Digital CEO Review: Replicate Joshua T Osborne’s Local Lead Generation Success in 2025?

Digital CEO Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Digital CEO has over 500 hours of training.
• It has daily live workshops and 1-on-1 coaching.
• Students get pre-built website templates and sales funnels.
• It covers organic strategies for long-term growth.
• Digital CEO includes access to a private job board for outsourcing and collaboration.

Cons:

• Digital CEO is expensive.
• The content can be disorganized and overwhelming for beginners.
• Digital CEO is from 2023 and may be outdated for Google’s current algorithm.
• The course uses aggressive sales methods and strict payment policies.
• Digital CEO has suspicious review patterns that suggest manipulation.

Price: Digital CEO costs $7,800 to $10,000 according to student reports. To find out the exact price, you have to schedule a call with their team.

Refund Policy: Digital CEO only offers a 72-hour refund, which is hidden in the privacy policy.

Reputation: Digital CEO has 8K students, 4.7 Skool members, 2.2K Facebook group members, and a 4.7-star rating on TrustPilot.

Origin: Digital CEO was launched in 2020.

Can You Still Make Big Money with Digital CEO’s Local Lead Generation Strategy in 2025?

You can still make big money with Digital CEO’s local lead generation strategy in 2025. Small, local businesses are always looking for more leads. And these owners know that most of their potential customers are searching online. SEO.com reports that almost everyone (96%) goes to Google to find local businesses. These owners usually don’t have the time or skills to create a website and rank it.

Plus, AI won’t replace the local lead generation business model. It actually helps you work and scale faster. AI tools let you:

• Create local websites and content in minutes.
• Optimize Google Business Profiles (GBP) automatically.
• Analyze competitors and find ranking gaps.
• Provide local SEO strategies to rank faster.

Because your website is already getting traffic, business owners are willing to pay $500 to $3,000 a month to list their info on it. They don’t have to build a website, worry about SEO, or maintain anything. You’ve already done the hard work for them, which makes it easier to trust you.

Joshua T. Osborne, creator of Digital CEO, became a multi-millionaire from this business. His top client, a fence repair company in Colorado Springs, pays him $20K to $50K each month. I’ve also been doing this business since 2014. To this day, I make around $60,000 per month from 10+ rented out websites. I have a tree removal client that’s been with me since 2015, and pays me $2,000 per month. You never run out of new clients, as there’s always a new local business in a different city and industry.

What’s Included in Digital CEO?

Digital CEO includes:

• Agency. This core training has 10 lessons and runs for 49 hours. It focuses on building an agency where you get leads for a local business’s own website. It has lessons on Meta and Google Ads, landing pages, and done-for-you ad templates. Joshua says this is better for those who have enough time but not enough money.
• Digital Leasing. This is the other core training, with 8 lessons and a total duration of 32 hours. You’ll create your own service websites, use on-page and off-page local SEO to rank them, and find owners to rent them out. Joshua T Osborne recommends this for those who have money to spare.
• Client Kickstarter with Sean Kochel. This is a specialized training to land your first paying client in 30 days or less. You’ll use a small, targeted ad budget to generate live leads immediately. Then, you approach a local business and give them free, high-quality leads to prove your value. From there, you’ll turn them into a long-term paying client.
• BONUS. This runs for 33 hours and includes a total of 20 lessons. It teaches how to build sites using both WordPress and Snapps , their recommended drag-and-drop site builder. There are AI tools to create content, automate tasks, and streamline your business. It also covers how to rank on Google Maps, create high-converting video sales letters (VSLs), set up email and SMS marketing campaigns, and track performance. Finally, you’ll get access to workshop replays from 2019 to 2023 and Joshua’s Facebook Lives.
• VIP. This is a 10-hour bonus training. You’ll get the ‘Earn It Training’, ‘P.R.E.S.S Methodology’, ‘6 Figure Secrets’, ‘Email Black Magic’, and ‘Hiring and Outsourcing’.
• CEO Playbook. This includes step-by-step SOPs, strategy guides, and ready-made templates and sales funnels. You’ll find resources for tasks like client onboarding, sales scripts, project management, and ad setup. The Playbook gives you a clear process to follow so you can grow your business without guesswork.
• Ongoing support. You get daily live Zoom calls with Joshua, Sean, and other coaches, plus a personal Success Coach for guidance and accountability. You’ll also join the private Skool community, which has a job board for outsourcing or finding paid gigs.

Are Digital CEO Students Successful?

Digital CEO students’ success varies. Kate from TrustPilot was able to land her first 2 paying clients in just 6 weeks. This was enough to cover her Digital CEO investment. She did it by closely following the system and using the community support.

