For Atlanta home service businesses
Cold ads get ignored.
Referrals get hired.
You're great at the work. The hard part is getting in front of homeowners ready to hire. The Shmooze puts your name where 17,000+ Atlanta neighbors already go for referrals.
Featuring Caleb & Donny from Crawl Daddy.
The hard part
The best jobs come from word of mouth. You can't buy your way in.
Homeowners trust a neighbor's word over any ad you could buy. But you can't buy your way into that conversation. Cold ads get scrolled past, and lead-gen sites sell your lead to five competitors, then make you fight each other on price.
The best work comes from people who already vouch for you. If you're not in the room where neighbors trade names, you're not in the running.
Where you come in
Businesses grow up inside the Shmooze.
It started as a pandemic Facebook group and grew into a 17,000-member Atlanta community, the kind of place where neighbors actually ask each other “who did you use?” The businesses inside grew right along with it.
Founding members like Grantlanta Lawn helped build it from the ground up. Lawson Customs, the crew everyone calls The Handy Lawsons, has connected with hundreds of clients through the community over the years. Wainer's Tree Company credits being Shmooze Certified with the trust that turns into real, meaningful referrals. Certification puts you in that same room, as a name people already stand behind.
- ✓Your name in front of 17,000+ ready-to-hire homeowners, right where they already go for recommendations.
- ✓A Shmooze Certified badge that signals trust before you say a word, plus a spot in the registry neighbors search.
- ✓Referrals from real neighbors, not clicks from strangers, so you stop competing on price and start winning on reputation.
A few of the neighbors already inside:
Blackbeard Pro Wash
Crawl Daddy
Grantlanta Lawn
Fraser RoofingGetting certified is simple
Three steps. About a minute to start.
-
1
Apply & get certified
Answer a few quick questions. We check for pride in your work, real accountability, and a track record worth standing behind before any badge goes out.
-
2
Get listed & show up
Your Shmooze Certified badge, registry listing, and group presence put you in front of homeowners who are already looking to hire.
-
3
Take on the right work
From weekly promo posts to direct concierge leads at the top level, more visibility means more of the jobs you actually want.
What it costs
Three ways in. Same community, different volume.
Starter Business
Your own profile page, your Shmooze reviews, and the Shmooze Certified badge.
Established Business
Everything in Starter, plus priority placement and a call that walks through what is costing you jobs.
Market Leader
Everything above, plus homeowner requests in your category come to you first, and you hold the top spot.
Annual billing saves two months. You pick your level after you apply and get certified, and the full comparison is on that page.
What the same money buys everywhere else.
Most Atlanta pros are already paying for leads. Here is how that spend compares to a Shmooze membership.
| Where | What you pay | Who gets the lead | A typical month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angi / HomeAdvisor | About $15 to $100+ per lead, plus an annual fee, whether you win the job or not | The same homeowner is sold to 3 to 5 contractors at once | $400 to $1,500+, and you race four strangers to the phone |
| Thumbtack | About $20 to $80 per lead in credits, charged when the homeowner contacts you | Several pros quote the same job | $300 to $1,000+, and most quotes go nowhere |
| Google Local Services Ads | About $25 to $75 per call or message, more for roofing and HVAC | Yours, but you sit next to every competitor who also paid | $500 to $2,000+, plus time disputing bad leads for credit |
| Facebook & Google Ads | About $15 to $120 per lead depending on the trade, before anyone manages the campaign | Yours, from a stranger who clicked | $1,000 to $3,000+, and it stops the day you stop paying |
| The Southern Shmooze | $25, $50, or $100 a month, flat. No per-lead fee, no contract | One pro. A concierge request goes to you, not to a bidding war | Less than a single Angi roofing lead, from neighbors who already trust the name |
Platform figures are ranges reported by contractors and industry sources in 2026 and vary by trade and market. Concierge requests are routed to Market Leaders first, then to Established and Starter members.
Not sure yet? Start here for free.
No level to pick, no card. Three ways to see how the Shmooze works for a business like yours before you decide.
As featured on
Local news noticed. Neighbors did too.
