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How can I Fastlane my current business?

RHL

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Sounds like you should hire salespeople. Repairs are harder to teach than sales, it sounds like. Cleaning, photographing, and showing the appliances is easy and routine.

But then again, you're still making a mistake:
Instead of paying them a salary or hourly, what do you think if we hire someone who gets paid a flat fee for each appliance he or she repairs?
You're trying to answer with your gut a question that can be solved deftly by math. Never let instinct do math's job. That's where fortunes are lost. Sit down with the real numbers and a real workflow chart. The answer will slap you in the face after doing the bookwork.
 
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MJ DeMarco

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Marked NOTABLE - some great replies as well as a great little "hustle" business described in the first post.
 

Andy Black

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Would you mind giving mine a quick look? It's a free Weebly page so I know that's probably the first thing I'll need to change. When we started funds were pretty low and I had to go with whatever I could get.

Better than I expected, but not great for a (good) paid search campaign.

You're making the usual mistake of judging the landing page in isolation.

Landing pages do jack shit on their own.


Read these:

Watch this:


And you may (or may not!) want to descend this rabbit-hole:
 
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Jon L

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Sounds like you should hire salespeople. Repairs are harder to teach than sales, it sounds like. Cleaning, photographing, and showing the appliances is easy and routine.

But then again, you're still making a mistake:

You're trying to answer with your gut a question that can be solved deftly by math. Never let instinct do math's job. That's where fortunes are lost. Sit down with the real numbers and a real workflow chart. The answer will slap you in the face after doing the bookwork.
RHL: I apparently like your answers so much I just have to ditto all of them. So "Ditto" to this one too.

This is my experience as well. There is something about charting everything out in Excel (or whatever) that makes things crystal clear. At the very worst, running the numbers will simply confirm what you already knew. (Giving you more clarity than you had originally). At best, it will draw out conclusions that you would have completely missed otherwise.

If you want free help with this, PM me.
 

tonyf7

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RHL: I apparently like your answers so much I just have to ditto all of them. So "Ditto" to this one too.

This is my experience as well. There is something about charting everything out in Excel (or whatever) that makes things crystal clear. At the very worst, running the numbers will simply confirm what you already knew. (Giving you more clarity than you had originally). At best, it will draw out conclusions that you would have completely missed otherwise.

If you want free help with this, PM me.
Thank you @Jon L

I've been thinking about what @RHL said all day, wondering how I'm going to get started on laying out all the numbers. I do keep track of all income and expenses and the app I use gives me useful reports but I'm not sure if that is all I need to be looking at.

I'll PM you shortly.
 

Andy Black

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@RHL and @Jon L are spot on.

You all think this is "throw up an AdWords campaign then pick colour of Ferrari"?

Here's the stats for the first few weeks of our project (revenue is hidden):

hvQQTBB.png




EDIT: Watching with interest to see if anyone realises the significance of what I've just dropped here, or if you're all intimidated by a spreadsheet. Haha.
 
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tonyf7

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Sounds like you should hire salespeople. Repairs are harder to teach than sales, it sounds like. Cleaning, photographing, and showing the appliances is easy and routine.

But then again, you're still making a mistake:

You're trying to answer with your gut a question that can be solved deftly by math. Never let instinct do math's job. That's where fortunes are lost. Sit down with the real numbers and a real workflow chart. The answer will slap you in the face after doing the bookwork.
Not sure what a workflow chart is to be honest. I Googled it just now and it seems to be a chart of how work is distributed within an entity? I've only been at it for 10 mins but so far that is what I'm understanding.
 

Random_0

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Holy crap Andy! This is EXACTLY what I'd like to do!

Would you mind giving mine a quick look? It's a free Weebly page so I know that's probably the first thing I'll need to change. When we started funds were pretty low and I had to go with whatever I could get.

Why not more salesy?

https://s17.postimg.org/8intltu3j/appliance.jpg

I need my appliance fixing. Give me your number, now, or bye. *close tab*


edit: no matter what you're selling - repaired appliances or appliance repairs, it's kinda the same idea. you need to be obvious about what you want your customers to do
 
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tonyf7

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Better than I expected, but not great for a (good) paid search campaign.

You're making the usual mistake of judging the landing page in isolation.

Landing pages do jack shit on their own.


Read these:

Watch this:


And you may (or may not!) want to descend this rabbit-hole:
There is clearly plenty to learn. Thanks for the homework.

Hey, at least I got a "Better than I expected". :hurray:

I'll take it.
 
