Decided to start a business to facilitate ER

[TargaDave]

Not to nit-pick, but I think that quote is from Charles Kingsley (it's the accountant in me that makes me notice mundane details like this!)

Yep, I googled and came up with C Kingsley. I pass all blame to HaHa on regarding Einstein. Still love the quote.

 

[HFWR]

I second the getting good help; ever been in a Tx attic in summah

 

[thefed]

Funny thing guys: I'm having a helluva time gettng some business cards made up RIGHT. I had a local printer do some, and they were crappy, so I requested they were done over...and they gave me an allmighty attitude. SO, I'm taking my business elsewhere. I tried to do some online, but cant get my graphics to appear correctly.

Such a simple task, yet sooo time consuming....

 

[HFWR]

Kinko's...

 

[REWahoo]

Kinko's...

Since FedEx bought them they've changed their name to Finko's...

 

[justin]

Funny thing guys: I'm having a helluva time gettng some business cards made up RIGHT. I had a local printer do some, and they were crappy, so I requested they were done over...and they gave me an allmighty attitude. SO, I'm taking my business elsewhere. I tried to do some online, but cant get my graphics to appear correctly.

Such a simple task, yet sooo time consuming....

Welcome to Small Business Ownership 101. And expect 100 more of these little issues to pop up before you start making money.

 

[thefed]

Welcome to Small Business Ownership 101. And expect 100 more of these little issues to pop up before you start making money.

i hear ya. workign a 9-5 doesnt help much either....

 

[thefed]

So who's a marketing guru here?

What brilliant marketing ideas for my new company do you all have? I'm looking for the most effective, yet cost-effective methods. Nearly free is company "alliances" that can give referral.s Yellow pages is a must (and creating an ad is a whole new ballgame....need to find a pro marketer to make it worthwhile). Newspapers, dollar saver magazines

What else am I missing? I'm not interested in radio or TV, too much $$!LOL

Any ideas will be super...every day I'm getting closer and closer to "opening up shop".

 

[brewer12345]

So who's a marketing guru here?

What brilliant marketing ideas for my new company do you all have?  I'm looking for the most effective, yet cost-effective methods. Nearly free is company "alliances" that can give referral.s Yellow pages is a must (and creating an ad is a whole new ballgame....need to find a pro marketer to make it worthwhile).  Newspapers, dollar saver magazines

What else am I missing?  I'm not interested in radio or TV, too much $$!LOL

Any ideas will be super...every day I'm getting closer and closer to "opening up shop".

We've already mentioned mailers in envelopes (called "money mailer" near me). How about tacking flyers in suburban home mailboxes?

 

[wabmester]

What brilliant marketing ideas for my new company do you all have?

Have you heard of Happy Crack?    Here's a guy who repairs concrete cracks.   The most boring business you can imagine.   And he created a cult following:

Mr.  Happy Crack

This sort of approach is no harder to do than the typical boring approach, but it's much more effective and fun.   Your challenge as a duct cleaner is to distinguish yourself from every other duct cleaner in the yellow pages and to get people interested enough in your service to give you a second look.

How about calling yourself Duct Man, and licensing the DuckMan character?

 

[acg]

 Your challenge as a duct cleaner is to distinguish yourself from every other duct cleaner in the yellow pages and to get people interested enough in your service to give you a second look.

How about calling yourself Duct Man, and licensing the DuckMan character?

Here's another fun name I seen yesterday for a duct cleaner...

Air Force One...

your phone message greeting could be: "The force is with you, thanks for calling Air Force One..."

Plus, you would be one of the first in the yellow pages under "A".

All the Best to you!

 

[thefed]

Or have a picture of a french maid with large breasts saying "I'll suck your Ducts for 200 bucks!"

LOL


this may sound like a dumb ?, but do you think letterhead is a worthwhile investment? I can BUY thicker stock paper for 55.00 for 500 sheets, and simply print my logo and the letters out on my home printer. OR, for about 140.00, I can have professionally made letterhead with color logo at the top, and a footer.

OR, do you think that neither is needed, and I should just use computer paper with the logo at the top of each document,printed @ home.

These letters will be going out to potential "alliance"-worthy companies.

 

[REWahoo]

Here's another fun name I seen yesterday for a duct cleaner...

Air Force One...

your phone message greeting could be: "The force is with you, thanks for calling Air Force One..."

Plus, you would be one of the first in the yellow pages under "A".

All the Best to you!

Whatever your name your motto could be:

"We Outsuck the Competition!"

 

[SteveR]

I can see where this is going to go....

 

[HFWR]

Local drilling concern has the motto "Your hole is our goal"...

I would not expend my much-needed capital on expensive letterheads and such; homemade or boilerplate. Spend that moolah on advertising!!!

 

[SteveR]

Ok..........I can't hold back anymore...

"Let us suck your ducts"

 

[Sheryl]

I wouldn't spend the $ on letterhead, at least not at first. If you have a decent color printer, and good paper that's enough.

On the marketing - check out networking clubs - I hate the ones where you have to generate a number of leads every week, but some are less formal.

Or start one yourself where people in related businesses all come once a week and share tips. Breakfast is good.

Chamber of Commerce can be good depends on the town.

Is there a Building Industry Association?

Welcome wagon? (Do people want to get their ducts cleaned when they buy a new house?)

I think networking, getting your name out there with others in realted industries, is key.

If you are in the Akron area, I assume you're going to hit all the little weekly papers, there is one in Tallmadge (Tallmadge Express) where my mom found most of the services she wanted. Stow, Hudson, etc. All the small towns have them.

