Small Veeky Forums General Thread

trying to find a way to do less and make more for example maybe just 500 a month for ONLY social media or something.. not sure yet trying to come up with something at the moment :/

the biggest thing is that biz owners don't even know what social media is
I don't think anyone really does

Like there's info out there on how it "works" but honestly it really doesn't.
yelp is the only thing that works
maybe google ads and maybe facebook ads :/

Didn't really advertise. Survived the first year by doing work for the company I had left. I was the only tech they had. Second year I really began picking up my own clients. Year 4 now and really starting to build a client base. Contractors definitely help. Tell em you'll bid just to provide numbers.

Where's a good place I can go to look for advice for starting up a small business?

>>>/here/

In that case...

How exactly do I keep sales records for a business where "sales" is just me putting stuff inside a machine and then coming back later to pull the money out? I was intending to make my own system to track the sales and revenue of the machines, but when I was trying to apply for an occupational license, I was asked what kinds of sales records I'd be keeping and that I had to have some sort of record. So, if the law demands I have sales records, what kind of sales records does the law demand? What information needs to be included in them? What are my options?

How can I tell what taxes apply to me other than sales, income, and self-employment taxes? Is there a property tax for the assets in my business?

Do I need to file my estimated income tax and make the quarterly payment that's due in a couple days if the business is already created and registered, but I have yet to set up anything that generates income?

Why the fuck won't the people who handle zoning permits in my city call or e-mail me back when I ask if there are any permits I need to apply for?

>putting £15,000 into a new company
>predict £100,000-£200,000 profit within 2 years

Hold me Veeky Forums.

Is there a lemonade stand tier business a casual can start other than sucking dicks? Like phone repairs or something?

Some guy I knew started a venue for people to play games and host tournaments. I want to do something like that but the idea is fucking taken in my area now.

Move maybe? Hold the venue out of town and just live in the venue for however long you would be running it.

My fucking nan can do event organising its a little hard work but if you have fun go for it dude.

> debt

don't do it. It's totally unncecesary. TOMORROW you can go out, get some car washing and waxing supplies for $100, and start making like $500 - $1000 a week washing and waxing cars. You can get a lawnmower off craigslist and start landscaping a nice neighborhood. You can start making $500 - $1000 a week. These aren't made up numbers, I used to make this kinda shit doing odd jobs. Just print up some flyers, be a good salesman, and you'll start making cash. Don't get caught up in vanity, blue collar jobs make good money when YOU are the owner. My point is to start small. You succeed with something small then move up.

I see these people that want to open restaurants, auto body shops; and they have no experience and have never owned a business.

Start small, succeed, then work up your shells like a conch. Once you "get it" you'll start moving pretty quick

> how much capital do you need to "start a business"

There are many many businesses that can be started for less than $5k. I started my tile business with $3k. I bought $2k in materials, got a website for $500, and then printed up $500 worth of flyers. Between flyer calls, social media, and word of mouth, I was up to 2 customers a week by the second month. Although Dec and Jan were fucking dead, those 2 months are hard for any contractor.

> I need to grow
get a website, and a company facebook page. You will look like a nobody without these 2 things. Just google a site of a similar business that you like, call a web guy or find a web guy and show them the site. Then ask the web guy to build you one that is a little different. You should not spend more than $1k on a decent site.

get 5 - 10 t-shirts, and print up some flyers.

Cont...

DO NOT waste your money on advertising. IMO advertising is more for people that have a successful business and want to go to the next level. Many magazines, ads, and flyer companies are gonna want like $500/month minimum to get started. I paid for a minimum package with Google ads and paid $200 a month. I got 2 calls from it I think. There's just better, cheaper, and easier ways to get the word out. Some people may disagree though, you can get a fuckload of calls from a good ad. I just don't think it's necessary in the beginning.

It starts with the first call
then the first meeting
then the first sale
then completing the job and getting paid

After that it's all downhill. Just get the first sale.

> don't get into debt without sales

could not agree more.

If you are taking out a loan for over 2x what you have in the bank, you're making a mistake.

