In the beginning
We were surprised how fast our little enterprise grew from a weekend hobby earning pocket money, to a busy full time business. Although I liked my day job, working with some great people, it felt great telling them I could no longer afford to work for them.
Living in Christchurch, New Zealand's garden city, meant the bulk of the work was garden and outdoor work in the early days. I was dreading winter, when I thought the work would dry up, so saved all I could while the weather was warm.
Winter came and there was no let up - the jobs became inside jobs, after a spate of gutter cleaning.
Many jobs were for pensioners who couldn't afford a tradie and paid me in instalments. Even on days I couldn't work, there was money coming in.
It's about the people
Why did my business do so well when so many others failed?
I started asking my customers this question. Several reasons became obvious:
Personal touch - they felt they could talk to me. I listened, asked clarifying questions and made suggestions that provided alternatives.
Honesty - I passed on trade discounts without marking up the price. If I didn't know, I said so.
Reliable - often I wasn't the first person they called but I was the one who showed up. If I was running late, I'd call and let them know.
Price - oddly this wasn't the most frequent answer. I wasn't always cheapest but they felt more confident dealing with me.