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Grass roots plan

Goldman snacks

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I am awaiting my visa interview that will allow me to set up a business in the USA, but before I do that I have to survive here for another few months, I have found mentors and people that I help every now and then, but I cant officially work for an institution or incorporate and they are now holding off official business until i pass the interview.

In the last 3-4 weeks I have read around 20+ books on entrepreneurship, finance, marketing. I have 2+ years of door to door selling experience and I want to set myself up with new skills and something tangible for when I get my visa.

So here's my plan:

short term(started today)----- dog walking

This is to get some quick cash to pay for living expenses and save for my other ventures, I'm going to start with the basics, putting up posters with tearable numbers with a personal tagline as I don't have experience or training or any expertise yet (help a student through college by letting him walk your dog, etc)

I know this is slowlane, however I can scale this up once i get fully booked, I can walk multiple dogs at the same time, or outsourcing it, I can also offer packages and broker deals with pet service companies and vets(200 month for:x walks a week, monthly dog toy, grooming or even clothes).

all the time I am walking dogs, I will be furthering my education and programming ( I already know basic html+css but im not that confident). my dad makes an ideal first customer for my programming services as I can make him a new modern website. I either want to sell websites or develop apps for other people and myself so I'm going to make use of my time to get as far as possible in these 3 months.

goals for once I pass my interview:

-incorporate a dog walking service and go ahead with scaling it and automating it, or sell off my customers to a competitor and focus on programming.
-sell websites and fully pursue it, whilst playing around and coding my own apps and once i'm proficient i could sell app design also.

I have read the notable website design thread and thats the route I am going to go down

im open to your opinions, tips, advice and I will keep you guys posted on my progress
 
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Goldman snacks

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Still to get my first customer, I am going to make more posters and experiment, whilst reading up on ad copy
 

townhaus

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Dog walking? Is that the best idea you've come up with?

It's the first thing that jumps into people minds if they need an example business to talk about. Like a lemonade stand, or selling socks online.

Selling a service to your own father, doesn't sound like a way to gain experience.

Sorry if i sound harsh.
 

devine

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Dog walking? Is that the best idea you've come up with?

It's the first thing that jumps into people minds if they need an example business to talk about. Like a lemonade stand, or selling socks online.

Selling a service to your own father, doesn't sound like a way to gain experience.

Sorry if i sound harsh.
[HASHTAG]#landfill[/HASHTAG]

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...ey-for-dummies-and-in-a-crowded-market.63123/
 
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townhaus

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Wheres the creativity?

I'm sure dog walking can be made fastlane, but do your really want to pursue that?

If so, forget about selling website to other people or helping your dad, and start building the dog booking site.

Like these guys https://www.handy.com/

All they do is house cleaning. But they popped up real fast in London, or they aquired someone else who started with a flyer through my door not long ago.
 

Goldman snacks

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The dog walking is a way for me to make money quick without a visa, funding my education for the fastlane.
its not that stupid of an idea.

marketing is cheap and simple: flyers up on street corners, groomers, sweet talk local vets, pet stores, pet friendly apartment complexes so i can display my flyer.



"Does your dog need more Exercise?
TBUW2HsGh8i9gzerkWkECXm-CM5gmLDQOl5x_1qmeuDCvagGyC_LRfhpn9CUehSHGsxXiZIZQZt_0TqsvZXM_mYQDRHvkaXPQEfRI8_6FOKj91VGaT7RocEReqxyjsfud5QPwb6Z


No time to walk?


I walk dogs, giving them the exercise and socialization they need to be healthy, fit and happy.


Experienced, Friendly, very competitive rates:


30 Minute Walk

$8

45 Minute Walk

$12

1 Hour Walk

$16


CALL NOW - Your 1st hour is FREE and if you’re not satisfied I’ll pay YOU for an hour"




something like this is what i have so far (obviously Im going to edit it to look nice to the eye, add something to create more trust).


Costs: Ink
Revenue: one dog for 1hour a day 5 days a week = $80
I have a window of around 8 hours and so I can do 8 walks a day at max capacity: 80x8=$640/week
then I can start to scale up and walk the dogs together 4 at a time which would give me a max capacity: $2k-$2.5k/week

-once I hit around 15-20 loyal customers I can hire others and scale more.
-reinvest profit into mailing campaigns, encourage referrals and increase the reach of my flyers.
-integrate horizontally and offer daycare, grooming as I already have the customer base.

you see now how this is more than just an 11 year old walking a neighbors dog.

The main deciding factor whether I will accomplish this, Is if I am able to sell and market myself cost effectively enough to bring in business.
 

nradam123

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"In the last 3-4 weeks I have read around 20+ books on entrepreneurship, finance, marketing."

Did you read or did you skim the covers?
If you did read 20+ books in 3-4 weeks you should teach me how you do that bro.
 
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MB2

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Where you from? And I thinks your "dog walking" is a good idea for a side income . If you can sacalable that where the potential lies.
 

splok

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So here's my plan:

short term(started today)----- dog walking

Before you rely on this to live, verify the need. Post a craigslist ad in your intended area and see what the response is like. That way you either walk into a proven revenue stream or you find out quickly that you need to change your idea.
 

Andy Black

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I am awaiting my visa interview that will allow me to set up a business in the USA, but before I do that I have to survive here for another few months, I have found mentors and people that I help every now and then, but I cant officially work for an institution or incorporate and they are now holding off official business until i pass the interview.

In the last 3-4 weeks I have read around 20+ books on entrepreneurship, finance, marketing. I have 2+ years of door to door selling experience and I want to set myself up with new skills and something tangible for when I get my visa.

