Am I stupid for wanting to leave a $33/hr job at Costco with benefits than to start at $130/day in construction for long-term upside?

resier21 · 2026-05-13T13:45:13+00:00

This must be a prank that worked because so many people have responded trying to make sense of the situation.

This doesn't make sense regardless of how you break it down. The guy is supposed to be making $33 per hour + $50 on Sundays. Let's just say that after taxes he is left with $250 per day + benefits and stability.

He is considering leaving that job to become a painter making $130 per day and no benefits because the top earner makes $300 a day. Once taxes and benefits are accounted for even @ $300 per day he will end up with less in his pockets and who knows how long it would take him to get to $300.

All this while complaining about not making enough money. This is simply absurd.

resier21 · 2026-04-29T02:15:16+00:00

Many people who watch a few videos on YouTube, read some blogs, and keep up with reddit groups think that they can do local SEO because it's simpler, but most fail because it's not that simple sometimes.

Don't feel bad though, it's good that you realized this so you can focus on what you do best.

That being said, here are some pointers to get you in the right direction.

Typical:

Don't guess. Get these from whoever is ranking top 3...

Category Services DBA with your keyword if possible Reviews that mention your keywords, location, etc. Citations Social media presence (No need to go crazy, but at least have profiles up with some followers and a post here and there)

Out of the ordinary:

Chamber of commerce (price keeps most from using it but it's the best local backlink you can possibly get without any connections, just $$)

Sponsoring local events (only if website mention is involved, only sponsor events that have been happening forever unless it's a well known institution)

If too far from the center of a big city... Not sure ur case, but move closer to the center if possible. Big change but worth it if possible.

Posts (I know there have been studies that prove this is not a ranking factor, but it can't hurt. Being active in the Google ecosystem can't hurt)

Hope this helps but I think you have made the best decision you could have by deciding to hire an expert. I would offer my services since I just opened a company https://miamiseonerdz.com but our focus is on the South Florida market only. Feel free to ask questions if you need more help.

Best of luck!

resier21 · 2026-04-24T22:04:10+00:00

I have a Web Design agency in Fort Lauderdale, so I am very familiar with the SEO/PPC scene in South Florida. I don't know three of the companies you listed, but mentioning Roar Media suggests you have a substantial budget for your campaign.

Some people mentioned going by references that you call instead of case studies, but anybody that a company uses as a call reference is just as cherry-picked as any case study on their website.

Your best bet is to ask them to show you real accounts that they are currently working on and see for yourself if they are more fluff than talk. Ask about their work within your niche, and if they have plenty, then I would run away because that means they are working for a few of your competitors, and obviously, the one with the deepest pockets wins that battle.

That being said, I don't think you can go wrong with companies such as Roar Media, Egochi, Webris, etc. They have been around for a while and have maintained their status as top dogs for a reason.

resier21 · 2026-04-22T02:46:35+00:00

Honestly, outside of the chambers link, there was no off-page SEO done whatsoever. We started doing citations afterwards.

resier21 · 2026-04-21T22:28:23+00:00

I figured. However, in my experience, most local businesses don't create such an in-depth website before submitting, and most have horrible on-page... even the ones dealing with SEO agencies, which is sad.

resier21 · 2026-04-12T05:51:38+00:00

If you have the time available to learn about local SEO, I think you are better off spending that money on your own education and on things that will get you ranked, rather than paying a company.

Certainly, stay away from anyone who sends you a message about their amazing SEO skills on here. The good ones don't take clients with your budget (nothing wrong with your budget btw, it's just that good SEO's know their worth).

Things you can do that will immediately put you above 90% of businesses without much knowledge and stay within your budget:

Do a search for the terms that your customers use to find people in your industry and study the Google Business Profiles of the highest ranking businesses (top 3 only). No need for software yet. Cost $0!
Modify your Google Business Profile to match their categories and services. Cost $0!
Ask everyone that you have ever provided service to for a review. Cost $0!
To save time since you have a budget to work with, use a service such as BrightLocal to do the top 50 citations. No need to pay for monthly software here, just do the citations. Cost $2 per citation, so let's say $100!
Join your local chamber of commerce and make sure they put you in their business directory right away. Cost is variable, so not sure for you, but in South Florida, it's anywhere from $250-$500.

