James Bonadies is an ad agency guru. The basic premise is that you’ll learn how to build your own ad agency, land clients, and get them results.
Running an agency (even though they’re a bit of a commodity nowadays) isn’t a bad way to get your feet wet in the world of online business.
That said, there are a lot of moving parts with this business model:
- Prospecting – you need to know how to find potential clients
- Sales – you need to know how to convince those clients to give you money
- Media Buying – you need to know how to run ads profitably
- Copywriting – you need to know how to tailor your ad messaging for the right customers
- Design – you need to know how to design ads/landing pages to maximize conversions
- Email Marketing – you need to know how to follow up with prospects and customers
- Automation – you need to know how to connect everything properly
Now, most course-sellers will try to make this easier on you by telling you they’ve managed to “automate everything”, offering “plug-and-play” campaigns, and “pre-built templates”.
Here’s the thing though:
Markets are always changing. They get more savvy as time goes on.
If you buy a program with thousands of other students, where everything is built out for you, there’s an almost 100% chance those templates don’t work.
Why?
Because if thousands of other students are using those exact same “plug and play” campaigns, tens of millions of people have already seen them, reducing their effectiveness.
Not to mention, with most agency programs, the templates are actually built by some virtual assistant in the Philippines or India, and have never actually been tested in real life.
And if they have, there’s a good chance they’re extremely outdated, since most programs don’t bother updating their templates after launching. The course creator gets too busy just trying to sell to more and more students, instead of focusing on quality education.
Now, here’s the most sinister part of this whole thing:
Most course creators market their agency courses as something you can do anywhere in the world. You might hear them say things like “The world is my office” or “This is a simple passive income business”.
That’s just plain false. Running an effective agency is in no way passive. Look at the list above, and remember that you can’t rely on pre-built templates. You’re responsible for every part of the process.
Does that really sound like a business you can do from a laptop on the beach?
See how this could be a problem?
Now, what if there was a way you could build a passive income stream that’s actually passive?
An income stream that doesn’t require:
- Mastering 100 different roles
- Needing to be a technology wizard
- Working round the clock just to keep things from blowing up
An income stream that brings in consistent revenues every single month (from a couple thousand dollars to well over $10,000)?
An income stream you could actually build in your spare time, and grow as large or as small as you want to, without having to spend hours a day chasing, selling, or managing anything?
If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, check out Digital Leasing.
However, if you’d still like to know more about James Bonadies, keep reading.
Who Is James Bonadies?
James Bonadies is an expert in marketing and advertising who has created the Local Marketing Vault course. This program is designed for novices who want to venture into web marketing and start their own business. Although it comes at a high price, the course offers a comprehensive set of materials and resources.
He has overseen multi-million dollar advertising campaigns for clients and his own companies.
James understands the importance of staying current to keep up with the changing pace of technology and marketing.
And he believes that “sharpening the saw” is even more vital now that he teaches others how to have a money mindset and how to make money by assisting small businesses in finding clients.
According to James, his clients and students are his top priority. Therefore, it’s critical for him to be the greatest at what he teaches.
In fact, he and his business partner Jason McKim have assisted thousands of entrepreneurs in launching their own lead generation companies.
Local Marketing Vault Review
Here’s how they grew their eight-figure company in less than six years, as well as their advice:
James went on to become a teacher after graduating from college. He made $42,000 per year and lived at home with his parents.
It was the wise thing to do at the time, but he was working so hard, and his income didn’t represent his effort or value.
When James met his wife, everything changed. She said, “you have so much more to give than being a teacher.” That’s when he started looking for a new plan online.
Initially, James discovered nothing but scams and “get rich quick” schemes. But he persisted in his search for a legitimate online business idea. It was helpful because James knew what he was looking for:
- A method of adding value to businesses
- A company with low or no startup costs
- A business that matched his skillset
- A company having a clearly defined scalable path
What came from this is Local Marketing Vault. This is the course he uses to teach his customers how to create an online business. In order to gain access to this local marketing vault training, customers should expect to pay around $5,000.
For Local Marketing Vault reviews and Local Marketing Vault pricing, check here.
Get Paid For Something No One Can Steal
What should you do if you don’t want your competition to steal from you? You have two options: spend thousands of dollars and thousands of hours dragging them through the legal system, or figure out how to get compensated for something that no one can steal from you.
The second option was chosen by James and Jason. They recognized that if they sold their knowledge instead, they could make a lot of money.
Not only would they be able to secure their intellectual property as a result of their services, but they would also be able to:
- Create a second revenue stream by training other marketers on how to run a dependable business.
- They began mentoring and educating others to build their own internet businesses after realizing how “plug and play” their concept was for anyone who wanted to learn and use these marketing methods.
This sparked a major movement that broke the mold of “conventional” online businesses and helped over 5,500 students change their financial life.
The Baby Yoda Strategy
The Baby Yoda Strategy comes into play. Everyone has seen the memes and gifs by now.
James’ students—even those with no expertise online—go from novices to professionals in record time by utilizing one of the fastest and most powerful marketing tactics in history.
And this is not just about paid traffic, paid ads, Google ads, or Google Adwords. You will learn about lead generation business and more!
