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Starting a new service business

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SeanKelly

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So, as some of you may know, I will be selling off my landscaping business next year for reasons previously stated. However, since I have a true passion for "making crappy things look like new" I'm considering starting a junk removal business or cleaning business. I'm leaning more towards a commercial cleaning business because I honestly enjoy seeing a space transform from dirty to spotless. Also, I believe that I can take many of the things I've learned through landscaping and apply them to cleaning. In my opinion this business will be much easier to scale compared to landscaping (and being out of the heat will be pretty refreshing). I also like the fact that it results in a lot of repeat business and is not seasonal.

Please give me your thoughts, opinions, and suggestions. If you know another business that would cater to my passion, I'd love to hear it! Thanks guys
 
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Skys

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How do you scale a service business like that? It's hard to become global, isn't it?
just curious, I see the same with recruitment agencies, or marketing agencies. Lots of them are struggling.
 

SeanKelly

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Which businesses would you consider easier to scale?
 

tua79610

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I like the junk removal idea more than the cleaning idea. With junk, you have the opportunity to get paid twice; once when you remove it, and possibly any metal you could scrap.
 
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Skys

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Which businesses would you consider easier to scale?

I am not entrepreneur, I don't have a start up or a company so take my 'advice' with a big spoon of salt. I think anything internet-related has more potential to scale. Then again, i read about a big company called 1-800-JUNK doing alright for themselves.
 

SeanKelly

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I am not entrepreneur, I don't have a start up or a company so take my 'advice' with a big spoon of salt. I think anything internet-related has more potential to scale. Then again, i read about a big company called 1-800-JUNK doing alright for themselves.
Thank you for your input, but I already know all of this and much more. I'm not struggling in the service sector, but if like to transition to something similar yet more promising.
 

SeanKelly

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bumppppp looking for some more responses please
 
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moonjun

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find 3 paying customers, if there is none, don't bother.
 

SeanKelly

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The-J

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You're going from Slowlane business to Slowlane business. Those businesses you stated are going to be extremely difficult to scale, and the biggest challenge is going to come from your competition who have already scaled their businesses and are perfecting them.

What can you offer local businesses in the landscaping and the cleaning or junk removal sector to make them easier to run? Figure that out and you'll have an easily scalable business that will scale nationwide, scaling independent of your own time.
 
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kurtyordy

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There are a few national commercial cleaning contractors, so those who say it cannot be fastlane are ill informed. between junk and commercial cleaning I would opt for the cleaning. you can get repeat revenue, contracts and build to passivity.
 

SeanKelly

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There are a few national commercial cleaning contractors, so those who say it cannot be fastlane are ill informed. between junk and commercial cleaning I would opt for the cleaning. you can get repeat revenue, contracts and build to passivity.

I enjoy it greatly, but the fact that I may be in the same boat as landscaping kills me. I may stay away from service businesses solely because of the lack of scalability
 

100k

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You should read the millionaire fastlane ;)

Don't go into something you like or are good at.... Find a NEED and offer a solution. Whats your USP when you start your service? How will you scale up? Did you manage to scale your current business i.e does it make you money even when you don't put in work (are there people running it for you).
 
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SeanKelly

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You should read the millionaire fastlane ;)

Don't go into something you like or are good at.... Find a NEED and offer a solution. Whats your USP when you start your service? How will you scale up? Did you manage to scale your current business i.e does it make you money even when you don't put in work (are there people running it for you).

Thank you for insulting my intelligence. If I hadn't already I known that then I wouldn't currently have a successful business to sell.
 

The-J

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Thank you for insulting my intelligence. If I hadn't already I known that then I wouldn't currently have a successful business to sell.

Chill out, skipper.

He didn't mean to insult you. He actually presents a good point: landscaping businesses, cleaning, neighborhood service businesses etc. are a dime a dozen. You're going to have to work extremely hard to scale your business outside of your town/city/municipality. You've already realized this so you want to sell it. As kurt said, you CAN make it Fastlane. But it's obvious you don't really want to (if you did, you wouldn't be selling it).

