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How to turn my "Specialized skill" into a "Specialized unit"

Anything considered a "hustle" and not necessarily a CENTS-based Fastlane

Adgo

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Hi everyone,

I've been fixing iPhone's screens for a few years now. I started in high school then during my studies at the university and now I'm doing it as a side hustle after my "regular" job.
Using Facebook ads, I can successfully find a few customers every week which generates a decent additional income. However, I'm still exchanging my free time for money. Yes, the hourly wage is much higher than what I get from my regular job, but still I have to actively look for new customers, set appointment, order replacement screens/batteries/etc, do the actual job of fixing the customer's problem.

All these steps are time consuming and don't bring me closer to a fastlane business model.

Is there anything doable to improve the process ? Can anybody think of a similar story where a Fastlane business emerged from an initially manual job?

BTW: I strongly recommend this sude hustle to anybody who is looking for a way to make money during his/her freetime. I might write a thread about how to get started if anybody thinks it can be helpful?

Thank you in advance fot your help and advices.
 
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Mysterious

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Hi everyone,

I've been fixing iPhone's screens for a few years now. I started in high school then during my studies at the university and now I'm doing it as a side hustle after my "regular" job.
Using Facebook ads, I can successfully find a few customers every week which generates a decent additional income. However, I'm still exchanging my free time for money. Yes, the hourly wage is much higher than what I get from my regular job, but still I have to actively look for new customers, set appointment, order replacement screens/batteries/etc, do the actual job of fixing the customer's problem.

All these steps are time consuming and don't bring me closer to a fastlane business model.

Is there anything doable to improve the process ? Can anybody think of a similar story where a Fastlane business emerged from an initially manual job?

BTW: I strongly recommend this sude hustle to anybody who is looking for a way to make money during his/her freetime. I might write a thread about how to get started if anybody thinks it can be helpful?

Thank you in advance fot your help and advices.
I am a broke right now, but when I tried to repair my phone years ago, I damaged it so this sidehustle is not for me :D, but there is one guy from New York, check on youtube (not gonna promote it), who fixes apple products. He has a youtube channel and additional employees. Additional employees can make more money for you, maybe somebody smarter maybe can help you in this? On youtube, your time is not limited to revenue, only time spent making video. Also you can do reviews on screen protections, cases, maybe additional products if you have a youtube channel?
 

MJ DeMarco

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A labor process performed by you would need to be turned into a human resource system...

In other words, instead of earning $50/hour fixing screens, you hire a bunch of people at $35/hour to do the same, taking the overage for yourself.
 

Kevin88660

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Hi everyone,

I've been fixing iPhone's screens for a few years now. I started in high school then during my studies at the university and now I'm doing it as a side hustle after my "regular" job.
Using Facebook ads, I can successfully find a few customers every week which generates a decent additional income. However, I'm still exchanging my free time for money. Yes, the hourly wage is much higher than what I get from my regular job, but still I have to actively look for new customers, set appointment, order replacement screens/batteries/etc, do the actual job of fixing the customer's problem.

All these steps are time consuming and don't bring me closer to a fastlane business model.

Is there anything doable to improve the process ? Can anybody think of a similar story where a Fastlane business emerged from an initially manual job?

BTW: I strongly recommend this sude hustle to anybody who is looking for a way to make money during his/her freetime. I might write a thread about how to get started if anybody thinks it can be helpful?

Thank you in advance fot your help and advices.

Offer a membership model where they pay monthly fee (a few dollar?) for a future waiver of 50-60% of the non-material cost of your service? Referrals included?

People who drop their iPhone will always do. If you step one big foot into the insurance business model and get a recurring revenue, not only do you get a new revenue source the cost of acquisition for repair work go down also.

When you have too much business coming in without the need to spend time and money to advertisers, then it will become logical to focus on hiring and order fulfillment.
 
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Last edited:

rpeck90

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Hi everyone,

I've been fixing iPhone's screens for a few years now. I started in high school then during my studies at the university and now I'm doing it as a side hustle after my "regular" job.
Using Facebook ads, I can successfully find a few customers every week which generates a decent additional income. However, I'm still exchanging my free time for money. Yes, the hourly wage is much higher than what I get from my regular job, but still I have to actively look for new customers, set appointment, order replacement screens/batteries/etc, do the actual job of fixing the customer's problem.

All these steps are time consuming and don't bring me closer to a fastlane business model.

Is there anything doable to improve the process ? Can anybody think of a similar story where a Fastlane business emerged from an initially manual job?

BTW: I strongly recommend this sude hustle to anybody who is looking for a way to make money during his/her freetime. I might write a thread about how to get started if anybody thinks it can be helpful?

Thank you in advance fot your help and advices.

IMO you're comparing apples to oranges... similar to saying "I have a great fast food job, now how do I get my own restaurant?". Once you get out of "selling time", it's a different ballgame.

In your space, the big player is iFixit. They make something like $25m a year selling "fix it" kits, and promoting them with "teardown" content online. Whilst this is not something you'd want to look at, it gives a good example of the type of thing that constitutes a "specialized unit".

To make a product that can turn into a "fastlane" business, you need a USP that is not tied to you or anyone you hire. For example, McDonalds' USP is their system, into-which they are able to integrate anyone who accepts their wages. You don't care who serves your McBurger, as long as it's warm etc.

