When you start your own web design business the hardest thing is finding customers. You might be great at design, but perhaps you don’t quite have the right marketing skills to get it off the ground. This could be the difference between surviving or going under. At the very least you need to be bringing in enough money to put food on your table. So what will you do? Will you throw up your fancy website and wait for clients to get in contact?
If you answered yes to that question then you might find yourself down at the employment office faster than you think. The easiest way to find clients is by getting off your seat and hunting them down. Now you might be wondering how you can hunt down clients. You won’t even know where they are. Will you just stop random people in the street and ask them if they’d like a website? I’m sure they’d really like that.
Local businesses
The perfect opportunity lies for you in the local business market. You need to start by making a list of all the local businesses in your local area. Have a plan before you begin. Now you can start picking up the phone and calling around, but the chances you will even get to speak to someone in charge is pretty low.
The only way you can maximize your chances is by going around on foot. Personally going inside each shop and asking to speak to the person in charge. First you must go to the businesses that don’t already have a website. Sell it to them. Once you have made your way around I’d like to think you’ll have closed some sales.
Take an iPad
Unless you’re the best salesperson in the world it could be quite difficult to sell a website to someone if they have no idea what it will look like. They don’t know you and what you’re capable of. They have no reason to trust you with anything. If you take an iPad with you this can completely change the outcome.
Show them your best work. Make it hard for them to say no. If you are letting them see how great their website will be it could be hard for them to resist. Once it’s in their face they might become attached to it. Especially if they were already thinking of having one done. And who isn’t these days?
Make extra money
Let’s imagine you have made the sale. Actually, imagine you have went around everyone on your list and are booked for the next few months. You can’t make any more money. Your profit is based on how many websites you can design and unless you take on more employees it’s hard to scale.
But not if you team up with an SEO company. If you can do this, you can up-sell them services to take their new website to the top of the search engines. Now you can take a commission for finding the SEO company extra work. It’s an easy way to make more money without the hassle of more staff. What do you think?
About the Author: James is a proficient blogger who writes articles on web designing and development. He is recognized as a keynote speaker for delivering excellent speeches, corporate presentations and trainings that are educational, motivational and entertaining.
A Laundromat is the perfect business for anyone who wants a profitable business with the potential to grow but doesn’t want to spend all their time working. Most owners of Laundromats truly enjoy the business so much that a lot of them open multiple stores. Having a business that doesn’t require a lot of involvement but delivers a comfortable profit is a wonderful opportunity.
You might ask yourself why you should consider something as unexciting as a Laundromat when there are so many exciting ventures available. The short answer is that this is a business with a very low failure rate and a sound business concept. Laundromat owners make money even when other businesses are floundering, no matter what shape the economy is in. It’s a service that everyone need. People will cut corners and find cheaper ways to do things but there are few people that are willing to wash their own clothing in their sink or bathtub.
Laundromats are used by people from every income group. Even the wealthiest people use Laundromats that provide a service that lets them drop off their washing and pick it up later when it has been washed, dried and folded. Businesses, especially smaller ones, use Laundromats for their linens and other items.
Once you succeed with one Laundromat you may want to start another in a different location. You won’t be working 20 hour days like a lot of business owners do to get their businesses on their feet as it takes just a few hours a week to maintain the store, collect the coins, replenish the change machines and do the accounting. It’s a partially automated business that doesn’t require a lot of attention from the owner.
Image: midorisyu / Flickr
A Business Full of Opportunities
You can start your Laundromat in a few different ways depending on how fast you need it to be profitable and how much financing you have available. You can buy an already existing store that is doing well with an established clientele. You may want to opt for one that is not doing well so that you can get it at a bargain price. If you have a lot of financial resources, you can start your own from the bottom up. If you choose the latter you can often get a good deal on your lease because Laundromats are viewed as “anchor” stores by strip mall landlords. They usually sig long leases and support other businesses by bringing in regular customers.
If you are successful with your first Laundromat you might want to follow the Franchise business model. Opening a couple more Laundromats and selling or leasing them to entrepreneurs like yourself can bring you a very nice passive income.
What will it Cost?
A Laundromat has some pretty hefty start up costs, one of the few drawbacks of starting this kind of business. You’ll have to allow for building costs or renovation if you decide to start from scratch as well as the cost of washers, dryers, coin changing machines, sewage and waste disposal. Don’t forget about insurance and security systems if you should need them.
