I was asked this question

[adamh]

I get to do a little traveling and meet many cleaners. Last week I met a guy that has many years behind a wand and is now out on his own. He purchased a truck mount with every tool needed and a used van. Paid all cash. Now all he has left is $1000 and asked me what I think the best way to get customers is?

If you were him. Nice van and truck mount. All the tools. 175, airpaths, tile tools, upholstery tools, everything, but zero customers.
Debt free!
What do you do with your 1K to get your business going?

He moved away from his old boss, so stealing custys is out. What form of advertising is best?

 

[Joe Couch]

I would go with nice business cards, door hangers, and website. I would also start some sort of referral program to give even more incentive to customers to refer him.

 

[breathe72]

I would say get another job for awhile til gets more money in the bank

ODIN is telling it true, and here is why he needs more $$$ in the bank:


$1000 won't get him into many jobs, if we are talking advertising cash.

I'd take the $1000 bucks, bury it deep in the backyard or open up a second retirement account, and put some advertising on a credit card.

Remind him that the advertising money he spends today to "buy jobs", may make him fell like he is spinning his wheels, but eventually will translate into a great deal of repeat business for him later on. (if he is a good cleaner)

It would be easy for us to assume he has it on easy street because he owns his equipment outright, but really he is on the hook financially more than your story tells:

If he wants that truck running full time, he is going to have to borrow and spend significant advertising $$$ to make the phone ring immediately.

He has quit his job, so he needs food.

If hes debt free on his equipment, then he still has to pay insurance, phone, gas, chemical, and other smaller ongoing costs... PLUS his own personal bills.

For now, maybe he spends 3 days a week hitting the bricks: passing out cards in town to prospective commercial properties, offering demos, mailing letters, etc.
The other 2 or 3 days a week he can actually do the work he has booked.

SO he really does not have the luxury of just taking whatever comes along and working half days.

With no payments on his equipment, & as a guy who has no job, he may actually need to do more running than someone like myself who has been in biz a couple of years, and HAVE payments on my equip.

He must market his services, deliver the goods, do good follow-up, and then market some more.

Depending on the size of his market area, he will quickly get busy enough to hire help (more cost), or turn away jobs because he is a one-man-show with a phone that now rings day and night.

I'm going to throw out 2 words alot of people will disagree with, but in my opinion is a must for owners in this industry:




YELLOW PAGES

Even just a small ad will allow him to make profit and people can actually find him, which will get him into jobs he wouldn't have thought of.

Thats probably what this Rampage feller would say too.

Till then, he needs a part-time job.

.

 

[TimP]

Well first he's gonna need insurance.....and then he needs to get out there and market. Put his face out there, visit carpet stores for referrals. Visit the businesses in town and see if they need any services. Another job wouldn't hurt while starting up unless he has a wife to pay the bills then he needs to spend the time getting out there. Maybe do some jobs cheap to get in the home and let them know that it's just so that he can get people to see his work and to get started. Go to neighborhoods in town that he wants to clean and put door hangers out talk with people if he can. Maybe park the van in a traffic place like a grocery store where women shop. Maybe one will see the van and book a job....you never know. Be creative and get out there......

 

[Ken Snow]

Go immediately to a bank and borrow against his equip to gain some much needed cash flow. Money is so CHEAP right now, not using someone else's to get his business kick started is an abomination. If he is debt adverse he can always pay it off quickly if his bus takes off, but if he runs out of cash he'll have to fire sale a machine for a big loss.

Ken

 

[bob vawter]

NUMBER ONE RULE for a carpet cleaner is:

Marry a gal that has a good job.....see, that was easy!

 

[Art Kelley]

Target specific neighborhoods and pass out fliers. I did that for the first few years, spending more time delivering fliers at first, then eventually spending more time cleaning, until I had more work than I could handle. It's good exercise and beats sitting around waiting for the phone to ring.

 

[bob vawter]

I did that Art, in the very beginning!

My God I can't believe that i did that......

BUT IT WORKED!

 

[Art Kelley]

Then I married a woman with a good job.

 

[Clark]

Hell Man! Just go to work. Your in a great position. Kick the shit out of you competitors with price and quality. And service?? Who can show up in 10 minutes? So what if you only make $500 your first week and work 40 hours. This is call a lost leader. Start up cost and cash flow is what kills business. Your start-up cost is you labor. Borrowing money sucks. And a good woman does help.

 

[Jay D]

5000 flyers=$300 Passed out 200 per day in nice areas.
1000 Business Cards=$60 Passed out to commercial prospect 20+per day
Walking shoes $40 For the walking and hussling your going to do.
Realtor assocition or networking group=300 Build local relationships.
Build your own website with keywords=300 For information and some Biz.

Just get busy and don't sit and wait for calls. Worked for me to get reestablished in a new area. One more thing don't quit doing these things when biz comes in and it will build. When your not working your Marketing or selling belly to belly. Look up paul douglas plan of action on Ics too.