So here's my plan:

short term(started today)----- dog walking

This is to get some quick cash to pay for living expenses and save for my other ventures, I'm going to start with the basics, putting up posters with tearable numbers with a personal tagline as I don't have experience or training or any expertise yet (help a student through college by letting him walk your dog, etc)

I know this is slowlane, however I can scale this up once i get fully booked, I can walk multiple dogs at the same time, or outsourcing it, I can also offer packages and broker deals with pet service companies and vets(200 month for:x walks a week, monthly dog toy, grooming or even clothes).

all the time I am walking dogs, I will be furthering my education and programming ( I already know basic html+css but im not that confident). my dad makes an ideal first customer for my programming services as I can make him a new modern website. I either want to sell websites or develop apps for other people and myself so I'm going to make use of my time to get as far as possible in these 3 months.

goals for once I pass my interview:

-incorporate a dog walking service and go ahead with scaling it and automating it, or sell off my customers to a competitor and focus on programming.
-sell websites and fully pursue it, whilst playing around and coding my own apps and once i'm proficient i could sell app design also.

I have read the notable website design thread and thats the route I am going to go down

im open to your opinions, tips, advice and I will keep you guys posted on my progress
Dog walking?

I like it. Easy to start, a chance of getting recurring customers, and easy to find potential customers.

You could learn a lot by just starting it.

Sure it's bound to your own time initially but you can scale by using other people's time.
 
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devine

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"In the last 3-4 weeks I have read around 20+ books on entrepreneurship, finance, marketing."

Did you read or did you skim the covers?
If you did read 20+ books in 3-4 weeks you should teach me how you do that bro.
Speed up your reading.

Some books should be read in the same tempo as they were written (you have to learn to spot the tempo of the author, otherwise your reading is waste) and get the meta included in book. Other books can be read within 30 minutes with a yellow marker in your hand.
 

JuliaLV

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Hello! Thanks for sharing =] I can't wait to read your next progress post :happy:
 

OldFaithful

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Hi @Goldman snacks, I'm just going to provide another alternative for your consideration. It's common knowledge that there are cash jobs available in agriculture and construction, at least here in the US midwest. If you have the skills, there's much better $/hr in either of these fields than in dog walking...especially in construction!

Best wishes on your application for a legit visa.
 
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Goldman snacks

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Thanks for the feedback, I have finished printing my flyers, I will post craigslist ad tonight as well. Tomorrow I will be distributing my flyers.

I am confident in finding business, I guess I will have to choose a point at which to decide when It is not viable If my efforts don't produce anything.

@OldFaithful thanks for the suggestions, I'm laser beaming at this right now and even though the earnings start off low, the idea of scaling a business however blue collar or unskilled it may seem, is very motivating for me.

I am from the UK, yes I have a loving family etc at home but I see so much more opportunity/scale for business in america plus I was bored of England and I want to live in Beverly hills or Malibu.

most of the books I read are audio books, every waking hour for me is a potential hour I can be listening. I could read 20 books in two weeks if I really had to, I like to go back over them also as there's always something new that applies to my situation that I must of skimmed past last time. I must sound crazy, but its not really, there are people paying thousands for a couple hours of someones time, when there's hundreds of people like MJ that have compiled their best advice, sat down and put it all into a book that you can snag for $20.
 

Goldman snacks

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Progress Update:

I completed the basic HTML + CSS, Java courses on code advent and made a start on a udemy android app development course and I have some basics down on the software I would reccomend it. I would rather learn IOS however I have windows and I can always learn it after as it will be similar.

As for the dog walking I have yet to get my first customer,
Spent = ~$20 tape and printing at ups store
Time = around 5 hours designing the flyers and posting them on lampposts + creating craigslist ads.

From looking at the 'gigs' section I can see that there is nobody actively looking for dog walking, but lots of people looking for a handyman for odd jobs like 'handicapped help me move a sofa for $50", it seems there's more demand for this type of work and I may make a pivot to just being a handyman as I'm good at most DIY tasks and can YouTube the rest.

I believe I will be able to find customers for dog walking as I'm good at sales face to face, maybe I could go door to door, but I'm not willing to put that effort in for such a low ticket sale.

My only concern with finding leads on Craigslist is that I don't want to get into a fishy situation as I've heard it's fishy, and the gigs under the 'events' section are something else. I'll dip my toe in and give it a go and see what happens.

This may not be interesting to read, but It keeps me accountable and Gives me a nice tailwind pushing me, also opens up the opportunity of getting advice from others that are where I want to be.

That's all for now I'll update when I have more progress.
 

Goldman snacks

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Update #2:

A lot has changed, I have pivoted from the whole
Dog Walking/ handyman thing.

I have started to work more with the people I mentioned before, they have an investment property that they were going to knock down but and develop however they decided against it.

I'm working on the house and filling it with short term tenants for them to help their cash flow, also im using an app called Turo (airbnb for cars) to rent one of their luxury cars out, they pay me a little from what I make for them.

I kinda like this as I get to play around and learn different skills how to make money with their assets, and they weren't going to do these things if I didn't.

I'm still continuing the Udemy course on java and it's getting real technical so I think I need to solidify the basics more as it's going over my head.

Ive recently been listening to podcasts and reading posts on biggerpockets so I can understand what my partners are doing with their developments also.

I think I'm getting sidetracked on my original plan, however im finally seeing my knowledge come into good use. It's like reading all those books and learning tidbit of information on multiple areas from finance, stocks, forex, options, real estate, ecomerce, side hustles like Turo, they are all tools that I can use.

Also I just had an offer today to be a live in nanny which means free rent, food and $190 a week in exchange for 5 hours of babysitting a day exept Sunday and I get to stay in a penthouse, I want to exept but I don't want it to interfere with the work I'm already doing.
 
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