Promoting Your Business
Laundromats don’t need much in the way of marketing and you probably won’t be doing much of it after your business becomes known in the community. You’ll need good signage, of course, and that’s one area you can use to attract a better class of customer. A cheap, garish sign like “Duds ‘N Suds” will attract a different sort of person than a sign with “Laundromat” in a distinctive font or cursive with an understated color scheme. Making the inside of the store attractive and comfortable will also help the store attract a more positive trade.
Distributing flyers and having a launch party will let the community know you’re there and give them a chance to visit the premises. You should consider giving your store a website, which can be invaluable for promotions and publicity. You can draw your clients in with web-based newsletters that contain laundry hints, industry news and updates on the latest fashions and how to care for the fabrics involved. You could even stage a contest a few times a year that gives the winner a free wash and dry or kids’ coloring pages on holidays. Your clients will have fun and fell as if your store is “their” Laundromat. Compete with other stores by offering morning coffee or pay for play game machines; anything that increases customer comfort will help keep your store busy.
Location, Location, Location!
You can have the best store in the world but it will be a failure if you don’t choose the proper location. Study the demographics of any neighborhood you’re considering. You’ll need young families in apartments, students, maybe even some upper income clients to whom you can offer drop off and pick up service.
What can you afford? The best sites are priced accordingly but paying a little extra will generally result in healthier profits. On the other hand, a creative marketing program can keep customers coming in to a less desired location. You’ll need to assess the parking situation, whether your customers will be safe at night and if there are other businesses whose customers will be interested in your store.
Knowing your competitors is one of your best tools to success. Know their locations because if there are too many in one small area, none of them will do very well. It’s hard to make people break a habit and switch Laundromats.
How Do You Want to Manage Your Store?
One of the best aspects of running a Laundromat is the short work week. If you have just one store or even two, you’ll probably be working less than 10 hours per week to keep everything running smoothly. Once you grow larger you will probably need to hire a few employees to manage and maintain the stores. The advantage of having employees is that you can offer some premium services like small mending repairs, button replacements, washing, ironing and folding. The disadvantage is employee turnover, employees calling in sick at the last moment and other problems employers encounter. You’ll have to think about such situations and make some contingency plans. Running one store by yourself is quite different from being an employer.
You should decide if you want to keep the store open 24 hours a day or stick to an early morning to mid-evening schedule. You’ll save on utilities if you close at night but if you live near a large student population you could miss out on a lot of business. On the other hand, if your clientele is mostly young families or working people there won’t be much demand for your store’s services after 9PM. You may also save on insurance premiums if the store is closed at night.
Don’t forget that your machines will need maintenance and repairs. If you don’t know enough to make these repairs you should find a reliable person or company before you open your store. You can often find retired appliance repair personnel who are happy to pick up some work or you might see which companies others in your industry use. Being ready when a machine needs work will keep your store running smoothly and keep your customers happy.
If you are looking for more details on the laundromat business you can find more articles at OpeningaLaundromat.com
As in any case, starting a consulting business isn’t easy. It takes a certain character, drive and passion to be able to stick through the roughest of times. Starting a consulting business, however, is very different from simply being a consultant at a firm. At that point, you are no longer an employee – you are a business owner in charge of clients, business operations, finances, and much more. Consider these 3 obstacles before getting started.
“Strong expertise and solid reputation do not guarantee success in the consulting business. Never make the mistake in believing that your reputation can sell itself on auto-pilot mode and that you can simply sit and wait for work. As a consultant, you need to aggressively sell your product – you!” – PowerHomebiz.com
Getting Clients
The first hurdle you’re likely to encounter is getting clients. This is a difficult task, as it could take years to build a strong, profitable client base. However, coming into this business, you have likely had experience with clients via your old or current job. This will be a great starting point in tackling this first step of the process.
Old clients: Clients that are no longer with your current or old firm are your best starting place. Because they no longer have an attachment, it should be a non-issue to contact them in regards to your own business.
Partnering: You can consider partnering with your current or old company. If you’ve had great recommendations from clients and an excellent track record, you can make a case for why the two companies should come together, in a long distance working relationship. This will help with name recognition, as well as client attraction.
