For cigar lounge owners
Members rarely quit. They drift. We run the follow-up that catches it, in your name.
We fix all three. Keep reading to see how.
A guest asks about joining. We reply in your name, with a time to come in and see the room.
A renewal comes due. The reminder goes out before the date, while there's still time to talk.
A regular goes quiet. A few quiet weeks bring a personal note and a reason to come back.
The offer
We bring members back, in your name. Start with a 60-day pilot. You pay the second half only if it brings in the amount we agree.
01 Recovery pilot 60 days We reach up to 2,000 past guests and members with one offer to come back. 02 Member retention monthly Inquiries, renewals and quiet regulars, followed up every week. 03 Local growth monthly Everything in retention, plus local search, referrals and partner venues. Tap to jump to the tiers, or keep scrolling to see how it works first.
See the three tiers
17M+ views across platforms8 64K+ followers across platforms8 50K followers in under 6 months8 60% of the audience in the US2
How members walk away
Nobody quits. They just stop coming in. Nobody told him no. Nobody told him anything. So he moved on. Where they slip away, and what we fix The question at the bar. We reply in your name, with a clear next step. The first visit. A welcome note that makes a new guest feel expected. The renewal nobody tracks. Reminders go out before the date, not after. The one follow-up that got no answer. We follow up again, politely, until they reply. The regular who goes quiet. A note brings him back before he's gone for good. The listing with last year's hours. An accurate Google listing, and every review answered.
The problem
Every rented channel is closed. In the platforms' own words, checked 12 October 2026.
Can a cigar lounge advertise on Google or Meta? No, both ban cigar ads, so what works is your member list and your front door.
Cigar lounge · Channels · Oct 2026 0 / 5 closed
Google Ads Bans "cigar bars" by name. Refused Facebook & Instagram ads Bans "hookah lounges and cigar bars." Refused TikTok ads "In all countries or regions." Refused Instagram reach Hidden from people who don't follow you. Limited Text messages Restricted by carriers and texting tools. Restricted What's left is what you own.
Your member list People who already chose you. Open Your front door Every guest who walks in. Open
The squeeze
Costs rise. The market doesn't.
47% of cigar shops run on five people or fewer. PCA ↗
"If you walk in and the tobacconist makes you feel stupid ... you will get turned off to cigars." Brian Desind Founder, Privada Cigar Club, on a newcomer's first visit "And a tobacconist doesn't sell you a cigar. He guides you." Ernesto Padilla Founder, Padilla Cigars, on what cigar shop staff should be
Your arsenal
Sixteen levers you can still pull. None of these need an ad account. Pick a level to see what it switches on.
All levers 16 of 16 on
01 · Be found
Your Lounge ★★★★★ 4.8 · Cigar barOpen until 1 AM Directions Website Call Member night · Thursday, 7 PM
Where can I get a cigar locker near me?
Your listing, found without an ad.
Google Search & Maps Hours, photos and events kept current, so you're there when locals search. AI answers Pages written so ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity can read them. No promised placement. Reviews Real guests asked for reviews. Every review answered, good or bad. Your website A membership page and event calendar that work on a phone. 02 · Bring them in
Comeback campaign Past guests get one good reason to come back. Inquiry replies Every "how do I join?" answered in your name. Local partners We pitch hotels and steakhouses nearby to send their guests your way. Referrals Members bring friends, and every referral is tracked. 03 · Keep them
Welcome New members learn the perks and meet the staff by name. Renewals A reminder before the date. A note if one lapses. Win-back Quiet regulars get a personal note and a reason to return. Member nights & arrivals New shipments and tasting nights, announced in your voice. 04 · Keep them warm
Inbox 5 from Your Lounge
Y Your Lounge Re: how the lockers work Today Y Your Lounge What a Thursday here looks like Day 4 Y Your Lounge Three new boxes just landed Day 12 Y Your Lounge A seat at the next tasting Day 30 Y Your Lounge Happy birthday from the room Day 41 One question about lockers, a month of reasons to visit. Monthly letter One email a month with what arrived, what's on, and a story from the room. Not-yet-members People who asked but didn't join keep hearing from you until they're ready. Stories worth opening Breaking Cigars episodes and cigar notes, turned into emails members read. Dates that matter Birthdays, member anniversaries and holidays, each with a short personal note. Each level below switches on a set of these. See the levels
The offer
Start with a pilot. Stay if it pays. Every level is priced per location, after the first call. The pilot never rolls into a monthly plan on its own.
Recovery pilot Bring back people who already know the room.
Member retention Keep the members you have and fill the open lockers.
Local growth For lounges with room beyond their regulars.
