No Clients, No Budget, and No Time To Sell. HELP

43 replies
Hi WF,
I'm in a bit of a bind right now and I'd appreciate your advice.

I've set up a business for myself selling SEO/PPC/Internet marketing services. I'll be using an SEO reseller company to provide the backend services.

I've incorporated and have established a social media presence.

I have a significant sales and marketing background, so I'm confident that once I get some clients I'll be able to leave my day job and do this full time.

The problem?

I have NO CLIENTS, NO MONEY, and NO TIME.
NONE.

I bought everything (the sites - the incorporation - the logos) using BillMeLater.
I work a 40-hour week and my income barely covers my family's living expenses.
We legitimately have $5-10 left over each month after the bills are paid.
My work hours mean I can't reach East Coast clients.
When I get home from work, I'm helping my wife with her business most nights.

I can't even afford a cell phone, so needless to say I can't pay a sales team unless it's commission-only.

Of course, I can't hire a team unless I just post free ads on Craigslist and hope people respond.

(To be honest, I'm not even sure what sort of sales process I should do for SEO/PPC contracts. Is it really something that can be closed over the phone?)

WF, I'm dying to figure out how I can
1) get clients
2) figure out the best sales process for my business
3) hire commission-only sales people


with a grand total of a $0.00 budget.

(I can't even afford Fiverr because I'm behind on my BillMeLater account.)

Any help would be greatly, greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
#budget #clients #commission #ppc #reseller #sales #sell #seo #time
  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    Ummmmmm... sorry for asking the obvious question but why start a business if you have zero dollars and zero time to devote to it? You can't be successful if you can't commit either time OR money to any sort of business.
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  • Profile picture of the author J R Salem
    Desperation is not the best time to start a business. You need to find some time to re-assess your plan. Wish I could be of more help.
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    • Profile picture of the author Deidra Renee
      Originally Posted by J R Salem View Post

      Desperation is not the best time to start a business. You need to find some time to re-assess your plan. Wish I could be of more help.
      It's a lot of people on this forum that started their business out of desperation..or so they said. It's not the ideal way but it could be motivation to succeed.

      To slickster, if you have time to post here you have time to send emails. You can make calls on Saturdays too.
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      • Profile picture of the author sandalwood
        I'm blown away. You joined in Feb '08 and in 5 and almost 1/2 years you didn't pick up at least ONE idea from this forum???

        Something doesn't sound right. Is this really the guy who got banned using a different name?

        I realize everyone chimed in with great ideas and help but this just doesn't sound right. I mean if you took all of Don alm's ideas and sold them for 1/2 of what he gets, you'd have a ton of money. His stuff does work no matter what people say but you do have to adjust prices in some cases. That's just one contributor.

        IAmNameless did a great piece a few months back that could be a blueprint for anybody with no time money or clients. Hell you don't even need friends if you follow his offering.

        Eddie Spangler, Claude Whitacre, David Miller and the list goes on and on have written some good s*** that can be copied with ease. Doesn't anybody read before they post no time no money no clients posts?

        Enuf said...

        Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author Mwind076
    Your best bet is to outsource yourself to do the work you can do for others, that way everything is not falling on you. It's clear that you don't have the means to start or maintain a business right now. Maybe getting yourself in a better position in a few months to a year will allow you to.
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    • Profile picture of the author Slickster
      Thanks for all the advice so far.

      @iAmNameLess: I incorporated because I had two clients ready to go - family friends. I knew I had to be professional, so I had to incorporate. Too bad neither one of my 'clients' accepted the proposals or expressed interest in revising them - they just said "we'll do it in-house, thanks."
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      • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
        Originally Posted by Slickster View Post

        Thanks for all the advice so far.

        @iAmNameLess: I incorporated because I had two clients ready to go - family friends. I knew I had to be professional, so I had to incorporate. Too bad neither one of my 'clients' accepted the proposals or expressed interest in revising them - they just said "we'll do it in-house, thanks."
        First you don't need to incorporate to be professional. Hell you can do work in your own name (doctors/etc do) or just get a DBA ($50 or less).

