The First 90 Days of Your Business
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The First 90 Days of Your Business
Testing your idea, finding your customer and setting your price
How this hour works
- Grab a pencil and a blank sheet, or fill in the boxes on this page as we go
- Four parts: test it, find them, price it, set up light
- Camera and mic are optional the whole time
- Everyone who registered gets the recording, so don't worry about catching every word
The logo is done, the website is live, and the phone still isn't ringing.
Most new owners start with the things people can see. It feels like progress, and it's fun. But none of it tells you whether anyone will pay, who they are, or what to charge them.
Your first 90 days, in four moves
- 1FirstTest itTalk to ten people who have the problem you solve.
- 2ThenFind themDescribe your first customer and where they look for help.
- 3NextPrice itSet a first price from your costs and your time.
- 4LastSet up lightJust enough to answer the phone and get found.
Test it
Ten honest conversations beat a stack of planning
What to ask, and what to skip
- What did you do the last time this happened?
- Who did you call, and what did it cost?
- What was the most annoying part?
- Where did you look for help?
- Would you buy this?
- Do you like my idea?
- How much would you pay?
Everyone says yes to "would you buy this?" What people already did and paid tells you the truth.
Your first five conversations
Write down five people who have the problem you solve. Friends of friends count. Then pick the three questions you'll ask.
Find them
Who your first customer is, and where they already look
Describe your first customer in one sentence
Describe them by the job they need done, not by age or income. Fill in the blanks.
What one customer is really worth
When you know what a customer is worth over time, you know how much you can sensibly spend to find one.
Start with the example, then put in your own best guesses.
Price it
A first price you can stand behind, and a date to revisit it
Find your floor price
Start from what a job actually costs you and what your time is worth. Then look at what people pay today. Your first price can change, so pick a date to check it again.
Write down your first price
Pick a number you can live with, and a date you'll look at it again.
Set up light
Just enough to answer the phone and get found
What you need now, and what can wait
- A phone number you actually answer
- A simple Google Business Profile
- One page that says what you do and where
- A card or flyer for the people you meet
- A perfect logo
- A big website
- Paid ads
- The truck wrap
Where your first customers will come from
- People you already know, and the people they know
- Neighbors and the streets you already work on
- Local groups online and off: parent groups, block clubs, trade groups
- Partners who serve the same customer, like the realtor for a cleaner or the salon for a photographer
Say what you do in one plain sentence
This goes on your card, your Google profile and the top of your page.
Everything you wrote, on one page
This fills in from the boxes above. Print it or save it as a PDF and keep it where you'll see it.
Add names on the "first five conversations" slide.
Not filled in yet.
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Not worked out yet.
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Send the first message.
Pick one of your five names and reach out before the end of the day. One conversation this week is worth more than another month of planning.
Four questions to lock it in
Keep going
This session comes from the Foundation chapters of Don't Lose the Customer You Already Have: Who you are, and The ecosystem of your business.