If I Started Another 7-8 Figure Home Service Brand Today, I Would Do It All Differently...

If I started another 7-8 figure home service brand today, I would do it all differently

I would first de-risk, because now I know how.

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Here's exactly how to know which high ticket home service biz to launch with very little risk, tactics & all:

I'd start with 5 high ticket, recession resistant industries that I really like:

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1. Fencing
2. Irrigation
3. Hardscaping
4. Flooring
5. Foundation repair

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Don't like these? That's ok, there are hundreds more.

Then I would scrape a list of every potential competitor in my area for each of the 5 industries. Use Outscraper for this (no affiliation).

Within 20 minutes I would have a CSV of every competitor.

Then, I would run the exact same scrapes in 2 other areas that are comparable to yours. If you're in Dallas, then try Houston and San Antonio as well.

All of this will cost under $50.

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Then, get population data for all 3 areas.

Find out how many competitors there are per resident and throw it in a column. You need 2 other cities to see what the baseline is. 3-4 cities would be even better. If you’re in Seattle, don’t compare it against Miami.

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If your city has 1 competitor for every 10k people and the other 2 has 1 for every 20k people, you’ll probably have a harder time succeeding.

In our tree biz, we learned that DFW is 1 in 10k, whereas in Nashville is 1 in 5k. We aren’t launching in Nashville any time soon!

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Then I would go to Upwork and find a $3-4/hour VA to call every single one of the competitors in your area only.

Why $3/hour? Because this is very low skill, you will have a ton of bids, accents don't matter, as you don't even need the VA to talk to the person.

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You just need to know who is answering the phone and who isn’t. The minimum wage in most countries is under $1/hour, FYI.

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As soon as the business owner answers, have the VA ask:

"I need a quote for (insert service here). How soon can you come out to bid?"

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Have the VA add their answer and whether or not they picked up the phone.

This should take about a day or two. You'll be out around $150 total at this point.

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Now, use the same VA to join Nextdoor and every local Facebook group to search and see what service people are needing most, for all 3 markets.

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Throw that in another column and compare side by side.

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Now, have the VA to go

Angi
Thumbtack
Google LSA

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To notate how many of those competitors are on those platforms. For LSA you’ll need to do a Google maps search and look for the sponsored ones, like this:

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Now you have potential demand, and that's the hardest part!

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You now know:

1. Which of the 5 industries have more sophisticated operators (highest % listed on the 3 big platforms).

2. What areas have low competition.

3. In which industries the competitors are answering their phone and/or able to quote a job quickly.

4. What areas and/or industries have the most demand for that service.

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Use that data to determine what biz to launch. Of the 5 options, pick the top 2.

Once you have 2, start looking for subcontractors.

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Whichever industry you have an easier time finding subs, that's the one you launch.

Where/how do you find subs?

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Well, you can start with the list you’ve already scraped.

Many of those future competitors are also potential subcontractors. If they look flashy, have a wrapped truck and a website (even if ugly) then don’t even think about it.

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If they don’t have a website and/or their name is hispanic, and their listed phone number is a cell (use Phone Validator) give them a call and ask if they need more work.

Learn how to price your service and see where they’re at.

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You can also find subs:

At gas stations early in the morning

At home depot

At that random place in town that people use to find day laborers. If they aren’t a sub then they know of subs and will refer them for a cool $20.

At the taqueria

FB Marketplace

Craigslist

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The BEST subs are just getting started on their own but know what they’re doing. If they’ve been doing it a while then they are swamped and don’t have time for your jobs.

Some industries make it easy for a sub to steal your customers (landscaping) and others like tree trimming are the opposite, as trees aren’t very recurring and the subs don’t interact with homeowners much.

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But it’s not something you should worry about now. If you have that problem, it means you have customers. But for now, you need to find them.

STOP FOCUSING ON WHAT MIGHT GO WRONG AND START TAKING STEPS TO GENERATE YOUR FIRST $1.

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“What about the liability?” Ever hear of insurance?

“What about the labor shortage?” You don’t have a customer yet.

“I know nothing about this industry.” Watch some YT videos.

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Don’t pick an industry on what you like or what sounds sexy, just use data.

You don’t want to drive all over down to quote $50 lawns or spray driveways for $200. High ticket allows you to keep your job while you launch and net more profit for the same amount of work.

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Some of your friends want to quit their jobs next year. Send this to them.

Home services will never go away. We picked tree trimming and it's going great, but others are great, too.

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I'll break down the tactics on how to find your first customers in my newsletter (MHPguy. com)

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Would love a follow @mhp_guy if you found any value here. Drop a question below and I’ll gladly answer.