The Southern Shmooze helps Atlanta homeowners find trusted contractors through their neighbors
“We're all in this to help out neighbors at the end of the day.”- Grant Wallace, Founder
Atlanta entrepreneur expands The Southern Shmooze into a local business database
“It's a very active community.”- Grant Wallace, Founder
For some Atlanta businesses, work is all about ‘The Shmooze’
“Let's get all these into one central location.”- Grant Wallace, on how it started
In their words
What certified members say.
Real excerpts from our Google Business Profile.
Members get a marketing team
Your own marketing department, without the payroll.
The community gets you trusted and found. The Growth Studio, run by Atlanta Pro Network, the marketing team behind the Shmooze itself, turns that trust into booked jobs: your Google profile climbing the map pack, a website that converts, ads with tracked ROI, and follow-up that never loses a lead. It starts with a free 1 on 1 consultation where we audit where you stand and show you exactly what's costing you work. No obligation, and you keep the audit either way. Every engagement is scoped and quoted to your business and your goals.
GBP Optimization + Reviews
Your Google Business Profile optimized, plus a steady stream of new 5-star reviews so you climb the map pack fast.
Website & Local SEO
A fast, modern site built to rank locally and turn searches into booked jobs.
Google & Meta Ads
Paid campaigns with tracked ROI, targeting homeowners ready to hire now.
CRM Buildout
A CRM set up to capture, follow up, and never lose a lead, with automated texts and emails.
Social Media Presence
We help you show up consistently on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, with as much or as little of the work on your plate as you want.
Our promise
Become the business Atlanta neighbors pass around.
Applying is free and takes about a minute. If you're a fit, you'll be certified and in front of 17,000+ homeowners already asking who to hire. No cold ads, no shared leads, no fighting strangers on price.
Free to apply · instant response
See if your business is a fit
A few quick questions, about a minute. No fee, no card. You'll get an instant response, and if you're a fit you can join right away.
Checking your reviews…
One second while we pull your rating from Google.
Questions
Good questions, answered.
Because it's a real community, not a lead-selling ad platform. The Shmooze started as an Atlanta Facebook group in 2020 and grew into 17,000+ neighbors who recommend the pros they actually use. It's been featured by CBS News Atlanta, WABE and Atlanta News First, runs a weekly podcast and monthly meetups, and every certified business is vetted before a badge goes out. Homeowners trust the recommendations because they come from people they know.
17,000+ Atlanta homeowners in the community, 200+ Shmooze Certified businesses across 35 trades, and daily posts and referrals. Active since 2020, with a weekly podcast, a newsletter, and monthly in-person meetups.
Yes, always. The group stays free for homeowners and businesses alike. Paid levels exist for businesses who want more visibility, not for access to the community itself.
Yes, applying is completely free and takes about a minute, no fee and no card. You'll get an instant response. If you're a fit, you choose a membership level and join; if you're not quite there yet, we'll show you what to work on and check back in.
Applying and getting certified are free. If you're a fit, there are three paid levels and you can move up or down anytime. Starter Business is $25 a month and gets you found: the badge, your own profile page with your Shmooze reviews, a spot in the directory, and weekly spotlights. Established Business is $50 and adds front page placement plus a written audit of your online presence with a 30 minute strategy call. Market Leader is $100 and adds the part everyone asks about, concierge homeowner requests routed to you before any other level, plus a pinned featured slot, a fresh audit every quarter, first call on podcast bookings, and a free professional headshot. Separately, optional Growth Studio services like a new website, Google Business Profile help, photos and video, ads, and reviews are scoped and quoted to your business. You'll see your recommended level right after you qualify, so there's no guesswork before you apply.
Every applicant is reviewed against five standards: pride in the work, integrity and accountability, reliability and communication, commitment to Atlanta, and real participation in the community, before a badge ever goes out.
Yes. Move up as your business grows, or step down anytime. Nothing is locked into a long-term contract.
It's your marketing department as a member benefit, run by Atlanta Pro Network, the team behind the Shmooze itself. Google Business Profile optimization and reviews, a website built to rank and convert, ads with tracked ROI, a CRM that never loses a lead, and help staying visible on social. It starts with a free 1 on 1 consultation and an audit of where you stand online. Every engagement is scoped and quoted to your business; there are no cookie-cutter packages.