Guides for business owners
Guides for anyone starting something or trying to get more work in.
What we ask and get asked every day, written with real numbers and no hype. If you want the website after, you know where we are.
Your website →
- Tree service website examples from Miami and South FloridaSix real tree company websites from Miami-Dade and Broward, what each one gets right, and what to copy.
- Best electrician websites: 10 real examples from MiamiTen real electrician websites from Miami-Dade and Broward, what each gets right, and what to copy for yours.
- Best construction company websites: 10 real examples from MiamiTen real general contractor websites from Miami-Dade and Broward, what each gets right, and what to copy for yours.
- Best roofing websites: 6 real examples from MiamiSix real roofing contractor websites from the county, what each one solves, and what all of them are missing.
- Best plumbing websites: 7 real examples from MiamiSeven real plumber websites from South Florida, what each one gets right, and what to copy.
- Best HVAC websites: 5 real examples from MiamiFive real air conditioning company websites from the county and what each one gets right about the August phone call.
- Your domain has to be in your nameHow to find out who really owns your website address and what to do if it isn't you.
- Why your website isn't on GoogleHow to tell in one minute whether Google has it, and the five reasons it isn't showing.
- Why people land on your site and never callSeven things that make visitors leave, and none of them is the design. How to check all seven in twenty minutes.
- What a local business website needsThe nine things that matter and the six that don't, in order of importance.
- How to tell if your website worksThe four numbers to watch, where to see them free, and what each result means.
Getting customers →
- SEO for roofers, with the real search numbersWhat homeowners type when their roof leaks or needs replacing, how often, what advertisers pay per click, and how a roofer shows up without paying.
- Roofing marketing without buying leadsThe channels that bring jobs to a roofing company, what each one costs, and where to start this month.
- SEO for plumbers, with the real search numbersWhat people type when they need a plumber, how often, what advertisers pay per click, and how to show up without paying.
- Plumbing marketing: where the calls come fromThe channels that bring calls to a plumbing business, what each one costs, and the order to set them up.
- SEO for HVAC companies, with the real search numbersWhat people type when their AC or furnace fails, how often, what advertisers pay per click, and how an HVAC company shows up without paying.
- HVAC marketing: where the calls come fromThe channels that bring calls to an HVAC company, what each one costs, and why maintenance plans are the marketing that pays longest.
- SEO for electricians, with the real search numbersWhat people type when they need an electrician or a new installation, how often, what advertisers pay per click, and how to show up without paying.
- Electrician marketing: where the calls come fromThe channels that bring calls to an electrical contractor, what each one costs, and the order to set them up.
- SEO for contractors, with the real search numbersWhat homeowners actually type when they look for a contractor, how many times a month, and what to change so they find you.
- Construction marketing without buying leadsThe channels that bring jobs to a construction company, ordered by what they cost, and where to start this month.
- How to get more wedding photography clientsHow to get out of the low-price trap, where couples come from, and what to show in the portfolio.
- How to get more roofing jobsHow to get in with insurers and realtors, how to handle claims, and how to compete with the crews who show up after a storm.
- How to get more remodeling jobsWhere the big jobs come from, how to quote so they say yes, and why the photos decide it.
- How to get more plumbing jobsWhere the repeat work is, how to get in with property managers, and what to charge for a call-out.
- How to get more pest control customersWhy the quarterly contract is the business, and where the customers who sign it come from.
- How to get more painting jobsWhere the big jobs come from, how to quote in writing, and why exterior pays more here.
- How to get more nail clientsHow a nail schedule actually fills, what to charge in Miami, and how to stop losing hours to no-shows.
- How to get more moving customersWho sends moves year-round, how to quote without cutting price, and why insurance decides it.
- How to book more weddingsWhere couples actually come from, how to price without scaring them off, and why vendors are your best source.
- How to get more landscaping customersHow to build a route that actually pays, where the recurring contracts are, and what to charge per cut.
- How to get more HVAC customersWhy the maintenance agreement is the whole business, and how to fill the winter months.
- How to stop buying leadsThe math on what each closed job really costs, and the six-month plan to get out.
- How to set your pricesHow to work out what you actually have to charge, when to raise, and what to say when they haggle.
- How to quote so they say yesWhy the itemized quote wins even when it's higher, and exactly what to put in it.
- How to get more handyman customersWhere the repeat work is, what to charge per hour, and how far you can go without a license.
- How to get more hair salon clientsHow to fill the chair, raise the ticket without losing people, and why color changes the business.
- How to get repeat customersWhat actually makes someone repeat, what converts into maintenance, and how to ask for the referral.
- How to follow up on a quoteWhen to write, what to say and when to stop. With the messages written out to copy.
- How to fill your barbershop scheduleHow to get customers back every three weeks, fill the dead weekday hours, and stop losing the chair.
- How to get more cleaning customersWhere the recurring clients are, what to charge per house, and how to get off the apps that keep half.
- How to get more auto detailing customersWhy mobile wins here, where the repeat customers are, and how to get out of the $50 wash.
- How to answer the phoneWhat to say in the first ten seconds, what to ask, and what to do when you can't pick up.
- How to get your first customersWhat works in year one, in order, and what's throwing money away.
- How to get your business on GoogleThe profile is free, it puts you on the map, and it's the first thing to do. How to open it and how to climb.
Google and reviews →
- Passing Google's video verificationOne continuous take, at least 30 seconds, filmed live from your phone. No edits, no voices, and permanent signage.
