Starting a New Small Business Any Tips?
- Thread starter Tim86
- Start date
I do something similar, in that I also provide a service that is ongoing, once trust is built up. (I teach the flute from home.)
I am really busy now, but I did find it took a while to get more than a few flute students - I started advertising about fourteen months ago, and have been having to turn people away for a couple of months now, so around a year.
I have a professional looking website (check out the link in my sig) and have done various other things, including introducing myself to local groups which might refer students (eg the local schools, etc) and letter drops in my neighbourhood. As part of my marketing I also developed professional looking business cards (I used Vistaprint) which I always carry, just in case.
I advertised on Gumtree as well - it's surprising how many people actually do search Gumtree for all kinds of things, not just stuff to buy (or sell).
Anyhow, I would recommend patience. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen, you will just need to persevere.
I also don't think you should drastically underprice yourself - when I started advertising, I made sure my price was competitive, but I didn't drastically undercut the competition. I figure I am a good teacher and I spend a lot of time on developing flute lessons and writing up notes to email to each student after lessons, so I wasn't prepared to undervalue that aspect of it.
I am really busy now, but I did find it took a while to get more than a few flute students - I started advertising about fourteen months ago, and have been having to turn people away for a couple of months now, so around a year.
I have a professional looking website (check out the link in my sig) and have done various other things, including introducing myself to local groups which might refer students (eg the local schools, etc) and letter drops in my neighbourhood. As part of my marketing I also developed professional looking business cards (I used Vistaprint) which I always carry, just in case.
I advertised on Gumtree as well - it's surprising how many people actually do search Gumtree for all kinds of things, not just stuff to buy (or sell).
Anyhow, I would recommend patience. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen, you will just need to persevere.
I also don't think you should drastically underprice yourself - when I started advertising, I made sure my price was competitive, but I didn't drastically undercut the competition. I figure I am a good teacher and I spend a lot of time on developing flute lessons and writing up notes to email to each student after lessons, so I wasn't prepared to undervalue that aspect of it.
Thanks for all the replies. I've read over them a number of times already.
I've got my first clients booked in for a session tomorrow morning, so that's exciting.
I ended up going with $80 per hour, and first session free.
I'm going to leave "Free First Session" on the good ad words ad, because the word "free" stands out more than complimentary. But on my website I'll use the phrase "complimentary first session".
I could even put in the google ad words ad: "Free/Complimentary First Session"?
I've started writing some articles. I'm actually trying to find someone I know to lend me their student login so I can access some journal articles and then write some well referenced articles for my website.
May even give doing up some youtube video's a try. Although I expect it's going to just look super awkward and I probably won't go ahead with posting them.
My brother knows a guy who owes him a favour, that does google ad optimization. He is going to ask him to see what he can do with my website.
So next steps are, write up articles. And look at doing videos.
Then do a mail box drop.
I'm thinking of expanding the business from just couples counselling to family counselling also. I've counselled kids and parents through boystown for years, so I've got heaps of experience with it already. Then a new private school is opening up about 100m away from my house, I'm thinking maybe when they first open up, talking to them and asking them if they'd be willing to refer people to me if needed.
Only issue is that it's a Christian school, and I'm an Atheist, so they may not want to refer to me if they find that out...
As for my website, if anyone is interested in taking a look to give me some feedback, just pm me and I'll shoot you the address.
Thanks
Tim
I've got my first clients booked in for a session tomorrow morning, so that's exciting.
I ended up going with $80 per hour, and first session free.
I'm going to leave "Free First Session" on the good ad words ad, because the word "free" stands out more than complimentary. But on my website I'll use the phrase "complimentary first session".
I could even put in the google ad words ad: "Free/Complimentary First Session"?
I've started writing some articles. I'm actually trying to find someone I know to lend me their student login so I can access some journal articles and then write some well referenced articles for my website.
May even give doing up some youtube video's a try. Although I expect it's going to just look super awkward and I probably won't go ahead with posting them.
My brother knows a guy who owes him a favour, that does google ad optimization. He is going to ask him to see what he can do with my website.
So next steps are, write up articles. And look at doing videos.
Then do a mail box drop.
I'm thinking of expanding the business from just couples counselling to family counselling also. I've counselled kids and parents through boystown for years, so I've got heaps of experience with it already. Then a new private school is opening up about 100m away from my house, I'm thinking maybe when they first open up, talking to them and asking them if they'd be willing to refer people to me if needed.
Only issue is that it's a Christian school, and I'm an Atheist, so they may not want to refer to me if they find that out...
As for my website, if anyone is interested in taking a look to give me some feedback, just pm me and I'll shoot you the address.