        While in time everyone should incorporate that was not needed at this stage.

        Second and back to your OP here are the things you need to be thinking about.

        1. 40hrs of work a week? Sorry but that isn't a lot. During my management career I averaged like 55. And the most I have done in a week is 120 and I was making less than 30k/yr when I did that. don't be afraid of working more if you have to/need to. Don't work just to work but never be afraid of hard work and long hours when needed.

        2. Is your wife's business making money? And is it making more than she could make with a job? If the answer is no than it needs to be put on hold till you are in better financial shape. Also is it making more than both of you could make working? Because if you are both working on it and it's not making real money you are both wasting time.

        3. Your budget. If you only have $5 to $10 left over you may have a budget problem and not just an income problem. Even when I was living on welfare as a kid we had enough to eat out and for my mom to save a bit. If you don't you need to cut out eating out, cable, and etc till you get caught up. I had my first job at 19 and I lived on my own. I didn't have cable but I ate out all the time. I grew up poor so I know that when you have so little money like that it is a budget issue more often than an income issue.

        4. Can't prospect on the East Coast due to hours? Ok sorry man but I have to call BS. You work 40 hours a week. So you likely have 2 days off a week and work 8 to 9 hours a day with up to an hour lunch. Make calls before work. Make calls at lunch. Makes calls on your days off (yeah people are working on Saturdays and even Sundays). You have time you just choose not to do it. Be honest with yourself.

        5. If the commission is high enough people will do commission only as a 1099 part time if you can show them it is worth trying. Problem is unless they know you and trust you why would they now? You need to prove the model. You need to sell to show blank is possible.

        6. Adds on craigslist. These can work but unless you are a price leader it will be hard without experience (in marketing and copywriting) to get them to call you.

        7. SEO: I get spammed all the time for SEO. You are outsourcing it as well which makes me worried as well. Why should they choose you for SEO? Why should they worry about SEO at all? These you need to answer and build the sales process around.

        8. PPC: I get very few calls for this. Answer the why questions here and this could be your go to. Are you going to do this yourself?

        Honestly I think the main thing right now is income. It doesn't matter rather it is business income, job income, or selling random things.

        So focus on income first and if you have to come back to the business. Right now you have problems and there are solutions but creating more expenses (and businesses are often expenses in the beginning) isn't the solution. This business only makes sense at this time if you know it is profitable.

        You don't have money. But you do have time. You simply have not made income (not a business necessarily) your priority. You need to make income a priority. Period, end of story.

        I'm telling you right now (again actually) that I grew up poor. I lived in public housing. I ate the government cheese. Hell I even got Toys for Tots one year. Yet I never ever reached the point where bills ate up all but $5 to $10. So you need to fix this.
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        • Profile picture of the author midasman09
          Banned
          Apparently you are pc familiar so, here's something that has worked for others;

          1) Find a "Hungry" market;
          ex: Real Estate Agents trying to sell their Home Listings on Craig's List.
          Go to CL....click on your town, then under "Services", click on "Real Estate"....then up on top, click on "Real Estate Agents" and below that put a check in box that says, "Image".

          You want the List of RE Agents Listing their Homes for Sale who have Photos of the Home.

          2) Create a product to Help these RE Agents Sell their Home Listings;
          Google..."Photo Story 3" (a FREE program from Microsoft)(I like PS3 because you can give the photos a feeling of "movement". You can "Scan" sideway or zoom in or out)
          Find a Home for sale with 8 to 12 photos. Grab those photos and place them into a Folder.
          Open PS3....bring in the photos....add a front page with the Agents Info (and their photo) and info on the Home for Sale. Make another page at the rear with the same info. Do the "scanning and Zooming thing on each photo. Add Text on each photo describing what's in photo.
          Tell PS3 to "create a video". Add music background (it gives some choices)

          To get an idea of what a "VIRTUAL TOUR" looks like, Google- Virtual Tours or Video Tours.