They also have a private Facebook group. James Bonadies and Jason promise you that you will get results as long as you work hard and follow their course.
This straightforward technique eliminates all of the major stumbling barriers in the make-money-online world, allowing anyone to start a business—an actual real business—using the Internet.
Is James Bonadies Local Marketing Vault Legit?
So, is James Bonadies a scam risk? Not technically. You can make money with this program, but it’s definitely not as easy as he makes it sound.
There’s a ton of work to be done upfront, no real guarantee of success, and – most importantly – running an agency is extremely active income (NOT passive).
Now, there’s nothing wrong with front-loading the work and making the money later.
But if you’re getting into this game to live life on your terms, travel the world, and generate passive or semi-passive income from anywhere, then this isn’t for you.
What if, instead, you could put in a couple hours a day (in your spare time) to build a single digital asset, and your reward was a $500 to $2,000 payment that came in every single month?
And what if you could get started today and have your first payment in a week?
And what if you could double it next week?
Well, that’s the power of Digital Leasing.
And, unlike a traditional ad agency, you can legitimately do this from anywhere. It’s a true lifestyle business.
Your laptop and an internet connection is all you need.
Some of the most successful students in this program run their entire 6-figure businesses from:
- A camper in the middle of the woods
- A beach chair on the water in Mexico
- A small villa in Greece
They’re able to travel around, living their lives first, and focusing on their income second.
Because even if they stop working for an extended period of time, the money keeps coming in.
So adventure, memories, and experience are the top priority.
And they never have to worry about how to pay for the next trip, or consider asking for time off.
If this sounds more like the type of life you want to lead, just click here to find out more about Digital Leasing.
Are There Alternatives To James Bonadies Course?
Yes, there are plenty of other business models to choose from if you want to pursue this making money online. Here are just a few:
- Local Lead Generation
- Digital Leasing
- SEO
- Real Estate
- Website Building
What Is My Top Recommendation In Making Money Online In 2025?
Our team has spent months researching, reviewing, and vetting dozens of business models and thousands of programs.
While there may be no “perfect business”, the research IS conclusive:
Digital Leasing is the #1 online business model for those just starting out.
Whether you’ve never made a dollar online, or you’ve been in this space for a while but never really “made it,” Digital Leasing is for you.
Why?
1) It’s Flexible: got an hour a day? You can do this. Ready to drop everything else and dive in full time? You can do this. Yes, the more time you put in, the faster you see results. But even with a little time each day, you can move the needle in a Digital Leasing business.
And because this system is so flexible, you don’t have to constantly be working to make more money. It’s called PASSIVE INCOME because if you stop working, the money doesn’t.
Imagine taking 3 months off to just tour around Europe, rent a cabin in the woods to write a book, hike the Appalachian Trail, or live on the beach and surf all day.
This is only possible if you have an income stream that’s not tied to your time.
2) You Own & Control EVERYTHING: With an ad agency, you don’t really own anything. You’re a hired gun for clients, and entirely at their mercy.
Sure, you own your agency, but if your business grinds to a halt once you stop working, all you really have is a self-created job.
With Digital Leasing (a passive income stream), you own all the assets, which means you have all the power and all the control.
3) Little To No Startup Costs: It’s possible to get into Digital Leasing with zero dollars upfront. Because, using the strategies outlined in this program, you can get a client to pay you BEFORE spending a penny out of your own pocket…even before you do any work.
Even without getting paid in advance, you can have your first Digital Rental Property up, running, and generating profits for less than $100.
4) Easy To Duplicate: Ok, here’s the best part: once you have your first Digital Rental Property up and running, you can literally DOUBLE your income with a few clicks, a couple keystrokes, and a single phone call (and you don’t actually need the phone call).
Remember: each Digital Rental Property is worth $500 to $2,000 a month in semi-passive income (over 95% profit). Every time you decide to create another one and increase your income, it gets easier.
Because you have more knowledge, more experience, more results, and more momentum.
If you wanted to double your income with an ad agency, you’d have to double your clients OR double the monthly payment of your existing customers. And, guaranteed that’s a lot harder than a few clicks and a few minutes of your life.
5) Make Money Helping Real People: This part is what makes it all worth it. With Digital Leasing, you’re actually helping people by solving your clients’ biggest problem:
Small, local businesses need more customers, and with Digital Leasing, you are unleashing a flood of happy, paying customers for these businesses.
You make money by helping them make money.
Not a big, faceless corporation either…a small business owner who’s using that money to put food on the table for their family, start a college fund for their kids, or take care of a sick parent. Once you see how Digital Leasing makes a real impact in the lives of real people, you’ll sleep like a baby with a big smile on your face.
Now, the choice is yours. You could continue browsing, looking at opportunities like James Bonadies which could one day make you money.
You could continue researching, never making a decision.
OR, you could take a look inside, consider what you really want, and join a program that makes your dreams a reality. At the same time, joining a community of over 2,000 successful students that are living life on their own terms thanks to Digital Leasing.
A consistent, reliable, semi-passive stream of income that doesn’t depend on you or your time to keep producing profits.
All while genuinely helping real people who are grateful and happy to pay for it.
If this sounds more like what you want out of life (or if you just want some nice side income), click here to learn more about Digital Leasing.