We'll tell you which level fits on the first call. Book a call
Who does what
You host. We keep the record.
Your team handles
Each month we review
Who it's for
Made for lounges with regulars. One to five locations. We start in the US.
A good fit has
Probably not right
Hospitality · events Conversion rate Before 30%
After ~50%
Automated email and text follow-ups CRM under $200 a month, down from a ~$33K a year stack.3 65,000 clean contacts from a clogged ~75K list "Since Anatolie set up our automated email and text follow-ups, our conversion rates are close to 50%, up from 30%." Anna Sargent · Operations lead, Tipsy Putt
Client-stated. Reviewed Aug 2026. Read the case ↗
Clinics · $0 ad budget 98.5% non-paid leads
Pipeline ~$640K4
Clinics 67
Leads 2,600+
Ad budget $0 LinkedIn outbound as the main engine A podcast that qualifies guests in real time A touch every 48 hours, so leads never go cold "Anatolie built the pipeline while I was building the technology for Caesar Health." Shoukri Kattan · Founder & CEO, Caesar Health · edited for clarity
Pipeline at list price, not revenue. Reviewed Aug 2026. Read the case ↗
Venture studio · embedded CMO LinkedIn followers, 16 months Before 1K
After 12K7
About three years as embedded CMO Sales and marketing built from zero Three ventures taken to market From platform analytics, per LeadsACE. Read the case ↗
Who you'll work with
Anatolie Clevan 17M+ views across platforms8
64K+ followers across platforms8
7.5M views on one reel1
50+ products shipped6
Breaking Cigars FounderBitLab CMO. AI products for regulated companiesLeadsACE Founder of the growth agencyCaesar Health CMO and co-founderWaterloo Engineering Former engineer officer, Canadian Armed Forces5
Start here
Tell us about your lounge.
Thirty minutes on Zoom with Anatolie. No commitment.
Pick a time in your timezone We study your lounge first A written scope, if there's a job You share records and approve the first messages Nothing runs until you've seen the plan and approved the first messages.
Calendar not loading? Open the booking page ↗
Questions
Before we speak.
Do you need to be on site? No. The work is remote. Your team hosts, and we handle the follow-up.
How is it priced? Per location, after the first call. We look at your member numbers before we quote.
What if the pilot doesn't work? You owe the second half only if the pilot hits the agreed amount in 60 days. If it doesn't, that half is waived.
Who is it for? Independent lounges with paying regulars and room for more. You'll need a list you're allowed to email.
Do you have lounge results? Not yet. The case studies come from other industries, and we label them that way.
Do you guarantee results? No. Each month you see what the work collected and what we change next.
Sources
Google Ads, Tobacco policy, read 12 Oct 2026. google.com
Meta, Ad Standards: tobacco. meta.com
TikTok, NA SMB Ad Policy. tiktok.com
Instagram, recommendation eligibility, 2022. instagram.com
Twilio, error 30878. twilio.com
Illinois tax gap: halfwheel, 17 Jun 2026. Maine: halfwheel, 8 Jul 2025.
Imports: Cigar Aficionado, 16 Apr 2026. Shop size: PCA retail snapshot, 4 Feb 2026.
Quotes: Breaking Cigars interviews with Brian Desind and Ernesto Padilla .
¹ Top Breaking Cigars Instagram reel: 7.5M views, 19 Oct 2026 . ² Meta Business Suite audience screen, 5 Oct 2026. ³ LeadsACE: Tipsy Putt , client-stated, reviewed Aug 2026. ⁴ LeadsACE: Caesar Health , pipeline at list price, reviewed Aug 2026. ⁵ leadsace.io , founder profile. ⁶ bitlab.co , "50+ products shipped in regulated industries," read 12 Oct 2026. ⁷ LeadsACE: BitLab , platform analytics, read 12 Oct 2026. ⁸ Instagram, YouTube and Facebook combined, 19 Oct 2026 . Followers: 64,572 , added per platform, so not unique people. Views: 17,525,410 (Instagram: the higher of Vista Social and the public count for each reel. Facebook: Vista Social. YouTube: public counts). First post: 13 Oct 2025. Instagram and YouTube passed 50,000 followers on 29 Mar 2026, 167 days in. × Free audit · 20 questions
What is your lounge missing? ? /100 Your score Your biggest gaps What they cost a year Start the audit
Brian DesindFounder, Privada Cigar Club, on a newcomer's first visit
Ernesto PadillaFounder, Padilla Cigars, on what cigar shop staff should be
Anatolie's growth agency
Breaking CigarsFounder
BitLabCMO. AI products for regulated companies
LeadsACEFounder of the growth agency
Caesar HealthCMO and co-founder