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tonyf7

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Why not more salesy?

https://s17.postimg.org/8intltu3j/appliance.jpg

I need my appliance fixing. Give me your number, now, or bye. *close tab*


edit: no matter what you're selling - repaired appliances or appliance repairs, it's kinda the same idea. you need to be obvious about what you want your customers to do
Thank for taking the time to do that. That Reviews button is nice and the extra calls to action with our phone number as well. I kind of like my old washboard photo. It's the very first washing machine. Haha. But I get what you're saying. I'm selling, not trying to endear my audience with fond memories of their childhoods.
 

Random_0

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Thank for taking the time to do that. That Reviews button is nice and the extra calls to action with our phone number as well. I kind of like my old washboard photo. It's the very first washing machine. Haha. But I get what you're saying. I'm selling, not trying to endear my audience with fond memories of their childhoods.

I fall into that artsy mentality aswell, you can find a balance between them. You need to try a few things and see what sells. By all means be creative but the bottom line is getting people to buy what you're selling
 

Andy Black

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Andy Black

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Myself and @Random_0 were chatting.

We'll do a three-way call with you @tonyf7, if you're happy to drop it into the forum.

Right... I need my beauty sleep...
 

tonyf7

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tonyf7

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Myself and @Random_0 were chatting.

We'll do a three-way call with you @tonyf7, if you're happy to drop it into the forum.

Right... I need my beauty sleep...
Btw, thank you for doing this to both of you. Much appreciated.

Its pretty neat to see people contribute so much, in such meaningful ways, from all the way across the globe.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 

Jon L

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@RHL and @Jon L are spot on.

You all think this is "throw up an AdWords campaign then pick colour of Ferrari"?

Here's the stats for the first few weeks of our project (revenue is hidden):

hvQQTBB.png




EDIT: Watching with interest to see if anyone realises the significance of what I've just dropped here, or if you're all intimidated by a spreadsheet. Haha.

In my case, its a Tesla, but who's counting :)
 

BigBrianC

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I'd make those repair videos and also write step by step guides. Sell access to a site for something like $12.99/mo, all repair videos there. PDFs available for $2.99 for each repair. Or an extra $8/mo for access to all PDFs. That can be used to train repairmen and your employees.
 
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tonyf7

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I'd make those repair videos and also write step by step guides. Sell access to a site for something like $12.99/mo, all repair videos there. PDFs available for $2.99 for each repair. Or an extra $8/mo for access to all PDFs. That can be used to train repairmen and your employees.
I was literally just thinking and taking notes on this idea.

The drawbacks I can see right off the bat is that appliances change every year. I'd be creating videos 24/7 just to keep up with all the changes. Same for the PDFs.

Unless I could outsource the video and PDF making, but that would require some capital.

I was also thinking of a platform where skilled appliance techs can post their own videos for free and other rookie techs or DIY consumers can purchase those videos. Price per video would vary based on skill level required for the repair.

Kind of like Udemy but for appliance techs.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 

BigBrianC

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Yeah new appliances change but people will always have older appliances. I'd start with this content network and see where it takes you. Start, then build. You can't build before you start!
 
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Andy Black

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I was literally just thinking and taking notes on this idea.

The drawbacks I can see right off the bat is that appliances change every year. I'd be creating videos 24/7 just to keep up with all the changes. Same for the PDFs.

Unless I could outsource the video and PDF making, but that would require some capital.

I was also thinking of a platform where skilled appliance techs can post their own videos for free and other rookie techs or DIY consumers can purchase those videos. Price per video would vary based on skill level required for the repair.

Kind of like Udemy but for appliance techs.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
My advice?


"Grow what you know." (Bryce Cleveland)

You're getting leads for appliance repairs, and you and your Uncle are the "money nozzle" on the end of your current sales funnel.

Do more of what's already paying your bills? (Listen to this interview).

Get more leads?

Get a new problem of too many leads?

Solve that new problem?

Keep going?
 

Andy Black

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Btw, thank you for doing this to both of you. Much appreciated.

Its pretty neat to see people contribute so much, in such meaningful ways, from all the way across the globe.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
Cool.

Let's us know when you've finished listening to our chat, and what questions you have from that. Then we can dig deeper rather than cover the same ground.
 

B V Marlon

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The drawbacks I can see right off the bat is that appliances change every year. I'd be creating videos 24/7 just to keep up with all the changes. Same for the PDFs.
Wouldn't that work for the older appliances that are the mainstay of the shop/workshop side of your business? You could use them as training guides for someone to take over that part of your operations. That way you could maximise the use of your knowledge on the outside repairs and also possibly monetise those videos at a later stage.

Not sure what a workflow chart is to be honest. I Googled it just now and it seems to be a chart of how work is distributed within an entity? I've only been at it for 10 mins but so far that is what I'm understanding.
That's more of an organisation chart. Really you need to examine every process in your business from top to bottom and allocate timings and costs to every activity it contains.

