From DUI to $10M+ Business: How Ben Buckley Landed Apple, Salesforce & More

In this episode of *Inside Marketing with MarketSurge*, we break down how Ben Buckley, founder of Digital Dreams, went from getting fired after a DUI to building an 8-figure business working with brands like Apple, Samsung, Salesforce, and Madison Square Garden.

This is not your typical “overnight success” story—this is real, gritty, step-by-step growth.

Whether you're a founder, operator, or marketer trying to break into bigger deals, this episode shows you what it actually takes to scale.

💡 What You’ll Learn:
• **From Rock Bottom to 8 Figures** – How Ben rebuilt his life and business from scratch
• **Landing Whale Clients** – How he got in the door with enterprise brands (without a huge team)
• **Scaling Smart** – Transitioning from side jobs to complex, high-ticket commercial work
• **Operational Growth** – Hiring, systems, and why scaling is harder than it looks
• **Marketing That Works** – Why YouTube and authenticity beat polished ads

👉 Key Highlights:
✅ How “loss leader” jobs turned into massive opportunities
✅ The power of word-of-mouth and relationship leverage
✅ Why most businesses fail at paid ads (and how to fix it)
✅ The shift from technician → operator → CEO
✅ Why niching down beats trying to do everything

📈 About Ben Buckley:
Ben is the founder of **Digital Dreams**, specializing in large-scale LED wall installations, custom AV systems, and enterprise-grade security solutions. His company works on projects where one deal can change your entire year.

🔗 Connect with Ben:
🌐 Website: https://digitaldreams.com
📺 YouTube: Digital Dreams Installs
📱 TikTok: @DigitalDreamsInstalls

📈 At MarketSurge, we help you turn tools into systems — and systems into growth.
If you want automation that feels personal and performs like a team of 10, you’re in the right place.

🧠 Want to talk strategy or see it in action?
🎯 Book your 15-minute Value or Free Coffee Call:
https://link.marketsurge.io/widget/bookings/15minutevalueorfreecoffee

🔗 Useful Links
🌐 Website: https://marketsurge.io
📘 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100035121171654
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsurgeio
🐦 X / Twitter: https://x.com/marketsurging
🎙️ Podcast: https://marketsurge.transistor.fm/

#Marketing #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #LeadGeneration #Scaling #DigitalMarketing #Podcast #MarketSurge

Creators and Guests

Host

Reed Hansen

Reed Hansen is a seasoned digital marketing executive with a proven track record of driving business growth through innovative strategies. As the Chief Growth Officer at MarketSurge, he focuses on leveraging AI-powered marketing tools to help businesses scale efficiently. Reed's expertise spans from leading startups to Fortune 500 companies, making him a recognized authority in the digital marketing space. His unique ability to combine data-driven insights with creative solutions has been instrumental in achieving remarkable sales growth for his clients. ​

What is Inside Marketing with MarketSurge?

Welcome to Inside Marketing with MarketSurge — your front-row seat to the boldest business insights, marketing breakthroughs, and entrepreneurial real talk.

Hosted by Reed Hansen, Chief Growth Officer at MarketSurge and a digital marketing veteran who's helped scale everything from scrappy startups to Fortune 500 giants, this podcast dives deep into what’s really moving the needle in today’s marketing world. Find us at Marketsurge.io

Each week, we’ll break down the latest marketing and business news (minus the fluff), explore tech trends you actually need to know, and feature unfiltered conversations with the most interesting minds in entrepreneurship and marketing.

Whether you're a founder, a marketer, or just a curious hustler looking to level up, this is where growth happens—loudly, smartly, and with just the right amount of sass.

Subscribe, tune in, and let’s scale something legendary. 🚀

Speaker: Welcome to Inside
Marketing With Market Surge.

Your front row seat to the
boldest ideas and smartest

strategies in the marketing game.

Your host is Reed Hansen, chief
Growth Officer at Market Surge.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Inside
Marketing with Market surge.