          I like to "burn" the Videos to DVDs and take them IN-PERSON to the Agent and show the DVD to them in my "RCA Portable DVD Player" ($89 at Walmart) or....you could upload to your FREE YouTube Channel and give Link to the RE Agent. Make sure to "watermark" the Video with YOUR Name and Contact info.

          Prices that have worked are; $197 for 1 Tour or ....$441 for 3 ($147 ea; save $50ea) they usually take the "3 for $441".

          So....with NO INVESTMENT....you could be bringing in some bux every week. Once you get used to making the Video Tours, they should only take about 30 min ea.

          Anyway....I thought I'd toss this in to "give you an idea" of how to make some "easy" money.

          Don Alm...
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          • Profile picture of the author abo28
            Originally Posted by midasman09 View Post


            Prices that have worked are; $197 for 1 Tour or ....$441 for 3 ($147 ea; save $50ea) they usually take the "3 for $441".

            Don Alm...
            Phew... $197 for a Photo Story tour? Could you give me a few buyers' addresses?

            Just kidding, but it seems enormous, Photo Story is a pretty simple software to learn and use.

            Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack this thread, I just couldn't stop wondering how one could get such a good price...

            Bogdan
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            • Profile picture of the author Eddie Spangler
              Originally Posted by abo28 View Post


              Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack this thread, I just couldn't stop wondering how one could get such a good price...

              Bogdan
              Only the MidasMan can get those kind of whopping fees:rolleyes:
              trying to duplicate his results would be an exercise in futility.

              Some consider his stories as urban legends, some as tall tales , each reader will have to decide for himself. I on the other hand am just happy that he gives us regular everyday salespeople something to aspire to.
              Go getem DON!
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      • Profile picture of the author bizgrower
        Originally Posted by Slickster View Post

        Thanks for all the advice so far.

        @iAmNameLess: I incorporated because I had two clients ready to go - family friends. I knew I had to be professional, so I had to incorporate. Too bad neither one of my 'clients' accepted the proposals or expressed interest in revising them - they just said "we'll do it in-house, thanks."
        These two were only prospects or suspects, not clients. It would be very beneficial to you to learn from why they did not 'buy' you. Even if they did convert, would it have been enough income to be constructive?

        Please don't take this wrong. My gut reaction to your situation, and I don't know why, but my gut tells me you might be barking up the wrong tree in terms of what business you are starting. Ditto for your wife's business. (Again, it's just my gut or intuition that tells me your wife is not pursuing something that will ever be viable.) If I'm right, then it is time to reassess your skill set and interests and begin to pursue something that will work better for the both of you.

        What have you both done in the past that was more successful? Perhaps recreate that scenario or those scenarios if you can. Start with what you are already good at and know about.

        Regardless, get on your feet first, and then systematically and patiently pursue your dreams of self-employment - if you decide that is still right for you. (No big deal if it ain't for you. Something to be said for having a good job and being a good provider, good man that way.)

        By systematically pursue, I mean work an hour or half hour a day (or week even) at getting clients or customers. It probably took Ewen an hour - no probably a half hour - a night to send out some emails that landed business.

        Maybe you can get clients/customers by spending a set amount of time per day or week working social media. Or, setting up your online marketing funnel for your business so people come to you pre-sold from your online presence and content.

        Maybe it's an hour a week at a relevant MeetUp or church group or Community Service organization such as the Rotary...

        Whatever you decide to pursue, just a little constant activity will go a long way. And in a lot of States, not California though, you can incorporate for something like the $50 fee to the Secretary of State's office.

        Meanwhile, get more money coming in by the ways other people have suggested. And, as Dave Ramsey says, " Don't see the inside of a restaurant unless you're working there."

        Bartending would another good way. Cleaning, painting, landscaping, and maintaining homes or businesses would be another. Maybe computer repair and networking if you're good at that.

        Back to the idea of becoming self-employed: peruse YouTube for videos by Jay Abraham - and the like - to generate more business ideas and low cost implementation strategies for yourselves.

        Good luck.

        Dan
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  • Profile picture of the author DaniMc
    You should never borrow money when you do not have a direct path for that money to increase. It's a bit too late but remember it for the future.

