I've only been in business since 04 and am just a one man show but I have kept pretty busy through the recession.
I won't always be a one man show but I have watched guys that have ballooned out to big crews with a bunch of trucks and big shops downsize back into their garages the last couple of years so Ill stay where I'm at for now.
I don't have an ad in any phone book. I don't even have my name on my van.
I have cards I hand out usually 5 or 6 at a time and my wife insisted I get "uniforms", actually t shirts with my logo and number on them. That is all of my advertising other than word of mouth.
Interestingly enough, right after my name showed up on every yellow pages salesman's radar I was getting calls every week by guys trying to sell me an ad. At that time I was so busy I was turning away jobs every week, though I hated to do it.
I finally had to tell one of them "Look, right now I spend time I don't have telling people that if they can't wait a few weeks I won't be able to do their job and then spend more time I don't have trying to think of someone I would trust to refer them to. If I were to spend $70 a month on your ad I would only have to spend that much more time I don't have turning away work, much of it from people who are just shopping for rock bottom prices."
He got the idea. I haven't heard from any of them for some time.
When the economy tanked i considered an ad but the phone always seems to ring right when I need it to so far. (knocking on wood)
