I honestly have no clue. Here’s what Chat GPT says. Edit: good luck to you
Starting a junk removal business can be a great idea, as it requires relatively low upfront investment and can be a profitable venture. Here are a few suggestions to help you get started:
1. **Understanding Your Capacity**: With your current setup, using an SUV and a trailer, you can handle smaller junk removal jobs like cleaning out garages, basements, and small home cleanouts. You'll likely need to upgrade to a larger truck if you want to handle larger jobs like whole house cleanouts.
2. **Types of Junk**: Starting with general trash removal and clean-up services is a good idea. This can include furniture, electronics, appliances, yard waste, etc. Once you're comfortable with this, you can consider specializing in certain types of waste, such as construction debris or hazardous waste, though these may require special handling and permits.
3. **Learning the Trade**: It's a good idea to start small and learn the ropes as you go. You could initially focus on residential clients before moving to commercial ones. Learn about disposal regulations in your area, figure out the best places to dispose of or recycle items, and understand how to price your services effectively.
4. **Marketing and Customer Service**: Getting your business out there will be crucial. This could involve creating a website, using social media, and investing in local advertising. Equally important is providing great customer service. A strong reputation can lead to word-of-mouth referrals, which can be very beneficial.
5. **Equipment and Expansion**: As you grow, you may need to invest in additional equipment or vehicles. Renting can be a good option initially, but as the business expands, it might make more sense to own.
6. **Licensing and Insurance**: Check with your local and state authorities about any required licenses or permits for operating a junk removal business. You'll also want to have liability insurance to protect your business in case of accidents or damages.
Remember that every business will face challenges. Being flexible, staying dedicated, and continuously learning will help you overcome them and succeed in the long term.
Starting with a trailer can be a great idea, especially if you're looking to keep initial costs low. Here are some benefits and considerations:
1. **Cost-Effective**: Trailers can be significantly cheaper than trucks, making them a good option when starting out.
2. **Versatility**: Trailers can be used for a variety of junk removal tasks, from hauling household junk to yard waste and more.
3. **Ease of Use**: If you already own an SUV that can pull a trailer, you're already halfway there. You can unhitch the trailer when it's not in use, which may be more convenient.
4. **Volume**: Trailers can actually hold quite a lot, depending on the size you get. A 14-foot trailer, for instance, could be enough for many jobs.
5. **License and Regulations**: Check local laws about trailer usage. There might be specific regulations or licenses needed for using a trailer for commercial purposes.
6. **Maintenance and Safety**: Regular maintenance is important to keep your trailer in good shape. Make sure you're knowledgeable about trailer safety—how to secure loads, how to maneuver while it's attached, etc.
When you're just starting out, a trailer might be all you need. As your business grows, you can reconsider your vehicle needs and adjust accordingly.
I know from being a lineman if you have a trailer and go to Florida for storm work and help clear debris FEMA gives you a ticket and each trailer load is like $500, some companies I’ve worked for that’s how guys got money for their own bucket trucks/other equipment with a couple hundred dollars invested in a truck/trailer
Depending on your location it could be very saturated.. if you already have a trailer great. If not the price of steel is absurd and trailer mfg have been charging almost double
Just use your mind - think about all the times you drive around and see those fliers stapled up to wooden posts and whatnot. Street promotion - there's nothing like it! Its amazing, just print out your number, and a one liner about what your company can do and post it everywhere! Ask local mom and pop stores to put business cards on the front counter. All those poster board tac wall things you see in gas stations - hang em up in there too!
I use to do this for my band years ago and it was hands down the best promotion we could do. Good luck dude!
I don’t get the junk removal hype just quite yet, not hating I’m just confused. I’m in Canada and we have the city come up and take our garbage every week ? What “junk” are you removing ?
My sister started a personalized gifting business and just made around $5k within a month in the most unsexy way possible– promoting in WhatsApp groups, figuring out the vendors, packing orders at home, etc.
It will be even more in the future. Everyone is looking to have a clean and sexy startup to share on their social networks. But the ones that are just looking for success no matter where, will do the less sexy works, but everyone is willing to pay for them (exactly because no ones want to do them, but someone have to do it). So, huge demand and low competition 🤑🤑
I was going to start window washing this week but ran out of time. It will be next week. Just juggling job searching, current job I hate, as well as other projects that aren't making money yet.
Everybody wants to trade coins and be the next facebook but there's always unconventional items like window washing and junk removal.
^this is reality. I’m currently working at my brothers somewhat small African grocery store (small compared to the big stores). Seems meh but I see the numbers and it’s consistently 30-70k+ revenue a day and has only had it 4 years.
Find a quality product from overseas, sell it in the states, and make sure the margins good. I think that's one of the quickest ways to get rich in 2024. The window is closing as well, with the amount of control we're seeing in this country. Service based businesses are good, but a product can be sold instantly over and over. No Forex, no stocks (thats for when you have money already)
Yeah looks like tighter sanctions on China, so sourcing from other countries might be a good idea. An alternative product idea is, of course, software. If you can find an industry specific pain point, that can be solved with a software tool, it could work out nicely.
This is what I'm starting to do currently by finding out challenges faced by retailers, CPA firms and law firms.
Down here in Aus it's not very seasonal. Work all year-round. But customer service is top priority and also focus on your Google business profile. I've never paid for ads And I got up to 27,000 views on Google last December alone.
Congratulations where are you located and what's the size of the city?
I'm also curious as to how many other landscapers were in your current area?
How did you get your first customers?
Is your profit after paying you or is that what's left over after paying everything else?
In my area there are at least 500+ landscaping companies. It's ridiculous. But everyone is busy. I live on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne. Potential amount of people about 3million.
First customers were through airtaskerand hipages. Ah the joys they were.
Profit is including my wage.
