Living the dream/ Phase 1 - The first crossroads

[Ali]

Spent about an hour an a half door knocking, gave out some leaflets and landed this job in a tucked away house right on the edge of a wood.

An elderly women lived there and I quoted what I thought was a good price given how plants were literally growing out of the down pipes.
I was so wrong, I've done about half the job in two hours and will go back tm morning to finish it off as it got dark.
There's mud down all the down pipes that I'm gonna have to bring something to hack it out and I was hacking through and lifting frozen chunks of mud out of the gutter with the vacuum itself.

I'd say I undercharged by about 60-70%!

Nevertheless a very nice old women who needs a shit ton of work doing around the garden and property and can hopefully become a repeat customer every 6-months to stop it getting in that bad of a condition again.

I also have a lead booked in from todays flyers for Thursday morning which I'm very happy with.

Here is a picture of a shrub growing out the gutters and my inadequate ladder, I think I'm going to develop some sort of complex at this rate

 

[Ali]

Forgot to mention I got given £5 for checking some gutters with my camera, they were fine but the owners appreciated me doing it for free and letting them know.

 

[Ali]

It's finally done, all told I spent about 6 hours working on that house!!
She tipped me 40% which I'm very grateful for as well as a fuck tonne of tea and biscuits lol.
I also spoke to her neighbourgh as I needed to access her garage roof via his garden, I offered to check his gutters while I was around there, found a bunch of moss and am now booked in for Saturday morning.
This means Thursday is booked as well as Saturday and will make me much more efficient in the time = money equation.

My arms are actually pretty tired from holding the vacuum the last few days and I promised myself a cheat meal if I got another sale so it's burgers for dinner!

The upsell:
Her roof was covered in moss so I said I could scrape everything off and treat it with biocide to stop it from coming back.
This would be a full days work at least and require me to buy:
- A big ladder
- A roof rack so I can transport it
- An extendable pole with roof scraper and hose attachments
- A small pressure gun for biocide
- Biocide
- PPE for the biocide

With this in mind I quoted £700
She said to put me on her list and she'll save up.
Thursday's customer has also enquired about roof cleaning which is interesting.
Even more interesting someone actually asked me about it when I was going door to door at the end of December - imagine if I could sell a job in the region of £600 from doorknocking!
This is a big ticket job and requires a lot of equipment - ideally a van and scaffold tower.

Doing this job I've also learnt that the vacuum, while good can't shift incredibly heavy debris such as frozen mud and matted roots as well as just getting up on a big ladder.

Now that I fully realise how the right equipment can save so much time I'm going to sell the small pressure washer I bought in Nov and spend an extra couple hundred on a bigger unit with a higher flow rate - if I decide to buy another one. (I'm undecided whether to go the roof cleaning route or do driveways and patios)

 

[SpongeBob]

Been working on my next ad and using the feedback to really get to why this service is valuable. I've attached a draft but I think its coming together.

Allow me to give some more feedback on that one.

- The before and after picture is indeed a great idea. But like Zug said, it'd be better if the before and after are more extreme.

- You have a good structure : Title -> Benefits -> Proof (picture) -> details of your service.

- A good ad should indeed convey emotions (fear, joy, pride etc...), and directly speak to the psychological needs of your clients (social status, security etc...). Here, you seem to focus the need for financial security (guarding against costly issues), which is a good one. But when you talk about those costly issues, but it is still abstract. You can convey a bigger sense of urgency by being more precised. Something along the lines of "A poorly maintained gutter can cost you X", or "You can save up to X with a clean gutter". Then talk about why that is (the list of issues that you're talking about). You can even go the extra mile by looking how much each can cost and put the comparison with your prices to show that you're helping them saving money (I suppose that to fix an entire roof should be a couple of 1000s, compared to what you charge, the difference is big)

- You can also offer an audit for free (like you did with the 1st ad) or for a ridiculously low price (£5 or £10 in case you have to go on site, just to pay the gas)

 

[Ali]

Been working on my next ad and using the feedback to really get to why this service is valuable. I've attached a draft but I think its coming together.

Allow me to give some more feedback on that one.

- The before and after picture is indeed a great idea. But like Zug said, it'd be better if the before and after are more extreme.

- You have a good structure : Title -> Benefits -> Proof (picture) -> details of your service.

