New company, new career

[HOJ]

Its all modular, walls are 6 seperate panels, 2 at the front, 2 at the back, with cripple studs between supporting the main truss, 1 full panel on each side with seperate gable rafter frames (spandrels).

We have a big IW flat bed trailer to cart them on. Also, it could be built as a single bay, keeping the same system.

 

[BCS1980UK]

Hi @Molynoox
If I may recommend one book it is The Lean Start-up by Eric Ries. Some parts of it may be not relevant for your business but the core concepts and tools of the book are on how to test your business ideas/products/market in the quickest (and cheapest) way possible to adjust (pivot) you business towards success.
The book is also available on Audible. I listened to it mostly while doing the dishes or walking the dog.
I wish you good luck with your new business.

 

[Molynoox]

Hi @Molynoox
If I may recommend one book it is The Lean Start-up by Eric Ries. Some parts of it may be not relevant for your business but the core concepts and tools of the book are on how to test your business ideas/products/market in the quickest (and cheapest) way possible to adjust (pivot) you business towards success.
The book is also available on Audible. I listened to it mostly while doing the dishes or walking the dog.
I wish you good luck with your new business.

Thanks for the recommendation it sounds great.
Somebody else recommended me tipping point.
Martin

 

[BucksDad]

This thread popped up in similar threads so I thought I would ask - how is business going @Molynoox?

 

[Molynoox]

This thread popped up in similar threads so I thought I would ask - how is business going @Molynoox?

thank you for asking
short answer is that I am struggling to get customers and the business may not survive

its a bit of chicken and egg - to get things moving I need to establish trust with my potential customer base but the only real way to do that is to either speak to them (not happening as nobody is calling) or have a portfolio and pictures of lots of previous builds on the website (not happening because... nobody is calling)

once things are moving I feel that word of mouth will be my friend as I am confident that I will do a good job such that people will want to recommend me, and I will also have those important portfolio pictures / things to show and talk about on instagram etc

I have paid a media company for the last 4 months to optimise my web presence and they have managed to move me higher up the google rankings, but still no calls (although they have defo increased traffic to my website and I am also raking much higher for a lot of my keywords)

The only glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel is a quote I am currently doing for a local rugby club - I currently 'sponsor' them and in return they put up a pitch-side billboard / advert. As a result of that relationship the club asked me to quote some landscaping work for them, which I have done. Maybe that will help get things moving if I win that business.

the last thing I will say is that I do have a time limit on things now unfortunately - my daughter is this week (Friday) starting at a new private school, and we cant really afford it. So I may need to go back to the office to pay for it. I am currently working for a landscaping company, so I do have a salary, but its not in the right ballpark for our current outgoings. Me working for the landscaping company is more part of a general long term / mutual strategy to collaborate (they know all about my business and my goals)

I am actually building a garden room starting Thursday this week strangely enough, but not as part of my business, just as an employee of the landscaping company. I am not sure if that's going to make things easier to swallow or harder

anyway, that was a very long answer but I did provide a shorter option at the top

thanks for the interest. if you want to take a look at the website its www.lawnrooms.co.uk
I never got a response from mods on me providing a link so I'll just leave it there for now, it seems pretty harmless and I am happy to remove it if it causes problems, I am a local business and so it would be virtually pointless advertising here anyway

Martin

 

[Molynoox]

If I were in your situation I'd consider the old fashioned flyer through the door. Pick the nearby villages where there is money and leaflet the obviously expensive houses.

A nice A4 (even better, A3 folded) flyer which says (a) you're a local startup, (b) that you're offering a discount for your first X (5?) local customers, (c) building a garden room now means it's ready for the spring, (d) nice colour pictures of your own garden room, and (e) that they're welcome to call and fix up a visit to see your garden room. Make it quite personal.

For me, being local (plus a discount) might tempt me to give you a call. I could check you out by visiting your local pub, I'd have met you and seen your work, I'd know it would be easy to find you if I had things I needed to discuss, and I'd expect a decent job because it's on your own doorstep.

I can't tell you this would work, but it's pretty cheap to try it out. And there's certainly a fair amount of City money floating around the Billericay area!