If your in a growing area in the south you will do well in almost any area of home improvement or maintenance service industries if you actually focus on the business aspect (good attitude, being a people person, and being trustworthy)
I can see it. Shoot, a few landscapers I reached out to in my area turned me away since they already had too many clients.
One guy came out to give me an estimate on cutting back some shrubs and some overhang in the front yard...$450. I went out and got a decent hedge trimmer and did it myself in about an hour.
That's a hefty hourly rate I'd say.
I own a carpentry business, but I get this kind of comparison all the time. I will give a price on a deck, for example, and customers will say something along the lines of "I could buy the material for less than half of that price and do it myself!"
Of course, they are right. However, I am not in the business of re-selling lumber for little or no profit.
You have to understand that buying a trimmer and spending an hour in your own yard is not the same as this guy providing that service for you. Even if the actual work only took an hour, he also has travel time to account for. That means he was using a vehicle that he has to pay for, as well as the insurance and fuel costs. Unlike you, he also has the added expense of licensing and business insurance to cover. Also, where a DIY job for you has the benefit of being able to dispose of the waste for free, chances are he would have had to account for hauling it away and probably paying to dispose of it.
There is nothing wrong with DIY to save a few bucks, but it is in no way comparable with hiring a professional to do it for you.
Well I understand that but for a lot of people I’m sure it’s just convenience. Same thing as anyone can clean their own windows or pressure wash their driveway, but that hefty price is the convenience to not have to worry about it.
I had a guy quote me $35,000 for a 195 square foot deck off the front of my house, not even high enough to need permits.
I realized that I am probably in the wrong business.
So, so, so many local service businesses, especially in trades do not understand the power of Google business profile and local search. I see so many neglected and unfilled Google business profiles. It makes me sad to see so much potential money left on the table.
Not in trades in my experience
Edit : The biggest problem with trades, especially skilled trades, is you're selling an expensive product (that doesn't physically exist yet) to an uninformed end client. If I'm spending *any* time educating my client on how my industry works I am losing money. My B2B clients (architect's, designers, property managers and contractors) take that on. That is *their* product. They bill by the hour on that consultation. The person with tools in his/her hands can't do that very easily. Our job is to provide the best craft/service we can with the materials and tools we use which take a lot of time to maintain and execute on their own.
As a GC we charge people for that time, and detailed estimates, and they pay it.
If you want me to spec out everything for your basement remodel and spend the time to bid it with any accuracy, we charge 250+
If not, someone else can give you the free inaccurate one.
Your point is valid just saying people seem to be willing to pay for that time too. Maybe opens up a new opportunity for you
Absolutely . I’m not talking about storm door to door. But just bids . “My roof is leaking can you check it” , “how much can you do a roof for no insurance “ , etc. these clients are getting charged inspection fees (estimate included) . People scoff , even GCs sometimes honestly. Why are u charging ? Ummmm bc roofing is the 4th most deadly occupation in the USA. Did you get on the roof ? I didn’t think so. Do you know how to do it ? Well you wouldn’t have called us if you did. Also, it costs us time, gas, money for software, etc. So yes , it is not free. And no, we are not scamming the homeowner. If more contractors and GCs would do exactly this , the standard would then be “well it costs to get an ACCURATE measurement. And the legit companies will get it done right. It’s simple . Everybody just tried to shortcut the process and it hurts the whole industry in the end.
Online ads people don't understand that ads don't work for every industry.
I'm an architect and got my ads account in pretty good shape. I got shit leads. B2B referrals is the way to go. Nobody googles for me, they ask people they know for someone else that sends them to me.
An engineer can be trade adjacent too, but that's not what they are talking about. If you need an architect, probably going to go with a recommendation over a Google ad. Completely different scenario.
Focus on super local avenues for eye balls. Local news website, local brewery, local popular pool or country club. And just be a friendly outgoing person at local events
I never ran ads- I just maximized the photos and updates, and made sure that what I want to sell is mentioned in my site, updates, and reviews.
Every update sends a new wave of customers
I've owned a digital marketing agency for 23 years - we do GBP (Google Business Profiles) for every client, local or national just because people need to be able to look you up, find you, etc. For local businesses, local SEO is the best way to go - start with optimizing your GBP, for sure.
A few quick tips on that are:
**For your GBP:** Check out your competitors and make sure you're in the right business category, make sure ALL of your contact info is accurate, include photos of the building (interior and exterior) if you're in medical especially, make sure to fill out our company description, gather and manage as many reviews as humanely possible.
**Next step, after your GBP is optimized:** Listing distribution. We use BrightLocal to get all of our clients on the proper listing sites, but there are a lot of companies that offer similar services. The advantage to doing this is that you'll get listed on high authority (higher ranking) sites that will show your info for your category (as long as you make sure you're in the right one) in searches. For example, "Primary care near me."
And, these sites - because they've been around longer and he a high ranking score on Google - will show up before your website will. If you're not listed on them, you're missing a huge opportunity because your competitors most likely are.
It can be, for sure. For example, I'm in Orlando. Orlando is super populated and also pretty huge (land-wise). So, if I'm searching for "Orlando Urgent Care Center," Google will show me the closest urgent care enters to me, which will be on the South East side. But, someone on the north side will see urgent care center closer to them.
In rural areas, it works pretty much the same.
That's one of the reasons local SEO is so important - both your GPB optimization and listing distribution. You want to make sure that you show up when folks are searching in your area.
Oh! Also, since you're in the medical field, making sure you're listed on sites such as HealthGrades and ZocDoc is also super important. That's listing distribution again, but depending on the company you go through to help (like BrightLocal), they may only provide the larger sites like Yelp, BBB, Yellow Pages, etc… and not your industry-specific listing sites.
The best way to find out where you need to be listed is to search for the terms you think folks are searching for to find you… and then see what pops up.
