The Clicki Master Plan (Just between me & you)
I want to give you a glimpse into how I got here. At 19, I jumped into my parents' failing lawn care business. My parents had bought into a franchise, working three jobs, so their kids wouldn't have to answer to anyone but themselves and have an opportunity to cut own cloth in life. They had heart but lacked the know-how to make it thrive.
So, at 20, a college dropout with more free time than direction, I decided to make my dad's dream a reality. I spent day and night soaking up knowledge from the mentors in the lawn care game. The missing puzzle piece? Sales. Doesn't matter how great your service is if nobody knows it exists, right? I committed to becoming GREAT at sales.
Fast forward 6 years, and I turned that failing Lawn Doctor business into a million-dollar business. But even then, a new challenge arose. We had so many leads that we were actually missing out on sales. That roadblock led me to create ServiceBot, an online ordering system for home service companies. It got so good that it was acquired by Real Green by WorkWave after just 19 months in the market for millions! During this time my wife Masha and I co-founded Masha Lash (a multi-location lash and brow studio in Grand Rapids, Michigan) and have grown that business to service 1,500 appointments per month. A lingering problem reappeared. We were paying Google 5k per month in ad spend - and persistent thought emerged.. "What if I paid my customers instead of paying Google to promote our business?" Ever since I have been obsessed with this thought, and Clicki was born.
So, what is Clicki? Think Mailchimp, but for referrals. We believe that every local shop, cafe, or service has an amazing story to tell. And who better to tell that story than happy customers? With Clicki, we're making it simple for those stories to spread far and wide.
Big brands like Tesla and Capital One have these super-smart systems that help them grow through referrals. How can local businesses harness this same power? We're taking away the hassle of keeping track of who referred who and how to reward them. No more spreadsheets, no more manually writing checks or applying credits.
We're on a mission to simplify how local businesses reward their customers, so they can focus on what they do best—serving their communities. We're stoked about this journey and can't wait to make referrals effortless for everyone. We're creating a Clicki network. Picture a place where vetted local businesses can effortlessly promote each other without lining the pockets of tech giants. This is all about keeping the dollars in our local neighborhoods and away from Silicon Valley.
Why spill the beans now? Because Clicki is more than a tool—it's a revolution. We envision a future where over 100,000 local businesses around the world lean on Clicki for authentic, customer-driven marketing. We're fighting back against the sky-high costs of digital advertising and giving the power back to you.
The journey has just begun, and one thing's for sure: I am obsessed with your success. I will not let you down.
Kendall Hines
Founder, CEO
Clicki
kendall@joinclicki.com // 616-450-2395 (m)
Co-founded Masha Lash with Wife
ServiceBot Acquired
First family business
Me at 1st business