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seriously though, on face-book ads, I target homeowners, 30-65 years of age within 50 miles of my local market.

When door hanging, I target neighborhoods from 150,000-350,000 price range.




-- Edited by swee****erfish on Friday 3rd of December 2010 05:54:28 PM

Here is something ya gotta know. You need time in business, repeat customers, WOM, ....

Check this out! Never happen before! She told me! One of my repeat gutter cleans sold their house!

I'm the last to know.... LOL!!! It just isnt right? (lol)!!!

Anyway, I'll get up with them and thank them. We were recomended! At the sale or wherever!

This another first time!!!!

I kept a house through a sale! Weird, huh?

Travis,

First time I have responded to your continuous 1 line questions, after reading most of your posts. You did ask the forum for help writing a business plan, not much help in the actual writing. However, tons in the research and idea formats  You need to do your own research a business plan is unique to you and your plans. A business plan is just that a plan, who, what, when, where, why and the last is HOW, it is ever changing.  It is that sapling tree you plant in the spring, water it, nuture it, shape it and watch it grow into the tree you plan it to become. 

It is not about someone elses' idea of how it should be, how can I just change a few lines and put it in my plan.  You ask these questions constantly on the forum, many are not blind to the pointed questions.  Go to SCORE, or your colleges business department get an outline of a BP, or online from the SBA.

To answer your question about demographics bottom line: Whoever writes the check!

I wrote my business plan all 40 pages of it, even had it critiqued.  Was asked, by my Bank, how much money did I need to start, $0.00, I did not ask for money.  I am using my plan, and before you ask, no it is not for sale. It is a flexible document, it changes daily and with the economy, it is a continuing work in progress.  It is what is called life.

Many of the Professionals on this forum, give freely and without strings more than enough information to start your business, without asking for anything in return, other than give something constuctive that we all can use.  This is the beauty of this forum.  I haven't checked, however, I would venture to say many of the professionals on this site started roof cleaning as an extra to their current businesses, many started from scratch with just the idea, read, read and then read some more.

Instead of asking the members of this forum to give you the core of their business trade secrets so you can write your BP.  Go to the web, use Google, Bing, Yahoo or any of the number of business only search engines, find a marketing company,  ask your question(s), give them what you are looking for, pay your money and download the info for your BP.  Now it's done.

Travis,

I must start with saying that I do agree with Fred and you also must know that he wrote that in the kindest of ways (as I read it). You are lucky that not only do you have the information here but people are willing to help. You WILL NOT find that in many professions.

I started  my first business at the ripe old age of 21. I had just enough knowledge to get in big trouble. Business plan? Hell, I, nor did anyone else around know what that was. We took off and learned with a lot of OJT. In those days you couldn't find remodeling in the phone book. We made it up as we tore something apart. Also, we had no Internet, just the help of

There is a gold mine here and I don't mean what you or I can make but the wealth of information and the networking, but we must first do our part and learn this somewhat confusing site (at times) and then, come to the big boys with questions.

As far as your question... I have a really simple way of doing things if I'm out walking or driving a neighborhood. I don't care what someone looks like, what they drive and how much they make. I look at the house and see dirty shingles. The next important question is, do they take care of their home? This home could be in a neighborhood most would never go after because the homes don't have the value they are after. If they pass the test of taking care of their home, I will take my time to talk to them. Case in point, putting out fliers one day, man cutting grass in his back yard, probably the medium to low on this street. He got off his mower, was glad I knew what to do about his roof! It was cleaned the next afternoon and he paid me in cash! A dirty roof? A well taken care of home? That's is my target!



-- Edited by Classicrider on Sunday 5th of December 2010 08:45:29 AM

can u just keep it within a sentence next time?
that's why I love twitter they get to the point, with in a sentence.

-- Edited by Roof Cleaning NJ on Saturday 4th of December 2010 07:00:26 PM

Fred-  Thank you for your service.  I am looking forward to your input because you seem to have your Chit together.  I haven't read all your posts but I've read enough of them to know where you're coming from.

Some of you missed the point at which I was trying to get at but anyways the reason 85% of business fail is bad planing sorry I'm am just trying to plan it correctly and by finding out where majority of your roof sales come from it helps in knowing who to target and not...Thanks Scott

Travis,
Like Ivan Said, You need to get out and just do it. I know you want to start out the right way, but sometimes you just need to jump in. I'm not saying don't have a road map of what you want to accomplish, but you do need to jump in and make some mistakes.
With the knowledge you gained from the RCIA members you will avoid most of the major mistakes. A business plan is great, but not always necessary. There are many successful businesses out there, and some of those owners don't even know what a business plan is, yet their business still does well.
At some point in the growth of a business it will be time to step up and require a good business plan. You can get paralysis by analysis and not accomplish anything because you try to research, and get everything right and never do anything. Sometimes you NEED to jump in, with a basic plan of action and evolve your simple plan into a great business plan as your business grows, and you get to know your business/Trade.

I wish you luck on the new start up, and remember ACTION will get you much farther than perfect planning.

Feel free to call me as well if I can help you.

Do as they say......

and GOOD LUCK