 

[Ken Snow]

Come on guys, paying all your cash for a machine and supplies with no work in sight???? That is not a business plan, that is a recipe for bankruptcy. Cash flow is KING! Having it is the single most important thing in business and how any business is evaluated, along with EPS if public.

 

[Scott]

Cashflow is King and Queen. Ken's exactly right.

Scott

 

[Art Kelley]

Ken's right but nothing gets you out of bed at 4:30 in the morning to pass out fliers like a mortgage payment and credit card bills due and not enough to pay them. A large loan could make you complacent. My business growth was based on fear.

 

[Mikey P]

First off get him here to do his home work.

Then suggest he listen to Ken and Art.


If he has some cute kids (which I have the feeling he does) then have them go out door knocking with him on the week ends.

The old folks will love it and right now is the perfect time to be strolling the hoods he wants to work in. Everyone is out trimming bushes and lawns, washing cars and cleaning up from winter.


" Hi! wow, you guys have a lot of work going on, I wish I had time to trim my hedges but instead I'm out here promoting my new business. My name is Mike, I own Connoisseur cleaning here in town, instead of advertising in the yellow pages I'm out here meeting my neighbors. Can I offer you this coupon for 20% off carpet and upholstery cleaning? We clean tile and grout as well just in case you yanked the carpet out like some of your other neighbors..."

And from there they will let the guy know if their interested or to get the tell off the property before they call the cops.

 

[Joe Couch]

If I would of had all this information from this board when I went into business 12 yrs ago I would be a millionaire. The shared information on this board is priceless.

 

[Mikey P]

If I would of had all this information from this board when I went into business 12 yrs ago I would be a millionaire. The shared information on this board is priceless.

Actually it's just five bucks a month.

 

[Chris Muetterties]

Make sure he acts SURE of himself. Confidence make the custy feel safe !!

When I went into this biz I got asked all the time how long................ I told the truth "I've been around carpet all my life" again confidence makes the custy feel good.

Just drive the van around to do everything will get noticed.

Go clean at a shelter for free.

 

[bob vawter]

"Go clean at a shelter for free."

Man Mikey..that's my BEST customer.........them bums are sure sloppy....!

 

[R W]

"Go clean at a shelter for free."

Man Mikey..that's my BEST customer.........them bums are sure sloppy....!

yeah....just watch for lice and scabies. NOT something to bring home with ya'.

 

[Jeremy]

Get one or two decent Janitorial account(s) for cash flow.
Build a weeks worth of commercial work every month. Cash flow again.
Offer the commercial accounts' employees as a discount on in home services.
Flyers, brochures & business cards printed.
Get a bold listing in the YP.
Part time job.
Sales route & phone sales.

 

[Joe Couch]

I agree with ODIN about the job. A part time job will help pay some bills while giving him flexible hours to work on his business. Most businesses fail fairly quickly because of lack of cash flow.

 

[Maynard679]

Well he can always return some equipment that he doesn't need and use that money for a nice direst mailer ads or val pak.

So the dealer took him for a ride, instead telling him "you don't need everything right now, save some money for your marketing plan".

This is why most companies fail, they have to have everything now and brand new.

A local guy started the same way and now a year later he is going under.....

 

[hogjowl]

Ken is right. In fact, I'd tell you friend not to listen to the other posters on this thread, cuz they're just a bunch of broke dicks and don't know any more than he does.

I'm no better, but I do have enough sense to see the wisdom in what Ken says.

And see the fact that he actually has a business.

 

[Guest]

Knock on doors and clean for free!!!

 

[diamond brian]

I think if it was me, I'd get a full-time day job and buy a full-page ad in whichever YP is running next.

Then, do evening carpet cleanig jobs 'til the YP/referrals kick in.

 

[Maynard679]

He can also print up a 1,000 business cards and hand them out wherever he is. Hit up Realtors, day cares, churches, RV sales lots, friends, their friends ect.
There is so much carpet out there, you just have to be aggressive. It is face to face contact. You gotta dress real nice and have a good company image.

With 1,000 bucks I'd put gas in the van do demos and drive around pimping yourself out to business with carpet. Get a good uniform too. No jeans.

 

[hogjowl]

Down here in Alabama, one smart thing to do is get a job driving a school bus. They always seem to be looking for drivers, you get full Blue Cross, Blue Shield insurance and a $15,000 a year salary. You're free to clean from around 9 AM to 1 PM and then again from 4 PM until you want to go to bed.

 

[Maynard679]

You could also have the school kids take flyer's and business cards home to their parents.

 

[breathe72]

Down here in Alabama, one smart thing to do is get a job driving a school bus. They always seem to be looking for drivers, you get full Blue Cross, Blue Shield insurance and a $15,000 a year salary. You're free to clean from around 9 AM to 1 PM and then again from 4 PM until you want to go to bed.

Ok, that will officially go down as the dumbest advice on this thread yet.

Yeah, lets drive school buses til the jobs come in.

Sorry Marty, Anything that begins with "down here in Alabama...." makes me hear the banjos.



I said it, Ken said it, and others said it:

BORROW MORE MONEY TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS

translates into "buying a job"

but it works.