Reviews & References — What It’s Like to Work With Me

I am going to do something unusual on a reviews page: I am not going to show you a star rating I made up. I run Sprout Sage Solutions myself, and I would rather earn your trust by connecting you with a real client than by typing “4.9 stars from 200 reviews” into a graphic. This page is an honest account of what working with me is actually like, the results I aim for, and exactly how to get a live reference before you spend a dollar.

Why this page looks different from other agencies’ review pages

Most agency review pages follow the same template: a big aggregate rating, a wall of glowing quotes with stock-photo headshots, and a star count that conveniently never drops below 4.8. The problem is that none of it is verifiable. You cannot tell which quotes are real, which clients still work with the agency, or whether the rating was ever earned.

I am not going to do that. I would rather under-claim and be trusted than over-claim and be doubted. So instead of a manufactured rating, this page does three honest things: it tells you how I actually work, it sets out the results I aim for with real numbers, and it offers you a direct line to someone who has paid me. If that sounds like less than a competitor’s flashy testimonial wall, it is also a lot harder to fake.

What working with me is actually like

I am the person doing your work. Not an account manager forwarding screenshots, not a junior I outsource to while my name stays on the proposal. When you hire me for SEO, I am the one reading your Search Console on Monday morning. When I build your site, I write the copy and ship the build. This is the defining feature of a founder-led agency, and it is the thing my references talk about most.

Here is what that looks like in practice:

• You talk to me, not a queue. Questions go to the person who actually did the work, so the answers are real.
• You see your own data. Every client gets read-only access to their GA4 and Search Console. I report against the same numbers you can see, so nothing is spun.
• No contract. Every engagement is month-to-month. I earn the next month by delivering this one.
• Transparent pricing from day one. You know what you pay before the first call ends. The full breakdown lives on my pricing page.

The results I aim for (with real, labeled numbers)

I will not put fabricated case-study numbers on this page. What I can do is tell you the targets I set and label clearly where a figure is an estimate versus a benchmark expectation.

The “est. 30%” is exactly that, an estimate based on the automation levers I install for medspas, and I label it as an estimate rather than dressing it up as a guaranteed outcome. You can see how that automation stack works on my AI automation page, and the detail behind the SEO targets on my SEO from $1,500/mo page.

Ask for a reference, not a testimonial

The most useful thing you can do before hiring any agency, including me, is to talk to someone who already has. A testimonial is curated. A reference call is not. So here is my standing offer:

On the free 30-minute call, ask me for a client reference in your vertical. I will connect you with a real current or past client who can speak candidly about working with me. I do not coach them, screen their answers, or pick only the happy ones.

Ask them the hard questions. Was I responsive? Did the reports match reality? Did the work deliver? Would they hire me again? If you have been burned by an agency before, and most people who call me have, ask specifically about the thing that broke last time. That is the conversation that should decide your hire, not a star rating.

Why I don’t guarantee rankings

You will meet agencies that guarantee a #1 Google ranking. Distrust them, because nobody controls Google’s algorithm and anyone who promises a specific ranking is either naive or dishonest. What I guarantee instead is concrete and within my control:

• The deliverables in your tier, done by me.
• Transparent reporting against your own raw data.
• Month-to-month terms you can cancel with 30 days notice.

If the work is not moving your business, you leave. That is a more honest guarantee than a ranking promise nobody can keep, and it puts the risk on me where it belongs.

How reviews will appear here over time

As clients give me permission, I will add real, attributed feedback to this page and to my Google Business Profile and LinkedIn. I will never buy reviews, incentivize them, or write them myself. A review only carries weight if it is genuine, so I would rather show ten honest ones than a hundred manufactured ones. If you are already a client and want to share feedback, I will ask you directly once I have earned it.

The honest close

I cannot show you a wall of stars, because I will not show you stars I cannot prove. What I can offer is a real conversation with a real client and full transparency about how I work and what I charge. If that earns more of your trust than a 4.9 graphic would, then this page did its job.

Want a reference and a live look at your own site? Book a free 30-minute strategy call. Ask for a reference in your vertical, and I will arrange one. You can also read more about who I am and the 9 years behind the work on my founder bio.

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