Mike Andolina bootstrapped a CPR training business while working a full-time job. For the first four years it was boots-on-the-ground, owner-operator, everything manual. Then he flipped the model — stopped thinking of himself as a training company and started running a lead generation engine that happened to deliver CPR. Year seven, he exited.
This isn’t theory. Mike lived it, measured it, and sold what he built. If you’re an owner-operator trying to figure out how to get from grinding to growing, this conversation is worth your time.
Here are the main topics we cover and where to find them in the replay.
1. Stop being a training company. Start being a marketing company.
0:00 – 5:59
Mike’s reframe around year four changed everything:
He stopped shouting with one megaphone and built a system where every student becomes a megaphone for ten more people — drip cadences, referral programs, discovery calls.
One financial services employee came to a local class. Through Mike’s follow-up sequence, that turned into a contract across 12 states.
He shifted from thinking about expenses to thinking about investments. $300/month on a platform isn’t a cost — it’s a question of whether it returns $3,000.
If you’re still thinking “I teach CPR” instead of “I acquire and retain customers,” this section reframes it.
2. Dependency is the real risk
5:59 – 10:59
Most operators are heavily dependent on agency class postings for student acquisition. Mike’s take: that’s dangerous.
A friend in the industry got hit with a bogus QA report. Overnight — valve closed, business gone.
Mike diversified deliberately: B2B revenue, B2C revenue, product revenue (AEDs, supplies), affiliate channels, organic search.
He tracked metrics most operators don’t touch — churn rate, CAC per channel, revenue per location per month, profit per student.
He knew which location brought what revenue, which month, year over year — so he could predict and spend accordingly.
If your entire revenue comes from one bucket, this is the section to listen to twice.
3. SEO was the unlock — and he learned it for free
15:00 – 20:59
Mike didn’t hire an agency at $2K/month. He went to YouTube.
Programmatic SEO: blog content by state, county, city, and keyword. Interlinked everything. Updated his sitemap daily.
Moved from WordPress to Webflow for the CMS and page speed alone.
18 months before the compounding kicked in — but once it did, his CAC on organic traffic was effectively zero.
His point: most operators don’t even know what an H1 tag is. The education is free. The ROI of learning it yourself is massive.
If you’re paying someone else to “do your SEO” and can’t explain what they’re actually doing, start here.
4. Retention isn’t a strategy — it’s a system
20:59 – 30:00
Mike built automated follow-up sequences that most operators haven’t thought about:
Day-after email, day-three personal email from the CEO, text follow-ups, promotions, refer-a-friend offers — all automated.
Different copy for B2B vs. B2C. He tested subject lines, measured open rates and reply rates, and adjusted.
QBRs with B2B clients — quarterly business reviews to keep a pulse on where they’re at and what else they need.
His philosophy: make the process so smooth and easy for the customer that it makes no sense to go anywhere else.
The $55 class posting example is worth noting: one student signs up from a $55 posting and you outsource it to an instructor — you’re net negative. That’s the math most people aren’t doing.
5. Build something worth buying
36:00 – 51:00
Mike exited to a local company looking to expand their footprint. Here’s what made it possible:
A business that didn’t need him to operate. He stopped teaching around year five. His role became digital marketing and growth.
Predictability. The buyer could see the numbers, see the growth, and model the payback.
His advice: nobody wants to buy a job. Without systems and operational efficiency, you don’t have an acquirable business — you have a gig.
If you’re thinking about an exit someday — even if it’s years away — this section lays out what buyers actually look for.
6. If he were starting today
36:00 – 39:00
Mike’s answer surprised us. He wouldn’t touch the business first.
Take $1,000–$2,000 and invest in yourself. Learn SEO, learn how to read a P&L, learn what a QBR is.
Write down 10 things you want to accomplish in six months. Under each, four to five action steps. Work backwards from the number.
And if you do one thing after this — download your student list, look at the email domains, find the businesses with the most people, and pick up the phone. Just ask: how can I help you more?
That’s it. That one call could be worth more than anything else you do this week.
When you’re done, hit reply and tell us which part landed hardest for you.
Jon & Shubs