This rule is different for other industries, and guys who really know what they are doing, but I don't think rookies should ever really get a loan for anything.

flyer mailboxes
send an email to neighboorhood email lists (the HOA or chatty neighborhood lady should have the list)
drop flyers at referall places (for me it was plumbers, contractors, tile stores) "Hey can I leave some flyers in here for my tile business?" Always offer to help any person who helps you. I send referalls to contractors all the time.
Facebook, Twitter, Youtube (You can make a short 30 sec clip: hey here's my business here's what I do etc...)
Before and After's are huge, always always take before and afters
Do jobs for cheap or even almost nothing in the beginning, once you impress someone the demand will go up and you can up your rates. I started with rates of X and now charge 4X, if people don't want to pay I got a line out the door of people who will pay.

>Failure.
Having a Co-owner for a company you created. It's like driving a car with two separate steering wheels.

NEVER AGAIN!!!

A lesson that took me a while to learn:

It doesn't matter how hard you work, how much you know, or how much you care; sometimes jobs are gonna get fucked up. Just get used to the fact that some jobs will go bad and some clients will get pissed.

Here's some tips:
Always underpromise and overdeliver. In the beginning I was all like, "This is gonna be the best tile job you've ever seen!". Now I'm more like, "Sir, I'm very good at what I do, this will be a quality tile job and should look nice and professional". Never promise "perfect" work, tell the customer you do make mistakes.

When jobs go bad, just straight up tell the client what happened. And even better, notify them as it is going bad, don't wait until after. Just tell them the problem, why the problem is occuring, and what you are doing to fix it. With some jobs you may have to do the work and then walk away with nothing. It's better to do this and leave a customer happy then leave a customer mad. A single mad customer can tank your business.

Some simple businesses to start:

> lawns
> home cleaning
> car detailing
> pressure washing
> epoxy coating garage floors
> Cabinet making (this takes some experience)
> Pest control (Also takes experience)
> Refrigerator repair

there's others. Best bet is if you can go work for someone for a year, learn everything you possibly can, then start on your own.

Could not agree more. It's a very common mistake.

Those of you considering a partner, either work for them, or have them work for you. DO NOT try the partnership route. A ship only works with one captain. Besides this also avoids any legal catastropes that will inevitbably arise.

> keep a record of sales
not sure if I understand the question. You need a business bank account for any business, big or small. And an LLC for that matter. Both can be set up in under an hour.

Anyway, I just keep track of sales via the list of deposits on my business bank account. The money that went in was sales. The money out, expenses.

All the IRS needs to know is: What you made, What you spent, and if you hired anyone what you paid them.

People get way to caught up in the "what ifs" and don't worry about just making money.

People, make money and you can sort out the legal what if's later.

> taxes
you'll just pay income tax. I don't think there are any other taxes...

don't worry about the quarterly whatever stuff. After your first year as a business, after you file your taxes, you will get a letter from the IRS telling you that you need to start filing quarterly. They will include the instructions for doing so.

>permits
most businesses don't need them. Unless you are like digging up the earth or dealing with something dangerous. Honestly people on this board are way too scared. Just make money. The government agencies will forgive you if you make a mistake, then explain what you need to do.

Be more like Ricky. If you get too caught up in govt regulation bullshit, you won't go anywhere. Those pussies can go fuck themselves.

You're only gonna have problems if you hide a bunch of money, or continue to skirt regulations even after you have been repeatedly asked not to.

>not sure if I understand the question.
It's on the occupational license. "What sales records do you keep?" The person at the office who handles this said "like Quickbooks or paper receipts, you have to use something".

>You need a business bank account for any business, big or small. And an LLC for that matter. Both can be set up in under an hour.
Both of that's been done already.

>you'll just pay income tax. I don't think there are any other taxes...
No, there's sales tax because I'm buying good from a manufacturer and reselling them. Someone has to pay sales tax at some point, so if I'm not being charged sales tax when I buy it, I need a resale certificate and to file sales taxes myself.

There's also self-employment tax, which is for social security and medicare. Being self-employed, you're required to pay both the employee's share and the employer's share. This is not optional.

Some places tax business's "personal" property the same way individuals can be taxed on their personal property. Other taxes may also exist.

>don't worry about the quarterly whatever stuff. After your first year as a business, after you file your taxes, you will get a letter from the IRS telling you that you need to start filing quarterly. They will include the instructions for doing so.
Does the IRS handle state income tax in addition to federal income tax for self-employed workers? I have paperwork showing me that a state law requires it for state income tax above a certain amount.

>most businesses don't need them. Unless you are like digging up the earth or dealing with something dangerous. Honestly people on this board are way too scared. Just make money.
Some places have a home occupation permit, which is required for any business which operates from someone's home. I figured I probably didn't need anything, but they could at least get back to me and answer the fucking question.