- A good ad should indeed convey emotions (fear, joy, pride etc...), and directly speak to the psychological needs of your clients (social status, security etc...). Here, you seem to focus the need for financial security (guarding against costly issues), which is a good one. But when you talk about those costly issues, but it is still abstract. You can convey a bigger sense of urgency by being more precised. Something along the lines of "A poorly maintained gutter can cost you X", or "You can save up to X with a clean gutter". Then talk about why that is (the list of issues that you're talking about). You can even go the extra mile by looking how much each can cost and put the comparison with your prices to show that you're helping them saving money (I suppose that to fix an entire roof should be a couple of 1000s, compared to what you charge, the difference is big)

- You can also offer an audit for free (like you did with the 1st ad) or for a ridiculously low price (£5 or £10 in case you have to go on site, just to pay the gas)

Hell yeah! Thanks, these are some really good insights, I'm going to refine these leaflets next week using your advice

 

[Ali]

Another job completed.
I asked if they were interested in having the patio pressure washed but they do it themselves.
They also wanted roof cleaning as moss kept landing on their nice car, I told them it would probably cost about £700 and explained a little but about the process which seemed to put them off. If I decide to go this route I may lowball an offer, I could have asked what their price point was too in hindsight.

What I've found so far:
This has been surprisingly stable work considering I'm door knocking.
Taking on the monster job yesterday and Tuesday might have cost me some time but it got me a sale with the neighbourghs on Saturday.

I really like the idea of improving my hourly rate with more demanding work.
So far I'm looking at pressure washing and roof cleaning.
I'd like to be able to do what I'm doing now: leave the house, find some work, compete 1 job and then go home.
If these were more high ticket jobs I'd be making good money and not actually working too much.
The main hurdle is equipment costs and maybe being able to sell more expensive jobs reliably.
I'm going to keep testing the market for both types of work when I clean gutters for people and ask if they're interested.

 

[Ali]

Took yesterday off and did a nice easy job today.

There are two opportunities I explored to expand my services.

1. Fascia, soffit and gutter exterior cleaning - a job pays about £110 but it would cost about £500 to get the setup for it. I could use it for window cleaning but I'm looking for higher rates of pay.

2. I found a roof cleaner who uses a ladder setup and looked at the regulations - I could transport one on the roof of my car which opens this avenue back up.
I've got three people who I could ask if they're interested in this service - if so I could book the jobs before investing in the equipment which would be ideal.
I think it would cost about £700 for a good setup and if I charged a heavily discounted rate I could cover this in two - three jobs.
Typically this work is worth about £600-700 and a job would take about 7hrs.
+ the ladders would be great for monster gutter jobs like tues/weds.

I've also listed my pressure washer on ebay, gumtree and fb, if I don't shift it in a couple weeks I'll use it anyway even if it does make jobs take a little longer than a high powered unit.

Women:
I've basically moved into an open relationship with doctor girl where we can both see other people.
I've let the other girls fall off naturally and don't feel the need for more right now.
I'm not very active on the apps anymore because I find it a bit of a slog and the quality is meh. I also doubt on a fundamental level whether the hedonism of the Western meat markets is really good for me.
I wanted to get laid because I thought I couldn't. I wanted to see multiple girls because I learnt about hypergamy and broken attachment and now that I'm not very motivated by busting a nut or proving to people that I'm cool anymore I want to build something lasting get a dope homestead and find a quality girl to start a family with if God wills it.

 

[Ali]

I've done a week of doorknocking. Selling a gutter cleaning service.

Big lessons:
Everyday I've looked for a job I found one - this is very encouraging.
I was able to find a good price point and have the confidence to ask for it - it now feels natural.
I was able to find jobs that were passed over by a much bigger company and capitalise on them.
Getting a uniform together helped Big time - I also feel way more natural and professional.
It's just a numbers game - I'm offering a maintenance job, this dynamic may change if it was something like pressure washing where appearance and pride in the property matters a lot more and more 'selling' Might be required. So far all customers have actually needed the service and it was a matter of being at the right place at the right time.
In the UK door to door sales are generally frowned upon and viewed as a scam but it is possible to get surprisingly consistent work.
It's not peak season right after the leaves have dropped and I still got work.
I didn't even push it that hard- I just did one job a day, I could double this output and see how many more jobs I can get done.
I don't think there is any better way for this industry to get work and find hidden opportunities quicker.

All told from leaving my house, finding work, completing it and getting home I averaged £19.75 an hour.
This actually shits on a lot of jobs in the UK.

Other things.
It's very easy to invest loads into equipment but pointlessness you can't sell the intended service.
This could be replicated for waaay cheaper - the vacuum is good and customers are impressed by it but with seriously blocked gutters I found myself using a ladder where possible.