    Another big mistake: Why did you wait until you were neck deep in trouble before you reached out for help? You could have saved yourself a lot of pain by going into this in a smarter way.

    Question: Is your wife's business actually bringing in revenue today?

    You are in a real jam here. Being desperate is not a good way to sell business marketing services.

    I was in your shoes a little more than 10 years ago. I was flat busted. Food from charities kept us from being hungry. So, I know what it is like.

    Here is what you can do to bring money RIGHT NOW.

    1) Forget about free time or family time. The only things you must do that are not work related are eat, sleep, and shower.

    2) Put your lawnmower, your trimmer, hedge clippers, a bucket, some soap, and water hose in your car. Take all yard tools you have. If you have none, go to a friend/family and ask to borrow theirs.

    3) Park at the end of a street. Start at the first house. Look for grass to cut or bushes to trim. Look for anything you think you can do. If you don't see anything, pitch the car wash.

    4) Here is your pitch: Hi my family is down on our luck right now and I am trying to do the right thing and earn money. Can I wash your car for $10?

    $10 car wash
    $20 lawn mow
    $5 trim bushes
    Also keep an eye out for dead trees to pull out for $50.

    Knock on every single door on the street. You can make $100-$200 a day doing this. I know because I did. You are in a bind my friend. It's time to see what you are made of and if you have what it takes to be a man a pull your family through.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mwind076
    You didn't have to incorporate, especially for family friends. If you do the job, it's not an issue. Seems like you really need a mentor after you get out of the hole
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    • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
      Originally Posted by Mwind076 View Post

      You didn't have to incorporate, especially for family friends. If you do the job, it's not an issue. Seems like you really need a mentor after you get out of the hole
      Yeah I agree... if you incorporate, you incorporate because you already have a proven business and want to separate the business and yourself personally from liability. Doesn't seem like you really had any reason to incorporate other than you believing it was the right thing to do in order to be seen as professional. Now you have quarterly reports to file and a bunch of other issues to deal with and more money it is going to cost you.

      Did you just incorporate, or are you an s-corp, llc, what?

      For anyone else reading this, just get a dba until you find out you really have a business.

      You have no clients
      You have no money
      And you have no time for sales.

      We're not miracle workers here, and you need a miracle. Money can compensate for a lack of time... but without money and without time, it sounds to me that you're screwed.

      We can't help you... only you can help yourself. If you don't have time, you need to find time... I've been in bad situations too but you you have to be able to invest time if you don't have money.

      My recommendation... look for some stuff you guys don't need, sell it on craigslist or ebay. Get some extra money flowing that way, you can even go to some yard sales or garage sales with that money and buy some stuff and flip it. I did it last year, just to get out and do something different on the side and you can pretty easily generate an extra $500-1,000/mo.
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  • Profile picture of the author cshilling22
    Do you have any flexibility on your lunch or any vacation time available?

    What are you doing to help your wife and how long does it take?

    Your best bet may be to try to get some time off from work and in that limited time walk into businesses cold and make your pitch.

    You need money now so I would consider putting SEO on the back burner and start selling some type of local advertising, probably large postcards through EDDM. These are easier sells because business owners can immediately see the value.

    You are not paying anything out of your own pocket because all of the costs come from the business, you are only spending your time.
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  • Profile picture of the author Slickster
    cshilling22: Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely look into selling EDDM.

    iAmNameLess: I filed as a close corporation, so there's a lot less paperwork than a normal corporation.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jarrod
    You insist that you have no time. I would seriously challenge that.

    There are 168 hours in a week. You work 40. Assuming you sleep 7 hours a night, after work and sleep you have 79 hours left. You need to seriously analyze and break down those 79 remaining hours. Once you account for time spending helping your wife with her business (assuming it's a good idea to keep doing that), showering, driving, and eating, maybe half of that is gone.

    That still leaves ~40 hours. Let's say 20 to allow a little breathing room. 20 dedicated focused hours can get the ball rolling.

    I refuse to accept the excuse of truly having no time at all you can possibly spare. You should refuse to accept it from yourself as well.