Thanks
Tim
You beat me to it. I've just read the thread and was going to suggest articles. Try to get them published widely. A regular contribution/column is better. Try to get it in the local rag, or any sort of newsletter you can. Local rags love free content written by an expert. You may have to be very persistent to get a spot in the local rag, or even the school newsletter. Keep them brief, light and focused - not a sales pitch.
Write broadly so punters see you as the expert 'shrink'. Totally unrelated to couples counselling you could have written recently about survivor guilt or Stockholm syndrome.
I agree with most things people have posted. Referrals and networking is ultra important, but hard to get for a start up like you.
No one's mentioned lawyers. There must be a % of couples who see family lawyers to start seperation proceedings, only to try to save the relationship. I doubt most lawyers have counsellors to refer to in this situation.
I have thought about this. But I decided to just focus on helping people fix their relationships. That's what people pay me for. Even if I think they should break up I'll still work toward helping them fix things, that's the job. Notable exception being if there is abuse in the relationship, in which case it would be unethical to not consider the need for the relationship to end.
I've had two clients now. It's good to finally be back in the game with face to face clients. Hard work at this stage but once I get everything up and running smoothly it should become an easier job.
From what I have seen, most psychologists/counsellors get their business through word of mouth and it takes a long time to get a good reputation. Can you do it from a room in your own home rather than losing rent?
Great idea. Make sure it's "complementary" and not "complimentary". Or they'll just find it a waste of time
Agree. It's all about strategies and bottom-lines and personal responsibility.
Nothing worse than being around people who think you should just break up. Sometimes there's no choice though.
Haha I rent the spare rooms in my own house too
I'm considering eventually adding another room out the back to the house, so I'll be renting the full 5 person capacity.
Thanks for the thumbs up Mr Fabulous lol
-Sorry for not replying to people earlier, didn't realise there were new replies, got lost in amongst all the other posts here
As far as the business, it's heating up. I've had two couples already. One has come back again, the other is coming back again next week. And I have 4 new couples coming for their first session later in the week.
So that's a total of 6 couples already! I could easily manage 10 couples weekly with my current 4 day a week job and with all the reno's I do. If it keeps heating up I may need to re-think how I'm going to manage the business. Might need to cut down on my regular day job? Now that's a scary thought.
Complimentary vs complementary bah haha wonder how many times I've made that mistake
Thanks for pointing it out.Actually just double checked. And I was right with using the word complimentary when referring to something that is free.
Ha who would have thunk it.
Well done on getting going, Tim. It's the quiet time of year, too, though I guess Christmas can put a strain on many relationships.
Pity you might not get much referred business from clients - I'm guessing many people won't want to broadcast to their friends they are seeking help.
Get some business cards printed and spend a day in IKEA. I reckon lots of relationships unravel in that place.
Scott
Pity you might not get much referred business from clients - I'm guessing many people won't want to broadcast to their friends they are seeking help.
Get some business cards printed and spend a day in IKEA. I reckon lots of relationships unravel in that place.
Scott
I did check up, you can operate certain businesses from home. This one is allowed to operate from home. You're even allowed by council to put a sign out front, as long as it's not bigger than a certain measurement, and it's not luminous.
I don't think it affects the insurance, but the added business items wouldn't be covered by the household insurance...I think, I would need to double check.
I really should join a counselling organisation so I get professional indemnity insurance. But I don't think what I do is high risk. Someone could try and argue that I gave them bad advice and split up their marriage and therefore I have to pay damages. But from my understanding they would need to demonstrate that what I said directly resulted in their marriage breaking up. And I don't say anything that could lead to that. As far as proving it, I wonder how they would even prove that I said anything damaging... it's not recorded.
I don't know I'm still tossing up whether or not it's worth paying all the money for indemnity insurance. What are people's thoughts?
Haha I could be the offical relationship fixer for Ikea, but I wonder if all the clients they send me would be flat packed?
Don't know much about professional indemnity insurance so can't comment, but I didn't mean household insurance, I was thinking of public liability insurance in case one of your clients trips and injures themselves when visiting for a consultation.
Yeah will have to look into exactly what each type covers. We are talking about them only needing to walk 6m in a straight line, up 5 brick steps, turn left walk 2m and sit down. I'd hope they could manage that... but then again... it is people we are talking about here
Famous last words. Get the P.I. I can put you in touch with a great insurance broker, who did my P.I. for me and I have referred at least half a dozen other people to him. PM me your email address if interested.
Sweet! 6m x 10m billboard in the front yard! Make sure you use luminous paint so it can be seen at night.
Famous last words. Get the P.I. I can put you in touch with a great insurance broker, who did my P.I. for me and I have referred at least half a dozen other people to him. PM me your email address if interested.
Sweet! 6m x 10m billboard in the front yard! Make sure you use luminous paint so it can be seen at night.
Shoot me a PM with the P.I if you can please.
Thanks