This assumes your long-term plan is to build premium garden rooms with a decent profit margin - if you're planning low cost builds, you have no margin for a discount for early birds.

this might be my next best move - I've done flyers already but didn't quite take the approach you explain, it could be better to go for the direct and honest approach and simply put my cards on the table.

 

[thetyreman]

word of mouth and reputation still matters more than anything else, I realised that social media is a con mostly a long time ago, it doesn't matter how much money you spend on it for advertising, you need to do the best job you can and they will come back and recommend you to others, some business books that helped me were oversubscribed and entrepreneur revolution.

 

[BucksDad]

Sorry to hear business has been slow, I guess it's a difficult time of year as well for outside projects.
I am now your 100th follower on Instagram - but unfortunately nowhere near Billericay

I hope the rugby club job comes off!

Sending your daughter to private school to find clients is certainly a bold marketing strategy but in all seriousness, I would get as many new friends of hers and parents round to your house as quickly as possible so they see your garden room and word can spread.

I agree with @thetyreman plan above & that social media advertising is not necessarily great but social media engagement is key! (Check out Derek Barrett Design (fitted furniture) on insta and a podcast he did (trade legends) where he talks about how Instagram has built his business.

Have you joined local facebook groups? I get all my recommendations for trades through a local FB group/page as do many others. I just checked and Billericay Discussion group has 40k members and allows one business post / week.

I looked at your Instagram page and there's nothing obvious to locate it into Billericay / Essex. Can you rename to lawnroomsessex or lawnroomsbillericay.

Your instagram follows look more like the pages you're interested in rather than ones your customers would be. I would start with every local coffee shop / village coffee shop / farm shop and start getting a coffee/pastry from there. Then you post an insta story with them tagged, the coffee cup / pastry in front of your mitre saw 'xyz coffee shop recharging me on my break' etc They will hopefully reshare it on their page and your target audience (insta housewives) are definitely the type of people who are going to be following coffee shops / farm shops and see that post and might build your following a little bit with local people.

I would definitely check with this company you're working for if you can post stories / pictures on your page for this garden room you're building. Easy to brand it as "Building this garden room for xyz landscapers"
Have you also thought of other outside building projects? A big trend for gardens is outdoor kitchens / bars! I would love a custom, made to measure outdoor kitchen to suit my BBQ etc. I would also say that the market for outdoor kitchens is even bigger than garden rooms. Easier + quicker to build and probably can be just as profitable. Smaller jobs would also be great fillers around bigger ones. Plus you know you can do decking + pergolas easy enough

Do you know anyone who got a green egg or pizza oven for Christmas? A smart stand / cabinet for one of those would be a quick build and if you can get a them as a testimonial etc. Particular people who use social media and will share it on their Insta / FB

Just some ideas which may or may not be helpful!

 

[XTiffy]

I am impressed with the help suggested by forum members. Though now retired, I was self-eployed for more than 40 years and I could have done with that help all of those years ago. Can I also commend the YouTube video by forum member Peter Millard on costing, which again had YouTube been around then would have been invaluable.

 

[Molynoox]

Sorry to hear business has been slow, I guess it's a difficult time of year as well for outside projects.
I am now your 100th follower on Instagram - but unfortunately nowhere near Billericay

Wahey!

I hope the rugby club job comes off!

Sending your daughter to private school to find clients is certainly a bold marketing strategy but in all seriousness, I would get as many new friends of hers and parents round to your house as quickly as possible so they see your garden room and word can spread.

I agree with @thetyreman plan above & that social media advertising is not necessarily great but social media engagement is key! (Check out Derek Barrett Design (fitted furniture) on insta and a podcast he did (trade legends) where he talks about how Instagram has built his business.

Have you joined local facebook groups? I get all my recommendations for trades through a local FB group/page as do many others. I just checked and Billericay Discussion group has 40k members and allows one business post / week.

yes I've advertised in that group but I should try again...