    Do this exercise and if you get ruthless with it, you will find a little time to get the ball rolling.

    Edit: You also need to decide if you are going to spend this time on your business, or doing something like what Dan McCoy suggested. I'd say go with Dan's suggestion for the time being until you can get out of the danger zone, then shift over to spending that time growing a business.
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  • Profile picture of the author bob ross
    Dan and Nameless are spot on, just get out and do stuff that will make you some cash without having to run any kind of 'business' out of it at the moment.

    You'd be surprised at how much money it takes to run a business when you're doing business. Even if you had commissioned sales reps, they'll cost you a bunch of money to get them prepared with notebooks, contracts, literature, training materials, etc. You simply can't do it on a zero budget. Plus you'll have to pay them asap and you'll run into cash flow problems when you're trying to outsource things and pay your salespeople at the same time.

    You'll likely end up burning through your clients money and not being able to deliver. Then you use the next guys deposit to take care of the last guy and eventually you implode. You have to have cash available along with a very clear plan of how you'll make money. And you'll need about 10x more cash than you think.

    Stabilize your life first by getting out and doing some side work and/or selling what you can. THEN start on your business.
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  • Profile picture of the author ronrule
    Originally Posted by Slickster View Post

    Hi WF,
    I'm in a bit of a bind right now and I'd appreciate your advice.

    I've set up a business for myself selling SEO/PPC/Internet marketing services. I'll be using an SEO reseller company to provide the backend services.

    I've incorporated and have established a social media presence.

    I have a significant sales and marketing background, so I'm confident that once I get some clients I'll be able to leave my day job and do this full time.

    The problem?

    I have NO CLIENTS, NO MONEY, and NO TIME.
    NONE.

    I bought everything (the sites - the incorporation - the logos) using BillMeLater.
    I work a 40-hour week and my income barely covers my family's living expenses.
    We legitimately have $5-10 left over each month after the bills are paid.
    My work hours mean I can't reach East Coast clients.
    When I get home from work, I'm helping my wife with her business most nights.

    I can't even afford a cell phone, so needless to say I can't pay a sales team unless it's commission-only.

    Of course, I can't hire a team unless I just post free ads on Craigslist and hope people respond.

    (To be honest, I'm not even sure what sort of sales process I should do for SEO/PPC contracts. Is it really something that can be closed over the phone?)

    WF, I'm dying to figure out how I can
    1) get clients
    2) figure out the best sales process for my business
    3) hire commission-only sales people


    with a grand total of a $0.00 budget.

    (I can't even afford Fiverr because I'm behind on my BillMeLater account.)

    Any help would be greatly, greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
    The notion of finding "commission only sales people" for a new business is a myth. Sales people who are good enough to cover their own expenses on a straight commission gig aren't interested in a startup with no office, no budget, etc. They don't need you, or the majority of businesses out there who only want to pay straight commission. And like others have pretty much covered well already, you aren't in the right place to be starting a business.

    Here's what I would do if I were in your situation... I'd get an evening job delivering pizza. No, I'm not kidding and don't mean for that to sound condescending. It's an easy way to supplement your income, and you can clear an extra $30k a year - certainly a lot more than you'll make off of a couple part time clients, and it's stable. Use that cash to get your finances sorted out and start paying off debt. Pretend the "new money" doesn't exist and do NOTHING but start paying down your bills, from smallest balance to largest (ignore the interest rates).

    Remove the idea of starting a business from your head for now.
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  • Profile picture of the author Climb Online
    Go out and talk to business owners every weekend, nothing but a handshake and smile needed.

    If you are genuine and know your stuff, I would not be surprised if u got a client within a month.

    All will have either a receipt book or computer, paper and printer, write out a receipt/agreement right there and collect a check.

    In stressful times our brain can go into overload, try to boil down what needs to be done
    to the simplest form.
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    "It is your choice of message that targets the customer, not your choice of media. There are rare exceptions, of course. But not many."
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    • Profile picture of the author shawnlebrun
      Originally Posted by susie haynes View Post

      Go out and talk to business owners every weekend, nothing but a handshake and smile needed.