I'm your host, Reed Hansen.

Today's episode is a little different
because this one isn't just about

marketing, it's about transformation.

Our guest, Ben Buckley, went
from getting fired after A DUI

and struggling to pay bills.

To building an eight figure company,
working with brands like Apple, Samsung,

Salesforce, and the Madison Square Garden.

Ben is the founder of Digital Dreams,
a company specializing in massive LED

wall installations, custom AV systems
and enterprise grade security solutions.

Basically the kind of projects where
one deal can change your entire year.

He's also building.

Growing YouTube presence showing
how these projects actually get

done, pulling back the curtain on
an industry, most people never see.

That's all always behind the scenes.

Today we're digging into how to
land whale clients without a massive

team, what it really takes to scale
complex high ticket operations.

So if you've ever wondered how to go
from scraping by to playing in the

big leagues, this episode is for you.

Ben, welcome to the show.

Ben, let's talk a little bit about you.

You went from getting
fired after a DUI to today.

You're running an eight for your company.

So what?

You know, most people after
the DUI, they kind of like.

Do something else or, they just,
it can be a devastating experience.

How did you make that into
something you rebounded from to

become excellent in your field?

Ben Buckley: it was like.

Horrible at the time, obviously.

And at the time I was working at Dish
Network and I was like a tech for

two years and I became a manager for
two years and that's where I learned

how to like route guys and work with
my hands and put things together

and see how to do stuff like that.

I was on this in my head, I was on
this like trajectory to be like, I'm

gonna be general manager one day, I
can't wait to run this place, right?

And then bam, DUI and
just let go the next day.

Like I didn't even, I got let go so quick.

I didn't even,

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Wow.

Ben Buckley: yet.

I didn't even get charged with it yet.

I just reported it and I was like,
I still have my license for 30

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Oh my goodness.

Ben Buckley: Nope, you're
outta here and let me go.

And that day like.

Forever changed everything.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Wow.

Ben Buckley: when it changed
or when I left, I ended up

working for some subcontractors
that did satellite and stuff.

And then I got into home theater,
Navy, and I ended up like

doubling my pay from the DUI and

Just do piece work jobs
right on, on my own.

so then I was doing.

a day job and so many side jobs that
after a couple years like it, like my,

I tell everybody I have the slowest,
I'm like the slowest in business.

I'm like so far behind.

Like it wasn't like this quick growth
or like how everybody's oh, tech

startups double, triple 10 times,
lines this like this slow trickle

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: the way up, it
seemed like it took forever.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Huh.

Ben Buckley: it's still
not where I wanna be, but.

But I had my day job and I started doing
side jobs, and I had so many side jobs

that I just couldn't keep the day job.

So it wasn't just bam, I started

It was just like, okay.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Your
AirPods just flipped off, Ben, so.

let's see.

Let's try, I, lemme see if I
can switch to your camera audio.

So this might sync.

Let's see.

Okay.

Looks like they synced.

Can you

Ben Buckley: dude, I don't.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: test real quick?

' Ben Buckley: cause I'm

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge:
Yeah, I can hear you now.

Yeah.

So

Ben Buckley: thing that's messing up.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Oh, okay.

Yeah.

Ben Buckley: I know,

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge:
AirPods are a little, they go

a little rogue sometimes, but

Ben Buckley: much

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: I think we.

Ben Buckley: because of this crap.

I'm sorry but I was

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: It's alright.

Ben Buckley: and today I'm driving.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: it.

Ben Buckley: Five hours to pick up
my daughter from San Luis Obispo.

That's why Thank you
for moving early for me.

And I'm like, not usually I'm at my

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Ah, okay.

Ben Buckley: set up there and all
this other stuff and we're doing it

at my house right now and some, so

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Interesting.

Okay.

Ben Buckley: thing, so I'll keep watching.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: It is fine.

Don't worry.

