The Billboard Mastery Podcast: Recent Episodes
Frank Rolfe
Welcome to the Billboard Mastery Podcast, where you will learn the correct way to identify, evaluate, negotiate, perform diligence on, select the construction type, build, rent the ad space and operate billboard signs. And now here is your host – the guy that built from scratch the largest privately-owned billboard company in Dallas/Ft. Worth – Frank Rolfe.
Sometimes you have to craft a custom agreement with the landowner. Or a new advertising lease. Or maybe you need some loan documents reviewed. In each case you hire an attorney and wait in terror for your bill to arrive. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review some simple steps that allows you to stay in control of your legal cost.
“CPM” stands for “cost-per-thousand” exposures. It’s an important metric that many advertisers use to evaluate different advertising options so it’s vital that you understand how it works – as well as the loopholes that nobody talks about. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review how CPM is calculated and everything you need to know about it.
There’s no purpose to renting a billboard if you don’t get paid for it. And sometimes the advertiser’s check doesn’t come in and you start to panic. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the steps to take and how to solve the situation without losing the advertiser as a good customer.
A billboard is only of value if it makes money for the advertiser, and that requires a good marketing message. But how do you help the advertiser to get “creative” in the correct way to market their product or service? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review some constructive techniques to create successful ad campaigns.
Radio is under attack when it comes to listening to it in automobiles. AM is no longer offered in electric vehicles and many manufacturers are considering eliminating it altogether to allow for more profitable concepts. What will this do to billboards? That’s the focus of this Billboard Mastery Podcast.
Billboards are all about visibility. And the enemies of visibility are “obstructions”. In this Billboard Mastery Podcast we’re going to review what to do if your billboard has an obstruction and the techniques required to get that obstacle potentially removed or reduced.
Billboards pay land rent for the right to be on a property. Sometimes that amount is small, based on the projected revenue the sign can produce. But don’t let anyone tell you that even a small sum “is not enough” to warrant their time working with you. In this episode, we’re going to discuss how to sell very rich people on accepting small amounts of money, and why it makes complete sense for a property owner to embrace the incremental benefit of a billboard on their property.
When you build a billboard you naturally have to rent the ad space out – but you don’t always have to wait until the sign is constructed. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss the concept of pre-leasing this advertising space prior to construction. It’s a whole lot easier to get a loan and reduce your stress when you already have a paying customer in your back pocket.
The goal in owning a billboard is to have the income stream go on forever. So what do you do to help make that possible when the lease comes to an end? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss some strategies to help make your billboard go on making money forever.
Virtually every billboard company in America uses a consistent color for the structure, skirting and shield. So how do you choose these? That’s the focus of this Billboard Mastery podcast.
Some billboards are on wooden poles and some are on steel. But some have no poles at all. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss mounting billboards to buildings or other structures as an alternative to using wooden or steel poles for support.
Sam Walton had some definite fundamental principles on making money, and some of those apply to the billboard business. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss how some of Walton’s thoughts on building Walmart are true for building your billboard portfolio, too.
With rising interest rates, it’s becoming the perfect environment for landowners to start going bankrupt, as it’s harder to carry mortgages on raw land and it’s hard to cover mortgages on developed properties. In addition, it’s hard to sell land for new construction when people factor in the interest cost. So what happens when you have a billboard on a property that goes bankrupt, and what can you do to mitigate that risk? That’s the subject of this Billboard Mastery podcast.
How short is too short and how long is too long? That’s a reasonable question for both potential billboard land owners as well as the billboard company itself. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to drill down on the importance of lease length in every billboard deal.
You can’t build a billboard without drilling a hole first, and this one act is often a source of concern. Don’t let drilling a hole hold you back! In this Billboard Mastery podcast, we’re going to discuss what I’ve learned from drilling hundreds of holes in my career and hopefully help you conquer your fear of putting in billboard foundations.
Successful billboard owners don’t see their mission as making money, but instead as “matchmakers” that fill a need by combining property owners and advertisers to create advertising opportunities. If you approach the industry in this way, you can rarely not succeed. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the mechanics of “filling a need” and how this focus will help you to be much more successful with billboard investing.