Why not take a different approach? You know the landscaping industry pretty well. You know people who work in it. Why can't you solve a problem that exists within it? Offer business management solutions specifically catered to small service businesses in towns in your area. Hell, you could spread across the USA and Canada. (You could offer other things, like some sort of product or service)

We've already offered the franchising approach (start new branches of other towns, buy out current competitors, strengthen your brand) so now I'm offering you a different one.
 

SeanKelly

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Chill out, skipper.

He didn't mean to insult you. He actually presents a good point: landscaping businesses, cleaning, neighborhood service businesses etc. are a dime a dozen. You're going to have to work extremely hard to scale your business outside of your town/city/municipality. You've already realized this so you want to sell it. As kurt said, you CAN make it Fastlane. But it's obvious you don't really want to (if you did, you wouldn't be selling it).

Why not take a different approach? You know the landscaping industry pretty well. You know people who work in it. Why can't you solve a problem that exists within it? Offer business management solutions specifically catered to small service businesses in towns in your area. Hell, you could spread across the USA and Canada. (You could offer other things, like some sort of product or service)

We've already offered the franchising approach (start new branches of other towns, buy out current competitors, strengthen your brand) so now I'm offering you a different one.


I apologize and I agree with you. I've actually already took note of three ideas that I think could potentially solve problems within the industry. From that perspective its a benefit that they are a done a dozen. This creates a large market for me to cater to
 
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100k

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Thank you for insulting my intelligence. If I hadn't already I known that then I wouldn't currently have a successful business to sell.

No problem sean, if you did not feel insulted then my messaged would not have made the right impact. But like it was said, that was not my intention. :) But as long as it creates some emotions in you and it makes you think then I am happy bro.
 

1PercentStreet

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Where everyone is looking, you should not.

I'd scrape these businesses. Up to you though.
 

SeanKelly

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Where everyone is looking, you should not.

I'd scrape these businesses. Up to you though.

I believe Mark Cuban said something very similar to this on last weeks episode of Shark Tank. And 100K, I was just stressed out and pissed off at the time. I appreciate your input
 
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Gravytrain

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With either of those, you're not starting a business. You're starting a job.

Ideally you want something that you can scale rather quickly, and junk removal won't be it. I'm not sure where you live but here in Vancouver there's so many junk removal trucks driving around each day it's kind of comical... and they've all tried to clone Scudamore's 1-800-GOT-JUNK so they are all painted up with these ridiculous vanity 800 #'s.

Forget it.
 

1PercentStreet

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I believe Mark Cuban said something very similar to this on last weeks episode of Shark Tank. And 100K, I was just stressed out and pissed off at the time. I appreciate your input

Mark is awesome. I don't have TV, I should check it out if it's on Hulu.

I've heard that phrase many times before and it rings true. Follow the herd and you become "average".
 

JasonR

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1-800-JUNK was certainly fastlane, and is a junk removal service. However, the execution was excellent, and was the reason he was successful. You have to think big and think SCALE.

And yes, read the book. I'm rereading it at the moment.
 
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darius318

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I did a lot of research on the cleaning business, so I would side with commercial cleaning. I would first start by getting referrals from your current landscaping clients. Start up for a cleaning business is very easy: $20 in cleaning supplies is all you need and you don't have to buy until you get your first client. Commercial cleaning clients requires continuity, so you can attract yearly and multi-year contracts, which is unheard of in junk removal. Junk removal requires hard physical labor and sometimes help, so be prepared for a workout and possible back problems in the future. I would stay away from franchises because the salesman will drive down the price so low to get the contract for franchisees that you will be effectively getting $10/hour ($7.25 min wage + taxes + overhead). I didn't want to make too long a post but I was going to go into the cleaning business. Now I just got a harddrive filled with enough info on the business to write a couple of books, which I should get started on soon. If you consider the cleaning business, feel free to contact me.
 