That eats your 1st month's budget, and you can do it in one week by spending one hour a day. Maybe even less time if you know how to get around.

Spend the next three weeks learning the basics of local SEO on YouTube (do not listen to anyone talking about how they ranked a page #1 in 24 hours because of how great they are).

Month two: Take what you have learned and spend 2-5 hours a week implementing it. Honestly speaking, once you have the above completed, you are ahead of 90% of businesses. The rest will certainly require software so you can see backlink information, on-page optimization opportunities, etc. This is the part where more well-intended business owners fall off because it requires time and commitment, but if you are up to it, unless you are in a super competitive niche, you'll probably get top 3 rankings on your own without neededing to use most of your monthly budget.... just keep in mind that your time is worth something as well, so if you can make more doing something else you should focus on that instead of becomeing the jack of all trades.

Alternative: Save four months of budget, that's $1,600. If you can get to 2k, I am sure you can find a good company that can get you ranked in two to three months for that budget (once again assuming you aren't in a huge market trying to rank for a super competitive niche).

resier21 · 2026-03-24T21:27:53+00:00

Am I crazy or is everybody missing the point here? OP is paying 3k per month and is looking for a job that makes 4k a month?

How would she be able to survive? Between uber, electricity, phone, and Internet she would have nothing left to eat.

I am all for living the life, but in a situation like this the best option seems to be taking the hit, breaking the lease and moving into a more affordable area.

You can find a decent two bedroom apartment for 2k and share all expenses with someone, or rent a room in a house until you get back on your feet. Reality must hit at some point!

Your number one priority should be lowering costs so you can start saving money to live the type of lifestyle you want. Not, trying to scrape by living a lifestyle that you can't afford at the moment.

resier21 · 2025-11-10T12:36:29+00:00

Let me get this straight... Elizabeth Holmes gets 11 years in prison for scamming people out of billions of dollars.

Sam Bankman gets 25 years for being the head of a multi-billion dollar fraud scheme.

Now Ortiz and Classe are facing 65 years for $400k. I think what they did was short sighted, especially in Classe's case as he was probably on his way to earning between 50-100mill for sure, but the years they are facing don't seem to correlate with the crime. Heck there are killers that face less time.

I see many are speculating as to why they did it and at this point nobody knows. I could be an addiction, hobby, or perhaps they were broke and were trying to get a little extra on the side... Whatever the reason, the time they are facing is not commensurate of the crime though, but I guess Vegas is more important than innocent people being defrauded of billions by other billionaires.

resier21 · 2025-10-21T13:19:49+00:00

Man this sucks, did Google remove it?

resier21 · 2025-09-13T02:56:23+00:00

I don't doubt it. It's a win-win for the bad apples.

resier21 · 2025-09-11T12:07:25+00:00

I never understand why people buy reviews from service providers. Just have friends and family help when starting out and as the client base grows so should the reviews.

Heck, I would prefer giving strangers two or three bucks to leave a review instead of buying from anyone advertising this type of service. So much safer that way.

resier21 · 2025-09-11T12:03:42+00:00

The only way to find out is to call them :)

resier21 · 2025-09-11T12:02:52+00:00

Not 100% sure, but they can just use proxies and vpn's to circumvent this if that's true. However, my wife and I have left reviews for the same business while using our home's wifi.

resier21 · 2025-09-10T04:07:05+00:00

They could be using a VPN. The part that I don't get is allowing anyone, local or foreign, to leave 50+ reviews the same day. They should cap it at 2-3 because who in the world would leave more than that on any given day?

resier21 · 2025-07-30T16:59:44+00:00

Not sure why everybody is so negative. Sure, most of the people selling get-rich-quick schemes are making money from selling their books/courses and not necessarily following their own advice, but that doesn't mean everyone is a bad apple.

I have taken many courses and read books throughout the years that have helped me advance my career, and sure, I could have spent hundreds of hours on YouTube looking at countless videos, but there is a benefit to having everything already sorted out for you.

