Why I Built Local Leads Academy · Local Leads Academy

Why I Built Local Leads Academy

If you’re new here, a quick introduction. My name is Trevor Clendenin.

My background is a mix of formal training and operating experience.

I earned a Master’s in Visual & Digital Media from IE Business School in Madrid, where I studied branding and corporate identity at a strategic level. That training shaped how I think about systems, positioning, and economic advantage.

Before that, I served as Director of New Media at WTJX PBS, where I learned how to manage digital channels within real budget constraints. Public media forces clarity. You do not get to waste money.

Later, I co-founded and operated a brick-and-mortar guitar shop in Savannah. That experience changed my perspective. Marketing is different when payroll depends on it.

Today, through Sun Digital Marketing, my partner Jon and I work with small and mid-sized businesses to design structured demand systems. That means SEO, paid media, analytics, automation, and disciplined measurement. One recent client saw roughly 25 percent year-over-year growth after we cleaned up architecture, clarified messaging, and improved tracking.

I built this community because most local operators are drowning in tactics and starving for structure.

My approach is not hype-driven. It is systems-driven.

Structure before execution. Measurement before scaling.

If you’re serious about building reliable lead flow and making better capital allocation decisions, you’re in the right place.

Introduce yourself below. Tell me what you operate and where you feel friction.

Let’s build this the right way.

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