Mike Andes shares five tactics for solo home-service operators to earn more: use estimate templates, try local marketing like door hangers and Facebook groups, respond to inquiries fast, raise prices until you can afford to hire help, and stay focused on billable work.
If you're a solo operator and you're running a home service business, here's five secrets to make sure you make more money. Number one do your estimates fast. You can use a template to copy and paste the notes and before you even leave the customer's house, have the estimate notes completed. Number two simple scales. Five arounds Putting door hangers on all the neighbors of your customers. It works. Doing a yard sign at those neighbors on their intersections also works. Facebook groups make yourself known to local people. It all works. Simple scales. Number three your response time. Answer the phone. Answer text messages. Answer emails fast. If you need to get a virtual assistant or an office person, do it, because the first person that answers the phone typically gets the job. The fourth thing is the sniff test. When am I ready to not be a solo operator and hire employees? When you can be able to afford their wages. Until then, you need to increase prices. When you hit capacity and you have tons of work coming in, raise your prices until you pass the sniff test. Number five is focus on being a laborer. Don't get your head in the clouds. You don't need to be working on the business yet.