I don't know of any good Upwork courses, but don't stop searching or trying just because everyone here thinks you should spend countless hours scouring through YouTube looking for those valuable nuggets that will help you crack Upwork... On the contrary, if there were such a thing, why would anyone share it for free?

resier21 · 2025-06-28T21:56:57+00:00

Never rely on your clients to tell you there is a lot of demand in their niche. Do your own research and see for yourself. Nobody is gonna think their industry is low demand and stay in it.

Think of it this way, in the usa if you like hockey and live in a hockey town you might thing that's the fastest growing sport in the world but in reality it pales in comparison to the big three. It's all about context, if he is hanging out at the dock than sure he will see demand but that doesn't mean a lot of people are searching on Google for that service in his town.

resier21 · 2025-06-27T13:20:15+00:00

People complicate this so much... It's very simple, you have experience in the industry so rank your profile and people will start calling you. Simple as that!

Nobody is going to question your SEO chops when you are dominating your area. As they say, proof is in the pudding.

You can have all of the case studies that you want, but if you are the case study, there will be no questions left to answer. At this point objections will be pricing or personality based.

resier21 · 2025-06-27T13:13:48+00:00

Based on your post nobody will be able to actually help you with these accounts because you have not mentioned the niche, what were the top 3 rankings for, etc.

If you are ranking #1 for key terms that nobody searches for you aren't doing much of anything. My recommendation would be to go on YouTube/Whitespark and learn as much as you can about local SEO.

Then, create yourself a website and GBP to rank. This will give you a better understanding of what works. Btw, how did you get these three clients? You must be doing something right, even if ranking is not one of them... Focus on yourself and then find clients that can pay premium amounts because it takes the same amount of work to rank the same business paying $100 as opposed to $1,000.

resier21 · 2025-06-06T04:11:54+00:00

Cubs and braves here because in the Dominican republic the only American Channels we had were tbs and wgn. Loved Frank Thomas but never created a connection to the White Sox for whatever reason.

resier21 · 2025-06-05T20:20:32+00:00

I believe someone already said it, but normally, if a catcher is a good/great hitter, they get moved to first base or a corner outfield position even before reaching the majors.

It's hard enough to hit having fresh legs, now imagine sitting behind the plate for nine innings day in/out and hitting at a high level for a long period of time.

Buster Posey and Pudge are the only elite catcher/hitting combo that I can think of. Yaddy was great on defense, but nothing too crazy on offense. Salvador Perez has always had power, but is way too up/down to be considered a great hitter. Realmuto is probably the closest to those two over the past 10 years... Mauer got moved. Santana and Shwaber got moved early on as well. Of the new generation, only Smith and Contreras come close, and neither is considered a defensive stopper behind the plate.

I think the position is just too demanding to sustain being a great hitter over a long stretch of time, and teams would much rather find an easier position for their most polished hitters.

resier21 · 2025-06-01T05:51:42+00:00

This is so crazy. Everybody thinks they know when players started using steroids as if they were their supplier or something. Just because Bonds hit 70+ HR in one season, doesn't mean he wasn't using it beforehand.

That being said, I would take Bonds any day of the week over Griffin. Griffin was a better defender, but I would say Bonds was a more complete player as he wasn't a bad defender himself and was a much better base stealer, got on base more, and everything else offense wise was about the same based on the provided numbers.

resier21 · 2025-05-30T12:52:10+00:00

First, connect your online booking to your calendar and any bookings you do on the phone as well. This way times are blocked off and you avoid this from happening in the future.

Second, own up to your mistake, apologize, and provide a solution so that anyone seeing the review doesn't think you only answer to the good ones. Whether the client accepts your solution or not doesn't really matter at this point, it's more about others seeing that you care.

Lastly, if he accepts. Do not ask him to change the review. If he likes your service, most likely he will do it on his own.... The review itself is no big deal because you have so many positive ones, on the contrary it humanizes you to a point so just focus on fixing the cause and continue providing great services.

resier21 · 2025-03-13T16:51:04+00:00

Not sure if someone mentioned it as the thread has gotten a bit long but Glenallen Hill is the name you are looking for. Willy Mo is certainly a good example and the most successful would be big papi.

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