Next up:
Provide a more expensive service - I want to do roof cleans - a good extension of this business model and I like the idea of doing something slightly dangerous with ease through knowledge and skill.
See how hard I can play the numbers - next weekend I'm going to try to do 4 jobs.
Keep asking people if they are interested in add-on services.

Working outdoors:
I've never felt that 'office-fatigue' feeling.
I've never felt bored.
There are no thoughts in my brain apart from the best way to get the job done: my mind is so still it feels like an alpine lake.

Labour:
I need to find a carb source that doesn't bloat me to sustain this extra activity.
There's a difference from being in shape gym-wise and labouring-wise which is pretty interesting, I will find a way to balance the two more effectively.

 

[Olafsmash]

super cool that this is going well for you bro!

 

[Ali]

super cool that this is going well for you bro!

Appreciate it! It's a good feeling to out-earn my job in the first week just from offering a basic but important service

 

[Antonio44]

super cool that this is going well for you bro!

Appreciate it! It's a good feeling to out-earn my job in the first week just from offering a basic but important service

I love reading this thread too, always gives me good vibes!

I just remembered from my door to door days - not sure if you are aware, but you can get a pedlar's certificate - this costs £12 a year, very easy to get, and technically is needed to do door to door sales in UK (I was selling goods, but I think it also applies if selling services).

Realistically, it's rare to be asked for this but you can be fined without it, the police did try once with me. Though I was able to talk my way out of the fine, it might be something to be aware of. Quick interview and very easy/cheap to get.

 

[Ali]

Appreciate it! It's a good feeling to out-earn my job in the first week just from offering a basic but important service

I love reading this thread too, always gives me good vibes!

I just remembered from my door to door days - not sure if you are aware, but you can get a pedlar's certificate - this costs £12 a year, very easy to get, and technically is needed to do door to door sales in UK (I was selling goods, but I think it also applies if selling services).

Realistically, it's rare to be asked for this but you can be fined without it, the police did try once with me. Though I was able to talk my way out of the fine, it might be something to be aware of. Quick interview and very easy/cheap to get.

Appreciate it! It's been a lot of fun.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll check that out

 

[Ali]

My pressure washer hasn't got any attention from the listings apart from a cheeky bastard who offered £200 less than the asking price.
With this is mind I think I've found a way to get effective results with it by doing a kind of softwash before hand and it should be fine to use on all normal-size driveways and patios.
When I go door knocking ill just add it to my pitch.

Moving: 2 months till my contract ends I'm thinking of trying some rural living for a bit or just going somewhere super cheap to rack up more cash.
That way I'll be able to get a van sooner. It will also be interesting to se if I can screen for girls who are up for that lifestyle.
I'll aim for another 6-month contract so I can bounce if I don't like it.

Healthmaxxing:
On a 2×upper 1×lower schedule with plymetrics on both upper days.
3× cardio weekly on my assault bike that I'm going to phase into bagwork.

 

[Ali]

I've recovered from a severe case of manflu last weekend so it's time to step up the doorknocking hustle this weekend.

Business:
My plan is to do 2 double cleans Saturday and Sunday. If I pull this off I'll be very pleased. If I can do it for 4 weekends in a row I'll probably quit my job as soon as I move somewhere cheaper.

I couldn't sell the pressure washer for what I wanted so it's it's go ahead with that. Ive got doctor girl's and my parents house I can learn on first so will likely take a day off work to drive south.

FB ads I've started a pretty plain ad just to see how it does. So far I've got a guy who I didnt trust at all asking me to pressure wash paint off a wall in a city over an hour away - despite it clearly being a gutter ad, another asked my rates but hasn't responded, I may message tm to ask if they wanted a different price.

Women:
Ticked off shower sex and had a date where we played squash which was awesome and seeing me do something athletic and go against players seemed to really turn her on. Calling her 'doctor girl' sounds very autistic so ill say M from now on.
It's been great doing things like this that I didnt do in my early 20's.

 

[Antonio44]

I couldn't sell the pressure washer for what I wanted so it's it's go ahead with that.

At least you have it as a spare then - having old versions of my essential tools as spares and bringing them "just in case" in the back of the car has saved me a couple of times. Means if you get an equipment failure you dont need to fuck around fixing it immediately - you can keep working using the spare, and not have to cancel all jobs that day.