Ben Buckley: Yeah.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Editing.

Editing solves everything
though, so we'll be fine.

Ben Buckley: saying was I had a day job
and I had these side jobs and I had and

then I had, I would meet the customers

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Huh.

Ben Buckley: I would be like at
a customer's house and put up the

satellite dish and they're like, oh,
I need this cable need a TV hung.

And I'd be like, oh, I could
do it later on the side.

I'll come back on the weekend.

And that's how I met a
bunch of customers, right?

And so I would.

Meet customers on the job
and then come back and do

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: later.

what I mean?

Until I had so many side jobs, I

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Ah, okay.

Ben Buckley: job and I
couldn't keep it anymore.

And so then I had to just rip off the
bandaid and just go 100% on my own.

And so that's how I
started the company like

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: and I have five kids
and my kids are all adults now.

So my youngest is 18, my oldest is 28.

And so I had to like constantly
work just to be able to get diapers

enough, to feed all those kids.

So that was a drive too, right?

Everybody has to have their own
drive or need or want and I loved

what I was doing anyways, right?

So it didn't really

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: So that's
how it started, right?

So the DUI knocked me into
the other subcontracting job.

Then I started doing side jobs,
and then I got rid of the day job.

Then I was doing

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: residential for
a long time and then one year

I switched and I dumped all my
residential and went 100% commercial.

Yeah.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Oh, okay.

So at that point, so it sounds like
word of mouth was the, was how are

you getting clients with residential?

How did that change when you
were switching to commercial?

And why did you switch to commercial?

Ben Buckley: in between.

So I would meet customers from
the day job, then they would

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: me to someone else, and
that's like the word of mouth, right?

I started doing fulfillment work.

So I used to

So like Sears.

I had contracts like Sears,
best Buy, target, Walmart.

Anybody who sold TVs, they needed
third party guys To put their TVs in.

And so I get ended up signing up
with all those guys, and then I

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Oh, okay.

Ben Buckley: they would need something
else that Sears wouldn't sell or

something, so like they're like, oh, I
need cameras, I need surveillance cameras.

And be

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: I do that too.

And then you could, so that's how
I met so many people beginning.

And then they're like,
oh, can you do this?

Can

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: this for me?

Can you

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: And so then.

They had a friend.

And so that's how that, so I used those
'cause those jobs paid like nothing.

Like when we were doing TVs for
Sears, they'd pay me 50 bucks

to go to Sears, pick up the tv.

This is like when flat screens
are like first out, right?

Pick up this TV drive to
their house, hang the,

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Huh.

Ben Buckley: put the TV on a stand.

Then take their giant 300 pound
like Sony Trinitron tube tv,

take that out and go e-waste it.

And they only pay me $8

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: cents to take
this 300 pound TV out.

And so I'd have to get like a
buddy, put it on a cart, throw it

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Oh my.

Ben Buckley: my truck, go dump
it, so I get paid 58 bucks.

So if I didn't upsell them something on
the side, I'm already negative on the job.

So I use it just because
they would give me,

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Wow.

Ben Buckley: Thousands of jobs.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Ah, Okay.

And then those turned into
basically leads that, okay.

Ben Buckley: they

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: cable.

Oh, maybe they need maybe they wanna hang
the tv, but they didn't know they could.

And then I could sell 'em out.

Then I could hang the tv.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Interesting.

Ben Buckley: I.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Interesting.

Now, why Sears out of business?

I have no idea.

they just basically, they could
have captured this business,

Ben Buckley: too, but
you know what I'm saying?

Sometimes the customer needs
something else or whatever.

And technically I wasn't supposed to
be doing it on the side or supposed

to call the store or do this or that.

And we would on some of 'em
'cause we don't wanna burn the

relationship 'cause they need the

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Uhhuh.

Ben Buckley: So not every time I'd
do something that I wasn't supposed

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: I really would
just follow the rules and do it.