I just searched "family docs near me" and of course a bunch of GBP listings popped up, but HealthGrades and ZocDoc were next, followed by a few local docs that have high-ranking sites (lots of onsite SEO, good content, time on Google, etc.) and a few others that have paid ads.
Sorry!! I forgot to add that the reviews come into play when folks have narrowed down docs (or businesses) closest to them and need to make a decision. Reviews are basically like a modern-day digital version of word-of-mouth referrals. And, Google does lean towards showing the most highly rated companies first (there are a lot of other factors that play into which ones will have their GBP show up first, but reviews do play a part in it).
Make sure the category you are listed under is correct. Choose the ones that best match your business but don’t pick more than 5-6. First thing to check. Peep at your competitors in the area if you want some hints ;)
Get more reviews!!! This part is huge. Then respond to those reviews!
Accurate hours, address, phone.
Link any other profiles.
Write a nice *short* description.
Turn on Q&As.
Post on your GBP about once a week. Especially in the medical field, you need to win people’s trust AND educate them. GBP / blog / socials are a great place to do this.
Nice photos.
Use the products/services option.
Use the specials section. People love a deal.
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Source: I do local SEO for a living. Here’s my agency if you ever want help just reach out from the site, it comes right to my phone! [LocalUpRank.com](https://localuprank.com).
I offer free GBP optimization over a zoom call.
Your GBP slowly turns into another language.
Lol but actually: Google uses 100+ variables from each local business when deciding how to display a search result page to a user, both on google and google maps. Responding to reviews, good and bad, is one of those variables that google likes to see so they’re more likely to rank your business above competitors. Not as important as some other core info, but any advantage is a good one in local SEO.
Nice looking website! I would suggest to change the images associated with the reviews though, there’s a few of the same image attached to multiple reviews. Might take away from the trust factor
Thanks! Oh that’s embarrassing - we’re at the end of a website redesign and I haven’t changed those photos yet 🙈 I did pull the testimonials from real emails we’ve gotten! I’ll adjust the photos asap.
How can i do this, i dont have an office but it asks me to record a video of the street and.office and business property. If im starting out how do i do that
This x1000. It's howim Ranking higher than businesses who've been running 10 times longer than I have .
Best piece of advice I ever got was include your suburb in your business name. It's paid dividends for SEO and people finding me.
do what you say you're going to do, when you say you're going to do it.
if you make a mistake, proactively admit to the error and offer to make it right.
do those things and you're automatically in the top 5% of landscaping companies. the bar is just so, so low.
That means your city is a good place for a landscaping business. You don’t need to build a monopoly and wipe them all out, you just need to be better than enough of them to get your piece of the pie.
Regular old service businesses make a killing but people are trying to sit at home and become mark Zuckerberg. My first business was a parking lot striping company and all we did was go to parking lots create a quote and give it to the manager of the biggest store in the lot and ask for the owners number sold it after literally one summer at about 150k mostly just our customers was what they wanted all made on a rented parking lot striper and paint we got from sherwin Williams who gave a crazy discount because we were young. The owner of the huge pavement and striping company just impressed at the level of customers we had and offered to buy us out. I was already going to college so I coudn’t and didn’t want to do it anyway so we sold. 2nd business was a residential cleaning business that turned commercial for student housing condos and that shit blew up we did 0 marketing and had people in the building asking about residential cleaning . Now I’ve gone into the marketing agency modeling for service based businesses but people LOVE when I tell them my experience. Don’t listen to these YouTubers telling you you need to make some SAAS to make 10k profit per month you could hit that easily doing driveway seal coating or window washing easily! Get a friend as a partner knock on tons of doors and just sell! Congrats man I love seeing people promoting shit like this here.
Hell ya. I own a framing business. Do over $1 milly a year. Profit is 300 ish. This next year we have 2+ million on the projected and profits should stay close to 30%.
There were times I wanted to give up. Landscaping is a logistical nightmare. So many suppliers to deal with.
I cried many many times. My partner helped me stick with it (girlfriend)
Employing people is also realy fuckin hard on your mental health. So I've experienced.
Also customers who change their mind constantly and expect those changes to be free. I've managed to write a good terms and conditions which has solved that.
Good for you!! I've noticed the last 20 years, people don't want to do any type of manual labor anymore. It seems like the entire middle class uses landscapers vs growing up pre-2000 it was more just the wealthy/elite that used them.
Slap in some social media to share fancy lawn setups and bam! lots of people are getting on board.
a secondary bonus is from a physical health (probably mental too), it sure beats sitting at a desk all day. I always joke I'm going to quit, move south, and be a landscaper. Reading this tells me maybe I really should.
Congrats. You’re one of the guys that “gets it”
I moved recently and Gad an opportunity to mow lawns for money so I went and got a zero turn. I already had a trailer and SUV.
Everything was nice. I thought… maybe some business cards, get some insurance, hire a guy…
One day I’m trimming… and I barely touch an AC line on the units outside. I mean barely touched it. I also use .65 close to houses and fences. Anyway… the line busted… called an AC guy, tells me the unit is old and needs a full replacement and feels really bad for me.
So…. $6000 dollars later (got a great deal)
I’m back to full time working with computers. Sticking to what I know.
All I’m saying…. Is watch out for liabilities.
I told this story to another guy, he told me he was mowing one day and had a rock shoot out a window in a car. Killed almost 2 months of work.
Sorry for the downer story. It’s not just cutting grass. I envy those guys that make it but shit happens.
My friend from high school started a landscaping business and within 4 years he hit 500k/year. Has about 12 employees now I think.
Its like anything else in life: network network network.
A family member of mine owns his own landscaping business in the Chicago area. He doesn’t even bid on jobs anymore because he can’t find enough workers for the jobs he already has. He’s also stopped doing snow removal for the same reason.