Without going into specifics, the best way to do this is to take what you're already doing and blend it with a "pain point" a group of people have; the "blue ocean strategy". For example, "device resale"; offering a small price for someone's broken iPhone, repairing it yourself and reselling it to a local businesses. The "profit" you make will be dependent on who buys your stock (local businesses), NOT in the fact that you repaired it.

Doing this will give you something that selling your time does not; leverage. You're able to leverage the connections you create, which means that (suddenly), your time is best invested in building said connections rather than grafting more hours. Doing this properly will give rise to the likes of hiring employees etc.
 

Kid

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People who drop their iPhone will always do.
Kevin is on point with his post.
(and OP could make ads like "Have you dropped your iPhone...twice?")
Call it "repair as a service" RaaS for short.

Or if you want to go really fast - make an course (on or off line) teaching your skill.
You can even become iFixit affiliate to increase your revenue.

Only questions that remains: will you do it?
 

Kevin88660

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Kevin is on point with his post.
(and OP could make ads like "Have you dropped your iPhone...twice?")
Call it "repair as a service" RaaS for short.

Or if you want to go really fast - make an course (on or off line) teaching your skill.
You can even become iFixit affiliate to increase your revenue.

Only questions that remains: will you do it?
Since OP is the only person who has the experience in this niche, ultimately he needs to use his own experience to judge and test what is likely to work or not.

It would be useful if he can give feedbacks to the ideas given and what he thinks about them. Others can know more about this sector too.
 
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Adgo

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Apr 7, 2018
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I am a broke right now, but when I tried to repair my phone years ago, I damaged it so this sidehustle is not for me :D, but there is one guy from New York, check on youtube (not gonna promote it), who fixes apple products. He has a youtube channel and additional employees. Additional employees can make more money for you, maybe somebody smarter maybe can help you in this? On youtube, your time is not limited to revenue, only time spent making video. Also you can do reviews on screen protections, cases, maybe additional products if you have a youtube channel?
Indeed, maybe having something on Youtube could be a solution. The challenge would be to find a way to differentiate because there is already plenty of similar content there.

In real life, my main differentiator is that I come to people's place to fix their phone. So it's very convenient for them.

A labor process performed by you would need to be turned into a human resource system...

In other words, instead of earning $50/hour fixing screens, you hire a bunch of people at $35/hour to do the same, taking the overage for yourself.
Thank you for answering, I currently don't have enough customers to create an official structure in which this would be sustainable but definitely something to consider as I grow.

IMO you're comparing apples to oranges... similar to saying "I have a great fast food job, now how do I get my own restaurant?". Once you get out of "selling time", it's a different ballgame.

In your space, the big player is iFixit. They make something like $25m a year selling "fix it" kits, and promoting them with "teardown" content online. Whilst this is not something you'd want to look at, it gives a good example of the type of thing that constitutes a "specialized unit".

To make a product that can turn into a "fastlane" business, you need a USP that is not tied to you or anyone you hire. For example, McDonalds' USP is their system, into-which they are able to integrate anyone who accepts their wages. You don't care who serves your McBurger, as long as it's warm etc.

Without going into specifics, the best way to do this is to take what you're already doing and blend it with a "pain point" a group of people have; the "blue ocean strategy". For example, "device resale"; offering a small price for someone's broken iPhone, repairing it yourself and reselling it to a local businesses. The "profit" you make will be dependent on who buys your stock (local businesses), NOT in the fact that you repaired it.

Doing this will give you something that selling your time does not; leverage. You're able to leverage the connections you create, which means that (suddenly), your time is best invested in building said connections rather than grafting more hours. Doing this properly will give rise to the likes of hiring employees etc.
I agree with you. As said previously my "USP" right now is at-home fixing service which customers appreciate a lot because it addresses one of the pain points people with damaged phone have, but it is not sufficient.

https://www.dottorpodx.com/ is also an example of someone who identified pain points during phone fixing, and they developed many different products that make repairer's life much easier.

Kevin is on point with his post.
(and OP could make ads like "Have you dropped your iPhone...twice?")
Call it "repair as a service" RaaS for short.

Or if you want to go really fast - make an course (on or off line) teaching your skill.
You can even become iFixit affiliate to increase your revenue.

Only questions that remains: will you do it?

Making a course would indeed be something I could leverage. My mother tongue is French so probably the demand for such course would be lower than it would be for an English one but I can start in French and see if there is demand for such content and then translate it to English if there are customers.
 

Zahida A. Khan

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Kevin is on point with his post.
(and OP could make ads like "Have you dropped your iPhone...twice?")
Call it "repair as a service" RaaS for short.

Or if you want to go really fast - make an course (on or off line) teaching your skill.
You can even become iFixit affiliate to increase your revenue.

Only questions that remains: will you do it?
Hey @Kid, BINGO!!

@Adgo, this is what I would recommend

If you have to sell using your 'flesh,' you will limit your potential

If you take your skills, create a course or ebook and sell it ... now you have a digital solution that can sell 24/7 without your interaction.

Yes, setup a system!!

Then advertise on FB, IG & LI to Apple groups

Build your email list to everyone who buys your ebook
On the sales page, offer an up-sell for a video course

You will be amaze how many will buy the ebook + video training

When you're making million$, learn how to fix Android phones

Best of luck, @Adgo
 

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