SeanKelly

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I did a lot of research on the cleaning business, so I would side with commercial cleaning. I would first start by getting referrals from your current landscaping clients. Start up for a cleaning business is very easy: $20 in cleaning supplies is all you need and you don't have to buy until you get your first client. Commercial cleaning clients requires continuity, so you can attract yearly and multi-year contracts, which is unheard of in junk removal. Junk removal requires hard physical labor and sometimes help, so be prepared for a workout and possible back problems in the future. I would stay away from franchises because the salesman will drive down the price so low to get the contract for franchisees that you will be effectively getting $10/hour ($7.25 min wage + taxes + overhead). I didn't want to make too long a post but I was going to go into the cleaning business. Now I just got a harddrive filled with enough info on the business to write a couple of books, which I should get started on soon. If you consider the cleaning business, feel free to contact me.

Thank you so much for your post. Lots of good, realistic information. If I do decide to take the cleaning route I would greatly appreciate you passing on some of your research. May I ask why you never went forward with it?
 

Pete799p

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I would go the cleaning route as well. Because of 1800GOTJUNKS success there are so many copy cats plus all it requires is a pickup truck. Commercial cleaning actually requires somebody with some business and sales skills to get contracts/ drive business growth and your dealing with businesses instead of consumers (more stable and more predictable revenue).

I am not trying to be a dick but for everybody that has talked so much smack about how this is not fastlane and you are buying yourself a job don't waste your time blah blah blah. How many of you actually have a business doing over 100K after debt cashflow? How many of you have spent a significant amount of time trying to get a six figure job in todays economy? ( especially at 18)

I am going to guess not many. The reality is that six figures for yourself is still better then six figure for somebody else. I read a poll stating that most entreprenuers and small business owners are willing to make over 30% less money if it means they are working for themselves. Plus this "job" he is building he will be able to sell in the future assuming he hits some key growth/size targets. Not everybody is cut out to or wants to build the next instagram.

I say keep the landscaping business and leverage that cashflow into your new service business. As Cubes said sometimes business is more about hitting singles then home runs.
 
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Kung Fu Steve

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I am not trying to be a dick but for everybody that has talked so much smack about how this is not fastlane and you are buying yourself a job don't waste your time blah blah blah. How many of you actually have a business doing over 100K after debt cashflow? How many of you have spent a significant amount of time trying to get a six figure job in todays economy? ( especially at 18)

Amen. I think while it's not necessary people need to build business 1.0 before getting to business 2.0. The reason I think this is true is because it's a confidence builder. No matter how well you've understood the fastlane principles it won't go without the fuel of confidence

Not everybody is cut out to or wants to build the next instagram.

You can do anything you set your mind to! :D

I say keep the landscaping business and leverage that cashflow into your new service business. As Cubes said sometimes business is more about hitting singles then home runs.

I hear he doesn't like to be called cubes.
 

murphprodigy

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what kind of multiplier did you get on the landscaping business?

why not just start additional service businesses?
 

MJ DeMarco

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I honestly enjoy seeing a space transform from dirty to spotless.

Ironically, I'm the same way. I used to have a cleaning lady come to my house and actually found it odd that I didn't value the service insofar as I was missing out on the gratification of transforming something from dirty to spotless. Same goes for painting and remodeling.

Please give me your thoughts, opinions, and suggestions.

I'd lean to commercial cleaning. 100% of your time should be devoted to securing your first client and validating the need.

I would think that this industry falls into the commoditization zone so be sure you have an obvious USP. Additionally, I'd imagine this would be weak within the Entry criterion.

However, it is something scalable - as your contracts rise, it'd be pretty easy to hire -- your pool of available workers would be pretty large.
 
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VIP

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Feel free to ignore this suggestion. You seem to know your landscaping business really well why not write a ebook and sell it online on how to start a landscaping business. Google Adwords Local Monthly searched is 2,900 which is decent amount of traffic for that long tail keyword. The keyword "how to start a landscaping business" is easy to rank and I think you should create a A - Z ebook or dvd set that guides you from start to finish and sell it online. Make your business work for you and not work for your business. Think of the possibilities on selling a guide on how to start a landscaping business with our the trial and errors you have to go threw because you are paying for the knowledge to succeed from the start with your guide book.

