Shanli Liu, CPA, CTPFreedomfolio · I help 7 to 8 figure service business owners and ecommerce sellers keep 10K to 75K of profit- without IRS headaches | CPA. Virtual CFO. Tax Resolution Pro | $5MM+client tax savings | Book a free 15 min strategy call

How To Pick The Right Market

Name: How To Pick The Right Market
Uploaded: 2025-09-06T22:05:00+00:00
Duration: 25 s
Channel: Shanli Liu, CPA, CTP
Description: In this concise video, Shanli Liu, CPA, CTP advises entrepreneurs to de‑risk the decision of where to open a physical location by first testing several…

6 Sept 2025 · 0 min

Watch on YouTube

0:25

In this concise video, Shanli Liu, CPA, CTP advises entrepreneurs to de‑risk the decision of where to open a physical location by first testing several nearby markets with modest online advertising budgets ($500–$1,000 across 5–10 markets). By comparing the cost per lead in each market, the entrepreneur can identify the most promising area before signing a long‑term lease. Liu also warns that many owners simply ignore leads when they don’t yet have a storefront, a practice that can be acceptable if the goal is to avoid committing to a bad spot.

There are better and worse markets. Absolutely. For any type of service. But guess how you can pay down that risk instead of being like, oh, I think I want to open up a location in La Habra. What I would do is I would run ads, so I'd spend like $500 or $1,000 in 5 or 10 markets and I would see where I got the lowest lead cost. Well, what do you do when people opt in and then you don't have a location? Do what 99% of business owners do anyways. Ignore the leads. You'll be okay. They'll just keep living their lives. But you get to avoid signing a 5-year lease for a bad spot.