In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with Lane Rizzardini, founder of Sleep Apnea Leads, a niche marketing agency helping dental sleep clinics attract patients through AI-driven lead gen and conversion systems. Lane shares how a serendipitous referral from a home organizer client led him to discover the untapped $7B dental sleep medicine market—where dentists treat sleep apnea but struggle to market beyond their dental patient base. He breaks down his "dual brand" strategy (separate sleep-focused websites and messaging) and reveals how his proprietary Patient Conversion System—featuring an AI agent named Sarah—boosts appointment rates by 8X with 5-minute response times and automated follow-ups.

Lane also opens up about the challenges of niching down reluctantly, why most digital agencies fail without specialization, and how dominating a micro-industry unlocked unexpected opportunities (like physician referral programs). For founders hesitant to delegate, he shares hard-won lessons on balancing hands-on execution with scaling—including why he still handles sales himself at $1.4M revenue. Listeners will walk away with tactical insights on leveraging AI for lead nurturing, the power of in-person niche events, and why "owning the ecosystem" beats competing on generic marketing services.