I looked at your Instagram page and there's nothing obvious to locate it into Billericay / Essex. Can you rename to lawnroomsessex or lawnroomsbillericay.

great idea - I will do that

Your instagram follows look more like the pages you're interested in rather than ones your customers would be. I would start with every local coffee shop / village coffee shop / farm shop and start getting a coffee/pastry from there. Then you post an insta story with them tagged, the coffee cup / pastry in front of your mitre saw 'xyz coffee shop recharging me on my break' etc They will hopefully reshare it on their page and your target audience (insta housewives) are definitely the type of people who are going to be following coffee shops / farm shops and see that post and might build your following a little bit with local people.

another great idea

I would definitely check with this company you're working for if you can post stories / pictures on your page for this garden room you're building. Easy to brand it as "Building this garden room for xyz landscapers"
Have you also thought of other outside building projects? A big trend for gardens is outdoor kitchens / bars! I would love a custom, made to measure outdoor kitchen to suit my BBQ etc. I would also say that the market for outdoor kitchens is even bigger than garden rooms. Easier + quicker to build and probably can be just as profitable. Smaller jobs would also be great fillers around bigger ones. Plus you know you can do decking + pergolas easy enough

more great ideas

Do you know anyone who got a green egg or pizza oven for Christmas? A smart stand / cabinet for one of those would be a quick build and if you can get a them as a testimonial etc. Particular people who use social media and will share it on their Insta / FB

Just some ideas which may or may not be helpful!

even more great ideas

thank you so much for such an insightful post, with so many great ideas and thought provoking information, its very much appreciated

Martin

 

[BucksDad]

Glad it gave some ideas - it was mostly based on how we arrived at every purchasing decision over the last 5 years as we have refurbed the house and garden top to bottom. (I.E we have implemented every Instagram trend that my wife has seen )

 

[James555]

Most businesses need that lucky phone call or instruction. Seems like you’re knocking on the door, keep at it.
As a small business owner I’d reiterate what others have said. Keep money in the bank and don’t give away anything for free or be the cheap guy.

 

[HOJ]

How do you transport it? I assume you break it down to pretty large panels?

Meant to catch up on this ages ago, this was the last mile as they say!

I have looked at your web site, very comprehensive with the details, my only thought is that as you suggest:
"The standard designs are shown below and if these appeal to you then we can provide some indicative pricing to you without the need for a design consultation."

I think you would benefit from outlining the price of each design on the web site, as it would give potential customers a snapshot of the cost, and how you compare against other suppliers, not only on the price but specifications, I also see your also offering a "sale" on options, but in some respects it isn't relative if we don't know how much the room is costing in the first place, and I wouldn't use that as a marketing strategy, use it more as a sales incentive when you get an enquiry.

 

[Molynoox]

View attachment 151062

Meant to catch up on this ages ago, this was the last mile as they say!

I have looked at your web site, very comprehensive with the details, my only thought is that as you suggest:
"The standard designs are shown below and if these appeal to you then we can provide some indicative pricing to you without the need for a design consultation."

I think you would benefit from outlining the price of each design on the web site, as it would give potential customers a snapshot of the cost, and how you compare against other suppliers, not only on the price but specifications, I also see your also offering a "sale" on options, but in some respects it isn't relative if we don't know how much the room is costing in the first place, and I wouldn't use that as a marketing strategy, use it more as a sales incentive when you get an enquiry.

fits on the trailer nicely! very cool

cheers for the advice - I had the prices on the website in a table originally, it was a matrix of size versus design and it was something I wanted to provide very clearly in the pricing section for customers so that they didn't need to mess about. However, because I wasn't getting any enquiries, I decided to remove the pricing information to encourage people to at least contact me.

I figure that if we can at least have a discussion then I will be able to talk about the product and also negotiate.

Martin

 

[Sean33]

Sorry to hear business has been slow, I guess it's a difficult time of year as well for outside projects.
I am now your 100th follower on Instagram - but unfortunately nowhere near Billericay

I hope the rugby club job comes off!

Sending your daughter to private school to find clients is certainly a bold marketing strategy but in all seriousness, I would get as many new friends of hers and parents round to your house as quickly as possible so they see your garden room and word can spread.

I agree with @thetyreman plan above & that social media advertising is not necessarily great but social media engagement is key! (Check out Derek Barrett Design (fitted furniture) on insta and a podcast he did (trade legends) where he talks about how Instagram has built his business.

Have you joined local facebook groups? I get all my recommendations for trades through a local FB group/page as do many others. I just checked and Billericay Discussion group has 40k members and allows one business post / week.

I looked at your Instagram page and there's nothing obvious to locate it into Billericay / Essex. Can you rename to lawnroomsessex or lawnroomsbillericay.