Many lenders may require that you “record” your billboard ground lease. And some operators do this even when their lender does not require it. But what does it mean to “record” a lease and what the pros and cons to doing so? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to examine the concept and some real-life tips on getting it done.
This is the second of our two-part review on tips to create a better billboard ground lease. More great information that will help you create a more advantageous document or avoid pitfalls.
Life is all about risk, but not all risk is created equal. And some of it can be hedged. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to drill down on the topic of risk and what you can do to mitigate it.
There are many different ways to rent vacant billboard space, and some are more effective than others. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review some of my favorite methods and why. It’s not hard to rent any billboard if you follow all of these methods, but some have more impact than others.
If you want to make faster progress, a lot of it comes down to planning. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review some methods of attaining greater control of your time and how great the net impact can be on the productivity of your billboard portfolio.
It’s one thing to drive by a billboard, but another thing to actually get to it. When you build a sign or change the ads out it’s imperative that people and equipment have the ability to access it. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to focus on the many issues of gaining access to build and operate a billboard sign.
One of the most important moments in my billboard career stemmed not from a lease I successfully signed but one that I failed on. That setback put in motion a whole new perspective regarding the ways to approach the billboard industry, and life in general.
In a world of internet and SEO, it may seem that the only form of advertising for business today is through advanced technology. But there are some things that the new tech age just can’t match. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the old-fashioned strengths of billboard advertising that reign supreme over all competitors.
No matter how good you are at putting deals together, it won’t do you any good unless you get them signed up and finished. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the tricks and concepts that will help you have a higher rate of closing on your billboard deals.
Some billboards are focused and efficient and profit is maximized. But others are a terrible waste of space. In this Billboard Mastery podcast, we’re going to review the many ways to simply find billboards with poor utilization, take control of them, and profit from the inefficiency.
Bringing old billboard signs back to life can be very profitable. However, there are some things to watch out for that can ruin your plans and make your attempts to make money into losing money. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the check list of reviewing old signs opportunities.
The arch enemy of billboard signs has always been high winds. They can knock out your ad or even knock down your entire sign structure. While none of us have control over the weather, we can take proactive steps to better prepare for the risk of high winds, and we’re going to discuss what those options are and how to institute them.
“It takes money to make money” – but where does that original capital come from? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss the various options to raise money to build or buy billboards assuming you are just getting started and financing is hard to come by. As you’ll see, there are many options available to those who really work the system aggressively.
Billboards have life spans that can range from months to centuries. As a billboard owner it’s essential to get as many years on the clock as you can, as once you’re paid off the debt every year thereafter is straight profit. There are some choices you can make that will ensure a billboard to last a long time versus a short lifespan. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss this issue and give some practical tips to make a billboard last longer.
The billboard business may seem old-fashioned, but it periodically erupts with new ideas that revolutionize or open new sectors of advertising. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review how to harness fresh thinking and being unafraid to try a new direction.
Once you get the hang of spotting abandoned billboards, you can’t stop seeing them everywhere. I recently passed two of them within a hundred yards on the same highway. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss what these opportunities are, how they work, and why there seem to be so many laying around in some markets.
There’s a way for advertisers to often cut their advertising costs by 50% or more on your billboard. It’s an incredibly powerful program that too few advertisers take advantage of. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the concept of “cooperative” (also known as “co-op”) advertising, where the manufacturers of goods cover a portion of the ad cost. This tool can make your sign more affordable and renewal more compelling.
I just talked to a guy named Tim who called to let me know he had just built his tenth billboard, and now was on-track to hit $50,000 per year in income. But it didn’t happen overnight. Tim has been assembling this sign portfolio for years. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss why sometimes the best investment income is derived from assets that take years to assemble – and how this is actually a positive trait.
Most people think in terms of how “high” a sign can go and still be seen by traffic. But there’s a whole different side to that argument on some sign locations and that’s how “low” you can go and still make the sign effective. This is particularly true in some urban areas where signs were built long ago at very short heights. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we explore what the considerations are when buying or building a really “low” sign.
Once an advertisement goes up on your sign, you must then collect rent every month, every year, or whatever interval in your lease. And often you have to do some degree of action steps to get this accomplished. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the right – and wrong – methods to collect your sign rent.