Being Unique
In any business, it’s a struggle to be unique. It seems as though everything has already been done, so it can be hard distinguishing yourself in a sea of other consultants. Regardless, there are a number of ways you can be sure to stand alone that is both effective and beneficial.
Be diverse: Don’t just do business consulting, change up your range of services so you will appeal to a larger audience. Some companies may need help with more than one issue, and you’ll be the person that can fix that.
Be open: While you may not advertise certain services, it’s critical that you are open to various needs. If a client is looking for you to aid in something different, consider it before saying no. This makes for a happy client, and great referral.
Marketing Yourself
One of the toughest transitions may be adding marketing to your list of duties. If you’ve worked in a well known firm, they have marketing and years of experience in place to attract new clients. You, on the other hand, have minimal experience as a business owner and perhaps very little experience in the field of marketing. Luckily, the online world makes it a cinch for newbie marketers to get their business out there.
Social media: You are already on Facebook and Twitter, so just cater them to your business or start new accounts. Be active, engage with potential customers or old clients, and build your reputation.
Email marketing: If you have been able to compile a list of emails from current or old clients, begin your email marketing campaign. This is a very effective way to reach potential clients and get some word of mouth marketing.
There are many challenges you’ll face when starting your own consulting business. However, there are always techniques and tactics you can use to side step them. Becoming successful as a business owner is all about remembering, “When there’s a will, there’s a way.” So take advantage of networking opportunities and old relationships to start off on the right foot.
About the Author: Sara Fletcher is interested in emotional intelligence in leadership and understanding her DISC assessment. She loves to explore psychology, business, and sports in relation to eq tests.
Many people understand the importance of using professional cleaning services and appreciate the solutions that carpet cleaning businesses provide. On the other hand, many people are in search of either full time or part time income earning opportunities. If you are considering starting this type of business, you have a good opportunity to generate an impressive income because plenty of opportunities are available in commercial and residential properties.
Business start-ups require entrepreneurs to do their homework well by researching on every aspect of the business and having a business plan prior to launching. Rug cleaning is no different. You are likely to have a successful business if you arm yourself with all the necessary information about the business.
How to start a successful carpet cleaning business?
Business location
Most entrepreneurs who get into the business of cleaning carpets start their businesses from home. Some may eventually move to other business premises, but this implies additional cost. Before you decide to base your business in your home, find out about the local authority’s regulations that govern the running businesses from residential premises.
If you choose to rent commercial premises, identify a reasonably priced facility with ample space that meets your business operations requirements.
What do you know?
One of the best things about starting a rug cleaning business is that you hardly require any special skills or certification. However, you need to have good knowledge of professional equipment and products used for cleaning carpets in addition to learning skills necessary for running a successful business.
Hiring staff with experience in cleaning rugs is a good idea if you only have basic knowledge of the business. You will need to keep updating your knowledge about new cleaning equipment, supplies and invest in those that will add most value to your business.
Licensing
For this type of business, you will require to obtain a Business License before getting started. You may find it necessary to incorporate your business once you grow your assets.
Determine your clientele
Some businesses serve multiple clients successfully while others choose to target a niche market and focus on meeting their needs. Your research should guide you on which market you can serve best and create customer loyalty.
To franchise or not?
Franchising is a good option when you are starting out. Your business gets support in terms of marketing, advertising and operations. It is much easier to work with an already established business with a known name. However, franchising may not work to your advantage once your business is established.
Equipment
You will need to invest in cleaning equipment like steam and vacuum cleaners as well as cleaning supplies. You can start with light equipment and upgrade as your business grows. In addition, you have a choice between buying and hiring cleaning equipment. You may need to consider purchasing a van to transport equipment and staff.
Hiring Staff
Lounge cleaning businesses require workforce especially cleaners, assistants and administrative staff. The amount of work determines the size of workforce. Recruit staff with knowledge of using the equipment used in cleaning carpets.
Pricing
Draw up a reasonable pricing plan for your rug cleaning services. You are starting a business to provide a service in return for profit. Therefore, your pricing should allow you to cover your expenses and give you a profit.
Marketing
Getting your marketing right can mean business success. Establish and maximize on the most effective marketing and advertising strategies for your business.