Your instagram follows look more like the pages you're interested in rather than ones your customers would be. I would start with every local coffee shop / village coffee shop / farm shop and start getting a coffee/pastry from there. Then you post an insta story with them tagged, the coffee cup / pastry in front of your mitre saw 'xyz coffee shop recharging me on my break' etc They will hopefully reshare it on their page and your target audience (insta housewives) are definitely the type of people who are going to be following coffee shops / farm shops and see that post and might build your following a little bit with local people.

I would definitely check with this company you're working for if you can post stories / pictures on your page for this garden room you're building. Easy to brand it as "Building this garden room for xyz landscapers"
Have you also thought of other outside building projects? A big trend for gardens is outdoor kitchens / bars! I would love a custom, made to measure outdoor kitchen to suit my BBQ etc. I would also say that the market for outdoor kitchens is even bigger than garden rooms. Easier + quicker to build and probably can be just as profitable. Smaller jobs would also be great fillers around bigger ones. Plus you know you can do decking + pergolas easy enough

Do you know anyone who got a green egg or pizza oven for Christmas? A smart stand / cabinet for one of those would be a quick build and if you can get a them as a testimonial etc. Particular people who use social media and will share it on their Insta / FB

Just some ideas which may or may not be helpful!

If you can do the school run I definitely would, my daughters friend, her Dad used to take her to school in his van, she hated it apparently but he said best bit of advertising and work he got was from doing it

 

[Jameshow]

If you can do the school run I definitely would, my daughters friend, her Dad used to take her to school in his van, she hated it apparently but he said best bit of advertising and work he got was from doing it

I'd go to Waitrose park up and buy a coffee, drink in the carpark and wait for calls..!

 

[Jameshow]

fits on the trailer nicely! very cool

cheers for the advice - I had the prices on the website in a table originally, it was a matrix of size versus design and it was something I wanted to provide very clearly in the pricing section for customers so that they didn't need to mess about. However, because I wasn't getting any enquiries, I decided to remove the pricing information to encourage people to at least contact me.

I figure that if we can at least have a discussion then I will be able to talk about the product and also negotiate.

Martin

I think you want more variety on your website rather than variations on your own one.

Could you find someone whose willing a have you build one just to build up your portfolio? Preferably someone who is well connected on SM.

Doing a small one for my high flying sister got several enquires for others.

Would you be willing to travel? Perhaps the market is more boyant in the western home counties or up to Suffolk Norfolk areas? .

 

[BucksDad]

How's it going @Molynoox? Any luck with some new clients yet? Did the Rugby club work come off?

 

[Against_The_Grain]

I would say the bubble has burst on the "Garden Room" fad that surged during the Covid Pandemic, now that people have gone back to the office they're not looking for that extra room that offers complete privacy from the rest of the household. Combine that with the current cost of living crisis and very few people are looking to spend upwards of £20,000 on a glorified garden shed if they don't have to, no offence to your own work.

A friend of mine owns a sawmill, and had to take on several people and invest heavily during that period to keep up with the sudden demand for rough-sawn and machined cladding, recently work has dropped right off a cliff and there is no demand and he's had to lay everyone off and he's back to working by himself. That's not an isolated story as I've heard similar experiences from others in the field through small talk with timber representatives and drivers.

"Diversify or Die" is the name of the game these days, we wouldn't normally make kitchens as we specialise in production windows and doors, but that's what's been offered and that's what we've been producing lately. Recently a customer enquired about a staircase which they had already approached three other workshops that didn't produce stairs whatsoever and refused the work, shortly after completing the staircase the customer wanted the whole house exterior joinery replaced, not an insignificant amount of work, so sometimes doing something you wouldn't normally do pays off later down the line.

 

[Molynoox]

I think you want more variety on your website rather than variations on your own one.

Could you find someone whose willing a have you build one just to build up your portfolio? Preferably someone who is well connected on SM.

Doing a small one for my high flying sister got several enquires for others.

Would you be willing to travel? Perhaps the market is more boyant in the western home counties or up to Suffolk Norfolk areas? .

I would be willing to do one at close to cost to build the portfolio. I have 2 friend that have offered normal price but they are too far away to make it work.
But I would travel to get the first one.
Martin