Read the book by Rachel Cruze "Business Boutique" (Don't mind the title of 'boutique' tho) She gives great advice on being a sole proprietor from everything to setting and sticking to your hours; giving a positive 'no'; setting and sticking to price structures and creating a business based on word of mouth.
Rachel is the daughter of debt-free living guru, Dave Ramsey. We gave this book to our daughter when she struck out on her own, and she often quotes it to other budding entrepreneurs like yourself!
Best of luck on your new business - in a few years you'll have more business then you can handle!
If I had a service business I'd get a decal for my vehicle riding around town on days of no business - advertising my contact information - and faking it before making it - seemingly out and about.
If you put a number on your truck like "05" or something as well in a professional looking place along with you logo it makes it seem like you have a multiple vehicle fleet ;)
USPS has targetted advertising if you decide to send flyers to certain areas (maybe you can find places where crawlspaces are more prominent due to the type of houses built or places near wooded areas where animals may be).
Get someone familiar with setting up a business involved. At least in the two states I've done there's lots of different options to choose. C Corp S Corp LLC etc to make sure you pick the correct one and all the other jazz that goes along. Also book keepers help because to be legit you'll have quarterly tax filings/things to fill out regardless of any income. None of this is that hard but it helps to have someone get your squared away so you know what to do and how to do it.
Contact the local Association of Realtors and see if you can buy a small advertisement on their web newsletters. Nothing kills a sale like a rotting carcass in the crawl space.
Other potential clients would include management companies, financial institutions, and educational institutions/local school system. Lots of portable classrooms have issues with critters.
And decide on a clever company name that people can remember.
Rodent Ransack. No chemicals. Strictly affordable removal. I never even thought of institutions or schools. My thought was to provide service to the folks that cannot afford a big company to come in. Now I need to think about more. I appreciate this.
And figure that you will also encounter live animals like feral cats. Think about reaching out to local organizations that provide fix/neuter services for feral animals or animals in general.
If you offering safe trapping you need someone to hand off the trapped critter. Naturally, if it is raccoons or possums, they can generally be released into local wildlife areas. Check with the municipality.
Don't know if you've watched the show "Billy the Exterminator"; if you haven't, I think it would be valuable. You need to brand yourself.
I called my competitors earlier in the week to check their prices and how they remove. Most pest companies around here deal with bugs and contract their rodents to a removal company. I'm not looking to replace those contracts.
They said rodents cannot be re-released because of rabies. Unsure about cats or dogs. Already have ins with the local vets and shelters.
I have heard of Billy, never watched it. I'm not looking to expand much or make even 6 figures. Then again, I have no idea what is in store for me with this.
Billy the Exterminator was on A&E; show was about a family pest control company in Louisiana. Lots of episodes on Youtube.
And with respect to feral cats - many feral cat non-profits will pick up trapped cats and provide free spay, neuter, and vaccinations. The cats will be released back to the general area where they were trapped.
I tried to get mentored through them through my library but there was no one near my area interested in tech so I think this resource is mostly random luck if someone is near you and interested in your specialty.
The local SCORE is on the state business startup website. Unsure of what it was but I called today and no answer. Now I know. Calling again in the morning. I appreciate the help.
Not even a registered company at this point and probably will not hire anyone. Don't indend on making much, just want to have something for myself. It seems easy enough to start, start up cost is low. You should look into starting something too
Getting ready to start building a home. Still need a solid income. Thanks for responding though. Will probably go out alone after our house is near completion.
You will need to advertise. I recommend staying far away from social media, because you know why. Put out flyers locally. Perhaps there are places where you live that allow you to put up a paper “billboard” advertising your services. Maybe hardware stores or places like that? Good luck.
I believe you need to find an electronic way to get customer reviews online so people can see the work you have done, and how pleased they were with that work. I am not sure what alternatives there are out there to doing that - from a small business perspective - on Facebook.
Also advertising online through the Yellow Pages in your local area would be useful.
Undercutting the bigger competition is smart as you are a one man shop. Make sure you “pay yourself first” meaning you don’t take on jobs that will lose money (your time).
No one is addressing risk. You want to strcture things so that if someone sues you you can just disolve the business with its limited assets and be done.
If that means you do things like pay yourself all the money or something idk, you need to talk to a lawyer or accountant for that sort of stuff in detail.
Oh also, depending on the type of business you may want to build it up from the start to account for auditing, compliance, due diligence requests, etc..
Read the book by Rachel Cruze "Business Boutique" (Don't mind the title of 'boutique' tho) She gives great advice on being a sole proprietor from everything to setting and sticking to your hours; giving a positive 'no'; setting and sticking to price structures and creating a business based on word of mouth.
Rachel is the daughter of debt-free living guru, Dave Ramsey. We gave this book to our daughter when she struck out on her own, and she often quotes it to other budding entrepreneurs like yourself!
Best of luck on your new business - in a few years you'll have more business then you can handle!
Will check it out, I'm all about different opinions and ideas. Thank you
If I had a service business I'd get a decal for my vehicle riding around town on days of no business - advertising my contact information - and faking it before making it - seemingly out and about.
