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This is step 1 of my business --> EXECUTION - Setting up and operating the business from overseas
In that thread I provided a detailed story of what I want to do. To run the construction business in a country where I'm not living in.
In brief, I'm trying to setup and run a company in a 3rd world country while living in 1st world country.
A member named "Paydette" suggested to Poach a manager from an established company and offer him 30% profits plus 3 months salary, so he/she will be running the company overthere .
However, unfortunately I couldn't poach anyone from a reputed company/ a person who can run the company. Since all the proper business registration is done (to make it a limited company from the sole proprietor after my dad), I decided to find some one who is just familiar with the construction works and he's a close friend who's also an engineering graduate who agreed to become the manager of the business. (However, I may have taken the worst step by choosing my friend to run the business as he only knows construction technical stuff than running a business or managing it, so I have to teach him every step that he has to make until he gets a grip of it)
I'm willing to convert downstairs of my former home as the physical office (but did not spend money to convert it to an office yet as I have doubts that we'll not get any kind of client).
Updated the company website with many past completed projects.
The hotline (mobile number) of the company gets answered by my friend. However I taught him a bit how to talk to clients etc, how to explain things etc.
Then, I ran couple of facebook advertisement campaigns for the area close to his home town as an experiment and received couple of calls.
When I was in back in country many years ago, when I was doing construction business my self, I received most of the projects through word of mouth, almost none came through brochures/ advertisements (although we received couple of calls through ads).
The word of mouth projects were small projects at first for each client and then they offered bigger projects of them eventually and even introduced new clients they know (some of them were managers of popular companies and they introduced clients for 3% of commission (3% of the project value), it was a dirt cheap payment to receive a client as we only had to pay if the client offered a project).
For this business I'm setting up now, my friend received calls for the new advertisements I placed recently. However, they were very small projects (like not even the travel cost would return to our pockets) and the clients were on extreme tight budgets, but they wanted to get it done in good quality they had called our business.
We can still visit them if they wanted us to, but they're saying like
"Client: I have this much of money, can you do it or not"?
then my friend (who answered the calls) were like "yes, sir we can finish your project according to your budget, but first we need to visit the site, we'll do a free site inspection and we'll provide you a quotation"
The caller was like "no, we don't want you here yet, we just want to know if you can finish it within my exact budget" etc,
Looks like the callers are not serious as well, or may be they don't have money or just won't bother a minute of their time to show us the location etc
Some of them asks to carry out very tiny construction projects where there is no proper routes to the site (far away in the mid country where no body lives or rarely lives) but want us to have the prices of the local constructors and not willing to pay any visiting fees (at least they want to have the job get done by us, that's a positive aspect).
We are not money hungry, but their non-willingness to pay a small visiting fee for a rural area shows they are not serious/they are not financially stable to complete the project. (they can get it done by the local constructors in their area, but they want us, but do not show any seriousness as well)
This non-willingness to pay a small fee can also be attributed to not being a company known to them. If we're in their shoes, how can we trust a person who I have never seen or done any of our works. (So I understand their concern as well)
As I mentioned earlier I'm weak about marketing and marketing skills.
The only things I know, sending letters/brochures through mail to the addresses of companies I found in the internet, distributing brochures in public places (like 1000 brochures per day and, Facebook ads (3 calls received for almost 6000 people reached in the target area) and that expenditure everyday through facebook is non-sustainable (as I can't keep spending this much for non converting ads as I'm not a millionaire yet, even if I am I wouldn't spend if I don't see any meaningfulness)
Paper advertisements are very expensive like 10 times the facebook ads, for like 1 x 2 inch advertisement.
Tv commercials is not even an option in this phase.
I paused the facebook ads as I don't see that doesn't go anywhere meaningful.
I was thinking of printing the logo and the website url (which has past completed project pictures) onto small objects like pens so I can send the brand awareness to the people around. Don't know if it'll be effective.
May be I really should poach a manager from an already established construction company, but what are the exact methods? contacting one by one through linked in? post an advertisement in linked in that we need a manager for a zero client company to get clients and raise funding and pay their own salary? I have no idea.
