From Car Washes to $20M Funnels — Chris Shihadeh on Scaling Smart with Pay-Per-Call

What do data lists, AI-generated ads, and a six-year-old’s car wash have in common? For Chris Shihadeh, they were all stepping stones on a journey to building Skylab Digital, a powerhouse in pay-per-call lead generation for the Medicare and insurance space.

In this episode, I sit down with Chris — a scrappy entrepreneur, creative tactician, and CEO of Skylab Digital — to talk about how he turned failure into fuel and scaled a $20M business with a lean team of just ten. From childhood lessons in leverage to building campaigns with real-time dashboards and tight feedback loops, Chris shares the behind-the-scenes of building a high-performing performance marketing engine.

We cover:

• What pay-per-call really means — and how it compares to pay-per-click
• How Chris went from falling flat with a digital agency to pioneering a scalable lead gen model
• The secrets to hiring A-players and building a culture that performs
• Why campaign templates (yes, even “rip-and-run”) work when customized with data
• Why AI can’t replace copy that converts — but it can still move mountains

🎯 Key takeaways:

• Contact rate is everything. Inbound calls > cold leads. Always.
• Test small and often. Don’t get emotionally attached to underperforming campaigns.
• Templates are a launchpad. Start with what works, then optimize based on your data.
• Real-time feedback loops matter. If you’re not getting disposition reports, you’re flying blind.
• A great team beats a big one. Culture fit and accountability are the real growth levers.

This episode is for business owners scaling performance marketing, founders navigating growing pains, and anyone curious about how high-growth lead generation actually works behind the curtain.

🔗 Connect with Chris:

• LinkedIn
• Skylab Digital

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