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In latest episode of my podcast Your First Social Media Dollar, I interviewed Elliot Drake, a serial entrepreneur and owner of Land Clients Ai. He began his business career buying and reselling sneakers and gradually transformed that hustle into a digital marketing career, launching multiple successful ventures along the way.
Elliot explained how his early mentors encouraged him to break away from the traditional career path. Starting with sneakers, he eventually ran a clothing line called Vibrant Lifestyle Apparel. One of his first big risks involved putting $6,000, all his savings, into custom shirts for a 21 Savage concert.
Unfortunately, the event turned chaotic, security pepper-sprayed the crowd, and Elliot was left with boxes of unsold inventory. That experience pushed him to master selling online.
He turned to YouTube, studied digital marketing strategies, and tried out courses like Tai Lopez’s. He landed a few early clients but quickly realized that running a business meant much more than just running ads. That’s when he reached out to Dennis Yu. Instead of offering Elliot unpaid work, Dennis sent him training materials.
In just a few weeks, Elliot passed the tests, moved to Arizona, and began working closely with Dennis. This gave him hands-on experience, real-world knowledge, and a foundation for future success.
Elliot launched his own agency, creating webinar funnels, running paid ads, and helping clients grow their audiences. He later co-founded a software company that grew rapidly, gained thousands of customers, and was recognized as one of the fastest-growing U.S. businesses.
After exiting that company in 2022, Elliot returned to his agency with a new focus, helping mental health centers generate leads and expand their reach.
Elliot mentioned how easy it is to learn new skills with the tools available today. He pointed out that you can quickly pick up the know-how, offer your services for free at first to prove your model, and then build on that success. “Start small, prove your approach with a LIGHTHOUSE client, and then scale from there,” he said.
Elliot also emphasized the opportunity in helping businesses adopt AI. Many local businesses, he explained, don’t have the budgets for traditional ad agencies but are willing to invest in simpler, affordable tools that improve efficiency and save time. By teaching them to leverage these tools, you can carve out a niche and generate steady income.
Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is a former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on Google and Facebook ads for Nike, Quiznos, Ashley Furniture, Red Bull, State Farm, and other organizations that have many locations.
He has achieved 25% of his goal of creating a million digital marketing jobs because of his partnership with universities, professional organizations, and agencies. Companies like GoDaddy, Fiverr, onlinejobs.ph, 7 Figure Agency, and Vendasta partner with him to create training and certifications.
Dennis created the Dollar a Day Strategy for local service businesses to enhance their existing local reputation and make the phone ring. He's coaching young adult agency owners who serve plumbers, AC technicians, landscapers, roofers, electricians in conjunction with leaders in these industries.
Mr. Yu believes that there should be a standard in measuring local marketing efforts, much like doctors and plumbers need to be certified and licensed. His Content Factory training and dashboards are used by thousands of practitioners.