What is good advice for generating solid leads for a company in its second year of buisness?

Honestly, I think a lot of service businesses are feeling this right now. People are still spending money — they’re just much slower and more selective about who they trust.

One thing I’ve noticed is that many companies focus only on getting more leads, when the bigger issue is usually:

• not enough follow-up
• weak positioning
• or blending in with every other pressure washing/landscaping company

Most homeowners can’t really tell the difference between 10 local companies offering the same thing, so the businesses winning right now are usually the ones creating more trust and staying visible consistently.

A few things that seem to be working better lately:

• Before/after content on Facebook & Google Business Profile
• Fast follow-up speed (most leads go cold shockingly fast)
• Simple offers/bundles (“spring cleanup + driveway wash,” etc.)
• Retargeting ads instead of only cold ads
• Asking every happy customer for a Google review immediately
• Email/SMS follow-up to past customers instead of constantly chasing new leads

A lot of companies hit a wall in year 2 because referrals alone stop carrying growth, and they haven’t built a real repeat/referral system yet.

Doesn’t sound like you’re doing nothing. Sounds more like the market got tougher and the old methods aren’t converting the same way anymore.

James,  have you considered joining any networking/leads groups or getting involved with the chamber of commerce? I have always found networking with other business professionals to be extremely helpful. Many of these groups will allow you to do a first visit for free without joining and believe me you can get a job referral from just that! Other than that make sure to let your current customers know that you are looking for work and that you would appreciate any and all referrals. Also ask your current customers if there is anything else they could use help with. You said you do pressure washing and landscaping. Could you offer any general handyman services?

Use apps such as Thumbtack to help create leads for your business.

Basic online presence, a lot of Google reviews, Yelp reviews, Good seo, referral incentive programs through Jobber, your local chamber of commerce, real estate agents, local sponsorships for schools and community events, free cleanups, NextDoor posts, Facebook posts. This has helped my business, and we're just about to complete year 2. The most important thing for us is to show up as professionally as possible and exceed expectations every single time.

Visit a BNI chapter in your area

Sometimes it’s worth paying a marketing company or looking into lead that you have to pay just to keep busy 

Take the down time to work on a solid Good profile, Local Service Ads, paid lead sites... And obviously keep doing what you are doing. Keep your momentum going.