But they if they need an HT MI cable,
the Sears would be like, sell it.

We don't even sell one that long.

Or, and so there's all these other things.

And then Sears doesn't sell
surveillance cameras, and

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: doing that too.

Or maybe they need cable rain
for their internet to another

room that Sears doesn't do it.

So

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: we get to a, I
get to see their problems.

I already see the problem, I see
the modem in the living room.

They don't want it there.

They're like, oh, you
wanna move that back?

And so I do all this stuff

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: that wasn't offered right.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay, so
you basically took like jobs that were

like a loss leader that led to a lot.

But you could do this in quantity, like
they had a lot of jobs for you and,

Ben Buckley: 10,

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: okay.

Ben Buckley: like

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Interesting.

Ben Buckley: I don't know how many stores.

So anytime anything was sold
out of like 20 different Sears

stores, it came to my company.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Wow.

And w when you're thinking about
scaling, 'cause part of it is they're

giving you 10 stores 'cause you have.

Ben Buckley: Yeah,

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: A team to do
this, do you, when you make a decision,

like, let me hire more to take on more
work or, let me just stay the size I am.

what goes into that thinking?

Ben Buckley: I just never told
them, no, sure I'll do it.

And I just figured it out later.

So I would just.

Route the

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: and what sucked about that is

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: They just scheduled
whenever the customer wanted it.

And there was nothing, no feedback
from me of if I can make it or not.

If I'm taking it, I just have to
match the days and times they gave

it, there was no syncing of calendars.

And so I would just keep
getting more buddies and

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Ah,

Ben Buckley: you know why like
sometimes you're like waiting

on that eight to 12 appointment

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: okay.

Ben Buckley: doesn't get there till four.

It's like a contractor that's
like taking on Too much work.

and he is Yeah.

he's pushing out

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: much work.

Ben Buckley: customers or trying to

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Okay.

Ben Buckley: Or something happens on
a job that takes three more hours,

and then you're stuck anyways,

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Interesting.

Ben Buckley: but yeah, I just I had a
bunch of friends with their own trucks.

So in the beginning it was just me and
my truck, and then my buddy, I get him

and, everybody was just paid piece work.

Like I could just afford to be like,
Hey, if you go take this TV and you go

drop it off, I'll give you 45 bucks.

And I was making like five bucks.

I was like, just go fulfill 'em, and if

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: that needs to be sold,
give it to me and I'll sell 'em.

We'll go back and do the job.

So that's how it was they're getting
almost all the money for the job, but

just so I could cover all the jobs
and then they would give me the leads

if it's oh, they need all of this.

We're gonna

Another day.

And then we would go back
and make more money that way.

So it was their own trucks, their own gas.

But just like my buddies, so
over the years I just keep

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: and trucks and dates
and customers and, eventually around.

2017, around there,
somewhere around there.

I had to buy everybody vans.

I couldn't worry about
their trucks breaking down.

I had to, start paying for gas and I had
to turn everybody into real employees.

And by then I've left that business model
and I'm not doing the cheapy jobs anymore.

Yeah.

So there was a transition at some

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: everybody real.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Interesting.

Okay.

We just lost your AirPods.

But well, so while you're
working, oh, you're back.

Okay.

So the but you're also working with.

Eventually at some point with
Apple, Salesforce how do you

land those kinds of clients?

Those are very wealthy tech companies.

Huge footprints, I'm sure
endless needs for this, live and

permanent installations, like what

Ben Buckley: So later on, once

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: the

Ben Buckley: and I started getting into
commercial jobs, I'm doing something

similar too, where like another integrator
sells like a billion dollar integrator.

Sell some projects and then they
need more third party labor, but more

Custom labor.

And so I started getting
into those projects and

Then people on those companies will leave
and then maybe they go to another company

and they're like, Hey Ben, I know you
used to do this from a previous company.

You come over here to
this one and help me.

And then eventually I start

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Ah, okay.

