From Zero To 136 Leads In 90 Days

Results At A Glance

• 136 total leads in the first 90 days
• Average cost per lead with Google PPC: $80 — versus industry norms of $150–$200
• 45 Google reviews with a 5.0-star rating in under three months
• Top local rankings across Mentor, Painesville, Willoughby and surrounding Lake County towns
• Consistent daily inbound calls from Google Business Profile and paid search

Getting To Traction Fast Without Burning Cash

Launching a new HVAC business is hard, even for experienced technicians. When Buckeye Comfort Solutions partnered with RS Gonzales, the company was brand new. No existing website. No online presence. No reviews. No historical data. Just TJ Follett — a seasoned HVAC operator — starting from scratch in a competitive Ohio market.

And TJ was no first-timer: before launching Buckeye, he spent more than a decade working across small and large HVAC contractors throughout the Cleveland area, learning every side of what it takes to run a successful HVAC company before betting on himself.

Like many HVAC startups, the biggest risks were:

• Overspending before leads arrived
• Competing against established companies with hundreds of reviews
• Waiting too long for organic results
• Casting too wide a geographic net too early

Most HVAC businesses aren’t profitable for one to two years. The challenge here wasn’t just growth. It was getting to traction fast without burning cash.

The 90-Day HVAC Growth Framework For New Contractors

This engagement followed the RS Gonzales 90-Day HVAC Growth Framework, designed specifically for experienced contractors starting new companies.

Weeks 1–4 · Building A Hyper-Local Foundation In Mentor, Ohio

From day one, everything was built around Mentor, Ohio. Not Cleveland, not the entire metro area. Key decisions that mattered:

• Secured a physical office address in Mentor, not a virtual office
• Positioned the business as a local HVAC contractor, not a broad service-area brand
• Built a full-service website with clear, localized service pages
• Launched a Google Business Profile optimized for proximity, relevance and trust
• Strengthened local relevance with Mentor-focused service content

This allowed Buckeye Comfort Solutions to rank quickly for “near me” searches — the most affordable and high-intent leads for a new HVAC company.

Weeks 1–6 · Veteran-Owned Branding That Builds Search Authority

Buckeye Comfort Solutions didn’t try to look big. It focused on looking credible. The brand leaned heavily into veteran-owned positioning, a clear owner story emphasising experience, discipline and trust, and consistent branding across website, vans and Google Business Profile.

This mattered not just for conversions, but for SEO. Google and AI search evaluate the authority of the business owner, not just the business itself — experience, expertise, authority and trust.

Weeks 3–12 · Paid Search That Delivered Leads At $80 Each

Google Ads launched just 18 days after onboarding, with a starting budget of $50/day, high-intent service keywords only, custom landing pages with clear differentiators, and no gimmicks or over-expansion.

Within days, inbound calls began. Over the first three months: 112 total paid leads at an $80 average cost per lead, with strong call quality from local homeowners. That budget goes to Google, not to us — we take 0% markup on ad spend.

The campaign worked because it was allowed to learn. No panic. No premature shutdowns. No chasing shiny objects.

Ongoing · Review Velocity: 45 Five-Star Reviews In Under 90 Days

One of the most important drivers of Buckeye’s success was review velocity. In under 90 days: 45 Google reviews, a 5.0-star average rating, and consistent owner responses to reviews.

Even against competitors with hundreds or thousands of reviews, Buckeye outperformed locally because Google values recent, consistent customer feedback — especially for new businesses.

136 Leads, $80 Cost Per Lead, And 45 Five-Star Reviews In 90 Days

By the end of the first 90 days, Buckeye Comfort Solutions had turned a standing start into real, measurable traction:

• 136 total leads, with consistent daily inbound calls
• 112 paid leads from Google Ads at an $80 average cost per lead — roughly half the $150–$200 HVAC industry norm
• 45 Google reviews at a perfect 5.0-star rating, earned in under three months
• Top local rankings across Mentor, Painesville, Willoughby and surrounding Lake County towns
• A steady stream of organic calls from an optimized Google Business Profile

Everything compounded: strong reviews lifted local rankings, better rankings lowered ad costs, and lower costs freed budget to scale — all within the first quarter of business.

What TJ Follett Says About Working With RS Gonzales

Why This HVAC Startup Outperformed Established Competitors

This case study is not just about marketing. Buckeye Comfort Solutions succeeded because the contractor showed up fully as a partner. TJ Follett:

Had all licensing and business setup handled immediately. Secured a real office location early. Answered the phone consistently. Followed up on every lead. Actively requested reviews from happy customers. Adopted the HVAC CRM as the operational backbone of the business. Stayed patient during ad learning phases. Focused on a tight, realistic service area.

This is what high-performing partnerships look like. Growth is never passive.

From 90-Day Launch To Long-Term Market Dominance

RS Gonzales continues to work closely with Buckeye Comfort Solutions as a long-term growth partner, supporting local SEO, ad budget scaling, CRM optimization, and deeper local market dominance within a 10-mile radius.

This case study shows what’s possible when the contractor brings experience, discipline and hustle; the marketing system is built intentionally for early ROI; and expectations are realistic while execution stays consistent.