips, and business growth strategies.
This strategy has helped us in establishing ourselves as a thought leader in our industry and attracting organic traffic to our website. It also helps in building brand awareness and credibility among our target audience.
Additionally, we have also leveraged partnerships and collaborations with industry influencers and experts to reach a wider audience and increase our brand visibility.
What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced and obstacles you've overcome? One of the biggest challenges we faced was building credibility and trust in a competitive market. As a relatively new player in the LinkedIn lead generation space, we had to prove ourselves to potential customers and differentiate ourselves from established competitors.
To overcome this challenge, we focused on providing exceptional customer support, consistently delivering a high-quality product, and leveraging customer testimonials and case studies to showcase the positive impact LinkHelp has had on businesses. Building a strong online presence and actively engaging with our community on social media also helped in building trust and credibility.
Another challenge we faced was acquiring customers without a large marketing budget. We had to be creative in our marketing efforts and leverage cost-effective strategies such as content marketing, referral programs, and partnerships to attract and retain customers.
Overall, we have learned that perseverance, adaptability, and constantly listening to customer feedback are key to overcoming challenges and growing a successful business.
What advice do you have for aspiring founders who want to build their own business? My advice for aspiring founders is to always focus on solving a real pain point or problem for your target audience. Understand their needs and challenges and create a product or service that provides a valuable solution.
Additionally, surround yourself with a strong team that shares your passion and vision. Building a business is not a solo journey and having a team with complementary skills and expertise can greatly contribute to your success.
Don't be afraid to start small and iterate as you go. Test your ideas, gather feedback, and continuously improve your product or service based on customer needs.
Lastly, be prepared for challenges and setbacks along the way. Building a business is not easy, but with perseverance, determination, and a willingness to learn and adapt, you can overcome obstacles and achieve your goals.
How much they make: $48K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 3
LinkedIn lead generation and relationship-building tool, LinkHelp, used by entrepreneurs and small-to-medium businesses across different industries in more than 90 countries, boasts a diverse user base and an ARR of $50k, with a pricing model that's economical compared to competitors.
4. Wealth Lead Generation ($120K/year)
Maria, the founder of Wealth Lead Generation, came up with the idea for her business through her experience as a freelancer and her passion for marketing. After successfully helping a fintech startup raise 7 figures through social media advertising and PR, she realized the potential of digital advertising and decided to start her agency. She focused on creating specific offers that addressed the pain points of her target audience and spent time listening to the market to refine her services. Through hard work and perseverance, Maria's agency quickly scaled to a team of 5 and achieved impressive revenue growth.
How much they make: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
Current team size: 5
"Wealth Lead Generation grew from a side hustle to a 6-figure business in 2021, generating an average of 250% increase in revenue for their clients through digital advertising campaigns on social media with a team of 5 people."
So... can you actually make money with a lead generation service?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
5. Interact ($2.5M/year)
Josh Haynam, the co-founder and CEO of Interact, came up with the idea for the business while in a hot tub with his co-founders. They realized that there were no platforms for creating interactive quizzes, and they saw the potential for facilitating human connection through this unique form of engagement. Despite facing financial struggles in the first six years, Interact has now grown to nearly $3 million in ARR and serves over 100 million people who take their quizzes each year.
How much they make: $2.5M/year
How much did it cost to start: $50K
Current team size: 9
Interact, a company co-founded by Josh Haynam, has been built up to nearly $3 million in ARR over the last 10 years, with over 100 million people taking its quizzes each year.
6. LeadsBridge ($6M/year)
How much they make: $6M/year
Current team size:
Learn how two founders turned their start-up into a $150k/month business in just three years with LeadsBridge, an impressive all-in-one lead generation platform.
So... can you actually make money with a lead generation service?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
7. Cold Email Studio | Cold Email As A Service 💌 ($300K/year)
How much they make: $300K/year
Current team size:
"Learn how one founder aims to reach $50k MRR by offering cold email services with Cold Email Studio."
8. ZenOutreach ($120K/year)
How much they make: $120K/year
Current team size: 3
Founder shares how his B2B cold-emailing software hit $1 million annual ARR.
- 4,818 founder case studies
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- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
