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Billboard Mastery Podcast

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.

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Episode 76: Helping Advertisers Get Creative

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.

Episode 75: How The Death Of Radio Will Help Billboard Investments Immensely

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.

Episode 74: The Beauty Of Being Federally Regulated – And Hated

There have been very industries regulated by the U.S. government, and billboards are one of those few groups. But the hatred that many environmental groups have for billboards have actually created a huge amount of the value in the sign industry. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to discuss how being federally regulated – and hated – provides one of the best positions any industry could hope for.

Episode 73: Fixed Vs. Percentage Ground Rent

How should you pay the property owner for allowing you to build and operate a billboard on their land? There’s two basic methods: 1) percentage of revenue or 2) flat amount. But how do you select the right option? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to explore the variables to constructing a fair deal for all parties.

Episode 72: Taking Action Responsibly

There’s an old adage “think like a person of action and act like a person of thought”. A key part of that theorem is the concept of taking action. But how do you do that responsibly and minimize risk and embarrassment? In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review some strategies to this effectively.

Episode 71: The Best Deals I Ever Did

I have built or bought over 300 billboards, but some stand out from the pack. In this Billboard Mastery Podcast we’re going to review the best deals I ever did and look for commonalities that all those deals shared. As you’ll see, there are definite attributes that all great billboard deals share.

Episode 70: Signs And Storms

High winds and billboards have never been good friends. And as weather events seem to be escalating in the U.S. it’s important that you understand what happens to signs in high-wind events. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review the topic of signs and wind damage and how to mitigate those results.

Episode 69: The Risk/Reward Matrix

Risk and reward are the two main attributes of building or buying a billboard. How these two items interplay yields whether you should build or buy that sign structure. In this Billboard Mastery podcast, we will review how to do this type of analysis and why it’s so crucial in evaluating potential opportunities.

Episode 68: Everything Old Is New Again

Billboards have gone up and down in desirability many times over the past century. It’s always the same cycle: advertisers find the next hot thing and then get burned out on it and return to their roots of delivering ad messages that really work. In this Billboard Mastery podcast, we’re going to review how the cycle has now gone full circle, and billboard demand and occupancy is going up.

Episode 67: Harnessing Your Audie Murphy Moment

Everyone has that moment in which they get fed up. Some people put that mood into action. Audie Murphy was the most decorated soldier in U.S. history and his secret weapon was harnessing his frustration into positive energy. In this Billboard Mastery podcast we’re going to review what this power is and how to use it to your advantage.

Episode 66: Tips On Drawing Exhibits

Every billboard lease needs an attachment that shows where the billboard goes. So does every permit application. So how can you best create a winning exhibit to a lease or application – one that gets the job done and helps keep you out of trouble? That’s the focus of this Billboard Mastery Podcast.

Episode 65: The Dangers of Timing Out

While trying new things can be outside your “comfort zone” there is danger in being comfortable when it comes to making money. We all live under a biological clock, and every day that passes is one less day you have to hit your goals. In this Billboard Mastery podcast, we’re going to review the dangers of “timing out” and how to guard against that happening.

Episode 64: Why I Drop A Dime Down Every Foundation Hole

I’ve built around 150 billboards in all kinds of configurations and sizes. But one thing is consistent in all of them: I dropped a dime down the hole once digging the foundation was completed. Why is that? In this Billboard Mastery podcast I’m going to discuss why there’s 10 cents at the bottom of every billboard I’ve ever built.

Episode 63: The Wisdom And/Or Stupidity of Taking Big Risks

There is reasonable risk in owning billboards, and then there’s an insanely over-the-top risk that billboard owners sometimes engage in. When should you take these type of huge risks and what can you do to mitigate the downside? That’s the focus of this Billboard Mastery podcast.

Episode 62: Reducing The Size of A Sign

In most states, you are not allowed to increase the sign face size – but what about reducing it? In this Billboard Mastery podcast, we’re going to review when it’s advantageous to reduce the size of a billboard and what the ramifications are. While bigger is normally better for billboards, there are certain moments when the reverse is true.

Episode 61: Dealing with Obstructions

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.

Episode 60: Don’t Let Anyone Tell You “It’s Not Enough Money”

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.

Episode 59: The Art Of Pre-Leasing Signs

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.

Episode 58: What Happens At The End Of The Lease?

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.

Episode 57: What Should Be Your Sign’s Corporate Uniform?

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.

Episode 56: When There Are No Poles At All

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.

Episode 55: Making Money The Walmart Way

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.

Episode 54: When A Landowner Goes Bankrupt

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.

Episode 53: All About Length of Lease

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.

Episode 52: Taking The Terror Out of Drilling Holes

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.