When I entered the mobile digital billboard industry in 2014, there were fewer than two dozen LED trucks in the entire country. Information on Google was practically nonexistent, and real options for buying a truck were scarce and confusing.

The only manufacturer that seemed legitimate was six months out on a new build, so I found the one website—not eBay—that listed several used LED trucks. Choosing that path ended up costing me $100k over the next twelve months. And that was just the truck itself.

For the first eight years of our LED truck business, I did what almost everyone does when they jump into mobile digital billboards. I built a sure-fire plan, then realized how little I actually knew, pivoted every couple of months, considered quitting more than once, kept throwing ideas at the wall to see what would stick, and spun around the same vicious circle again and again.

From the outside, this business looks straightforward, but building a profitable, predictable, and truly scalable model is anything but simple. It took me three separate attempts and hundreds of thousands of dollars to engineer a model that maximized truck profit, protected a consistent sales cycle, and let me scale to whatever size I chose. The outcome of those years of trial, error, and expense is what we now call the Total360 Local Model.

The Total360 Local Model is built on a foundation of local shared routes in your market, with exclusive use and event marketing rounding out your services. Instead of being a tiny cog in a massive national marketing machine, our model centers you with local and regional businesses—owners you actually know by name. You help them grow their companies and, together, you create impact and legacy in the community you both care about.

Looking back, if I had the information we are sharing during this event and through our training system, I would have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in actual cash spent on “learning opportunities,” and I would have earned millions more in additional revenue and profit.

The information in Discovery Day and in The Total360 Operations Manual is worth millions, full stop. Don’t make the mistake so many operators make at the start of a mobile digital billboard business by assuming you already know what to do. Confidence without experience is costly. Let this be the day you get the truth, learn the model, and make a clear, informed decision about whether this business fits your goals and your life. For short and long term growth.