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[terri-lynne]

Progress Report - Week 13

What is Working?

Making the time for a couple of hours each week to do my cleaning contract by getting up a bit earlier provides a little extra money in my pocket and still allows me to spend time with family and friends.

What is Not Working?

Other than not having the time to commit to taking on more jobs, everything is working well.

How do I Feel the Project is Coming?

As we near the end of the project, I feel it has gone very well. I have made more profit than anticipated and am planning to keep operating once the course is done as it is funding my student loan payments.

What am I Learning about Running a Business?

I am learning that running a business does not need to be complicated and stressful if you can find the right product or service to sell.

What am I Learning about Myself?

I am learning that even though I value my free time, curiosity of what the business could potentially grow to if I was willing to give up my free time intrigues me, but not quite enough to pursue it.

[terri-lynne]

Progress Report - Week 12

What is Working?

By not taking on any extra tasks, I have been able to challenge and complete my regular cleaning job in a shorter period of time each week with the same attention to detail because it is the same each week and I have established a routine.

What is Not Working?

I am not really able to think of anything that is not working right now.

How do I Feel the Project is Coming?

Because I have a regular task each week of cleaning the business office, I have become more efficient at completing the task. This has allowed me to complete it faster, and because my client insisted on paying a flat rate per week rather than an hourly rate, I am making much more than what I would be at an hourly rate.

What am I Learning about Running a Business?

I am learning that once you can determine how long it takes you to complete a task that a flat rate versus hourly allows you to make a little more money and that hiring someone at a slightly lower pay than your hourly rate can mean an even higher revenue for you.

What am I Learning about Myself?

I am learning that I do enjoy making the extra cash and that giving up a couple of hours on the weekend is a small price to pay  for the extra money that allows you to splurge on a few extra things once in awhile.

[terri-lynne]

Progress Report Week 11

What is Working?

The schedule and routine that I have established for the weekly cleaning of the business office is working very well. I know what to expect and approximate time it will take me each week which helps with the planning of whatever else I would like to accomplish on the weekend.

What is Not Working?

I am not really able to think of anything that is not working right now.

How do I Feel the Project is Coming?

The project is coming along nicely. Now that I have a routine and schedule, I feel I could take on a little more work if I wanted to as I am better able to plan for tasks.

What am I Learning about Running a Business?

My thoughts have not changed at all, and I still believe that you need to be committed, self-motivated and willing to work hours outside of the regular 8-5 which means giving up weekend plans with friends and family.

What am I Learning about Myself?

I am learning that with a little less guilt each time that I can say “no” easier to things that I do not want to do, or have the time to do, so that I can enjoy having my evenings and weekends free to spend with family and friends.

[terri-lynne]

Progress Report (Week 9)

What is Working?

By accepting that I can not take on all of the work that I am offered and acknowledging my need for free time, I am less stressed and am enjoying the work that I do a lot more. I am not feeling resentful or that I am missing out on anything at home or with friends.

What is Not Working?

I am not seeing what is not working, other than being able to take on the work offered to me.  

How do I Feel the Project is Coming?

I feel the project could easily grow if I were willing or had the time to put the additional hours into it.

What am I Learning about Running a Business?

I am learning that you need to know what you truly want and whether you are willing to sacrifice the fun for the work that is required to run a business.

What am I Learning about Myself?

I am learning that I am more willing, and that it is okay to say “no” to things and that I do not always have to say “yes” just to please everyone else. This is less stressful for me and much healthier!

[terri-lynne]

Progress Report

What is Working?

I must admit that I have not had to do any advertising and I have been able to keep expenses very low. The lady that I clean office for weekly would give me as much work as I am willing to take on. There is more painting, lawn care and gardening work available if I want it.

What is Not Working?

I am finding that I just do not have the time to commit to the work that is available. Though I am still making an acceptable amount of “fun money”, the ability to make more is possible. Due to my current schedule and the family health responsibilities that I have needed to attend to, I do not want the extra work at this time.

How do I Feel the Project is Coming?

I think it has come along very nicely and almost too easily. I feel pretty lucky to have found a client that has hired me for a regular schedule and would like to hire me for more work. I feel badly when I have to turn work down.

What am I Learning about Running a Business?

I am learning that you need to be committed, self-motivated and willing to work hours outside of the regular 8-5 which means giving up weekend plans with friends and family.

What am I Learning about Myself?

I am learning that I quite enjoy having my evenings and weekends free to spend with family and friends. My days of working extra long hours at more than one job and missing out on events every weekend are long over, and that I am not willing to commit to the hard work and long hours a business would take. I feel I am at the age it is time to enjoy my free time and relax.

[terri-lynne]

Where Will I Get the Money?

Other than the $50 start-up money, I do not feel I would need much more than this as I already have the tools, equipment and supplies to provide services. At most, I need to purchase some paint rollers on occasion. I may also need to replenish my cleaning supplies, but they are not expensive and last for quite some time.