 

[Ali]

My first two job day is done.
Took 5hrs from leaving the flat, knocking doors, doing two jobs and getting home and I made the most I've ever made in a day! In fact if this work is consistent at today's rate I will be in the top 10% of earners for my age group which is mad considering its just from knocking doors and cleaning shite out of gutters!
Pitched patio cleans to both customers but they like to do it themselves.

Stuff I've learned:
Had some leary boomers the first couple doors who seemed pretty dubious but my frame is pretty strong after all the success so I don't really remember the people who are suspicious, the most I do is check I'm not looking unkempt.
I really like the mentality of each 'no ' is a step towards the next 'yes'
The first house I cleaned I spotted some parts of her conservatory roof and outside roof were broken so she was pleased I was able to show her, she also said she'll pass my details along which is sick and actually asked for a few leaflets to pass on.
She also spoke to the neighbourghs who I knocked on before. They asked her if I was any good and she said yes which I appreciate, interesting to see if I'll get any messages come through after they got the social proof they might have wanted.

I passed out a few leaflets today too and gave a quote of £90 for a house that had particularly bad gutters, she said she will try to get some other quotes and get back to me. I won't lower the price any more as I looks like a small forest has formed in the gutters lol. Interestingly this house had a no door knockers sign which I walls respect but I didnt see it until it was too late - she didn't seem to care once she realised I was offering a service that she actually needs.

Had a few more messages trickle in from my Facebook ads, I've given out another quote from them and someone asked me if I do roof cleaning - had to say no for now. From what I can tell there is good demand for this but I'll need about 2-3k to get the equipment I need - most of the cost is from the van.

A huge trend I'm noticing too is people saying to me I was at the right place at the right time to get them done. I beleive this kind of maintenance job is something people put on their to do lists and it gets pushed to the back of their mind and kind of nags at them until I show up and can take care of it right then and there.

I've been sharing my adventures with M and she wishes me good luck every day and cheers me on which has been unexpectedly wholesome and really nice sharing my business journey from day one.

 

[Ali]

I couldn't sell the pressure washer for what I wanted so it's it's go ahead with that.

At least you have it as a spare then - having old versions of my essential tools as spares and bringing them "just in case" in the back of the car has saved me a couple of times. Means if you get an equipment failure you dont need to fuck around fixing it immediately - you can keep working using the spare, and not have to cancel all jobs that day.

Yessir it's still a good bit of kit and I'm sure it will pay for itself pretty easily.

 

[Ali]

Had a successful day Sunday and got my first job booked in next Saturday from my Facebook ad.
At this rate it will have paid for itself quite easily but is less effective than going door to door. Getting reviews for my page is the next step and will hopefully improve conversion.
I've also been putting a couple of posts up each week to make the page look more legit.

Women:
Me and M are in an open relationship where I'll use protection with other girls but not with her, told her I'm practically monogamous for all intents and purposes anyway.
Sex is about 5× more intense now I'm not wearing a sandwich bag and has took it to another level for both of us.

Playing sport with her has made me realise the physical difference in strength/speed etc seems to be a huge turn-on for women and picking her up with one arm mid game made her swoon like nothing I've seen before.

 

[Ali]

I've got two jobs booked Saturday from my Facebook ad so very pleased. As they're from fb I'll ask for reviews, hopefully stack some and improve my conversion rates.
I've had a bunch of messages asking for my prices but it looks like they might be too high for a lot of people - never been a problem going door to door, I could knock a little bit off but it's not like I'm short of leads anyway so I'll see going forwards.

I've decided to add window cleaning to my services, the equipment is relatively inexpensive and I expect it to be a consistent source of jobs and pairs nicely with gutter cleaning. I can also use the equipment to clean fascias, soffitts etc and apply chemicals to roofs using the water fed pole further down the line.

I'm very grateful today because it looks like for the second year in a row I'll be doing something fun with a girl on valentines day, which is a nice normie milestone.

 

[Ali]

I ran this ad for 1 week in my area. I've got four jobs booked from it - hopefully no-one will cancel.
I spent £28, £4 a day and when I'm paid from the jobs I will have made £230 so basically £200 net.
Looks to be a viable form of marketing even without a social media following and I'm pleased that a simple format like this has provided results.
I'm also adding content to my FB page and will ask for reviews to try to improve my conversion rates.

I was initially comparing this to door-to-door but realised they're synergistic. I'm going to do a job, then go door to door in the area I'm in as well.

I'll post the stats, no idea why it sais 0 messages started when I got 12 this week in total.