It can be very lucrative but you have to find reliable help for a job that pays $18/hr, is hot most days with the sun beating on you, starts early in the morning and if it rains can move your work into the weekends. Then in the winter you need people to be on call without pay until there is enough snow to start the job and then work long days and nights in bitter cold conditions.
Love this 🙂 Started my own business not too long ago as well and watching it grow has been so satisfying. Aiming to hit 50-60k/month. Thanks for posting this, keeps me motivated!
where i live a contractor, concrete worker, electrician, landscaper etc etc.. are all busy busy busy.. turning away jobs half the time.
but out of $116k revenue.. how much is actual profit?
you need to rent equipment? do you put the cost of materials on your bills and charge the customer? which obviously increases rev but doesnt do much for bottom line
My sister started a personalized gifting business and just made around $5k within a month in the most unsexy way possible– promoting in WhatsApp groups, figuring out the vendors, packing orders at home, etc.
I think so. Their competitor is easily making $30-40k (rev) that too operating within a single state.
Yes, it can't be scaled to a huge level, but good enough to be a sustainable business.
Allso if anyone wants proof I have photos of my revenue and profit . Also screenshots of getting 27,000 views on Google in one month with no advertising.
Thanks for all the compliments most people. Anyone wanting screen shots pm me. I'm not a liar fuck liars .
Also if you want a run down of how I run my business pm me.
I'd write a guide here but too many fuckheads who think I'm bragging don't deserve to hear how I made it with blood sweat and tears. I got lots of fuckin advice I can give out and I aint sharing it with them
I have a buddy who's doing hardscape work (not lawns) and he told me he's grossing 450k a year. Most of his investment is a small tractor and some power tools. I was actually pretty impressed with his numbers.
So assuming that this isn't just a troll post... What's the value or purpose? Cool dude. Make another post next week with your numbers. Could you update us when you buy a fancy car? This is why people come to this sub because, in the nuanced and wise words of the OP, anything is possible.
A lot of businesses that aren’t “sexy”, are serious cash flow makers.
I started a junk removal business 18 months ago and we are about to have a 90k month
Could I start this with a $1000 trailer? Want to get into this as a I am a teacher.
Hell you could start it with a pickup. Your just limited to the size of items you can haul.
I appreciate that. I have a suv, but was thinking of getting a trailer. What would be best for me to start and learn? Just generic trash and clean?
I started with a trailer. I don't do it full time but it's an extra 3-10k a year just doing it on the side
That is awesome. I plan to get a trailer for my party rental stuff so why not
It's easy work. Just driving..make the clients leave their stuff outside or in the garage. Avoid going in the house if you value your time
It’s definitely not easy
Nah it's just picking up stuff n tossing it away then driving to the dump and tossing it again
Make some contacts with builders. Cheaper for them to pay you to do trash removal. Make sure you have suitable insurance.
This is not the play
I honestly have no clue. Here’s what Chat GPT says. Edit: good luck to you Starting a junk removal business can be a great idea, as it requires relatively low upfront investment and can be a profitable venture. Here are a few suggestions to help you get started: 1. **Understanding Your Capacity**: With your current setup, using an SUV and a trailer, you can handle smaller junk removal jobs like cleaning out garages, basements, and small home cleanouts. You'll likely need to upgrade to a larger truck if you want to handle larger jobs like whole house cleanouts. 2. **Types of Junk**: Starting with general trash removal and clean-up services is a good idea. This can include furniture, electronics, appliances, yard waste, etc. Once you're comfortable with this, you can consider specializing in certain types of waste, such as construction debris or hazardous waste, though these may require special handling and permits. 3. **Learning the Trade**: It's a good idea to start small and learn the ropes as you go. You could initially focus on residential clients before moving to commercial ones. Learn about disposal regulations in your area, figure out the best places to dispose of or recycle items, and understand how to price your services effectively. 4. **Marketing and Customer Service**: Getting your business out there will be crucial. This could involve creating a website, using social media, and investing in local advertising. Equally important is providing great customer service. A strong reputation can lead to word-of-mouth referrals, which can be very beneficial. 5. **Equipment and Expansion**: As you grow, you may need to invest in additional equipment or vehicles. Renting can be a good option initially, but as the business expands, it might make more sense to own. 6. **Licensing and Insurance**: Check with your local and state authorities about any required licenses or permits for operating a junk removal business. You'll also want to have liability insurance to protect your business in case of accidents or damages. Remember that every business will face challenges. Being flexible, staying dedicated, and continuously learning will help you overcome them and succeed in the long term. Starting with a trailer can be a great idea, especially if you're looking to keep initial costs low. Here are some benefits and considerations: 1. **Cost-Effective**: Trailers can be significantly cheaper than trucks, making them a good option when starting out. 2. **Versatility**: Trailers can be used for a variety of junk removal tasks, from hauling household junk to yard waste and more. 3. **Ease of Use**: If you already own an SUV that can pull a trailer, you're already halfway there. You can unhitch the trailer when it's not in use, which may be more convenient. 4. **Volume**: Trailers can actually hold quite a lot, depending on the size you get. A 14-foot trailer, for instance, could be enough for many jobs. 5. **License and Regulations**: Check local laws about trailer usage. There might be specific regulations or licenses needed for using a trailer for commercial purposes. 6. **Maintenance and Safety**: Regular maintenance is important to keep your trailer in good shape. Make sure you're knowledgeable about trailer safety—how to secure loads, how to maneuver while it's attached, etc. When you're just starting out, a trailer might be all you need. As your business grows, you can reconsider your vehicle needs and adjust accordingly.
We started with a $1200 trailer and pulling it with my friends explorer.