One Reddit user strongly defended Digital CEO against negative reviews. They say it’s a legit course as they were able to earn $4K in 50 days. Today, they earn $20K per month and brought in $35K from other client deals. The coaches and support really helped them succeed.

However, another Reddit user paid $10K for the course but later found out others only paid $5K. When he asked why, the coaches ignored him and made him feel like he was overreacting or imagining things. He finally filed a formal complaint with the FTC and the Attorneys General of California and Colorado.

A Redditor says Digital CEO isn’t a total scam, but it’s definitely overpriced. There’s a lot of content, but not much real value. And despite being promised a personal coach, they only got access to general Zoom calls. Plus, the calls were loud and aggressive, with Joshua shouting and swearing to hype people up. As for the course, it was mainly about starting a marketing agency and outsourcing work to their affiliate firms. The Google Ads training was outdated, making it even more confusing. Even after hiring multiple firms, posting daily to Google Business, and creating content, they saw little to no return on investment.

Digital CEO has many positive reviews, especially on TrustPilot and the official website. However, it also has a lot of detailed negative reviews. Some people even think that students are told to leave those good reviews. Plus, some defend the course too much, which makes it a bit suspicious.

What Are Digital CEO’s Claims?

Digital CEO claims you can land your first paying client within 90 days. For this, you create a service website using AI, which can be completed in minutes. Digital CEO’s Client Kickstarter then uses paid ads to generate leads immediately. And since you’re offering instant leads, it’s quicker to close deals with business owners. From the start, you could earn at least $1K in recurring income.

It also claims that you don’t need to sell, post online, cold call, or go door-to-door to get clients. You’ll do this with the help of a personal coach, ready-made templates, and step-by-step SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures). Since you’re renting out sites for a monthly fee, the program also promises passive income.

Digital CEO Claims Debunked

Digital CEO’s claims are debunked because getting a client in 90 days is rare, especially if you’re new. Their paid ads strategy requires mastering Meta or Google Ads, which have a steep learning curve. It costs money, too. A beginner is likely to lose money on ads before generating quality leads.

If you rely on their ad strategy to get leads, then it won’t be passive income. You’ll always have to create new campaigns. This is why focusing on organic strategies, like ranking your site on Google, is much better. Once you rank and rent it out, it needs very little maintenance.

Also, you do need to make calls to potential clients. Although it isn’t a cold call, since you’re offering value, it’s still a pitch. You need good communication skills, confidence, and the ability to handle objections. It’s more realistic to give it 6 months to a year to start earning.

As for the promise of a personal coach, many students report that they’re not helpful at all. One even told their student to ask the Skool community instead of them.

Who Is Joshua T Osborne?

Joshua T Osborne is a multi-million dollar entrepreneur and local lead generation coach. Joshua’s life started off rough. By age 11, his family put him up for adoption due to extreme poverty. He spent his early adulthood in jail, from 19 to 23. But he was able to turn his life around. He later joined Dan Klein’s “Job Killing” course, where he learned about the local lead generation business model. He now runs his own local lead gen agency, Mr. and Mrs. Leads. He also created his first course, Bam University, with the help of his mentor, Dan Klein. Through the years, he launched other courses, including his newest one, Digital CEO. Today, Joshua has trained over 5K students and counting.

Does Digital CEO Teach a Sustainable Local Lead Generation Business Model?

Digital CEO does not teach a sustainable local lead generation business model. This is because its primary recruitment strategy is on paid ads for quick results. The moment you stop paying, your entire stream of leads goes away. It’s expensive, too. The average Cost Per Click (CPC) on Google Ads goes up every year. For competitive local services like legal or home repair, CPCs can reach $50 to $100 or more per click.

Digital CEO also focuses more on building an agency. You help local businesses’ websites get traffic and high-quality leads. You’re building their online asset, not your own. If they leave you, you lose that income stream and are left with only a case study.

The most sustainable type of local lead generation is rank and rent. For one, you own the websites forever. If someone stops paying you, you can easily rent it out to someone else. Plus, ranking on Google brings in a steady stream of leads with very little maintenance. Since it’s more stable than paid ads, clients are willing to rent it out for $500 to $3,000 per month.

I use my experience with the rank and rent model to earn passive income. One of my rented-out websites, Grand Rapids Tree Service, has earned me $2,000 per month since 2015. I spent only 15 hours building and ranking it. Since then, I have made $168,000 from this client alone.

If you’re interested in local lead generation, it’s best to choose the rank and rent model. If you already know how to build and rank websites but don’t know how to find clients, you can work for my roofing client . You build websites that bring in roofing leads, and they’ll be the ones to find a renter. They’ll pay you a 1% to 5% commission each month.