Advertisers are the life’s blood of your billboard investment, yet too many sign owners take them for granted after the sale. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the methods smart sign owners use to make the advertise feel properly appreciated each and every day so they are more likely to renew when their lease comes up, and to feel they have a good value when they write that monthly check.
Some billboards require a lot of effort to find an advertiser, and with other signs the advertisers flock to you. So what do you do when there’s a bunch of advertisers wanting your sign location? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review some strategies to maximize your income when you’ve come across a really hot, in-demand location.
The normal strategy in most endeavors is to work from the inside out – but not always for billboards. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss the reasons and strategy behind going outside the city limits – where competition and costs are lower – and then start looking closer into the city core as your experience and cash flow increases. This is a proven plan that has been a winner in the past.
The average American works 40 hours a week. But there’s 168 hours in a week – so where does the rest of the time go? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss how you can get into the billboard business with a very small time commitment: if you work smart. You can build an impressive side hustle with time your formerly wasted. So invest some time listening to this podcast, and then invest some real time in achieving your goals.
We are all accountable for our destiny. But sometimes it all comes together at one time and you never forget it. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to talk about the exact moment that I had to choose between success and mediocrity, and how that impacted my billboard career. In the current economic chaos that has become America, you can still gain an edge when you understand how you really do control how your life turns out.
Americans are moving in a big way from urban centers to suburban and exurban alternatives, and that’s putting more cars than ever on rural roads. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the concept of rural roads and how to make profitable investments in advertising on them. There’s money in every seismic shift of the U.S. population, and this is definitely a time to re-explore billboards that are a little farther out.
Part of being a successful billboard investor is simply keeping your eyes open and being observant. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss the concept of recognizing abandoned billboards and how to translate that into action steps. There can be big money in finding these opportunities but you have to know what to look for.
Albert Einstein once said “everything should be made as simple as possible – but not simpler”. In this same manner, it’s important to distill down all of the features of successfully building, buying and operating billboard signs to their most simple components. That’s the focus of this Billboard Mastery podcast. It took a lot of hard work to come up with these simple formulas.
There are two ways to approach any problem: to ask permission or to ask forgiveness. So which is the better choice? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss when to choose one over the other, and what the ramifications are of that selection.
There are two ways to get into the billboard business: 1) build a sign or 2) buy an existing sign. There are significant differences in these two options. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss the key things to know about buying an existing sign and how to mitigate your risk when doing so. With so much time and money at stake it’s important that you don’t mess up the process.
LED “digital” billboards can serve a useful purpose – but most of the time not in the manner the buyer or builder hopes for. Sure anyone can strap an LED onto a billboard panel (assuming you can get the permit) but is that really the right decision? That’s the topic of this Billboard Mastery podcast and we’re going to review what makes LED work and what does not and how to make that decision.
Even though they’re relatively inexpensive compared to the other sectors of real estate investment, it still takes capital to build a billboard or buy an existing one. So how do you get the money to get your dreams off the ground? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review various ways to obtain the capital to start your billboard investing, including how these loans can be structured.
What makes billboards valuable is the limited supply allowed under the Highway Beautification Act of 1965. This Act disrupted the balance between supply and demand, which gives sign owners the upper hand in maintaining high occupancy and rents. It also means that you don’t have to worry about excessive competition ruining your sign’s value. But part of the Highway Beautification Act is the requirement for permits. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss permits in-depth, and what I’ve learned about them over the years.
Steel monopole, steel I-beam or wooden telephone pole – which is the best for your billboard deal? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review some important tips on each of these materials and help you identify the correct construction materials based on your goals and budget. As you’ll learn, all billboard structures are not created equal – and that’s a good thing so that you can meet your goals.
Billboard signs are pretty much the only form of advertising that does not have to provide content. So why is that a big deal? In this episode we discuss why having a captive audience is much more attractive than having to capture their attention. And much more profitable.
Throughout history, amazing things have happened from small acts that are repeated over the over. Giant buildings have been built one brick at a time, and the giant oak tree starts from just an acorn. In this same away, fortunes have been made from simple billboard signs. In this Billboard Mastery podcast, we’re going to review the process in which you can grow your desire to build an additional stream of income from just an idea, to grow that stream of income into a river, and how you can ultimately achieve all your goals one billboard at a time.
