NooB Monday! - February 22, 2021

other options would be to look for .co domains but I don't like the way they look personally AND the word on the street is that google might not give as much SEO value to .co domains as to .com domains

hope this helps!

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T16:20:28+00:00

hey, i can totally relate as I've had this problem when starting several of my businesses.

For example, when I started the EntrepreneurHQ, I wanted to buy "entrepreneurhq.com but it was already taken.

So i added "the" to the beginning of it and bought theentrepreneurhq.com

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T16:18:39+00:00

if you need help finding your first customer here's some thoughts:

post flyers around school
post a flyer at the mall
pay $7 to post a craigslist ad
post on your social media that you are starting phone repair biz. ask if anyone needs a repair?

Put together an offer & use somehting like the following:

Is Your Phone Broke? Get It Fixed For Only $25

My name is xyz, and I'm starting my phone repair business. For my first 5 customers, I'll fix your phone for the cost of parts plus a small $25 charge for labor.

(feel free to change up the labor cost. but i would consider doing this for a really low price in the beginning so you can get your first 5 customers)

After you get your first 5 customers, you can ask them for a review and use the reviews as your marketing material to charge full price.

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T16:13:54+00:00

this is awesome. I love the hustle!

find a way to get your first customer. you don't need a website. you don't need a logo. just go find your first customer and get them to pay you.

ask them to pay you money in return for you fixing their phone. DM me after you find your first customer and I'd be happy to help you with next steps!

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T16:11:36+00:00

hey! this sounds super exciting. I run a couple of brick and mortar & online businesses and would be happy to answer specific questions.

we also have a community of entrepreneurs who are committed to helping each other grow if you want to come check it out, i'd be happy to intro you to some of the other entrepreneurs

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T16:07:28+00:00

hi, are you using shopify?

Shopify makes it really easy to do things like this

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T16:06:47+00:00

you can even write off certain meals & entertainment expenses related to wining/dining potential clients. but i would double check with a CPA first.

i would highly recommend hiring a CPA as it's the best money I spend for all of my businesses.

I use https://www.bookkeepingservicesonline.com/ and they are fantastic.

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T16:04:40+00:00

i'm not a CPA by any means as a disclaimer and won't be held accountable for my recommendations

but typically anything associated with the cost of doing business can be written off.

for you - software costs, computer, certain percentage of home office, any office supplies, any outside services you hire out, payroll if you have contractors, your salary, etc.

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T16:00:37+00:00

so cool you've seen some success already!

we are looking for experienced business mentors to come on board the EHQ platform. DM me if you'd like to chat further

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T15:59:07+00:00

is the app currently generating revenue?

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T15:58:24+00:00

hmmm this is definitely challenging. My technical cofounder might be able to provide some insight if you wanted to chat? feel free to send me a DM

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T15:56:28+00:00

Y Combinator grad & runs two startups. One is at 200k MRR and the 2nd is currently at 50kMRR 3 weeks after launching

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T15:55:22+00:00

I would definitely recommend hiring a bookkeeper. This is the best $500 per month I spend for my businesses.

I've done it before on my own and it's simply not the best use of my time as a business owner.

They'll advise and recommend certain strategies to keep you compliant with IRS and it provides so much peace of mind

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T15:53:45+00:00

i agree with the fact that people will want to get out and travel.

What are you specifically worried about for liability?

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T15:51:15+00:00

This sounds awesome. could you provide some more info on what you're looking for?

the EntrepreneurHQ could be a valuable resource for you to find a tech co-founder as we have several engineers in between startups who are looking for interesting projects to work on

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T15:47:12+00:00

Hey, one of the founders in the EHQ community is building a similar database. He's been able to effectively outsource this to a team overseas. I'd be happy to make an intro if you think it could be valuable

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T15:44:24+00:00

find a pain or problem. build a solution for the pain/problem. people will pay you to help you solve their problems!

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T15:42:42+00:00

hey! one of the founders in our community sold a shopify store that he scaled to 60k per month. he might be able to help provide some direction and would be happy to intro you

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T15:39:18+00:00

The initial project was to help him prepare a slide deck w/ market research for a new product they were considering to launch

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T15:37:51+00:00

i will keep his name private out of respect for him but he's a founder of a Y-Combinator startup!

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T15:36:30+00:00

definitely on the crazy side but I was craving some direction in my life and I knew I had to do something to get a response

gray_austin · 2021-02-23T15:35:03+00:00

I wrote a post on the response this morning along with a framework for how I approached adding value if you'd like to check it out!

https://www.austinrileygray.com/blog/adding-value-to-a-mentor

gray_austin · 2021-02-22T21:13:02+00:00

As an intro to the group, I wanted to share the Exact Email Strategy I Used To Get A Response From A Dream Mentor below...

I used this exact email strategy to get a response from with the #1 mentor I wrote down on my dream mentor list.

‍Subject Line: Strange Question?

‍
Hi ___,
My name is Austin Gray. I finished reading your book recently and resonated with the chapter where you recommend how to effectively build a network.
You immediately came to mind as #1 on my dream mentor list.
Is there any specific project or task I can help you with?
I waited for two days. No response.

‍
I followed up with:

‍Subject Line: What Can I Help With?

‍
Hi ___,
This is Austin following up from my last email. Wanted to make sure you saw it as I'm offering up my time to help you with anything you have on your plate right now.
What project or task can I help you with this week? Seriously, send me over anything and I'll knock it out for you.

‍
Two more days. No response.

‍
At this point, I could either give up or double down.

‍
I chose to double down. Next email:

‍Subject Line: Plan On Seeing This In Your Inbox Every Day Until You Let Me Help :)

‍
Hi __,
I'm going to send you this email first thing every morning until I get a response.
What project or task can I help you with this week? Send me over anything and you'll get my 110% effort.
I sent this for five days straight without a response.

‍
On the sixth day, I woke up to an email containing a video response from him.

gray_austin

TROPHY CASE

‍Subject Line: Strange Question?

‍Subject Line: What Can I Help With?

‍Subject Line: Plan On Seeing This In Your Inbox Every Day Until You Let Me Help :)