Ben Buckley: then I'm turning
into my own integrator, right?

And I'm meeting these customers through
the manufacturer or the man, say Apple

contacts product And they're like,
Hey, so and so LED, wanna buy this.

And then that man, that I can't sell
direct to you, but I have this guy.

And then he could sell
it to you and put it in.

And so that's where the matchmaking

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: Yeah.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: so you source
the products you install as well.

So you have, you probably have
vendor contracts with a, a lot

of different, uh, manufacturers.

Okay, this starts to get really complex.

Like, how do you grow?

I mean, I'm sure you started out like
you, I mean your, your journey is like

you're working with your hands and you
get, you, you're good at the installation,

but at some point, you're probably not.

Tell me if I'm wrong.

Like today you're probably not out
in the field installing anything.

You're figuring out like vendor
contracts and hiring and what point

do you stop working in the field?

Ben Buckley: in the field on, and
you'll see me on my YouTube channel

on all the bigger projects, right?

I'm not doing the full
everything, but I am

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: of this stuff.

So in my brain, like that
transition, I had a, I.

My hands are so fricking soft
now, from not fricking working

in the field drives me nuts.

Where before they were so rough
and now they're just like perfect

for typing on my keyboard.

But so it's not as rough
as they used to be.

But I did transition outta the field
fully a long time, like probably

20 17, 20 18, where I'm not like
in the field as much anymore.

but I will go, like still go

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: or

On the big projects or if I'm,
like, if there's, I, I just

need to be on some of those to.

Maintain, like the quality
and stuff like that, right?

Depending on who I have working on the

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: So

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: I did transition
out of the field fully at some

point just to maintain, like
billing and all that other stuff.

But once I got to a certain level
and I could afford employees.

Right then I can afford someone to run the
office and handle all that other stuff.

Then they're

Stuff that I was stuck doing and I could
still go do the business development,

still go work on the training, still
keeping my eye on what's new out there

and split my time to like still go
out in the field and bigger stuff.

So yeah, I'm not in the field as much.

I will go to the bigger projects.

but around 20 17, 20 18 is when I like
transitioned fully, like out of the field.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

And you know, and I am sure
your life is very different.

You know, how do you feel
about making that switch?

Is, you know, you.

I mean, I feel like maybe there's a little
bit of, you miss some of the field work,

but but like, you've probably had to skill
up, like you're negotiating contracts,

you're dealing with big organizations.

You're, and you're trying to staff
and organize like a bigger team.

You know?

how do you skill up on that?

Ben Buckley: Like I'm
super behind on that stuff.

And you're right, it's a

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: okay.

' Ben Buckley: cause as a

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Yeah.

Ben Buckley: put things together with my
hands, I only feel like I did something

good that day when I put something
together and I show the end work.

If I'm like, yeah, I landed this
job and I closed this deal, I don't

have the same gratification as.

I

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: thing.

I don't know if you've ever seen,
now that we're talking about it,

it'll probably pop up on your

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Interesting.

Ben Buckley: like a lot of
contractor like videos where like

he's driving around with this kid.

He is I built that.

That over there?

I built that wall.

You see that?

Have you ever seen that?

Like I do that to my kids all the time.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Sure.

Yeah.

Uhhuh.

Yeah.

Ben Buckley: that's how I feel too.

I still have that in me.

I still that, I still like to go to
the big projects and go check on that.

The question of like, how
did I transition from that?

So it is like hiring a
bunch of key players.

One is Kirsten, who like
runs my life and my company.

I found her in 2018.

And from there, that allowed me
to just like scale exponentially.

Handing her almost
everything that I was stuck

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: and her
naturally being able to do it.

So that changed my trajectory,
that right person there.

And I've gone through a bunch of
people in the office here and there

to do it, and it's still hard.

I think that hiring is still one of

Things.

Hiring and firing for me is one
of the hardest things for me to

do and find the right people.