      If you are genuine and know your stuff, I would not be surprised if u got a client within a month.

      All will have either a receipt book or computer, paper and printer, write out a receipt/agreement right there and collect a check.

      In stressful times our brain can go into overload, try to boil down what needs to be done
      to the simplest form.
      For someone with no money to invest... this answer makes the most sense to me.

      You gotta go out in your local area, beat the pavement and go talk to businesses.

      Prove to them that they need to be online and need to be FOUND online... and that you're the one to help them out.

      Without any money to invest in marketing/advertising... you're gonna have a hard time using leverage to your advantage (direct mail)

      Like I tell kids who are looking for a job... get on your sneakers and hit the pavement, walking... talking....shaking hands.

      Think of local businesses in your area that need to be found online.

      Seriously... think of the most logical businesses in your area who live or die based on being found online.

      The Yellow Pages are dying/dead... so you need to think of businesses that need to have an online presence and who need to be found online.

      Then, contact those businesses and persuade them that you can get them
      to the top of the search engines... so that they are found over their competition.

      Show them that they have a problem... and that you are the solution.

      But yeah... with no money to invest, it's tougher to leverage and scale.

      it's gonna take some elbow grease/hard work.
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  • Profile picture of the author Erick Griffin
    I have been there. if I were you I would pickup the phone during lunch and call some companies they may need your services. Start collecting business cards from gas stations. Just call and keep calling. Make a phone script so you already know what you are going to say. That's the easiest least costly way to get business. Call web design companies offer your PPC as an add on. Since PPC and maybe Facebook is the quickest way to show results just my .02
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  • Profile picture of the author RockNRolla
    I was also thinking that you need to look at how much time you can dedicate to this business. Is it worth spending your time helping your partner out with their business after work, or would that time be better spent concentrating on building your business?

    If you are really in the position where at the end of the month you have only got $5-10 t your name, then I would start spending every spare second on the phone (or Skype with an unlimited call plan which costs next to nothing) calling businesses non stop, because by the sounds of it all you have to do is land one pay monthly SEO client to make a huge difference to your lifestyle. I wish you the best of luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author JustinDT
    Banned
    I'd say take the few hours you are not working and plan out your business.
    Focus on very very small businesses at first. Maybe charge them $50 a month for the most basic of seo services. and build from there.

    You won't break the bank right off the back, but if you're dilligent then you will see progress.
    Sorry this isn't a succeed quick plan, but there are'nt very many of those that work.

    Best of luck to you
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    • Profile picture of the author Slickster
      I'd like to thank everybody for their comments on this thread. You've certainly given me a lot to think about and I really appreciate that.
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      • Profile picture of the author Marvin Johnston
        Originally Posted by Slickster View Post

        I'd like to thank everybody for their comments on this thread. You've certainly given me a lot to think about and I really appreciate that.
        There is a lot of good information in this thread to help you get out of the jam you got yourself into.

        BUT, time to stop thinking and starting doing.

        Marvin
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        • Profile picture of the author ewenmack
          Slickster, You can create a business in your own hours available,
          without added expenses.

          I'll give you an example.

          Recently I sent out emails at night
          and in that week I landed a hotel resort,
          a low rent hotel, 2 bars and a cinema.

          Not once did I speak with them over the phone
          or met with them as they were all scattered around the country.

          What you do is offer businesses that use a product which is essential
          in their business and offer to see if you can get them a better deal on it.

          You don't even have to own a product.

          You can resell printing for example.

          There are only wholesale sources of printers
          you can use.

          Bob Ross has training on it called Print Profits.

          You are a welcome guest when approaching business offering the possibility to lower their expenses.

          Let me know if you want to know more about this.

          Best,
          Ewen
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  • Profile picture of the author Jennwith2ns
    This is nothing that hasn't been said, but..

    You find the time. Making excuses about having NO time is useless. We're all busy. I'm a ghostwriter 12 hours a day. In order to learn IM (which I'm in the process of) I have about 16-18 hour days. I write 12 hours a day THEN I spend another few hours learning, growing, working. Does it suck? Yes, but it's my only option. I have a spouse, a family. I still do it.