As a billboard owner, you are the official gatekeeper of the content on your sign. But sometimes your choice of content can cause extreme problems – possibly even start in motion the eventual loss of your billboard location. In this Billboard Master podcast we’re going to review how an advertisement can potentially get you in a lot of trouble and how to avoid this situation. In a politically correct America, this topic is more important than ever before.
There are many potential advertisers for any billboard – but there is one that is the most natural fit. When you find the perfect advertiser you can attain a continual renewal rate, and you may not have to rent that sign again for years. In addition, the natural advertiser will be successful with it and always pay promptly, not wanting to lose the sign. In this Billboard Mastery podcase we’re going to review what makes for a natural advertiser and how to find them and rent them your sign.
The document that gives you the right to build and operate a billboard on a piece of property is called the “ground lease” – and what it contains can make the difference between success and trouble. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss what the key items of a proper ground lease include and why they are so important. Since your entire investment hangs in the balance, it’s essential that you know how a ground lease should be structured.
Billboards are all about being seen – that’s one of their most important traits. Yet most people don’t understand the science behind the visibility of a sign, and how to approach deciding whether it has enough of it to be viable. In this Billboard Mastery podcase, we’re going to review the science of visibility and how you can be an active participant in making it better.
A part of the billboard construction process – whether the sign has wooden poles or metal ones – is to dig a hole in the earth that meets the required engineering standards to hold the sign up. And digging a hole often 15’ deep in an area that rarely has seen excavation can often yield unusual results, such as hitting water and giant rocks. In this episode of the Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss what happens when you hit the unexpected, and how to mitigate the cost and make the right decision.
It takes discipline to find new billboard locations to build or buy. And it takes effort to rent advertising space. But all of these things are pretty simple to master. What’s at issue is whether or not you will make a good “employee” to your dreams and aspirations. Every entrepreneur knows their most important hire is themselves. So how do you make sure that you take the necessary steps to keep you commitment to yourself? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss how to hire yourself, manage yourself, and not have to fire yourself. There’s no job loss more embarrassing than when you have to give yourself your own pink slip.
All billboards are built on leased land. Or land owned by the sign company. Well, not quite. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we going to talk about that third option in which the billboard company owns the right to have the sign on someone else’s land and to service it there. This concept has merit in many markets but also has a fair amount of risk both for landowners as well as billboard companies. We’re going to discuss the concept, how it works, when it wins, and how to mitigate the risks.
One of the biggest self-confidence busters when you’re starting out with trying to build, buy or rent billboards is the concern that you look “small” and therefore can’t compete with “big” companies. Even though many property owners and advertisers prefer working with the “underdog” there’s no question that there are certain traits of big companies that you want to copy to give greater confidence to the customer. So how can you look “big” when you’re “small”. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the many tricks you can adopt to give the appearance of being much larger than you are in real life.
Can an individual take on a huge billboard company and beat them at their own game? Yes, it’s been done a thousand times. So how can the small guy beat the big guy? In this episode of the Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to harness the strategies that allow you to use the weak points of big companies against them and give you a continual edge.
One of the most profitable methods to make money with billboards is to find old abandoned ones and bring them back to life. But this “Frankenstein” strategy also requires careful planning and attention to detail. In this week’s Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review with granular detail the necessary steps to successfully make old abandoned signs income-producing again.
Most people have no idea how billboard investing works, and that’s a shame as it’s a very simple business model. In this episode we’re going to review in-depth the standard profit and loss statement of a billboard sign and focus on how to calculate the net income of any sign. If you want to know what profit a billboard can generate – which you should – then this will give you that knowledge.
There are many basic types of billboards – six to be exact. In this episode we’re going to review each of the types of billboard signs as well as the basic cost and reasons for investing in that particular style of unit. As you’ll see, there’s more than just one type of billboard, and one of the essential parts to successful investing is knowing which variety to select. This discussion helps make that possible.
Did you know that billboards are regulated by the U.S. government? There’s probably a whole lot about billboards that you don’t know. But all that’s going to change with our review of the basic reasons that you should consider investing in billboard signs as part of your financial security plan. You’ll see that billboards offer some amazing advantages as well as the flexibility to make your portfolio as big or small as you see fit.