With that building systems, which we're
still working on is really hard too,

to even be able to onboard somebody.

to get them off.

If you have to let 'em go, what
keys do they have access to?

What don't do they have
access to and stuff.

All those worries you get stuck with.

And me and Kirsten and joke all
the time, we joke all the time.

We're like, that's why that billion
dollar company has that dumb ass rule.

Sorry.

But they're like, we're like, wait.

We're like, wait, oh, now I know why you
have to do that because somebody in your

company might be doing something stupid.

So you have to write this down to be like,
this is obvious, but don't, and so we

start to find all those stupid rules, why?

And now we

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: why companies
get so corporate.

And it's first we're like super free,

And then

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: We have real consequences.

And this guy just did
something really dumb.

So we have to change this rule right here.

Start to catch on.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Interesting.

Yeah.

Well, that's, that's good to hear
other people struggle with that too.

Ben Buckley: has that no matter
what scale, but, we switched to

a full ERPA couple years ago.

We

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: NetSuite.

I was,

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: yeah,

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Oh, okay.

Wow.

So like legit

Ben Buckley: in Google

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: ERP.

Okay.

Ben Buckley: decades.

my first like invoicing, I
used to invoice everybody.

In the

I had Excel folder, like an
Excel file that said Digital

dreams, the customer, the date.

job number, how much I charged, and
then I would email them that Excel file.

And when I got paid, I would sit at my
computer and I, if they paid me, I just

drug that Excel file into a paid folder.

that's how I started.

Yeah.

That's how I

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge:
foolproof, totally foolproof.

Ben Buckley: my accounting with myself

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge:
Yeah, heaven forbid there was

ever a, a hardware failure or.

well, NetSuite, that's legit.

That's a legit business, you know?

And the, I imagine that you know, there's
some growing pains along the way, and but

it sounds like you're really thriving.

I'm very impressed.

Ben Buckley: Yeah.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Tell
me about your YouTube channel

now as a as a marketing tool.

So you're.

Showing some, behind the scenes content,
you're putting your face out there.

Do you find this valuable in getting new
clients and growth or what do you think is

the value of doing this kinda marketing.

Ben Buckley: when everything
started going down, did two things.

One, this fever detector company, which
is like a side thing we could talk about.

And then I was like, dude, I
better start this YouTube channel.

We have nothing we can really go do.

So let's just start this channel
and I'll be left behind if I

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: Start getting on digital
and like making videos and stuff.

And I, dude, it was the worst roughest
beginning of me trying to get on camera.

I couldn't talk in front of
this camera dude that I hired.

He's still with me.

I couldn't, I was like, just like
on Talladega nights and he is I

don't know what to do with my hands.

Oh my God.

But like 10 times worse, dude.

Like I would literally go on
Saturday and be like, I'm just

gonna go record by myself, even
by myself in front of the camera.

I couldn't freaking do it.

I couldn't even talk to myself.

It was the most awkward thing.

And so I finally had to just get
over it and just be like, whatever.

I don't care.

I don't care if people think I'm stupid or
retarded or whatever the heck or whatever.

I don't care what they
think about me anymore.

I just

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yep.

Ben Buckley: And I was getting

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: that's right.

Ben Buckley: mixed.

I would share my videos in the
beginning to people I knew, some good

friends, some not good friends, some
acquaintances and stuff like, and I

would get the weirdest mixed reviews.

guy that I thought was gonna really
like it, he was like, that's so fake.

You're so fake.

Your laugh is fake.

And he's like, why don't you be?

And I was like, that was the
most genuine video I had.

And he thought it was super fake.

And so I was like, okay.

So this guy, at that point,
that reaction that guy text me.

I was like, okay, everybody's gonna
just perceive it weird and I just

have to be myself, and then just
deal with it later, i've had that one

reaction and that helped me change.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: I didn't
even care what he thinks.

Why did I ask him?

And then I had another one
where I keep cussing here,

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: yeah.