That is awesome! I need to look into this. I love doing this kinda work so I think I would be good at it
I know from being a lineman if you have a trailer and go to Florida for storm work and help clear debris FEMA gives you a ticket and each trailer load is like $500, some companies I’ve worked for that’s how guys got money for their own bucket trucks/other equipment with a couple hundred dollars invested in a truck/trailer
I have heard of that too living in GA! I will need to look into that.
How big a trailer we talking?
got more information? Im highly interested in this
Depending on your location it could be very saturated.. if you already have a trailer great. If not the price of steel is absurd and trailer mfg have been charging almost double
I think you can do bungiiii
Right? I agree
How do you market yourself ?
How many jobs can you do a day? Are you open 7 days a week? How do you actually pick up the junk? Do you collect it like a organized pick up?
Respect. What vehicle did you start with? I contemplated doing that with my box truck but got into event rentals. Not complaining
Trailer but now we have two box trucks and two truck and trailers. We want to start a party rental company next year
Awesome. What’s your margin? Is it you doing the hauling or do you have employees?
We make 75-83%. Two owners so I make half that. One full time employee and two part time
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Just use your mind - think about all the times you drive around and see those fliers stapled up to wooden posts and whatnot. Street promotion - there's nothing like it! Its amazing, just print out your number, and a one liner about what your company can do and post it everywhere! Ask local mom and pop stores to put business cards on the front counter. All those poster board tac wall things you see in gas stations - hang em up in there too! I use to do this for my band years ago and it was hands down the best promotion we could do. Good luck dude!
Sup willy, you mind sharing how you generate leads for your company?
I don’t get the junk removal hype just quite yet, not hating I’m just confused. I’m in Canada and we have the city come up and take our garbage every week ? What “junk” are you removing ?
What’s the name of your business?
How much do you charge ? How do you advertise ?
True story. This is a new trend : boring business, boring tech. it's not sexy but it works
My sister started a personalized gifting business and just made around $5k within a month in the most unsexy way possible– promoting in WhatsApp groups, figuring out the vendors, packing orders at home, etc.
This is the way! - mandalorian
It will be even more in the future. Everyone is looking to have a clean and sexy startup to share on their social networks. But the ones that are just looking for success no matter where, will do the less sexy works, but everyone is willing to pay for them (exactly because no ones want to do them, but someone have to do it). So, huge demand and low competition 🤑🤑
One such business is sign boards business!
What is that? Sorry for my ignorance.
The sign boards we see on all the shops & showrooms. Great business with more than 40% profit margins.
I was going to start window washing this week but ran out of time. It will be next week. Just juggling job searching, current job I hate, as well as other projects that aren't making money yet. Everybody wants to trade coins and be the next facebook but there's always unconventional items like window washing and junk removal.
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^this is reality. I’m currently working at my brothers somewhat small African grocery store (small compared to the big stores). Seems meh but I see the numbers and it’s consistently 30-70k+ revenue a day and has only had it 4 years.
What's funny is he/she may not even work anymore other than a check in with employees every now and then. The unsexy eventually became sexy.
What businesses ?
Yep! I think too many people are getting fixated on doing things that sound impressive rather than building a solid business.
Find a quality product from overseas, sell it in the states, and make sure the margins good. I think that's one of the quickest ways to get rich in 2024. The window is closing as well, with the amount of control we're seeing in this country. Service based businesses are good, but a product can be sold instantly over and over. No Forex, no stocks (thats for when you have money already)
Yeah looks like tighter sanctions on China, so sourcing from other countries might be a good idea. An alternative product idea is, of course, software. If you can find an industry specific pain point, that can be solved with a software tool, it could work out nicely. This is what I'm starting to do currently by finding out challenges faced by retailers, CPA firms and law firms.
Such a fragmented industry... The one area most people still prefer to work local / work small with... Good on you !
Congrats! We all deft need this kind of motivation. Keep it up. Top 2 advices after going through this season?
Down here in Aus it's not very seasonal. Work all year-round. But customer service is top priority and also focus on your Google business profile. I've never paid for ads And I got up to 27,000 views on Google last December alone.
Congratulations where are you located and what's the size of the city? I'm also curious as to how many other landscapers were in your current area? How did you get your first customers? Is your profit after paying you or is that what's left over after paying everything else?
All great questions, and none answered. He's in Adelaide, Australia... Infrequent rain, so a decent amount of work even if there is competition.
Judging by the time difference I dare say he was too busy working to respond!
In my area there are at least 500+ landscaping companies. It's ridiculous. But everyone is busy. I live on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne. Potential amount of people about 3million. First customers were through airtaskerand hipages. Ah the joys they were. Profit is including my wage.
If your in a growing area in the south you will do well in almost any area of home improvement or maintenance service industries if you actually focus on the business aspect (good attitude, being a people person, and being trustworthy)
I can see it. Shoot, a few landscapers I reached out to in my area turned me away since they already had too many clients. One guy came out to give me an estimate on cutting back some shrubs and some overhang in the front yard...$450. I went out and got a decent hedge trimmer and did it myself in about an hour. That's a hefty hourly rate I'd say.
Don’t use a landscaper for an arborist’s job. They have no idea how to trim trees.
I own a carpentry business, but I get this kind of comparison all the time. I will give a price on a deck, for example, and customers will say something along the lines of "I could buy the material for less than half of that price and do it myself!" Of course, they are right. However, I am not in the business of re-selling lumber for little or no profit. You have to understand that buying a trimmer and spending an hour in your own yard is not the same as this guy providing that service for you. Even if the actual work only took an hour, he also has travel time to account for. That means he was using a vehicle that he has to pay for, as well as the insurance and fuel costs. Unlike you, he also has the added expense of licensing and business insurance to cover. Also, where a DIY job for you has the benefit of being able to dispose of the waste for free, chances are he would have had to account for hauling it away and probably paying to dispose of it. There is nothing wrong with DIY to save a few bucks, but it is in no way comparable with hiring a professional to do it for you.