    I literally cook dinner while working. I bring my laptop into the kitchen, put it on the counter, and type or research in between stirring or baking or slicing. You do what you have to do.
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    Jenn - Writer and Marketer of Stuff
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  • Profile picture of the author curationsoft
    its a necessity to every business either online of offline to invest both money and time in order to be successful.
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  • Profile picture of the author CurtisSWN
    If you took 10 minutes a day to email one prospect, send a flyer, drop off a card every day. After one week you would have put on 70 minutes of quality work. Also in the time it took you to "vent" explaining the intractableness of your situation you could have look for, found, emailed, or called a qualified prospect. I wonder if you REALLY want to work and would rather indulge your self-pity instead.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gary Pettit
    If you decide to market on Craigslist, you my find my free craigslist ad software below of some use
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  • Profile picture of the author Matt Lee
    There's a lot of good posts already so i don't want to rehash anything but what you said, about having no money, no time, etc. Is no good. You can't build a viable business out of desperation. It reminded me of when i get phone calls from people who want to be #1 on Google, and YouTube etc, but don't have any money to pay me. So on the flipside -what would you do in that situation? You'd do the same thing I'd do, and everyone else would do - you'd wish them the best of luck but you can't work for free.

    I'm sure you could find someway to earn a little capital - like random jobs on fiver. That way you have a little breathing room in your budget, and can eventually figure out the TIME, and MONEY you can designate to your new business.

    Best of luck to you.
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  • Profile picture of the author SashaLee
    Hi there,

    From the original post, highlighted for effect:

    "I have a significant sales and marketing background, so I'm confident that once I get some clients I'll be able to leave my day job and do this full time.

    The problem?

    I have NO CLIENTS, NO MONEY, and NO TIME.
    NONE.
    "

    With all due respect, the two bolded phrases contradict each other. Nobody who actually has sales or marketing experience would make the second statement. Salespeople are action people. Go-getters. Your post comes from desperation and is not condusive to success.

    You're defeated before you even start.

    I would suggest you stick to your day job for now and put aside some money each week. Don't say you don't have any - I'm sure you either smoke/drink/eat and you can find ways to save a couple of bucks on one of these. Put those couple of bucks aside religiously and you will be able to build funds to do something.

    But then, I suspect some other obstacle will stop you from actually getting off your backside and getting out there and hustling.

    All the best,

    Sasha.
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  • Profile picture of the author pingsters
    Banned
    I would just suggest you stop wasting your time thinking of impossibilities.
    With NO budget,No time,No client attitude you ain't going anywhere.
    Alternatively,think of starting to save some little money from you monthly pay towards financing your dream business in future.
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  • Profile picture of the author abelamorales
    I know what is like to be completely broke dude. I would cut any unnecessary bills so you can get open a $7.99 Skype account to dial.

    Lock yourself in your room and call businesses in your local Yellow Pages / Newspaper offering them SEO or Web Design/Redesign services. Don't get out until you have a sale -- You have a serious need to do so man, so let that pain drive your motivation for a sale. You can always outsource the work over to a warrior on here and eventually get a reseller hosting account and sell hosting to your clients for $50 - 100 a month.

    Be creative. You can turn things around now, it's up to you.
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  • Profile picture of the author rickdangelo
    Hi friend,
    I would recommend 2 things: 1) to talk to local businesses and 2) to cut on unnecessary expenses.

    Maybe you see small businesses in your area? Like a small restaurant or a bakery? Go ahead and talk to them. Tell them they need to have an online presence. Explain to them they need a website to grow today because most buyers research online before buying locally. There are studies proving this. You can Google them. Be sincere in wanting to help them and they will help you back.
    As for the expenses, get a free app for your smart phone so you can list down all your daily expenses. Everything down to the last dime. Or you can do it the old fashioned way of listing everything on paper. Believe me, this works. You'll be able to see where most of your daily budget goes. When I did this a couple of years ago, I actually discovered that I was spending too much on beverage. I always ate with coffee, soda, or some sweet drink. I cut back $4-$5 daily and got a savings of somewhere around $100 that same month.

