From Side Hustle to Full Time
Helping a local firefighter start his own business.
One of the more fulfilling aspects of my job is getting to work with solo entrepreneurs who want to take their side hustle full-time. The ability to fully break free from the chains of bureaucracy and carve your path where you are your own boss is a feeling that I hope everyone can experience.
For many aspiring entrepreneurs, taking the first step to going full-time can be exhilarating. The idea of leaving behind your day job to pursue a passion you have been working on for years comes with a lot of emotion.
Once the decision has been made to launch your business, the reality sets in.
For many, this reality is rooted in the fact that you need to find ways to show the world you are open for business. Now that you do not have a safety blanket to fall back on, you must go all in on your business and take the next step to become a true professional in your craft.
The problem with this is that many people do not know where to begin.
The thing about many entrepreneurs is that they are great at what they do. They provide a product or service that customers want, and they are very good at delivering that product or service to anyone who wants it.
When it comes to creating and acting on a strategy for growing the business you have created, things get tricky.
This is where a professional consultant (like myself) can help.
In this case study, I will briefly outline how I helped a new small business owner grow his pressure washing business from a side hustle to a full-time operation.
Background: My customer was a full-time firefighter who picked up pressure washing as a way to make additional money outside on his days off.
The problem: My client was not technically versed, did not have a business background, and was looking for direction on how to get started. They had recently taken over the customer base of another pressure washer who recently retired and were in a prime position to grow.
The solution: I shared the knowledge I have gained from working with dozens of other entrepreneurs to help my client formally establish his business, outline a growth plan, and implement technology that helped him manage his daily workflows.
The growth plan: After an introductory call to understand his business and aspirations, I was able to create an actionable plan for him to pursue new customers through digital and traditional marketing tactics. This includes how-to guides on creating social media posts, infiltrating community channels, building a following, and establishing a recognizable brand.
Lead generation: By using public information on LinkedIn combined with a powerful artificial intelligence (AI) tool, I was able to create a list of business owners in the client's area that contained their location, email address, and phone numbers. This list enables the client to directly reach out to business owners in his area and pitch them on his services.
Customer management technology: Given that this particular client had recently taken over the business of a fellow pressure washer, he had a substantial number of customers on his books in a very short time. I was able to implement a simple customer relationship manager (CRM) for him that allowed him to centrally view all information related to his bookings, leads, and customers. This implementation provides him with an all-in-one application to contact customers, schedule service, and keep track of service logs.
The result: The growth plan has enabled my client to create a following on social media where he posts about his business and interacts with the community. The lead generation project has kept him busy with building relationships in his community (over $10,000 worth of bookings from this list), and the CRM has streamlined his operations and created a simple environment to manage his business.
If you are interested in learning how I can help you launch or grow your business, click the link below.