Please help me. Comments, suggestions and solutions of each and every one of you are much appreciated.
In that thread I provided a detailed story of what I want to do. To run the construction business in a country where I'm not living in.
In brief, I'm trying to setup and run a company in a 3rd world country while living in 1st world country.
A member named "Paydette" suggested to Poach a manager from an established company and offer him 30% profits plus 3 months salary, so he/she will be running the company overthere .
However, unfortunately I couldn't poach anyone from a reputed company/ a person who can run the company. Since all the proper business registration is done (to make it a limited company from the sole proprietor after my dad), I decided to find some one who is just familiar with the construction works and he's a close friend who's also an engineering graduate who agreed to become the manager of the business. (However, I may have taken the worst step by choosing my friend to run the business as he only knows construction technical stuff than running a business or managing it, so I have to teach him every step that he has to make until he gets a grip of it)
I'm willing to convert downstairs of my former home as the physical office (but did not spend money to convert it to an office yet as I have doubts that we'll not get any kind of client).
Updated the company website with many past completed projects.
The hotline (mobile number) of the company gets answered by my friend. However I taught him a bit how to talk to clients etc, how to explain things etc.
Then, I ran couple of facebook advertisement campaigns for the area close to his home town as an experiment and received couple of calls.
When I was in back in country many years ago, when I was doing construction business my self, I received most of the projects through word of mouth, almost none came through brochures/ advertisements (although we received couple of calls through ads).
The word of mouth projects were small projects at first for each client and then they offered bigger projects of them eventually and even introduced new clients they know (some of them were managers of popular companies and they introduced clients for 3% of commission (3% of the project value), it was a dirt cheap payment to receive a client as we only had to pay if the client offered a project).
For this business I'm setting up now, my friend received calls for the new advertisements I placed recently. However, they were very small projects (like not even the travel cost would return to our pockets) and the clients were on extreme tight budgets, but they wanted to get it done in good quality they had called our business.
We can still visit them if they wanted us to, but they're saying like
"Client: I have this much of money, can you do it or not"?
then my friend (who answered the calls) were like "yes, sir we can finish your project according to your budget, but first we need to visit the site, we'll do a free site inspection and we'll provide you a quotation"
The caller was like "no, we don't want you here yet, we just want to know if you can finish it within my exact budget" etc,
Looks like the callers are not serious as well, or may be they don't have money or just won't bother a minute of their time to show us the location etc
Some of them asks to carry out very tiny construction projects where there is no proper routes to the site (far away in the mid country where no body lives or rarely lives) but want us to have the prices of the local constructors and not willing to pay any visiting fees (at least they want to have the job get done by us, that's a positive aspect).
We are not money hungry, but their non-willingness to pay a small visiting fee for a rural area shows they are not serious/they are not financially stable to complete the project. (they can get it done by the local constructors in their area, but they want us, but do not show any seriousness as well)
This non-willingness to pay a small fee can also be attributed to not being a company known to them. If we're in their shoes, how can we trust a person who I have never seen or done any of our works. (So I understand their concern as well)
As I mentioned earlier I'm weak about marketing and marketing skills.
The only things I know, sending letters/brochures through mail to the addresses of companies I found in the internet, distributing brochures in public places (like 1000 brochures per day and, Facebook ads (3 calls received for almost 6000 people reached in the target area) and that expenditure everyday through facebook is non-sustainable (as I can't keep spending this much for non converting ads as I'm not a millionaire yet, even if I am I wouldn't spend if I don't see any meaningfulness)
Paper advertisements are very expensive like 10 times the facebook ads, for like 1 x 2 inch advertisement.
Tv commercials is not even an option in this phase.
I paused the facebook ads as I don't see that doesn't go anywhere meaningful.
I was thinking of printing the logo and the website url (which has past completed project pictures) onto small objects like pens so I can send the brand awareness to the people around. Don't know if it'll be effective.
May be I really should poach a manager from an already established construction company, but what are the exact methods? contacting one by one through linked in? post an advertisement in linked in that we need a manager for a zero client company to get clients and raise funding and pay their own salary? I have no idea.
Please help me. Comments, suggestions and solutions of each and every one of you are much appreciated.
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