>Be more like Ricky.
Who the fuck is Ricky?

How did you advertise when you were starting out, tile guy?

OP here. Like I said earlier, my business is a handyman/home maintenance style service. I basically do the care and maintenance that contractors dont want to do.

I currently advertise on Craigslist and am getting business cards at a couple local supply yards. I went around town today and posted a bunch of fliers on community bulletin boards and got one in the window of a local grocery store.

Anyone have any ideas for advertising on a budget?

me too. i have my living expenses covered with room to spare for 2 years, so i don't need to take any money from the business. just create, sell & expand.
i like the £ too.

How can I get capital to manufacture a product? People say taking a loan is retarded, so what do I do?

Any advice or criticism of my idea of creating a Holding LLC to control a Delivery Company where I will try and locally deliver shit that is not weed completely legally? I am curious about how the potential owner of said LLC would be effected by the unknown discovery of weed in a shipment that happened to be coffee and not weed. Would this CEO win in court as long as no physical proof or witness could attest to said company knowingly moving illegal substances? FedEx only recently got in trouble for taking shipment orders from drug companies they should have screened I would be delivering hipster trash coffee.

>Anyone have any ideas for advertising on a budget?

I've heard repeatedly over the years 10% of revenue should go to marketing but I've always thought that was bullshit dreamed up by marketing people.

Spend what you need to do to keep the business going/growing

Loans are not retarded. Blanket statements like that are retarded.

If you are in a capitol intensive business like manufacturing, it's almost impossible (unless you are wildly profitable) to do without loans.

For loan-phobic people, you may have the option to sub-contract your work to someone that has excess capacity.

This. Have an odd number of partners, or go 49/51 if possible.

Not OP but thank you, I had some ideas and I was going to do it the way you did but I wasn't sure, now I'm much more confident.

Any other advice user?

the 49/51 is a meme, but the sentiment is correct.
in the UK, a limited company must writes down Articles of Association which spell out the rules the directors must work by. so you have articles talking about capital invested, and separate articles regarding who has voting rights/power/etc. so in theory partner A would own 20% of the company but have equal voting rights.

similar rules are in place for Unlimited Partnerships, if that is more applicable to you.

>so in theory partner A would own 20% of the company but have equal voting rights.

so in theory partner A COULD* own 20% of the company and have equal voting rights

Hey Veeky Forums how do I even start my own company?

I've been thinking about starting an organization that is not technically a company. The only searches that comes up on google are non-profit organizations and different tiers of non-profit. What I want is an organization where I am the leader without the board of directors breathing down my neck but it seems like every non-profit has a board of directors and membership status to elect the board of directors.
>" forming your corporation as a membership corporation also imposes legal obligations in preserving the rights of members to participate in the corporation's governance."
Fuck that shit. Is there a specific corporation where it is non-profit so I don't have to pay any taxes but still remain Fuhrer?

Depends on your scale.

I have a small retail business. It was slowly increasing so I borrowed to get more inventory at a better price that would help me sell faster. Right as I did, the market went poorfag and I had more inventory that wouldn't move at any price. I think it'll pick up, eventually, but currently I have to be really careful with money and pass up some good opportunities.

My friend invest in my products & make cold hard cash 500$-4000$ per week. No hidden agenda, no MLM or affiliate marketing bullshit & no pay to click non-sense. For details just give my blog & facebook page a look and watch my video on youtube. The links & contact information are given in description.

You can reach me here & make sure to watch my video
GMAIL : [email protected]

Youtube
youtu.be/V-vTOo7f4f8

>My friend,
Spotted the Arab. Kill yourself, my friend

>faggot spotted
asshole go get a life and poking your ass in other's busines otherwise you'll get your butthole fucked by a handcannon sucker

>threatening people on Veeky Forums
>advertising your shitty carding service on Veeky Forums
You are the lowest of the low, my friend.

Heres another question for tile guy or whoever:

What kind of paper do I need to have the customer sign (if anything) before work starts or when it finishes. I feel like I should be having them sign something that covers my ass. Is there a place where I can find samples of this kind of stuff?

Don't overthink it. Ask some friends neighbors if they want to buy what you're selling.

One person will go, "ok".

Then you made your first sale. Just rinse and repeat.

Forget the paperwork, make money, cross those bridges as you need to.

The first business I started I just made a bunch of cash every week. I never deposited it, and never declared it. Never filled out a single government form.