 

[thefed]

Welcome wagon? (Do people want to get their ducts cleaned when they buy a new house?)

WOW! I like that one...never would have considered it. How would I find who puts these things together? I want to say that I got one when I moved in a while back, my parents did etc....I jsut dont knwo how to contact those people

 

[SteveR]

One area that you might "specialize" in might be new home construction. I saw the junk these construction guys left in my vents. Maybe you can work with a construction company to do this as part of the clean up of the house before sale.

Also, what about commercial office buildings?

Restaurants...kitchen vents have to get pretty yucky after a while.

Just some random thoughts.

 

[thefed]

One area that you might "specialize" in might be new home construction. I saw the junk these construction guys left in my vents. Maybe you can work with a construction company to do this as part of the clean up of the house before sale.

Also, what about commercial office buildings?

Restaurants...kitchen vents have to get pretty yucky after a while.

Just some random thoughts.

Indeed, I am trying to focus on new-home construction. Kitchen vents are a good one too....might need some special equipment, but definately a possibility.

 

[Nords]

What brilliant marketing ideas for my new company do you all have?

Craigslist.

this may sound like a dumb ?, but do you think letterhead is a worthwhile investment? I can BUY thicker stock paper for 55.00 for 500 sheets, and simply print my logo and the letters out on my home printer. OR, for about 140.00, I can have professionally made letterhead with color logo at the top, and a footer.

OR, do you think that neither is needed, and I should just use computer paper with the logo at the top of each document,printed @ home.

These letters will be going out to potential "alliance"-worthy companies.

I've never had a real job, but shouldn't the first step to be to clean a few ducts and get the cashflow started before planning the business cards, the letterhead, the alliances, and the global domination?

 

[TargaDave]

I've never had a real job, but shouldn't the first step to be to clean a few ducts and get the cashflow started before planning the business cards, the letterhead, the alliances, and the global domination?

Good point for someone who's never had a real job. Better yet work as employee for someone in the same business (different location so you don't create an enemy). You learn a lot more than any research. Every start up is a best guess with constant course corrections along the way. Experience makes for a better guess.

 

[thefed]

Craigslist.
I've never had a real job, but shouldn't the first step to be to clean a few ducts and get the cashflow started before planning the business cards, the letterhead, the alliances, and the global domination?

considered it, but the cleanign techniques are somethign i can definately tackle by doing my own hoem, as well as family's homes for practice. In order to DRUM UP businees, I need to be incontact with various campanies to form these alliance for, as you put it, "global domination" LOL. Yellow Pages is closed for ads for a year. I haveto go other routes....and the "alliances" are the ticket imo

 

[Nords]

considered it, but the cleanign techniques are somethign i can definately tackle by doing my own hoem, as well as family's homes for practice.  In order to DRUM UP businees, I need to be incontact with various campanies to form these alliance for, as you put it, "global domination" LOL.  Yellow Pages is closed for ads for a year.  I haveto go other routes....and the "alliances" are the ticket imo

Well, that's my point. Family & friends will do more for you. You're chasing after companies/people who need nothing from you and have no reason to be interested in you, and in appearances that project image instead of generating cash. Perhaps it's better to stick with the referrals and the places where the marketing is run by the customers-- like Craigslist. It's a risk-free approach. If it works, great. If it doesn't, you're not out a pile of cash on cards, letterhead, or "alliance" fees.

My fellow tae kwon do parent, Kenny the carpenter, doesn't advertise. He doesn't have alliances with major construction firms or homebuilders or real estate companies or decorators or anyone else in the business. (Although they're all good drinking buddies.) What he has is a bunch of customers whose kitchens & houses speak for themselves. I think the results reflect his success. He's padding his estimates by 35% and he's still turning away business yet working 60-hour weeks. He has his customers on caller ID but otherwise his cell phone goes straight to voice mail. He doesn't get contracts from his drinking buddies, he gets them from new customers who've been wowed by his work for his other customers.

By maintaining my own home (and relatives & friends & neighbors) I have more unsolicited handyman business than I care to tackle. I don't HAVE business cards, nor Yellow Pages ads, nor alliances. Heck, I don't even have a plumber's or an electrician's license. I haven't had to beat a single drum because "my" putative "customers" do it for me.

But, hey, I've never had to make a living at this. All I've ever had to do is sit back and think about it... you gotta do what "works" for you.

 

[thefed]

i appreciate and understand your position here.

the thing is, how do I clean ducts if nobody knows I do it? lol. MARKETING! I'm a firm believer that MARKETING and IMAGE are the two most important aspects to a business. Some will argue that quality of work is #1, but I think that either adds or detracts from your image.

what company do YOU hire? you're a property manager for a 100 unit apartment. Both companies have the same experience, insurance, referrals etc...EVERYTHINGS the same. 2 identical letters, 2 identical prices and services, but one on letterhead, in a company envelope with business cards. The other is on regular computer paper, no logo, no business cards.

I personally would go with the company that projects the more professional image.

And as far a marketing...thats a no brainer. marketing is a must if you want to IMMEDIATELY sell your services or products. I COULD very slowly build business off of referrals, but a few thousand in ads will more than pay for themselves, IMHO...considering referrals should be comign as a RESULT of the people who answer the ads...exponential growth.

Your method works for you because you dont need to do it to make a living, whereas that is my goal. And thus, liek you said, "Do what 'works' for you"...