Handy Helper Services is a “fun” money business, so If I decided to continue it past the length of the course, I would put a portion of the fun money into savings for future purchases of any lawn equipment, gardening, or painting tools.

I would not take Love money because that can cause conflict in relationships. For the little amount of money that I would need, I would not bother with trying to obtain a business grant because of the work required and the chances of obtaining one are tough.

Anything I need does not require purchasing all at once and can be bought a piece at a time with savings. If I felt I needed more than I had savings for or had a desire to have all new tools and equipment at once, I am confident that I could easily acquire a bank loan or line of credit with my credit rating.

[terri-lynne]

Business Operations Plan

Due to the nature of my business, it will be run out of my home. I have the tools and cleaning supplies already on hand and should I require more, they can be purchased at the local grocery or hardware store. These tools and supplies take up very little room in an area of my garage, so a separate location is not required.

To obtain new customers, I would advertise primarily on Facebook, but expect that with the limited amount of work that I can currently accept, that word of mouth from my family and friends will be my main source of advertising.

In addition to the small area of my garage for storage, I would only need a laptop and internet to be able to access Facebook for advertising and Excel to create and keep track of clients, jobs, income, and expenses.

If I were wanting to expand the business into more than the odd job here and there and beyond family and friend references, I would have a CPIC done to provide reassurance to clients. I would also register for an HST number if I were expecting to make more than $35,000 per year and collect HST. Additionally, I would also then apply for WSIB as well. Otherwise, I am not required to apply for any permits or licenses.

[terri-lynne]

[terri-lynne]

Persona

About Them - Suzanne is a late forty-year-old married female living in the city of Kingston. She has a highly responsible and demanding job that leaves her mentally drained at the end of her work week. Suzanne enjoys spending time with her family and regular gatherings with friends. She does not enjoy doing household chores but appreciates coming home to a clean, organized home and manicured yard.

Use Case - Suzanne knows the value of her time and hires Handy Helper Services to complete the chores and projects that she has no time or desire to do but needs to have completed.

Previous Solution and Pain Points - Before Handy Helper Services, Suzanne was either hiring multiple services to do the chores, or because of the time and hassle of trying to locate or arrange for different services, did not bother. This meant that some projects were often left undone causing her stress and frustration.

Benefits - By hiring Handy Helper Services, Suzanne experiences the ease and convenience of hiring just one company to accomplish multiple chores if needed. This reduces her stress by coming home to an organized and tidy home that provides her with a sense of accomplishment and a completed to-do list. Suzanne realizes that the value of this service is well worth the cost of providing her with time for herself, family, and friends.

Buying Trigger - Suzanne seeks to hire Handy Helper Services because she does not have the ability to complete the required projects herself either due to lack of time, skill, or will. She becomes overwhelmed with what needs to be accomplished because of work and family obligations and appreciates an opinion on paint colours or garden design.

Buying Process - Suzanne prefers to support local small businesses that are personally recommended by friends and family. She then checks social media for content and reviews and is pleased to also see before and after pictures.

Choice Factors - When hiring Handy Helper Services, Suzanne is expecting communication, friendliness, and reliability. If Handy Helper Services is to arrive and complete a project at a certain time, she expects this will happen and not need to chase them around for information. She is looking for a business that is honest, direct and that her expectations are met and completed in a timely and affordable manner. Because Handy Helper Services will be in and around her home, she wants someone she can trust.

Picture from: https://in.pinterest.com/pin/305400418477417219/

[terri-lynne]

Local Competition 

I found this challenging because I was not able to find a business that offered the same services that I do. I am sure there are several similar small businesses, they just do not have websites, so I chose one business from each area of house/office cleaning, painting, and yard services to do a comparison on. Giles Property Maintenance was the one that I most identified with as they offer additional and some similar services to me.

[terri-lynne]

Message Map for Whozagooddog

This is an amazing business that I can not say enough good things about! They even do crafts at holidays and set up photo back drops to celebrate every holiday from Valentine’s Day to Christmas. 

[terri-lynne]

Strengths and Weaknesses

For fun, I took the quiz about whether or not I had what it takes to be an entrepreneur and while I thought I didn’t, maybe I do. So I took a peek at my entrepreneurial strengths and weaknesses.

What I believe to be one of my greatest strengths is customer service. Having worked in customer service in one form or another for over 30 years, in addition to extra courses on developing those skills, I pride myself on providing customer service that meets or exceeds expectations. This creates trust and loyalty which keeps a customer coming back because they know they can count on you to help them. Something that is essential to keeping a business operating.

My customer service paid off for me when a customer I had gone out of my way to help right at store closing one evening, was surprisingly on the interview panel for a job I later applied for. I was hired not just because of my skills, but because they already knew a bit about my service attitude.

I know for certain that my greatest weakness is sales and negotiation.  I think good customer service (which I do have) is an integral part of helping to make sales, but negotiation is a different ball game for me. I am a people pleaser and have a really hard time saying “no”. This is something that I would love to improve on and am trying to do so by reading more about the art of persuasion. A skill that I think is valuable to have and thankfully is one that can be developed.