Ben Buckley: a lot in my earlier videos,
and we bleep him out Now, I edit him

out now, but I had a guy that said he
wouldn't work with us because he watched

my YouTube channel, and then he said.

I cussed too much.

And he said the CEO cuss is too much.

And he wouldn't wanna work
with someone like that, right?

and so you get the weirdest

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Oh my gosh.

Ben Buckley: like, okay,
what if he didn't see that?

And then he hired me and then
I cussed there, and then he

fired, cut us the contract off.

So then I was like, people just have
to see who I am, and then just they

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: or they don't like me.

So those two things

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: how I act on YouTube,
and then just get more comfortable

with it and just forget about it.

But I'm 47.

Like my kids can talk in front
of the cameras a lot easier.

I'm talking to you right now, pretty easy.

But but before it was like
the worst, most uncomfortable

thing to be just me in a lens.

Yeah.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Interesting.

Yeah.

Well, you know, I've
gone through that myself.

You know, I've got a marketing agency and
I've had to work up to it too, you know,

and, you know, and I've just find myself
like, okay, let me just picture, okay,

am I, I'm sitting at the desk of ES ESPN
Sports Center, and what would I do there?

And I'd kind of like.

Definitely, like, I kind of put on a
voice or kind of a, a persona, you know?

Like, I don't, I'm not like, I don't
like talking a booming voice when I'm

like talking to my kids, you know?

But it's

Ben Buckley: gotta just

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: yeah,
you gotta do what you gotta do.

I think video content is

yeah, that's right.

Ben Buckley: I started
it because I wanted.

To a digital presence, not
get left behind COVID hit.

And dude, I actually, I have a marketing
story for you with that question.

Okay.

So I never

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Yeah, let's hear it.

Ben Buckley: and there, tried to pay,
and the reason why it failed for me

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: company was.

If I, when I started to try to do paid
ads and stuff and try to do AB testing,

hiring a company or doing it myself, I
got leads one, at the time I first tried

it, I had no system to save anybody, and
I had no CRM, so I couldn't even save it.

So there's just like in an inbox
trying to remember who to get

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: seeing who's
a real customer or not.

So that's failed for me a couple times by

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Uhhuh.

Ben Buckley: anything ready.

And then when the flooded

In.

I couldn't field all the calls because
I didn't have enough people to do sales.

I have two salespeople
now, but then I didn't.

And so

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: stuff early on, I didn't
have anywhere to store the customers.

I couldn't take all the calls myself.

And so I just would fall back into how I
normally get my customers, like meeting

people, word of mouth, stop and ask
and so I just fell back into that trap,

Which is still good now, but we have
other ways to make, do our sales now.

But during the pandemic.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Huh.

Ben Buckley: a lot of LED wells, I talk
to a lot of LED people and so people

from China message me all the time.

So this lady from China messaged me on
WhatsApp and she said, Hey Ben, I had

this thing, it checks your temperature,
we use it in China, you're gonna need

it there basically in the States.

So I bought this one off Alibaba
from, I got this little camera

that checked your temperature.

I dunno if you remember like during
COVID when you had to walk by and

people use the gun to check your
temperature or had cameras and stuff.

So she

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yep.

Ben Buckley: me that in March.

then, so I

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: and then I found
some other ones I could buy in

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: couldn't, that didn't
need to get shipped from China.

And I started, I bought
fever detecting.com

for a dollar.

I went down to my buddy who's great on
camera, who owns a marketing company.

he made this like super serious video.

And he is we don't know what's
going on and we need to do this

and to keep your business open.

call us and we'll get you this camera and
you can just automatically check people.

So we're early to it.

So I buy this

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: I make this
video, I'm running Google

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: the first time, and
it's 20 cents a click for anything

like fever detecting, right?

And within three months it's $50 a click
for anything fever detecting, right?

And so I'm like one of the first
ones to the game, and I'm just

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Wow.

