How to offer a service as a person rather than a business?

6 replies
In all of my marketing endeavors my main intent is to help me pay for my schooling which gets quite expensive. I have an idea that I want to try out but I would rather attempt to sell this service as myself, a college student offering a service in order to pay for tuition, rather than as a business. Call me lazy, but I feel like this would be easier than setting up a business, and also this is a small/medium community that is very oriented with the college, so I feel that businesses would not be reluctant to work with me.

But I don't know how to go about offering my service in such a way. Would my sales letter say "Hey, I'm a college student who is struggling to pay his tuition with this great and affordable service that I'd like to sit down and talk to you about" or what?

Any advice?
#business #offer #person #service
  • Profile picture of the author Baadier Sydow
    I think it will be better to do it as a business legally and for tax purposes. Personal income tax is generally higher in most countries while business tax is lower. Pitching the college student aspect of your business will lead to unscrupululous business owners trying to beat you down on price. Be a college student in your personal life but run your business as one.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    I wouldn't talk about college student or struggling. I would talk about problems your market is facing that you can help solve.

    What happened with that other biz idea you were working on earlier this year/late last year?
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve Solem
    I don't know, I think the "support your local college student" approach could work but like any marketing any business does, you'll never know unless you try and measure the results you get. That angle may cause some prospects to view you as someone who might be here today and gone tomorrow (depending on what services you offer, this may or may not matter much to them) but it may also help you connect with some prospects and cause them to want to support you in your efforts.

    I'd definitely talk to an accountant though or even ask someone at your local bank for some professional advice about how best to structure things business wise.

    Cheers,

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author 4kristian34
    Tell me the features and benefits your service provides to these local businesses.
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  • Profile picture of the author DaniMc
    Set up a business and then market personally.

    Forget about "we" or my team or any other organizational nonsense. Be genuine. Say "I can help you with...so you can achieve..."

    Then they can see that you have a business entity and are dealing with another human, not an institution or a wannabe.
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    Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
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  • Profile picture of the author eve2
    I wouldn't use the "starving college student" approach because, seeing a letter like that, my initial response would be "scammer." Maybe that's just the skeptical me.
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