Currently over $2 million in annual revenue and how I got here.

@localcasestudy - What a great thread! Educational, inspirational and reminds us all about the importance of ACTION!

I work directly with national companies and lead aggregators doing big volume, however, I have been looking to replicate what I do on a national level for local firms. My specialty lies in targeting mobile devices and driving phone calls from paid search, which works very well for B2C, service-oriented businesses. I have call center relationships (sales, CS, appt. scheduling), so I can scale it quickly, but do not want to build the entire biz model from the ground up. My call centers can handle a variety of inbound calls; appt. setting, one-call close sales, person-to-person form fill.

I've considered setting up campaigns for a few verticals (Housecleaning, Pool maintenance, Dog grooming) driving the calls to my call center and setting appointments or getting form fill/contact information, then finding a service provider on Yelp, Angie's list and cutting a deal for each lead/appt. Maybe it's my lead gen DNA that keeps me from wanting to hire service providers and vertically integrate the rest of the business. Thoughts?
 
I'm wondering why you want to go micro manage small business owners who will come with the lack of will into expanding their own business and create a new bottle neck for you ( always finding new businesses to deal with, meet and create contracts ) ( They will also fight you on price all the time and look at any calls that might not be a perfect lead) instead of expending vertically to more niches or countries with national business owners?
 
@Maxime - that is a very good question and one I keep asking myself. The answer is, I don't. I have also considered what you proposed, in terms of expanding into other verticals with nationwide companies or franchises, which involves a different sales cycle and would fall outside of the capabilities of my call centers. As far as expanding internationally, I hadn't considered that. Thanks for the feedback.
 
localcasestudy said:
@dwa Yup exactly. Actually becoming the service provider and hiring a team to do it and we provide the backend. That's exactly what I do. So instead of $11-$20 I'm looking at $150 to $300. I'm still based in Florida. Tampa.
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I'm also in Tampa. Would love to grab a coffee and chat.
 
Thank you for such an informative and motivating post and responses. You got my mind thinking about creating my own sub box business. Market saturation was a big fear for me, but after reading all your responses, I realized how much I was holding MYSELF back.

Thanks again for the the motivation!
 
Hey OP,

Your Reddit threads are amazing. The one you did on Wet Shave Club was probably the cleanest, clearest case study I've come across. (And I've seen a ton)

Have you ever done a podcast interview? I'd be interested in having you on our show to share your story - I think our audience would get a ton of value out of it.
 
localcasestudy said:
@red_devil010 this will be a tough answer man, but I stay away from those specialized trades because of everything you listed.

So Hardwood floor installs? NO. Requires a slow onboarding process, specialized knowledge, going out to give quotes, etc.

I stick to non-specialized services where the client can book quickly online and onboard themselves in a minute or two. No going out to give quotes, no special knowledge required. So these fit the bill for what I do:

Housecleaning, lawncare, carpet cleaning, moving services, local delivery, etc.
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Wow dude, that's some open sh_t your laying out there. Incredible, thank you.

You not just talking you completely exposing your mind set and products. I really appreciate this.

I have a question for you or any one else willing to give advise ,I have one affiliate site that's doing fairly well, it's a health product, that is consumed. The only reason I haven't made the jump from affiliate to producer is liability... am I being a puss?

Also do you think the seo/affiliate (selling tools/products/guides) marketing niche is way to over saturated or is there still room?
 
what would you suggest to someone in a rut and have no idea what to do with my life? im 20 if that matters
 
builttodominate said:
what would you suggest to someone in a rut and have no idea what to do with my life? im 20 if that matters
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I know you didn't ask me, but I'm just going to jump in anyway. I know how you feel. I'm 20 too and I guess at this age it's a lot easier to feel like that because the future is this great wild unknown. My advice to you is to stop thinking in terms of "what to do with my life". Because the future is promised to no-one. When you're stuck in a rut its dangerous to think in terms of your whole life because it's a lot easier to get discouraged and procrastinate and feel sorry for yourself if you believe you have another 70 years to "get it right".

Think in terms of the next 5 minutes. You only have control over what you are doing RIGHT NOW. The past is gone and you CANNOT change it. What can you do to improve your situation right at this very moment? Moments are all we have. Right now I'm using up a brand new second to type a reply to you, and pretty soon you will be using a couple of yours to read my reply.

Think in terms of what you can do right now, and it all becomes a lot less complicated. Maybe what you can do now is some exercise. I don't know. Maybe you could write a blog post for your website, or create another youtube video. You're on a good path with your website, so keep working on that. Check out my thread How to Get Organized For Beginners if you haven't already, and define what you want to achieve and get to work. You said you are lost, so pick one thing, I'd suggest your site, and work on it. Eventually other possibilities will open up for you. Good luck!
 
@Murk without knowing more I would have to say you're a puss yeah! :-) And i would definitely stay away from that marketing/guides stuff until you've built something great that you can use as evidence that your stuff works. After that, sure go for it :-)
 
builttodominate said:
what would you suggest to someone in a rut and have no idea what to do with my life? im 20 if that matters
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That's a tough one man, but I'd say the best thing to do is start something. If you want to compete against sophisticated marketers, go affiliate route. If you want to make 10 times as much per transaction and compete against unsophisticated marketers I would find something local or something in a fairly unsophisticated market and take a shot.
 
@localcasestudy This thread is really changing the way I look at things. Especially the idea of taking things digital that don't have a lot of digital competition yet instead of trying to compete with affiliates for table scraps. You da man, OP!
 
@localcasestudy thanks for posting and sharing all this up here. I missed it until now, just read through most of it. A couple questions:

You mention insurance. Specifically what coverage do you have to protect yourself in your maid/lawn businesses?

Also what do you do about returns for your box programs like wetshave? Do you have many?

Also the fucking best marketing you do is the landing page here: http://backpackmoves.com/
Those two cougars are bout to jump that fucking dudes bones right in the middle of him moving that couch. Do you even need to advertise how much you pay the students? A+
 
How do you deal with workers de prioritizing your sent orders? Do you make them sign a specific contract that dictates a certain amount of orders that must be completed on a monthly bassi to stay active?
 
Hugely motivating thread, @localcasestudy. I'm in dire need of at least $10K a month, and this sort of thing makes me believe it's possible. Bookmarked.
 
My mind has been blown. I believe that you must provide people with services that improve their lives to have success in the sense that I'm looking for. I also am community driven, and the local level is where I feel we can make the most impact. This thread has truly inspired me and shown me that my vision of success is possible. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. As CCarter said, Gold right here!
 
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