About Core Sample
We take a core sample of your marketing.
Geologists drill a core sample to see what's really under the surface, layer by layer. We do the same with your lead records: trace each one down to whether it became a signed job, and show you what each channel is actually made of.
Why we exist
Most contractors are flying blind on marketing spend.
Home-improvement firms pay for Google ads, Facebook, Houzz, Angi, HomeAdvisor and agencies. Their reports usually show leads, clicks or impressions. A lead report alone doesn't show what each signed job cost. That takes connecting it to your own sales and spend records.
Firms with $1–7M in revenue rarely have an analyst on staff to answer that. So the question sits until a vendor contract renews or the new year's budget is due, and the decision gets made on gut feel.
Core Sample fills that empty seat. We do one thing: answer a specific marketing-budget question with your own records, for a fixed price, and tell you how sure we are.
How we work
- Signed jobs, not leads. Every channel is judged by what it costs per contract won.
- Honest about uncertainty. Small numbers get uncertainty ranges, not false precision.
- Plain language. One page, one recommendation, no jargon.
- Fixed price. Agreed before we start.
- Measured vs. projected. We never blur the two.
Founder
Gabe Bibawi
Founder, Core Sample Analytics
Gabe is a statistics student based in Texas who analyzes contractor marketing spend. Core Sample grew out of an analysis he did for a Texas design-build firm: tracing more than 1,900 leads across eight sources to signed contracts. It showed that one lead channel cost 5.6× as much per signed job as the firm’s other paid sources combined, and the owner dropped it.
That project made it clear how common the problem is, and how rarely anyone checks. Core Sample packages the same work as a fixed-price audit for remodelers, design-build firms and replacement contractors.
Gabe does every audit personally, takes one client at a time, and is the person you'll talk to on every call.
Independence policy
Our recommendations aren't for sale.
An independent answer is part of what you're paying for. These rules apply to every audit.
- No commissions. We take no fees, referral payments or kickbacks from any marketing vendor, platform or agency.
- No ad management. We don't run campaigns, so we have no reason to tell you to spend more.
- No software to sell. Tracking setups use the CRM you already have, or a spreadsheet you own.
- No self-dealing. We never recommend a marketing service our founder has a stake in.
Disclosure
Gabe Bibawi also co-owns Aperian Solutions, a marketing firm. Core Sample never recommends Aperian to its clients.
Your data
Handled carefully, used for one thing.
Your records are used only to answer your question. Confidentiality is written into our service agreement, customer names and contact details are removed whenever the analysis doesn't need them, and we never share or publish your numbers without your written permission.
Budget season
Setting a 2027 budget or renewing a lead vendor?
Get a fixed-price answer on which channels produce signed jobs, in 2 weeks.