I don't do anything upfront, I don't think it's classy.

Just trust people. I've never been fucked. Really it's not private individuals you need to worry about, it's businesses that are more likely to not pay.

But anyway, if it's a huge job ($5k+) Then maybe have them sign an agreement up front and accept a down payment.

I never do though, and I think the customers appreciate it.

Besides I know where they live and I could lein their house if I want.

...

Just look at some bills and warranties from other businesses, use what you see as a template.

just type it up in word.

BTW, never send a doc to someone, always convert to PDF before emailing anything.

I completely agree, if you are very experienced in an industry and have a good plan lined up where you know you can get sales.

I just discourage it because I see a lot of noobs on here that are all set to take out $50k - $100k for their first business and have zero experience whatsoever, they are just taking a chance on something random.

Sweet thx

Good call on the PDF

I think what you doing is a mistake tho .. i worked in the family aluminum kitchen factory and we always take the money upfront and we use that money to build the customers kitchen's

the pros outwights the cons ,, you have secured the money but the customer will keep hassling you over the deliver time but since they already paid there is nothing they can do

Well some contractors do and some don't. It's just the way I've done it so far.

Anons are free to do whatever.

If I get a large commercial job, I'll definitely have them sign a purchase agreement and put some money down, prior to starting.

Just establish an LLC and hammer out the operating agreement (should you decide to bring on partners) in such a way where you don't have to worry about a board, and your prospective partners have no real power.

You don't want a corporation if you have no experience with business. There are a lot more formalities associated with corps that must be recorded and submitted back to the state, as I recall. Way more complex.

>don't have to pay any taxes

The organization itself is exempt from a number of taxes, at least with the federal government, but you're limited with respect certain perks that come with for-profit businesses, like selling ownership and most importantly, collecting whatever profits are left after allocation of revenue to expenses and reinvestment.

In short, the only way to make money from a NPO is to pay yourself payroll, in which case it's taxed.

Anyone have any success with a direct mail campaign?

I'm autistic and have no skills

what kind of business should I start?

I won't have much capital to work with until fall/winter, should have about 5 grand then. Maybe buy a snowblower and do people's driveways when winter comes?

Let people pay you to stick stuff up your ass on cam. Make sure you shave and get an enema first though. And use lots of lube.

Interesting - where I am we also have the AA thing, but voting rights are proportionate to the percentage shares you own unless otherwise indicated (which almost never happens. Who would want to be the one investing more and have less of a say?)

What's the deal with the PDF?

>Genius idea for an health related app
>I'm talking Uber tier genius
>Still wondering why no one has thought of this before. One company that is growing rn is close but missing a certain untapped market.
>I'm a business oriented person, my Co-Founder is a Pharma major
>Neither of us can code

What do? I'm actually stuck and don't want just anyone to know about this idea.

>Who would want to be the one investing more and have less of a say?
i think a more likely example would be "I am a Multi-millionaire investor, i'll buy 20%, but we have equal voting rights because i am not going to let you waste my money by doing it wrong."

Your idea isn't worth shit. The execution *might* be. Figure it out "genius"

>expected this response when I called it genius
>not understanding tongue in cheek

edge aside, I need to know how to meet a dev willing to work on a project like this

hire someone to code it. find someone you trust and get them to sign a NDA or non-compete whatever-type contract.

If you browse programming threads/websites, this is a very common question by 'ideas people'. Pop over to >>/g/ and ask it.

Don't take this wrong way, but no one wants to steal your idea, unless it is proven and making money.

I figured this would be the route. Hire some 3rd world freelancer for a PoC until I can get first round funding for someone more serious.

Should I actually get a lawyer to draw up a NDA or will one of those online templates hold up?

I don't really think multi-millionaire investors are involved in the creations of new businesses that much.. :) They more often buy stakes in existing businesses, no?

I mean, it's rare and I've never seen it happen, but if that did happen to you then that's great for you man hahaha

>I need to know how to meet a dev willing to work on a project like this

... If you don't have the ability to source for something like this, it could mean problems later on for your business.

>talks himself up
>calls himself a genius
>thinks ideas are worth money

Is it any surprise he's incompetent?

>How do networking

If you don't know how to meet people you're going to have bigger problems.

Self employed private investigator. Can answer questions if anyone cares to know more. Didn't start with much, only around 2k. Building cliental and marketing/advertising has been the biggest problems. Absolutely love the work though. Make about 70k net a year atm.