I find it best to sit down and think about every activity and put all of the steps involved into a flow diagram for that particular flow. You can then combine all of these individual processes into one larger diagram to give you the overall picture of the whole business. I find that if I try to do a whole business at once, steps get missed.

Once you've got that, you can allocate yours and your Uncle's time to every step and also identify the things that only you two can do, and things that can be outsourced. That will show you where you can get more time to do only the things you can do in the short term. It can also show you where you can train up others to take over the day to day tasks, leaving you to run the business, instead of you having to work in your business, in the longer terms. Once you have all the systems and processes in place, you could then franchise the business into other cites. Now that would be truly Fastlane.
 

tonyf7

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@RHL and @Jon L are spot on.

You all think this is "throw up an AdWords campaign then pick colour of Ferrari"?

Here's the stats for the first few weeks of our project (revenue is hidden):

hvQQTBB.png




EDIT: Watching with interest to see if anyone realises the significance of what I've just dropped here, or if you're all intimidated by a spreadsheet. Haha.
At first I was in lala land. Had no idea what I was looking at.

But as I listen to your recording I am understanding it more.

Compiling list of questions for you guys.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 

tonyf7

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My advice?


"Grow what you know." (Bryce Cleveland)

You're getting leads for appliance repairs, and you and your Uncle are the "money nozzle" on the end of your current sales funnel.

Do more of what's already paying your bills? (Listen to this interview).

Get more leads?

Get a new problem of too many leads?

Solve that new problem?

Keep going?
Yea, it's clicking now that I'm about half way through your recording.

I just make it a habit to write down any and all business ideas no matter if I'll pursued them or not. Never know when one of those ideas may come in handy.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
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tonyf7

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Cool.

Let's us know when you've finished listening to our chat, and what questions you have from that. Then we can dig deeper rather than cover the same ground.

Andy, listened to your interview with @Random_0 and I see now that I haven't been thinking of myself as a business owner. I also have a ton of questions which I'll post here once our interview is done.
 
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tonyf7

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Cool.

Let's us know when you've finished listening to our chat, and what questions you have from that. Then we can dig deeper rather than cover the same ground.
Here are my takeaways from your chat with @Random_0 while we wait for our interview.

My biggest take away from your interview with Random is that just because you own a business doesn't make you a business owner.

The business can very well own you.

This isn't my first time learning about business systems that run independently of the owner's involvement and I understand the concept, but I was completely blown away by how unaware I had become to the fact that I am the one being worked by my business instead of the other way around.

Even after reading @MJ DeMarco book I saw myself as having at least one foot in the Fastlane door simply because I owned a business, but in reality I've just created another job for myself.

Just like a fish who isn't aware it lives in water because it was born there, I also wasn't aware I was still swimming in the slowlane ocean because it's all I've ever known.

I should be the one providing jobs instead of working one.

Aside from that revelation I also realized how little I've utilize resources that are right in front of me.

AdWords have been around for ages. I see them every time I Google something, but not once has it ever occurred to me to utilize this tool. Honestly, I didn't think AdWords worked. I can't remember the last time I've clicked or even paid attention to one. But it's obvious by Random's results that they do indeed work. It's also possible that the AdWords I've seen are ineffective at making me click or that I've desensitized myself to them because of a false belief that they don't work.

Hearing Random talk about his fear of losing control also rang a bell. I'm so used to BEING my business that delegating aspects of it makes me nervous. I've been my own employee and boss for so long it's hard to think of giving up control. But now I'm also curious as to how I can start delegating more so I can actually get down to running a business.

Hiring contractors and/or consultants is something I've been reluctant to do, partly because we need to make more money, but also because I've been trying to do it all myself. Although I give myself credit for getting as far as I have, I now realize that hiring a pro could have saved me a ton of time. It's comparable to people who spend a whole Saturday morning trying to repair their own washing machine when they could have just paid us to do it in 30 minutes so they could enjoy the rest of their morning playing outside with their kids. Who knows what potential I could've reached by now with the help of a solid team.

I think Random said it in your interview that you just can't do it alone.

Another take away is the concept of upgrading your problems. Currently our problem is that we want more customers so we can make more money. But I want to upgrade that problem to the next level which would be having an abundance of consumers and not enough time to meet all their needs, which in turn would require/allow us to expand. Realizing the problem is there, looking to solve it and seeking bigger problems is an eye opener for me.

My mind is racing with ideas, questions, desires and fear.

Feeling overwhelmed because there is so much I don't know but also excited because I have so much to learn.
 
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