From Sober to CEO: One Man’s Surprising Path to Ethical Marketing
On this episode of the Smart Route Podcast, host Andrew Clark sits down with Preston Powell, CEO of Webserv.io and co-founder of Blackbook and Revenue Logic.
From Recovery to Entrepreneurship
Preston’s path to entrepreneurship is anything but typical. After battling addiction for more than a decade, he entered recovery in 2017. That turning point became the foundation for what would grow into a career dedicated to ethical, data-driven marketing in the behavioral and mental health industry.
His first step came through a medical billing company that served treatment centers. While Preston didn’t love the day-to-day work, the experience provided him with an invaluable education in the insurance revenue cycle, on how authorizations, billing, and reimbursements actually function. Combined with his background in paid media, this knowledge inspired him to co-found Webserv while still living in sober housing. In the early days, he was literally riding the bus to treatment centers, walking in, and pitching his vision directly to CEOs.
Why Ethical Marketing Matters in Behavioral Health
That vision was rooted in ethics and transparency. At the time, the treatment industry was still recovering from the widespread use of “body brokering,” a practice where patients were bought and sold between centers. Preston wanted no part of that. Instead, he built Webserv to help treatment providers grow through branded, trust-centered campaigns that connected people with real care.
Under his leadership, Webserv has become a Google Premier Partner and a trusted growth partner to some of the nation’s leading treatment centers. Through his companies, Preston is on a mission to equip providers with the tools and strategies they need to drive real impact without compromising on compliance or care. Whether it’s building data-driven campaigns, streamlining operations, or developing custom tech solutions, he brings a rare combination of performance marketing expertise and industry-specific insight that resonates with treatment center owners and marketing teams alike.
Expanding the Mission: Blackbook and Revenue Logic
As Webserv grew, Preston realized ethics alone weren’t enough. Treatment centers also needed data and financial clarity to survive in a competitive, highly regulated space. That insight led to the creation of two more companies: Blackbook and Revenue Logic.
Blackbook is a business intelligence platform that aggregates reimbursement data, giving treatment providers a clear picture of what they can expect to be paid before admitting a patient. That foresight helps centers make better business decisions and avoid financial pitfalls.
Revenue Logic complements that by managing the entire revenue cycle from admissions and insurance authorizations to billing, collections, and follow-up. Together, these companies close the loop between marketing spend and actual revenue, a connection that’s often murky in behavioral health.
With Webserv, Blackbook, and Revenue Logic working in concert, Preston and his team empower providers to build sustainable growth strategies while keeping ethics and empathy at the forefront.
Data, Empathy, and Community Impact
Even with these business solutions in place, Preston hasn’t lost sight of the human side of recovery. He acknowledges that access to treatment is still uneven, and too many people face barriers when they need help most. That’s why his companies also support nonprofit initiatives like End Overdose, which distributes lifesaving Narcan at large events and on college campuses.
Preston’s journey is a reminder that recovery and responsibility can go hand in hand and that ethical marketing, supported by the right data, has the power to change both industries and lives.
Where to Connect with Preston
About Preston Powell
Preston Powell is an entrepreneur and the CEO of Webserv, as well as the co-founder of Blackbook Data and Revenue Logic. With over a decade of experience in marketing and eight years dedicated specifically to the treatment space, Preston helps behavioral health organizations grow ethically and sustainably through smarter marketing, billing, and business intelligence.
Under his leadership, Webserv has become a Google Premier Partner and a trusted growth partner to some of the nation’s leading treatment centers. Through his companies, Preston is on a mission to equip treatment centers with the tools and strategies they need to drive real impact, without compromising on compliance or care.
Whether it’s building data-driven campaigns, streamlining operations, or developing custom tech solutions, Preston brings a rare combination of performance marketing expertise and industry-specific insight that resonates deeply with treatment center owners and marketing teams alike.
TRANSCRIPT
Andrew Clark (Host): Hey everyone, this is Andrew Clark, your host of the Smart Route Podcast. I’m back with another episode today, sitting down with Preston Powell, who’s based in Austin, Texas. He’s a current CallTrackingMetrics partner and customer, as well as the founder and CEO of Webserv.io, which works in the behavioral and mental health marketing space, delivering some really impactful solutions.
Preston is also the co-founder of Blackbook and Revenue Logic, and he brings over a decade of marketing experience, with eight of those years dedicated specifically to the treatment industry. We’ll talk about his backstory and what led him to this career path.
I’m really excited for this conversation, especially since this episode comes out in September during Addiction Awareness Month. I can’t think of a better guest to talk with about what’s happening on the front lines of this industry.
Preston, thanks for joining me.
Preston Powell (Guest): Thanks, Andrew. I’ll introduce myself quickly. My name’s Preston Powell, and I started Webserv with a partner back in 2017 after getting sober. I had some background in paid media, but since then, I’ve been working in the substance use disorder and mental health field.
Over that time, the world’s changed a lot. We had some unexpected turns—going through COVID, and now the rise of AI. It’s been a wild, exciting ride, with plenty of challenges, especially navigating healthcare regulations. Through it all, my goal has been to build the best agency possible for a very specific kind of client.
Andrew: That’s great. And as much as you’re comfortable, could you share more about your personal backstory and what led you to this career path?
Preston: Absolutely—I’m a pretty open book. I got sober in 2017, but before that, I spent about 10 years battling addiction. What started as fun eventually turned dark with a lot of consequences.
I went down the path of opioids, then oxycodone, and ultimately heroin—some really heavy stuff. During that time, I worked in paid media for different industries, including business financing. We generated leads for people looking to sell lending products—typically short-term, high-interest loans for businesses that needed cash quickly.