What state?

If you used a Doc someone could easily go in and edit things, share the template with competitors, etc...

Obviously a PDF is not much of a barrier against those things, but it helps, and just looks more professional.

What services do you offer?

What do you do exactly? Are you Jessica Jones all day?

Advertising methods?

Alabama. The license requirement is cake. If you live in more heavily populated states, then the license requirements can be staggering. Here's a link for license requirements pinow.com/resources/how-to-become-a-private-investigator#requirements. You'll also need a business license for a detective agency, getting bonded is a good idea if not already required by your state for a license.
I tried to be the jack of all trades. I did background searches, surveillance work, subpoena services, skip tracing (finding people running from debt or other obligations) and everything in between. After realizing that I could charge more for specialized work, I began focusing on surveillance and pre employment background searches.
Haha I wish. She's 10x more of a badass then I'll ever be, though I am armed, it's more of a tradition thing.

Mainly word of mouth. Back when I was doing everything I had a wonky website, an ad on a small radio station, and lots and lots of flyers. But after focusing my cliental down to mainly lawyers working worker comp fraud cases and businesses that do regular, deep background screens, I refocused my marketing to personally visiting certain law firms and businesses. I have business cards, references, and always offer a small free trial (First three hours of surveillance is free/one free background screen). It not a pitch as much as a job interview. Not many P.I.s go this route, but I'm having success with it.

Fuck man. My state (oregon) rapes you. They want 1500 hours experience or 500 hours education.

I have no dough for the education. What am i suppose to do? Call up every PI firm and offer my services as a complete newbie for shit/no pay?

How was uber genius tier? It's just a taxi company that does delivery

I have the same fucking problem in California. They want 5 years journeyman experience for a contractor's license. That more or less a decade in one trade before they'll license you, regardless whether or not you pass the test

If you need a programmer, I do web and app development. I understand if you're leery of contacting a random user on Veeky Forums for business, but if you leave a one-off email address I can get in touch with you and you can decide whether or not we might be able to hash out a plan.

I am a mostly self-taught programmer who wants to get into business. Is a business degree in finance any good?

Fellow new Veeky Forums owner here. I am in the construction industry as well. Started in Jan. by myself with about 2k + tools that I had accumulated over the years. Things are picking up steadily.

Finding clients was tough at first but I hit a jackpot with a property management company. I've since had multiple repeat business with different agents who refer me to their colleagues.

Only advertising $ I've spent is on my website which I built myself using Wordpress, biz cards and some brochures. My most successful/only method of building clients was contacting agents directly through e-mail. I attached a pdf of my brochure along with a thorough e-mail that described my company, and how I could benefit them.

Otherwise, just be prompt and professional with your clients. I answer my phone every time or make sure to call back within an hour of receiving a message. If someone wants a proposal, I have one for them in less than 2 days after visiting a project. If a client wants to meet, I'm available and on time. My proposals are on point. Clearly stated what work will be done along with pictures. Never charge before you start work. That is a red-flag for a scam-contractor in my opinion. My proposals have an area where the client signs that they agree to pay within 20 days of invoice. With repeat clients, an e-mail confirmation is good in my book. I've never had an issue so far.

This pretty much describes my business. Only difference is for 10k+ jobs, I ask for parts down and labor upon completion.

Anything large, I charge by the month for a % of what has been completed.

>i stubbed my toe and now I no
>everythink
>waddyamean.org - assumption and vagueries never got no bodies in troubles
sounds like you bumped your head too
>set up both in under an hour
wat?
just locating and filling out the forms (online or hardcopy) will take you several hours the first go round
>all my uncle needs to see is...
add receipts, logs, invoices, so forth. Your uncle won't be amused when you haven't held on to these to corroborate. unlikely in the begins yes. possible yes.
>taxes
uh derp. self-employment tax at the min. for sole-pro. Looking for entity protection? Good move, but factor in ssi, fica, don forget ur acabs
Prolly start small as soleproprietor for a while then in cpl yrs weigh benefit of forming protective entity. Either way find cpa/tax lawyer, not as $$ as some think. I pay 1200 for 400k gross and they do everything I just hand over box and usb with rec/payable files. first yr with corp only 650. Prior I filed myself. 650 is a bargain.