If I was interested in start a landscaping business I wouldn't mind paying $19.95 or $39.95 for a book or dvd guide helping start my new landscaping business from start to finish. Its a small invest that will save me TIME AND MONEY and many many mistakes that would cost be hundreds if not thousands.

And with this idea you can really think about reaching global customers because everyone needs landscaping around the world and if you make it easy for your clients to start you should not have any problem selling this service.

Another great idea is charge a monthly fee of $4.95 or $9.95 and you can send them weekly or monthly tips on how to get new clients or how to improve their business.

Like I said above you can ignore this idea just thought it might help you out.
 

SeanKelly

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I would go the cleaning route as well. Because of 1800GOTJUNKS success there are so many copy cats plus all it requires is a pickup truck. Commercial cleaning actually requires somebody with some business and sales skills to get contracts/ drive business growth and your dealing with businesses instead of consumers (more stable and more predictable revenue).

I am not trying to be a dick but for everybody that has talked so much smack about how this is not fastlane and you are buying yourself a job don't waste your time blah blah blah. How many of you actually have a business doing over 100K after debt cashflow? How many of you have spent a significant amount of time trying to get a six figure job in todays economy? ( especially at 18)

I am going to guess not many. The reality is that six figures for yourself is still better then six figure for somebody else. I read a poll stating that most entreprenuers and small business owners are willing to make over 30% less money if it means they are working for themselves. Plus this "job" he is building he will be able to sell in the future assuming he hits some key growth/size targets. Not everybody is cut out to or wants to build the next instagram.

I say keep the landscaping business and leverage that cashflow into your new service business. As Cubes said sometimes business is more about hitting singles then home runs.

I completely understand what you're saying here, but I just don't want to be stuck in another area with so much competition. I have a lot to think over, obviously.

Ironically, I'm the same way. I used to have a cleaning lady come to my house and actually found it odd that I didn't value the service insofar as I was missing out on the gratification of transforming something from dirty to spotless. Same goes for painting and remodeling.



I'd lean to commercial cleaning. 100% of your time should be devoted to securing your first client and validating the need.

I would think that this industry falls into the commoditization zone so be sure you have an obvious USP. Additionally, I'd imagine this would be weak within the Entry criterion.

However, it is something scalable - as your contracts rise, it'd be pretty easy to hire -- your pool of available workers would be pretty large.

MJ it's always exciting to see a response from you. Thank you very much for your input. This is going to be a difficult decision!

Feel free to ignore this suggestion. You seem to know your landscaping business really well why not write a ebook and sell it online on how to start a landscaping business. Google Adwords Local Monthly searched is 2,900 which is decent amount of traffic for that long tail keyword. The keyword "how to start a landscaping business" is easy to rank and I think you should create a A - Z ebook or dvd set that guides you from start to finish and sell it online. Make your business work for you and not work for your business. Think of the possibilities on selling a guide on how to start a landscaping business with our the trial and errors you have to go threw because you are paying for the knowledge to succeed from the start with your guide book.

If I was interested in start a landscaping business I wouldn't mind paying $19.95 or $39.95 for a book or dvd guide helping start my new landscaping business from start to finish. Its a small invest that will save me TIME AND MONEY and many many mistakes that would cost be hundreds if not thousands.

And with this idea you can really think about reaching global customers because everyone needs landscaping around the world and if you make it easy for your clients to start you should not have any problem selling this service.

Another great idea is charge a monthly fee of $4.95 or $9.95 and you can send them weekly or monthly tips on how to get new clients or how to improve their business.

Like I said above you can ignore this idea just thought it might help you out.

I was actually trying to think of a business in which I could market to my now-competitors since I know the landscaping industry pretty well. The only thing I'm sure of is that my next venture will be B2B
 

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