If you put a number on your truck like "05" or something as well in a professional looking place along with you logo it makes it seem like you have a multiple vehicle fleet ;)
Ooooooohhh. Great call
Would the business need to be registered with the state or could I get away with treating it like a kid with a lawnmower?
I'd register any business with the state. I have an LLC registered and it only costs me 100 every 2 yrs. State costs would vary, naturally.
Make sure you purchase a 'general liability' business insurance policy. Absolute must. Also. The policy needs to be from an A+ insurance company.
USPS has targetted advertising if you decide to send flyers to certain areas (maybe you can find places where crawlspaces are more prominent due to the type of houses built or places near wooded areas where animals may be).
Great idea. Thank you
Do you know what proposals, purchase orders, invoices etc are? If not get yourself familiar with those terms
In text terms I can understand them. Not business terms. I appreciate that.
Get someone familiar with setting up a business involved. At least in the two states I've done there's lots of different options to choose. C Corp S Corp LLC etc to make sure you pick the correct one and all the other jazz that goes along. Also book keepers help because to be legit you'll have quarterly tax filings/things to fill out regardless of any income. None of this is that hard but it helps to have someone get your squared away so you know what to do and how to do it.
Contact the local Association of Realtors and see if you can buy a small advertisement on their web newsletters. Nothing kills a sale like a rotting carcass in the crawl space.
Other potential clients would include management companies, financial institutions, and educational institutions/local school system. Lots of portable classrooms have issues with critters.
And decide on a clever company name that people can remember.
Rodent Ransack. No chemicals. Strictly affordable removal. I never even thought of institutions or schools. My thought was to provide service to the folks that cannot afford a big company to come in. Now I need to think about more. I appreciate this.
Glad to help.
And figure that you will also encounter live animals like feral cats. Think about reaching out to local organizations that provide fix/neuter services for feral animals or animals in general.
If you offering safe trapping you need someone to hand off the trapped critter. Naturally, if it is raccoons or possums, they can generally be released into local wildlife areas. Check with the municipality.
Don't know if you've watched the show "Billy the Exterminator"; if you haven't, I think it would be valuable. You need to brand yourself.
Feral cats are a real problem around here.
I called my competitors earlier in the week to check their prices and how they remove. Most pest companies around here deal with bugs and contract their rodents to a removal company. I'm not looking to replace those contracts.
They said rodents cannot be re-released because of rabies. Unsure about cats or dogs. Already have ins with the local vets and shelters.
I have heard of Billy, never watched it. I'm not looking to expand much or make even 6 figures. Then again, I have no idea what is in store for me with this.
Billy the Exterminator was on A&E; show was about a family pest control company in Louisiana. Lots of episodes on Youtube.
And with respect to feral cats - many feral cat non-profits will pick up trapped cats and provide free spay, neuter, and vaccinations. The cats will be released back to the general area where they were trapped.
GnuCash is free accounting software - https://gnucash.org/
Have a disabled person of color apply for the loan
Best idea yet. Can I identify as one or are we not quite there yet?
Some people like mentors.
This group does that - it's usually people that have already ran businesses who help others (because they like it, often retired).
https://www.score.org/
I tried to get mentored through them through my library but there was no one near my area interested in tech so I think this resource is mostly random luck if someone is near you and interested in your specialty.
The local SCORE is on the state business startup website. Unsure of what it was but I called today and no answer. Now I know. Calling again in the morning. I appreciate the help.
Two questions. Where are you located, and are you hiring? Kind of serious, but not yet ready to leave current employer.
Not even a registered company at this point and probably will not hire anyone. Don't indend on making much, just want to have something for myself. It seems easy enough to start, start up cost is low. You should look into starting something too
Getting ready to start building a home. Still need a solid income. Thanks for responding though. Will probably go out alone after our house is near completion.
Don't eat the merchandise.
Are you stalking me? Really though, if they are freshly dead animals, why couldn't I recycle the hides and sell them at an auction?
You will need to advertise. I recommend staying far away from social media, because you know why. Put out flyers locally. Perhaps there are places where you live that allow you to put up a paper “billboard” advertising your services. Maybe hardware stores or places like that? Good luck.
Absolutely, thanks. What about undercutting the bigger companies? If they charge $200 for a removal, should I charge $75 to get my name out there?
I believe you need to find an electronic way to get customer reviews online so people can see the work you have done, and how pleased they were with that work. I am not sure what alternatives there are out there to doing that - from a small business perspective - on Facebook.
Also advertising online through the Yellow Pages in your local area would be useful.
Undercutting the bigger competition is smart as you are a one man shop. Make sure you “pay yourself first” meaning you don’t take on jobs that will lose money (your time).
No one is addressing risk. You want to strcture things so that if someone sues you you can just disolve the business with its limited assets and be done.
If that means you do things like pay yourself all the money or something idk, you need to talk to a lawyer or accountant for that sort of stuff in detail.
Oh also, depending on the type of business you may want to build it up from the start to account for auditing, compliance, due diligence requests, etc..