>we down need no staynkin permits
Luke, due the dilligence. Stories of hand-slapping and knuckle-wrapping only happens in the movies
>regulators.jackbooters.gov can go fuck themselves. fuck themselves. hahahah you better make a an imperial fukktonne of cash when you "just make money" so you can repair wats left of ur azzifice.

websites that aren't 4chanite so eons better:

sba
secretary of state
nolo or other filing/business docs specific

more than enough to chew

Well said.

good luck.

There are ways around it. Getting an internship at a firm would be the first step in getting your license in those states. When you apply, focus on any photography skills. Having your own equipment is great too. Do you have a very common car like a civic or a camry? Any cameras or recording equipment? Be sure to note it. Mention some terms like f-stops and aperture settings too. Also focus on your writing skills, P.I.s write a lot of reports. Also focus on professionalism and being able to reach deadlines. Many P.I. firms look for existing skills that can be applied to P.I. work. Another avenue is to get a job doing something that counts towards that work experience. Besides the obvious and unlikely stuff like government intelligence and leo, try going for loss prevention. A lot of department stores have them. Security work may also count though I'd double check. A degree can normally replace the hours needed, even if it's not a CJ degree, but something similar, like law related. Finally, if you have a business degree or are feeling confident, you can start the agency yourself and hire investigators to work for you. You still get the training from them to count towards your hours, and it's legal since your not actually an investigator, just the owner. Those are the general three ways of getting a license in the heavily regulated states.

Fullstack dev here, recently launched a business but just a couple small projects with minor clients right now.

Past employment has included ecommerce (current), infosec, and research in ML and distributed computing. Limited experience in mobile dev but nothing I can't pick up on quickly.

I may be of service. Feel free to drop contact info, and we can discuss requirements and rates.

>1301980
I have had a mobile car repair business for the last 4 yrs. I essentially have used no debt thus far and don't plan to.
>I need things to grow
>t-shirts
wut? I wear $5 black t shirts and $10 black gym shorts in summer and $20 black hoodies and a $40 pair of insulated overalls in the winter
>bigger tools.
I would agree with this but in your business you can probably rent a lot of specialty tools you may only use once or twice a year. Or buy used/broken stuff you can fix.
>advertising
i have never done any kind of formal advertising. I am also not a toothless flakey dirty douchebag (which most mobile mechanics seem to be). I also get a lot of business through churches that I/family attend or have attended

>

I was talking about a contractor's license. They're fuckers about it out here. Any anons know ways to get one other than the 5 years journeyman exp? I've got 9 years in two different trades and it's not considered enough

I don't think you need a contractors license for P.I. work in California. Here are the requirements bsis.ca.gov/forms_pubs/pi_fact.shtml. I looked at the contractor license here cslb.ca.gov/Contractors/Applicants/ and it seems to focus on construction work. I see what you mean though, to do contractual work you require a contractors license, though the two may be different. If not, then in the second link it states that waivers may be possible. After receiving your P.I. license, which has hours worked and educational requirements, I wouldn't understand them asking for more to start working. Sorry if I misunderstood your situation, don't have any experience in Cali and I'm not familiar with their regulations.

Yes. But of course it depends on a lot: what you do, your target audience, how what you send them looks like (have it professionally made but don't go crazy), your piece must have a "call to action" like a "discount" or "buy one get one free" or something to that effect.

There are plenty of mailing list people out there. Make sure you find a reputable one.

Don't expect a huge return. Prob like 1-2%. 5% if you are real lucky.

Don't send anything that isn't a PDF.

You wouldn't believe the amount of files we get from unknown clueless (or hostile) ppl that are DOC, HTM, ZIP,... who knows what's truly in there. We them delete immediately.

I was talking about construction related stuff
Sorry I understand the confusion.

As a P.I. do you have access to stuff the public doesnt?

>I paid for a minimum package with Google ads and paid $200 a month. I got 2 calls from it I think.

Wtf are you doing son, google adwords has been amazingly cheap for us and yielded 4 new customers from just one week and 10 dollars lol. We're a very specific high tech business though.

>If someone wants a proposal, I have one for them in less than 2 days
get it done same day and watch them rely on you for years. env consulting here, our senior guy does this amazingly fast and gets us staff level guys work the next day. funny thing is, if the client doesnt sign it by noon he automatically adds another day to our deliverable date and tells them to quit badgering us. somehow, he puts clients in their place while still being extremely considerate.

texas environmental research literally sends every one of their title/lien searches as .doc. it's hilarious, and slightly aggravating