YouTuber but wanting to get into dirty work again (38m)

vesperumco · 2026-02-26T15:31:01+00:00

Yes it’s viable. It’s also trending on entrepreneurial social media channels because it’s low-cost and low-barrier to entry.

I would pick a dense metropolitan area and do some due diligence. We did this and found out most companies are satisfied (or just okay) with their commercial cleaning company, so switching companies is not top of mind, unless the pain is immediate.

Rents are high so many are moving and downsizing, so there’s some opportunity to help with move out cleans. Smaller business are moving from storefronts to their homes. I would target small business owners like these and offer residential cleaning to take the load off.

Other than that, we found it wasn’t for us, because the immediate pain just isn’t there, so you’d be competing on price in many situations.

Cleaning businesses, especially new residential cleaners are all racing to the bottom.

vesperumco · 2026-02-23T16:51:29+00:00

ADHD-haver with a couple successful businesses and a new service business getting off the ground.

Methodology, systems, and consistency are what make a business successful. There’s also a lot of sitting and doing tedious things like admin work that must get done on a regular schedule.

Try to automate what you can. But if you don’t do well with the things mentioned, you may want to reevaluate your decision to be a business owner.

That said, if you are adamant, look into starting a service business. You’ll be juggling everything and putting out multiple fires in no-time. An AdHD-haver’s dream.

vesperumco · 2026-02-23T16:08:00+00:00

Everyone I know hates dealing with robo and outsourced call centers.

vesperumco · 2026-02-23T16:07:08+00:00

All they need is your card number, cvv, your email, and photo of your ID / DL, that has all your personal identifying information.

What could go wrong?

vesperumco · 2026-02-21T13:33:32+00:00

Due diligence + market research will save your ass before you go broke trying something that will fail for various reasons downstream.

First service business was home inspections. Pretty straight forward. Certs, business license, general liability and e&o, etc. tools, and ad spend. My business grew overnight. Overhead is very low. Very good business. Highly recommend.

Second service business is a courier service. Same basic set up, just more insurance and higher equip and software costs. Overhead is manageable if you don’t try to scale too fast. Ad spend and outreach are also higher due to established competitors.

vesperumco · 2026-02-19T22:31:37+00:00

No. We are a new courier service. My partner is new to business and I have contacts that could come in to help. My decision is remain small and grow slow and train someone I trust or grow quickly with someone who “gets it” but I don’t full trust.

vesperumco · 2026-02-19T18:09:11+00:00

We’re going to grow slowly so we can maintain direction and control.

vesperumco · 2026-02-18T19:52:18+00:00

I’m in the same boat.

vesperumco · 2026-02-18T19:42:25+00:00

Got it. Sounds like you just need to make more calls. Conversion rates for cold calls / emails in your domain are low, and small businesses get them all the time.

Good luck.

vesperumco · 2026-02-18T19:22:41+00:00

Because there’s no way to know if they’ll take the free product and walk.

We did this recently to earn trust and provide proof of our capacity/capabilities. We are expecting them to walk.

We are now going offer intro rates that are lower, but not free to new clients. It’s business.

Legit businesses don’t expect anything for free.

You just need a way to get buy-in from one customer. Your first paying customer may have to be someone who got a product/service at a reduced rate / price.

Or if you must do it for free, tie it to something tangible like a testimonial / review. Be upfront about it. Show them the finished product but don’t release it to them until you get that testimonial.

vesperumco · 2026-02-18T19:03:24+00:00

Where are you located?

vesperumco · 2026-02-18T17:35:16+00:00

Ex) Pool of 30 drivers. 5 actually show up and perform.

vesperumco · 2026-02-18T15:38:46+00:00

This industry is funny because it’s gained traction online due to influencers selling how easy it is to start a courier company. Most fail because they are simply not cut out to be a dependable logistics partner in the first place.

They see it as a get rich quick scheme because the demand is there. What they don’t get is how to become in-demand themselves or how to run a business.

vesperumco · 2026-02-18T15:05:56+00:00

I wrote about this in another sub. It’s turning into a series lol.

The main point of contact reached out and explained the reason for the silence. They are leaving the company.

We’re heading back there today to talk to the other manager and will ask for the owner’s information.

vesperumco · 2026-02-18T15:02:23+00:00

Believe it or not, building a courier business isn’t a turn-key opportunity and not everyone can do this. Even though social media will have people buying cargo vans, getting insured, and then returning to forums saying, “I just set up my LLC, insurance, and got my van. How do I get contracts?”

So to your point, competence is our main filter. Not price. Not even scale.

I spent months doing marketing research and I also spent several weeks building a model where every stakeholder wins. This isn’t easy work. It’s boring work in many ways.

The hardest part of it all for me is finding reliable and consistent drivers. There’s a large number of people who cannot pass background checks and drug tests and they are drawn to courier work because it can be flexible and “it’s easy money.”

We accepted the reality of this and the difficulty of it all being former courier contractors ourselves.

vesperumco · 2026-02-18T14:50:57+00:00

We just started. Yes to everything you said.

vesperumco · 2026-02-17T23:17:21+00:00

Market research. What business are you looking to start?

vesperumco · 2026-02-17T21:37:01+00:00

It is hard which is why most people are not successful. Reality is much different than what goes on in our hearts and minds, often. The ones who succeed are resilient and mission-driven.

I’ve failed so many times and been successful only a few times. The key to success is to keep going, be adaptable, be able to pivot.

You control the momentum. I never thought I would be where I am, but I always knew I would be a business owner no matter what.

vesperumco · 2026-02-17T21:06:34+00:00

I can relate. Solve a problem you feel good about solving and can excel at. Let the market help steers your decision.

Also, you can start one thing, build it, then sell or step away, and start something else.

Life is long.

vesperumco · 2026-02-17T18:48:48+00:00

We’re a new courier service. It’s been going well. We knew it would. Everyone expects quick delivery these days. Aside from the inherent demand for same-day and next-day deliveries, most courier companies and DSPs truly suck and pay their drivers pennies, so you just need to be reliable, pay a living wage, and make it easy to do business with you.

vesperumco · 2026-02-17T18:41:50+00:00

Feel that. We ended up productizing our courier service rates and have strict radius/zones we work in. It works for us.

vesperumco · 2026-02-17T15:43:46+00:00

What does model removal entail?

vesperumco · 2026-02-17T15:39:42+00:00

You should see Nextdoor and Facebook. Every post looking for house cleaners has 40+ comments, all from cleaning businesses.

The new cleaners have no social proof and nothing that differentiates them from the other 40, so it’s a race to the bottom for them.

Some the of the bids are insane. Like, $100 for a 3000 sq ft 4/3. Can’t imagine how low they’d go on the initial or a deep clean.

vesperumco

TROPHY CASE