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Free registration at the forum removes this block.@Kak good to hear from you again!
Off the bat I'll probably use Costco until I have enough clients that give me enough confidence that its a solid proof of concept which that'll justify the switch over to wholesale and buy a truck/wrap, direct mail with a SBA Loan.
@G-Man great to see you!
Exactly what I'm thinking, I'm going to design/print out a few flyers on the cheap and drop them off in mailboxes on a Saturday in elderly neighborhoods. Probably could target Facebook users over 60 as well with an ad. Goal right now is just to get 10 clients, which is just $320 in for all the salt then i'll walk away with 200$/mo in profit.
It's not just laziness. For elderly people, it's more about the anxiety that certain tasks induce. You're basically selling peace of mind.You might be doing that backwards a little bit. Trying to profit from the salt they are already able to buy themselves is going to be harder. Maybe prove the concept with introductory prices that barely make you anything and then widen your margins with wholesale salt asap.
A tote of liquid weighs ~2500 or so pounds net. So it would be a little less with salt. That is pretty easily towable with a small utility trailer and anything that has a hitch. That shouldn't be that expensive a couple of grand. Hope you have at least a crossover SUV.
I think customer acquisition will be way easier if you were also similarly priced to the DIY alternative for 3 months and then go up to your wider margins. The cool part is Costco is probably making pretty good money on the salt. Money you could be making.
I like capitalizing on their day to day laziness "ah shit I don't want to go to the hardware store and do that today" and getting them to commit to 12 months, 9 of which will be at full price. You could also do first month free with a 12 month plan. That checks it off their list for that month.
Do you know the pricing delta between costco salt and a tote on a unitary basis?
There are many good businesses that are just not sexy. So, you've found a good bread-and-butter one. Put on your bland face and do the work. Say, "Yes, Sir" and "yes, 'Mam" to your customers with a smile. And then let yourself smile all the way to the bank. When people ask you how you're doing, tell them you're OK. If you tell them what you do, their eyes will glaze over and they'll stop asking. And that's your advantage. Quietly take your earnings and build your investment nest egg -- while the people around you are out having a good time spending their money. Those "spenders" won't even notice you while you leave them behind in the dust. But, they'll sure be mad when they figure out that you've made your fortune while they weren't looking.
That sounds like a good idea. I have propane tanks delivered by a delivery company bc I’m too lazy to get my own.
@Raoul Duke You got it.
Right now I'm doing some cost breakdowns, market targeting ( which neighborhoods), and designing a flyer that can be printed out in black and white.
I'm thinking about hitting about 250 houses, and mostly in the upper middle class neighborhoods. Where people can justify time saved over a 50$ loss, and there is a tendency of people in their 50-70s in those neighborhoods as well that'll benefit from this.
The timeline although will be starting next Monday because I'm headed out to NJ for a trip to visit family (this has been planned months in advance).
Once I return, I'll be printing out said flyers with a plain home office printer in black and white. Then one day I'll be walking through the neighborhoods with dropping the flyer off with my kid on a bike or something. Haven't settled on a delivery route just yet.
Look into the usps tool. Every Door Direct Mail - Targeted Mail Marketing | USPS
I used to hate buying salt and carrying it home. I hated it so much that I gave my water softener to @SteveO .
As with any heavy product, the buying and carrying it home is the worse part.
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