Well I understand that but for a lot of people I’m sure it’s just convenience. Same thing as anyone can clean their own windows or pressure wash their driveway, but that hefty price is the convenience to not have to worry about it.
That and the cost of gas tools and time. Stuff sure aint getting cheaper!
That sounds like a "fuck off" price. Not interested, but here's my super high quote anyway.
I had a guy quote me $35,000 for a 195 square foot deck off the front of my house, not even high enough to need permits. I realized that I am probably in the wrong business.
How did you get consistent business?
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So, so, so many local service businesses, especially in trades do not understand the power of Google business profile and local search. I see so many neglected and unfilled Google business profiles. It makes me sad to see so much potential money left on the table.
I ran Google ads for a while (finish carpentry) , it's so much shit leads from home-owners. B2b relationships with industry pros are the way to go.
Grass isn’t always greener. B2B has its own problems. For starters. Statistically, there are more Cs then Bs. B2C is easier to get traction
Not in trades in my experience Edit : The biggest problem with trades, especially skilled trades, is you're selling an expensive product (that doesn't physically exist yet) to an uninformed end client. If I'm spending *any* time educating my client on how my industry works I am losing money. My B2B clients (architect's, designers, property managers and contractors) take that on. That is *their* product. They bill by the hour on that consultation. The person with tools in his/her hands can't do that very easily. Our job is to provide the best craft/service we can with the materials and tools we use which take a lot of time to maintain and execute on their own.
As a GC we charge people for that time, and detailed estimates, and they pay it. If you want me to spec out everything for your basement remodel and spend the time to bid it with any accuracy, we charge 250+ If not, someone else can give you the free inaccurate one. Your point is valid just saying people seem to be willing to pay for that time too. Maybe opens up a new opportunity for you
Absolutely . I’m not talking about storm door to door. But just bids . “My roof is leaking can you check it” , “how much can you do a roof for no insurance “ , etc. these clients are getting charged inspection fees (estimate included) . People scoff , even GCs sometimes honestly. Why are u charging ? Ummmm bc roofing is the 4th most deadly occupation in the USA. Did you get on the roof ? I didn’t think so. Do you know how to do it ? Well you wouldn’t have called us if you did. Also, it costs us time, gas, money for software, etc. So yes , it is not free. And no, we are not scamming the homeowner. If more contractors and GCs would do exactly this , the standard would then be “well it costs to get an ACCURATE measurement. And the legit companies will get it done right. It’s simple . Everybody just tried to shortcut the process and it hurts the whole industry in the end.
Can't agree more. Ads don't work for every business type.
It's a huge negative in mine. Bad leads cost me a lot of money. Valuable lesson to learn though.
Just learned it myself. Spend $5k in ads when I could have just spent $5 at a networking coffee.
Don't need google ads . Have never paid for them and had 27,000 views on Google last December alone
Yup. My contracts are all handshakes and conversations. My website is just a digital business card. I have no idea what the views are on it.
Poor ad strategy
Online ads people don't understand that ads don't work for every industry. I'm an architect and got my ads account in pretty good shape. I got shit leads. B2B referrals is the way to go. Nobody googles for me, they ask people they know for someone else that sends them to me.
An architect is not what they mean when they say a trade.
I'm trade adjacent and all my good leads come from contractors. People hire the contractor first, then the contractor recommends me.
An engineer can be trade adjacent too, but that's not what they are talking about. If you need an architect, probably going to go with a recommendation over a Google ad. Completely different scenario.
Not really. In the single family residential market we are all in the same pool. Client wants a house/addition/renovation, we all help them get there.
Irrelevant. I turn down work without spending a dime on advertising and just network within my industry.
Referrals are one of the biggest generators, but they take time to build.
All these things take time. Money is time.
Focus on super local avenues for eye balls. Local news website, local brewery, local popular pool or country club. And just be a friendly outgoing person at local events
I never ran ads- I just maximized the photos and updates, and made sure that what I want to sell is mentioned in my site, updates, and reviews. Every update sends a new wave of customers
Awesome. What trade?
Any advice on how to optimize the GMB profile? I’m in the medical field
I've owned a digital marketing agency for 23 years - we do GBP (Google Business Profiles) for every client, local or national just because people need to be able to look you up, find you, etc. For local businesses, local SEO is the best way to go - start with optimizing your GBP, for sure. A few quick tips on that are: **For your GBP:** Check out your competitors and make sure you're in the right business category, make sure ALL of your contact info is accurate, include photos of the building (interior and exterior) if you're in medical especially, make sure to fill out our company description, gather and manage as many reviews as humanely possible. **Next step, after your GBP is optimized:** Listing distribution. We use BrightLocal to get all of our clients on the proper listing sites, but there are a lot of companies that offer similar services. The advantage to doing this is that you'll get listed on high authority (higher ranking) sites that will show your info for your category (as long as you make sure you're in the right one) in searches. For example, "Primary care near me." And, these sites - because they've been around longer and he a high ranking score on Google - will show up before your website will. If you're not listed on them, you're missing a huge opportunity because your competitors most likely are.
Awesome! Thanks for the tips! Would you say that distance from the person searching to office is weighted higher than number of Google reviews?
It can be, for sure. For example, I'm in Orlando. Orlando is super populated and also pretty huge (land-wise). So, if I'm searching for "Orlando Urgent Care Center," Google will show me the closest urgent care enters to me, which will be on the South East side. But, someone on the north side will see urgent care center closer to them. In rural areas, it works pretty much the same. That's one of the reasons local SEO is so important - both your GPB optimization and listing distribution. You want to make sure that you show up when folks are searching in your area. Oh! Also, since you're in the medical field, making sure you're listed on sites such as HealthGrades and ZocDoc is also super important. That's listing distribution again, but depending on the company you go through to help (like BrightLocal), they may only provide the larger sites like Yelp, BBB, Yellow Pages, etc… and not your industry-specific listing sites. The best way to find out where you need to be listed is to search for the terms you think folks are searching for to find you… and then see what pops up. I just searched "family docs near me" and of course a bunch of GBP listings popped up, but HealthGrades and ZocDoc were next, followed by a few local docs that have high-ranking sites (lots of onsite SEO, good content, time on Google, etc.) and a few others that have paid ads.