That space was competitive, but personally, I couldn’t keep my life together. I always wanted to start my own thing, but my quality of life kept degrading. Things got dark, and I went into treatment. I got sober in May 2017.
After that, I got a job at a medical billing company that worked with treatment centers. That role gave me a deeper understanding of the revenue cycle—how insurance billing worked, reimbursements, collections, all of it. That knowledge was invaluable, though I didn’t enjoy the work itself.
Eventually, my now-partner, who owned that billing company, and I thought: maybe we could help some of these treatment centers attract more clients. Someone gave me a chance, and we started doing SEO and paid media with strong results.
It’s pretty crazy to think about now—we launched Webserv while I was still in sober living and treatment. At the time, I just had a bus pass. I’d ride the bus to treatment centers, walk in, and act like I had a meeting with the CEO. I didn’t know much about structuring a business, but I hired someone, taught them what I knew, and we figured it out together.
I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way, but from the start my vision was clear: I wanted to bring the same level of data and clarity that’s so easy to access in other industries into behavioral health marketing.
Andrew: That makes sense. And I imagine your personal experience makes you even more effective as a marketer in this space. One thing you’ve told me before is that you focus on helping treatment centers grow ethically and sustainably. Can you explain what that means?
Preston: To understand ethical marketing, you have to understand the unethical side that once plagued this industry.
The treatment industry really boomed after the Affordable Care Act and mental health parity laws required insurance companies to cover behavioral health. Suddenly, treatment centers started popping up everywhere, but regulations lagged behind.
Some marketers, known as “body brokers,” would sell patients to treatment centers for flat fees. Patients were even paid to attend treatment. It caused a lot of problems.
Our approach is different. We run branded campaigns—patients always know which treatment center they’re interacting with. It sounds simple, but it’s very different from the way things used to work.
Since 2018, regulations have made body brokering explicitly illegal in places like California. While those practices aren’t as widespread anymore, they were rampant when we started. From day one, I’ve wanted to provide sustainable, transparent marketing.
Andrew: That’s really insightful. What are some of the common challenges you see treatment centers face today?
Preston: Insurance is the biggest one. To accept insurance, a center needs contracts with providers, and reimbursement varies widely. One policy might pay 5 to 10 times more than another.
The highest-paying policies are rare, and there’s a lot of competition for them. That makes lead generation expensive. Many clients spend $300,000 to $400,000 per month to generate 30 to 50 patients.
At the same time, there are areas in middle America where competition is low, and simply launching a website can fill a center. Regulations also differ by state. For example, in California, you might get licensed for six beds in a residential home. In Texas, treatment centers often operate as campus-style facilities on larger properties.
Reimbursement rates also vary—Texas centers typically receive about one-third of what a California center might, though costs are lower here because staff can serve more patients.
Andrew: That leads into your other ventures, Blackbook and Revenue Logic. Can you explain how they work together with Webserv?
Preston: Sure. Blackbook is a business intelligence platform we built. It aggregates reimbursement data from the clients we bill for through Revenue Logic, our billing company. It helps treatment centers understand what they’ll get paid before admitting a patient—whether insurance covers the cost, or if the patient will need to contribute out of pocket.
Revenue Logic manages the full revenue cycle: admissions, insurance authorizations, billing, collections, and follow-up. By tying all of this together, we can measure marketing ROI more accurately. For example, we can show a 3.4 return on ad spend, and we often have a good idea of that outcome on day one.
We also integrate CallTrackingMetrics to feed conversion values back into Google Ads, giving us accurate first-party data to optimize campaigns and find more ideal clients.
Andrew: That’s excellent. What lessons have you learned from running these companies?
Preston: The biggest lesson: run lean. The economy is unpredictable—big spending booms, COVID contractions, and now another uncertain time. I’ve made the mistake of expanding too quickly, and I’ve learned to manage more carefully, especially with cash flow.
From a marketing perspective, I also learned that data is everything. I had the vision early on for tying marketing performance back to actual revenue, and it’s only become more critical over time.
Ultimately, I want to bring all three companies—Webserv, Blackbook, and Revenue Logic—under one roof, because they’re so interconnected.
Andrew: You’ve also mentioned the role of empathy and ethics. Have you faced challenges in upholding those values?
Preston: Yes. It’s especially tough when people without private insurance can’t access care. Medicaid programs and free rehabs exist, but waitlists are long. Sometimes I listen to calls where people can’t find the help they need, and it reminds me of my own past.
Some states, like Arizona and Arkansas, have expanded Medicaid to make private treatment more accessible. That’s promising, but it’s still not enough.
We also support nonprofits. For example, last year we partnered with End Overdose, which distributes Narcan at large music events and college campuses. We raised $100,000 for their cause. The goal is to keep people alive long enough to find recovery.
On a personal level, I also mentor guys trying to get sober. Professionally, our goal is to make treatment businesses as sustainable as possible, knowing they can’t help everyone.
Andrew: That’s incredible work. As we wrap up, what advice do you have for new marketers?
Preston: I believe in specialization. If you’re starting an agency, it’s easier to be the best solution for a small group of people than to try to serve everyone. That’s been our competitive advantage.
Even if you’re not starting an agency, specialize in a skill you love—whether it’s paid media, SEO, or social. Specialists are more valuable than generalists. Clients spending large budgets want experts, not jack-of-all-trades. As I like to say, nothing is more expensive than cheap marketing.
Andrew: That’s excellent advice. Preston, thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your story. We’ll link to the organizations you mentioned in our show notes. And thank you to our listeners—without you, this show doesn’t exist.
See you next time on Smart Route.Preston: Thanks, Andrew.