Ben Buckley: all these customers,
like I, I talked to the owner of No

Boo Hotels, like there's Robert De
Niro, chef Nobu, and the third guy.

And the third guy called me.

I kept Nobu Malibu and Nobu Palo
Alto open with these fever detectors.

I got those custom wrapped.

I had Nobu on this little bar.

It was sick.

I talked to them.

I talked to Morningstars,
like a huge tomato factory.

They have to scan like thousand
employees, like when it's their big

season to and they were killing it.

They were making so much money because

Tomatoes, canned, whatever, and so they
ended up they're one of the companies

that like ballooned during the pandemic.

So they called me, I was
keeping all their plants open,

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Wow.

Ben Buckley: we did 250,000 in sales.

three months, which was like good for

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: during like

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Wow.

Ben Buckley: and nothing's going on

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: I,

Ben Buckley: all new leads to me.

But then so many other people had the same
idea that it was like 50 bucks a clicks.

I had to just turn it off.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: okay.

Ben Buckley: 'cause I couldn't
afford to even pay for the

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Oh, okay.

Yeah.

Okay.

Ben Buckley: I was paying like,

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: interesting.

Ben Buckley: like 10 grand like this,
one week of clicks and not one converted,

and I had to just stop it from there
just got back into my regular stuff.

But it was a crazy

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: we were having so much fun

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: detectors, going
to the customers, setting 'em

up, letting 'em stay open.

It was just automating
a bunch of stuff for

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Huh.

Ben Buckley: But that
was like my first thing.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Way to be.

Ben Buckley: Yeah.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge:
way to be opportunistic.

that's awesome.

Well, okay, so Ben, you've had
a lot of success and let me just

ask you last one last question.

So, what's a piece of advice for somebody
who has a solid business but doesn't

know, but is maybe plateaued and doesn't
know how to take it to the next step?

What's, what would advice would you give
to an entrepreneur in that situation?

Ben Buckley: right?

And I'm like, I'm just stuck at the
same thing for a couple years or

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: And I don't
really reinvent ourselves.

We

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: reinvent ourselves.

But then you just, I just look back
at what we do best and then it's I

always say this, Kirsten Hay, I say,

I just say this saying where I like,
I don't want the cheesecake menu

where it's like a thousand items.

I want the inn out menu, right?

I want just have three.

I don't want to go through pages
and try to figure out what to eat.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Ben Buckley: we do these three
things the best and then let's

double down on that and then.

Dive deeper into that niche, and
then you'll find what you're looking

for and then stop going wide.

So don't you know, it's, and I've pivoted
before and I've tried to do a couple other

things here and there, but then when I
stray that far, then I start losing what

I would do best and mi missing out on
all the stuff that I normally get at.

So I just double down on
those niches, double down on.

D walls, double down on cameras,
whatever I'm doing, and then dive

deeper into that one subject and
then just keep talking about that

subject, and keep doing that subject.

And that's what I usually do.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge:
That's very practical advice.

I love it.

So Ben, if you'd like people
to find you, like your YouTube

channel maybe work with you for

Ben Buckley: Yeah,

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: your core
business, where can they find you?

Ben Buckley: Dreams Installs and so is
the TikTok is at Digital Dreams Installs.

We just post on those two and then
the website is digital dreams.com.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Ben Buckley: And so yeah, we post all
of our jobs on the TikTok and YouTube

on there, and that's where most of
our work is at, that you can see.

Yeah.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Awesome.

Ben, it's been a pleasure to have you
on best of luck with, continued growth.

I'm sure that there's gonna be a lot more.

Growth in your future
and a lot more learning.

And I'm really excited
to, to follow the journey.

I'll be following your socials and

Ben Buckley: me

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge:
excited to stay in touch okay.

Speaker 2: Want to stay ahead of what's
actually working in marketing right now.

Head over to Market surge.io

and see how we're helping businesses
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That's market surge.io

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