Ben Kalkman, CEO of Rocket Media, started his agency as a side hustle while working as a handyman. 23 years later, it has become a leading home services marketing agency, and he has intentionally kept the team capped at 50 people.

In this episode with our host Dawood Bukhari, Ben shares how one repeat customer taught him the difference between selling a quick fix and building real trust, why he narrowed Rocket Media’s focus from more than 100 home service categories down to just five: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, solar, and security, and why he believes going deep beats trying to do everything.

We also talk about how AI and answer engines are changing home services marketing, from why Google Business Profile and solid SEO still matter to why customer conversations are one of the biggest untapped content sources. Ben also breaks down why PR and reviews are becoming increasingly important, and shares his “onion” framework for helping agencies actually adopt AI instead of simply handing everyone a ChatGPT license.

Ben also gets into why his average client stays with Rocket Media for 10 to 12 years, how he decides which “shiny opportunities” to turn down, and why he believes every business has a “truth teller” niche worth owning.

Get Your Exclusive AIO Growth Plan - We’ll kick off with a Live AIO Audit to see how shoppers find you, followed by Competitor Research to steal their spotlight: https://lunacal.ai/team/dws/dws-meetings

In this episode, we discuss:

00:00 - 01:00: Introduction

01:00 - 01:54: The Moment Ben Realized He Was Selling Trust

01:55 - 03:52: How Rocket Media Started as a Side Hustle

03:53 - 04:51: Supporting Family Through the Early Days

04:52 - 06:28: How Word of Mouth Evolved With AI Search

06:29 - 07:22: Rocket Media and TikTok

07:23 - 08:39: Making Home Services Marketing Interesting

08:40 - 09:44: The Hardest Period in 23 Years

09:45 - 10:53: Why Systems Matter More Than Founders

10:54 - 14:43: The ToFixit Story and Narrowing to Five Trades

14:44 - 15:21: Becoming a Truth Teller in Your Industry

15:22 - 16:19: Consistency and How Answer Engines Perceive You

16:20 - 17:48: The 80/20 Rule for Saying No

17:49 - 19:37: Why the Office Was Designed for Exactly 50 People

19:38 - 21:17: Why Clients Stay 10 to 12 Years

21:18 - 23:17: Building In-House AI Tools and Teaching Transparently

23:18 - 24:25: Educational Content vs Selling an Offer

24:26 - 25:40: What Makes Content Citable by AI

25:41 - 27:40: Where to Invest Next After SEO Basics Are Done

27:41 - 32:06: The AI Adoption Onion Framework

32:07 - 33:40: Measuring Authority and Attribution in AI Search

33:41 - 35:22: What's Next for Ben and Rocket Media

35:23 - 37:08: Closing Thoughts

 Connect with Ben Kalkman

 https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalkman

 https://rocketmedia.com/

 FOLLOW US

Website: https://www.digitalwebsolutions.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/digiwebsol

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dws_global

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-web-solutions./