Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I'm a darn good plumber (many repeat and referral customers) trying to attract those who need and want work done... not to convince someone to spend for the sake of my income nor to take advantage of others' misfortune. Should I even be in business?! My abilities and fairness are respected and appreciated. I started with no backing and my budget is determined by profit margin. Am I unfair to my company growth through my concern for providing a safe and sanitary environment? I chose this field many years ago because of it's impact on living conditions. Is there a way to be a charitable-plumber and receive financial backing through grants? I love the service I provide to the community but I just cannot compete with the big$ unscrupulous.  

Grants are rarely available for for-profit businesses, and those that are are usually limited in scope (job creation, specific r&d, etc.). If your community has an economic development commission of some type, you may qualify for assistance from them in the form of grants, loans, or other relief. In one small town in Texas, 100% forgiveable loans are available based on number of jobs created.

The type of ethical, fairly priced plumbing can absolutely be successful. I would recommend you contact the owners of Corley Plumbing in Greenville, SC. Several years ago, I did a research project for a college class focusing on their business (because they had done excellent work for me). They used flat-rate repair pricing, their employees and trucks were always clean, neat and professional, and they have a very successful business. They are a member of a trade association (Nexstar, Inc.) that provides a wide range of training and marketing resources.

Best regards,

Molly Donaldson

your reply is appreciated... after work today, visit the sites and make contact... Thanks!!   Rollin

Rollin,

It's true - the good guys don't always finish 1st.  In fact, the good guys have to work even harder because we actually care about quality of work we do.

Keep at it!

By the way, I manage a website dedicated to plumbing.  You can submit your website to the plumber directory here free of charge: http://www.plumbingqa.com/plumber-directory/

Best,

Steve

Hi Rollin.

I know your posting is a few years old, but wanted to offer you a few ideas/suggestions.
1. Ensure your website's search engine optimization is configured
2. Be an active participant in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
3. Get your website on as many directories as possible. YellowPages.com and Angie's List are ones you don't want to miss.
4. Wrap your own vehicle and company fleet with an ad is certainly the way to go, but what about putting ads on privately owned vehicles that meet your demographic and geographic criteria?

A little about why we do what we do...
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We have taken the vehicle advertisement concept, mixed in technical components and contractual obligations and made it a viable advertising solution for our fellow corporate citizens and financial benefits for contracted vehicle owners. Imagine your ad on the back window of a car running around town throughout the freeways, streets and neighborhoods of your targeted geographic area, essentially turning traffic into your advertisement's captivated audience. The demographic information is used if you wanted a 'soccer mom' as the type of person with the ad because of where s/he goes and the type of activities s/he does.

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