🌟 Hey there, fellow entrepreneurs! I’m diving into the world of small businesses and need your wisdom! 🌟
I’m an 18-year-old aspiring car detailing business owner, and on top of that, I’m an active firefighter. 🚒 With my schedule being 24 hours on and 48 hours off, I’m on the lookout for strategies to manage my time and communication effectively. Here are some challenges I’m anticipating:
- 🔄 **Balancing Two Roles:** It’s tricky to juggle firefighting and running a business. I want my customers to feel important without compromising my duties as a first responder.
- 📅 **Appointment Scheduling:** I need a reliable way for clients to book appointments while I’m on shift. I don’t want to miss out on business because I can’t answer the phone.
- 📲 **Communication Gaps:** What do I do if a client calls while I’m busy? Should I just leave a voicemail and hope for the best or set clear expectations?
I’m thinking about setting up an online booking system to let clients schedule appointments based on my availability. Here’s what’s on my mind:
- **Online Calendars:** Has anyone used services like Calendly or Acuity Scheduling? They seem user-friendly and could help clients book times that work for both of us. 📅
- **Voicemail Instructions:** I could add a personalized voicemail for when I’m unable to pick up. Something like: “Hi, you’ve reached [Your Name]. I’m currently on an emergency call, but please leave a message, and I’ll get back to you!” 📞
- **Website FAQ:** Creating a small FAQ section on my website could inform potential clients about my unique schedule and how to best reach me. 💻
➡️ What do you think? Have any of you faced similar challenges with your businesses? Perhaps you’ve discovered a trick for managing schedules while juggling other responsibilities? Your tips and shared experiences are invaluable! 🙌
And if you’ve got ideas about those long-tail keywords I should be using for better online visibility, throw those at me too! For example, “how to schedule appointments for small businesses” or “best online calendars for service businesses.” Let’s brainstorm!
Thanks in advance! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts! 💡
You can get a crm, If you need help ,you can DM me
You can use a scheduling service like Acuity. You set which days and hours you’re available and it’ll automatically update your availability as people schedule.
If you’re saying it’s a rolling schedule with one day on then 2 days off then one day on etc., you should be able to predict when you’re be available for detailing.
See if you can partner with another detailer so you can send him leads or jobs that you can’t take on. As you build out the business on your side, eventually have the goal be that you hire someone who takes on any jobs that come in. Partnering with another detailer ensures you can trust they will get the job done instead of managing an employee when you have the time off to get to it, and worrying about it while you’re on the clock.
Try making deals with car dealerships, you can go in and work for a day on all the cars they need detailed. You’ll have a steady supply of work when you do come in, it’ll be more predictable and you can concentrate your time and efforts more easily. You’re outsourcing something they need. Make sure to sell them on cars will sell better if they’re polished and throughly cleaned, lots of dealerships don’t have the extra employees to do constant detailing and don’t want to hire someone full or part time. Here, you can contract with them as a contractor and come in as they need so they can manager their cash flow for it better.
Try and get some regular customers with nice higher end cars. Give a discount to a few guys with $100k+ range rovers and schedule out one full detail, another interior detail, and give a deal like 8 washes for the price of 6 over the course of a few months. Get paid upfront from rich car owners and give them a discount for doing so, then let them know your availability and just schedule out the work as you have time. Do this several times, and you know exactly when and how much work you’ll have.
Also learn how to do a high paying detailing service like ceramic coatings, and you can charge a lot for applying them. Do 2 ceramic coatings per month for $1200 for a couple days of work. Quality over quantity.
I can create s simple functional mobile app with the features you need using the [www.beacyn.com](http://www.beacyn.com) platform. So you will only pay a small setup fee and monthly subscription. Interested? DM me.
Calendly – Free version has you covered. Just set appointment openings to ur day off