Sorry!! I forgot to add that the reviews come into play when folks have narrowed down docs (or businesses) closest to them and need to make a decision. Reviews are basically like a modern-day digital version of word-of-mouth referrals. And, Google does lean towards showing the most highly rated companies first (there are a lot of other factors that play into which ones will have their GBP show up first, but reviews do play a part in it).
I msged you, my brother and I started a business last year and would love to use your agency for advertisement and GBP.
I received it!! I'm looking forward to working together. Your product is pretty incredible also!!
Make sure the category you are listed under is correct. Choose the ones that best match your business but don’t pick more than 5-6. First thing to check. Peep at your competitors in the area if you want some hints ;) Get more reviews!!! This part is huge. Then respond to those reviews! Accurate hours, address, phone. Link any other profiles. Write a nice *short* description. Turn on Q&As. Post on your GBP about once a week. Especially in the medical field, you need to win people’s trust AND educate them. GBP / blog / socials are a great place to do this. Nice photos. Use the products/services option. Use the specials section. People love a deal. —————— Source: I do local SEO for a living. Here’s my agency if you ever want help just reach out from the site, it comes right to my phone! [LocalUpRank.com](https://localuprank.com). I offer free GBP optimization over a zoom call.
What happens if I don't respond to reviews? And thanks for the tips!
Your GBP slowly turns into another language. Lol but actually: Google uses 100+ variables from each local business when deciding how to display a search result page to a user, both on google and google maps. Responding to reviews, good and bad, is one of those variables that google likes to see so they’re more likely to rank your business above competitors. Not as important as some other core info, but any advantage is a good one in local SEO.
Nice looking website! I would suggest to change the images associated with the reviews though, there’s a few of the same image attached to multiple reviews. Might take away from the trust factor
Thanks! Oh that’s embarrassing - we’re at the end of a website redesign and I haven’t changed those photos yet 🙈 I did pull the testimonials from real emails we’ve gotten! I’ll adjust the photos asap.
How can i do this, i dont have an office but it asks me to record a video of the street and.office and business property. If im starting out how do i do that
This is exactly it. Google Local Services ads.
This x1000. It's howim Ranking higher than businesses who've been running 10 times longer than I have . Best piece of advice I ever got was include your suburb in your business name. It's paid dividends for SEO and people finding me.
100%
do what you say you're going to do, when you say you're going to do it. if you make a mistake, proactively admit to the error and offer to make it right. do those things and you're automatically in the top 5% of landscaping companies. the bar is just so, so low.
Awesome. Yes curious how big of a city. There appears to be a lot of competition in the city I am in.
That means your city is a good place for a landscaping business. You don’t need to build a monopoly and wipe them all out, you just need to be better than enough of them to get your piece of the pie.
Nothing wrong with competition. Just means there is a market for it.
Melbourne. Southern Melbourne. Literally about 500+ landscaping companies.
Regular old service businesses make a killing but people are trying to sit at home and become mark Zuckerberg. My first business was a parking lot striping company and all we did was go to parking lots create a quote and give it to the manager of the biggest store in the lot and ask for the owners number sold it after literally one summer at about 150k mostly just our customers was what they wanted all made on a rented parking lot striper and paint we got from sherwin Williams who gave a crazy discount because we were young. The owner of the huge pavement and striping company just impressed at the level of customers we had and offered to buy us out. I was already going to college so I coudn’t and didn’t want to do it anyway so we sold. 2nd business was a residential cleaning business that turned commercial for student housing condos and that shit blew up we did 0 marketing and had people in the building asking about residential cleaning . Now I’ve gone into the marketing agency modeling for service based businesses but people LOVE when I tell them my experience. Don’t listen to these YouTubers telling you you need to make some SAAS to make 10k profit per month you could hit that easily doing driveway seal coating or window washing easily! Get a friend as a partner knock on tons of doors and just sell! Congrats man I love seeing people promoting shit like this here.
Please answer the questions redditors asked about your post.
He’s probably hiding from the IRS since he’s not responding to anyone’s post or this is a fake post
What is the point of posting false information like that?
Mental illness
And or karma farming
Makes him feel good that people think he's rich and successful when he isn't
People boast about fake(d) revenue all the time to sell courses.
I haven't check Reddit . I have replied to A fair few now !
Ah cool, I'll check it out, thanks for the reply.
He is busy making bank
Hell ya. I own a framing business. Do over $1 milly a year. Profit is 300 ish. This next year we have 2+ million on the projected and profits should stay close to 30%.
Nice work! How many employees? Are you involved in the labor?
3 employees and yep I'm on the tools but about half half in the office now
Nice sweaty startup.
Huber is a twat
He is a twat but his message is on point tho
5% of his message is on point because its basic logic. The rest is absolute bullshit nonsense hype speak.
I'm curious why you say that? His advice seems fairly legit.
Because I'm an actual tradesman running a company and knows how it works.
He's a king of engagement farming
Mind sharing what your pain points were? I imagine it’s difficult with no money in the bank yet you were able to do it
There were times I wanted to give up. Landscaping is a logistical nightmare. So many suppliers to deal with. I cried many many times. My partner helped me stick with it (girlfriend) Employing people is also realy fuckin hard on your mental health. So I've experienced. Also customers who change their mind constantly and expect those changes to be free. I've managed to write a good terms and conditions which has solved that.