    Best of luck,
    Rick
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  • Profile picture of the author Slickster
    Thanks to everyone for your additional suggestions.
    Background: I used to be a commission-only door-to-door salesman. I took the job out of desperation (I was broke and stuck living at my in-laws' house). However, I'm a fast learner and I work well under pressure. Even though I had no prior sales experience, I learned quickly was promoted to office manager within a few months. My wife insisted I settle down and take a job with more stability, so I did.

    It's frustrating to know I am one or two clients away from being in a completely different situation. I'd be able to use their money to invest in growing my business and in securing more clients.

    @Rickdangelo: I'll try to budget for a phone in the near future.
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    • Profile picture of the author midasman09
      Banned
      Holy Camoly! Here's a program I have helped many "Single Moms" to;

      Make "INSTANT MONEY"...with NO...ZERO money up front!

      There are Doctor, Dental. Chiropractor offices in YOUR area who.....hopefully have Patients (otherwise they would not be open)

      These "patients" make "Appointments" to visit these offices.

      The "employees" in these offices are paid to help their Patients make these appointments AND.....KEEP THEM!

      Here's where YOU can make some "Serious Bucks"; Offer to.....(now, catch the next word I'm going to spell out here)....REMIND patients that there apt is tomorrow at X!

      The employees in these offices do NOT like making "Reminder Calls".... Reminding patients of their appointment! This takes "time" away from these Office Employees who were hired to do OTHER things!

      So....YOU can offer to "Make Reminder Calls" for the office.

      This is just a simple phone call to local Offices.

      1) Phone the office and ask to speak to the "Office Manager"
      Office manager comes online and you say;
      2) Hello....my name is Helen Smith. I provide a "Patient Reminder Service"! ...and I'd like to offer my service to your office!
      Note: Do NOT say your fee at this time. Wait for the response;
      3) Yes! I will Phone your Patients, Reminding them of their Appointments....
      .....every day....for $20 a day....$100 a week.

      Thus....there are many "Appointment Reminder" services already doing this BUT....in your town....in ONE Day....you can find 20 to 30 offices that are making the appts themselves.

      Give it a try...all you have to do is phone people REMINDING them of their Appt.

      Don Alm
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Miles
    I have read through this thread and there are a lot of very good ideas for you to act on my friend. What I am going to add is probably not going to be the most popular response but you need to take it to heart...
    Starting a new business is difficult even if all of the stars are aligned. Therefore, I would suggest that you put the new biz on the backburner and get your life straightened out. Take this time to keep educating yourself and maybe take on a 2nd job for awhile to wipe out some of the debt. When you feel more comfortable then Go For It!
    Tom Miles
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    • Profile picture of the author Jon Martin
      Originally Posted by Tom Miles View Post

      I have read through this thread and there are a lot of very good ideas for you to act on my friend. What I am going to add is probably not going to be the most popular response but you need to take it to heart...
      Starting a new business is difficult even if all of the stars are aligned. Therefore, I would suggest that you put the new biz on the backburner and get your life straightened out. Take this time to keep educating yourself and maybe take on a 2nd job for awhile to wipe out some of the debt. When you feel more comfortable then Go For It!
      Tom Miles
      Tom gives some good advice here. Do what you have to do (get some quick craigslist cash selling/reselling, mow lawns, etc) right now and get yourself out of dire need. Proceed with starting your own business when you have a little wiggle room, otherwise you're gonna waste time and struggle even more.

      Welcome to the forum, Tom! Nice to see a new face with a clear perspective. Judging by the posts I've seen so far you should be an awesome contributor to the offline section.
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      "Be the hero of your own movie."
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      • Profile picture of the author ashclevermtkg
        @OP - You've made this post 17 days - over two weeks ago. By this point you should at least had close to an extra $1,000 earned by now. This thread alone here has been a GOLDMINE thus far. There's no excuse to be broke, especially in America of all places....
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