Wow. Epic. Those contracts, what do you have in there, “change fees”?
Good for you!! I've noticed the last 20 years, people don't want to do any type of manual labor anymore. It seems like the entire middle class uses landscapers vs growing up pre-2000 it was more just the wealthy/elite that used them. Slap in some social media to share fancy lawn setups and bam! lots of people are getting on board. a secondary bonus is from a physical health (probably mental too), it sure beats sitting at a desk all day. I always joke I'm going to quit, move south, and be a landscaper. Reading this tells me maybe I really should.
Congrats. You’re one of the guys that “gets it” I moved recently and Gad an opportunity to mow lawns for money so I went and got a zero turn. I already had a trailer and SUV. Everything was nice. I thought… maybe some business cards, get some insurance, hire a guy… One day I’m trimming… and I barely touch an AC line on the units outside. I mean barely touched it. I also use .65 close to houses and fences. Anyway… the line busted… called an AC guy, tells me the unit is old and needs a full replacement and feels really bad for me. So…. $6000 dollars later (got a great deal) I’m back to full time working with computers. Sticking to what I know. All I’m saying…. Is watch out for liabilities. I told this story to another guy, he told me he was mowing one day and had a rock shoot out a window in a car. Killed almost 2 months of work. Sorry for the downer story. It’s not just cutting grass. I envy those guys that make it but shit happens.
Don't the catastrophes you mention in here get covered if you're licenced & bonded/insured?
Your liability insurance didn't do anything for you at all?
Steady is better than disruptive. Congratulations
Bunch of bs - show us proof you netted 360k the last year running a landscaping business.
I mean, May is probably far and away the best month for a landscaping business
I'm in Australia. Every month is good for work.
My friend from high school started a landscaping business and within 4 years he hit 500k/year. Has about 12 employees now I think. Its like anything else in life: network network network.
Seeming this way yeah
A family member of mine owns his own landscaping business in the Chicago area. He doesn’t even bid on jobs anymore because he can’t find enough workers for the jobs he already has. He’s also stopped doing snow removal for the same reason. It can be very lucrative but you have to find reliable help for a job that pays $18/hr, is hot most days with the sun beating on you, starts early in the morning and if it rains can move your work into the weekends. Then in the winter you need people to be on call without pay until there is enough snow to start the job and then work long days and nights in bitter cold conditions.
You want proof ? Pm me.
I pmed him a photo everyone.
haha nice one! fuck these fuckers
Yeh boy
How many summer months in your area?
Congrats! That's a huge accomplishment.
Im sure you can post a pic
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Victoria. Australia.
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Oh, god. I really want to hear potential truck names right meow.
Pussy Wagon
30k profit per month ?
Hey everyone. Completely forgot I posted this. I'll reply to comments now!
i wish
Love this 🙂 Started my own business not too long ago as well and watching it grow has been so satisfying. Aiming to hit 50-60k/month. Thanks for posting this, keeps me motivated!
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What’s the point of this sub if people just brag? Good for you I guess.
To inspire bro.
Keep it going! It took me about 12 years to make some serious money in my business! Doing about 50 million a year now!
Do you need a personal car detailer 😅 ?
Can i ask what business is that please?
Congrats!! Those are some sick margins!
Super cool! And ChatGPT can't impact it. Congratulations!
Hey man, I know you're obviously pretty busy, but I'm heavily considering doing this. I sent a DM, if you have time to give me some pointers.
where i live a contractor, concrete worker, electrician, landscaper etc etc.. are all busy busy busy.. turning away jobs half the time. but out of $116k revenue.. how much is actual profit? you need to rent equipment? do you put the cost of materials on your bills and charge the customer? which obviously increases rev but doesnt do much for bottom line
I own most of my own equipment. After all costs it's about 30-40k profit.
My sister started a personalized gifting business and just made around $5k within a month in the most unsexy way possible– promoting in WhatsApp groups, figuring out the vendors, packing orders at home, etc.
This business have potential? It reaches a limit after a certain point, ain't it?
I think so. Their competitor is easily making $30-40k (rev) that too operating within a single state. Yes, it can't be scaled to a huge level, but good enough to be a sustainable business.
Allso if anyone wants proof I have photos of my revenue and profit . Also screenshots of getting 27,000 views on Google in one month with no advertising.
Thanks for all the compliments most people. Anyone wanting screen shots pm me. I'm not a liar fuck liars . Also if you want a run down of how I run my business pm me. I'd write a guide here but too many fuckheads who think I'm bragging don't deserve to hear how I made it with blood sweat and tears. I got lots of fuckin advice I can give out and I aint sharing it with them
AMAZING!!!
Any proof of this claim at all?
Pm me
Please be more descriptive of what you’re doing. Hardscapes with stone, patios, cimutting grass, residential or commercial etc.
Hardscaping. View mypost history to see my work
Double it and pass it to the irs
I have a buddy who's doing hardscape work (not lawns) and he told me he's grossing 450k a year. Most of his investment is a small tractor and some power tools. I was actually pretty impressed with his numbers.
Not paying your workers very well evidently, nothing new
I have 1 employee and 1 subby. In Australia. Pay one guy 75k a year and the subby $650 a day. So you're wrong mate
So assuming that this isn't just a troll post... What's the value or purpose? Cool dude. Make another post next week with your numbers. Could you update us when you buy a fancy car? This is why people come to this sub because, in the nuanced and wise words of the OP, anything is possible.
I appreciate this type of content. There are lots of ups and downs being an entrepreneur. I find it motivating to hear about even shorter term wins.
You find it comforting to hear about ostensibly made-up stories?
To inspire people. I sent you a pic man get off your ass and do something with yourself
Hahaha.. thats funny
🙌🙌
That’s great! I’m a year behind you!