- Setting your service area on GoogleTwenty areas maximum, and if you work from home you are required to hide your address. Getting this wrong is a common reason for suspension.
- When your business appears twice on GoogleTwo listings split your reviews and your ranking between them. Which one to keep is decided before you remove anything.
- Why your competitors show up before youThe six real reasons, how to check which one is yours, and which fix this week.
- How to show up in "near me" searchesWhat decides the three-pack, why it changes with the searcher's location, and what you can control.
- Local SEO, explained without the jargonWhat decides who shows up on the map, what you can fix yourself, and what isn't worth paying for.
- Google Business Profile suspendedWhy it happens, how to get it back step by step, and what to do in the meantime.
- What to do with a bad reviewHow to reply, when it can be removed, and why one bad review sinks nobody.
- How to get more Google reviewsWhen to ask, how to ask and what words to use. Including the direct link almost nobody knows exists.
- Photos on your Google profileHow many, of what, how often, and why stock photos actively hurt.
- Which Google category to useThe heaviest decision on the whole listing, how to find the right one, and what to do with secondaries.
Paperwork and licenses →
- The Florida roofing licenseYes, you need one, and roofing gets a bond and insurance minimums other trades don't. The number starts with CCC.
- The Florida plumbing licenseYes, you need one, and there's no way around it. Four years of experience, one as a foreman, and two exams you pass at 70.
- The Florida HVAC licenseYes, you need one, and there are two classes. Class B caps out at 25 tons, and that cap decides which jobs you can take.
- The Florida flooring licenseNo. The state doesn't require one and, since 2024, your county can't require one either. But three things you do need.
- Do you need a remodeling license in Florida?Swapping cabinets or painting needs no contractor license. Touching a load-bearing wall, plumbing, or electrical does.
- Do you need a photography license in Florida?No, Florida requires no state license for photography. What you do need is the local permit and, if you sell albums, a sales tax permit.
- Do you need a pest control license in Florida?The business needs an FDACS license, and it needs a Certified Operator for each pest category it treats.
- Do you need a painting license in Florida?There's no standalone "painting license" in Florida. The real line is $500 per job before a contractor license kicks in.
- Do you need a nail technician license in Florida?180 hours of school, no state exam, and about $75 in fees. Shorter than most people think.
- Do you need a moving license in Florida?The FDACS IM registration costs $600 and renews every two years. Crossing state lines also needs a USDOT number.
- Do you need a detailing license in Florida?There's no state license. What there is is a wastewater rule that a lot of mobile detailers overlook.
- Do you need a landscaping license in Florida?Mowing and basic yard work need no state license. Spraying, fertilizing, or installing irrigation do.
- Do you need a handyman license in Florida?The legal cap is $1,000 in labor and materials combined, and you can't split a big job into pieces to dodge it.
- Do you need a cosmetology license in Florida?1,200 hours of school is the longest process among the beauty trades, but it covers nearly everything a salon offers.
- Do you need a barber license in Florida?600 hours for the restricted license, 900 for the full one, and a three-hour written exam with no practical portion.
- How to register an LLC in FloridaThe five steps, what each one costs, and where the extra money goes.
- What license you need in FloridaWhich trades need a state license, which only a local permit, and what happens if you work without one.
Before you buy →
- Website builder or done-for-youOne costs less per month but charges you your time. The other costs once and never asks for anything again.
- How long a website takesThe real timelines by who builds it, and what actually causes the delays.
- Website or InstagramThey do different jobs. Which one you need first, by trade.
- How much does a website cost?Real market pricing, from $0 to $10,000, and what each one buys.
Social media →
- Why followers aren't customersWhat number to watch instead of followers, and how to convert the ones you already have.
- What to post when nothing comes to mindTen kinds of post that come straight out of the day's work, with nothing invented and no dancing.
- How much Instagram helps a local businessWhat it's good for, what it isn't, and why ten thousand followers don't fill a schedule.
- Facebook groups for getting workWhich groups to be in, how to reply so people call, and what gets you removed.
Tools and booking →
- WhatsApp Business for your businessWhat it adds over the normal app, how to set it up in an afternoon, and what to automate.
- How to keep your customer listWhat to record about each customer, where, and how to turn that sheet into repeat work.
- How to get paid onlinePayment links, deposits and invoices. What each one charges and when to use which.
- How to accept appointments onlineWhich tool fits your trade, what each one costs, and how to stop people from no-showing.
- Free tools for your businessWhat's actually used to get paid, book, invoice and keep track, with no monthly bills.
by trade
What is written for yours, in one place
- Plumbing5 guides and 1 download
- Roofing5 guides
- HVAC5 guides
- Landscaping2 guides
- Remodeling2 guides
- General contractors3 guides
- Electricians3 guides
- Wedding planners1 guide and 1 download
- Nail salons2 guides
- Hair salons2 guides
- Wedding photographers2 guides
- House cleaning2 guides
- Movers2 guides
- Painters2 guides
- Pest control2 guides
- Handyman2 guides
- Barbershops2 guides
- Auto detailing2 guides
to download
Full guides, free, in exchange for an email
- 15 ways to get more customers for your local businessA forty-page manual with the fifteen ways to get more work, explained step by step, with the exact scripts, the math and a thirty-day plan. No ad spend and nobody to hire.
- How to fill your week with plumbing jobs without buying leadsA forty-page manual for filling the schedule without paying a platform $40 for a phone number four other plumbers are calling too. With the math done, the call scripts, and how to get on a property manager's list.
- The checklist of what your wedding planner website has to showA forty-page manual with the twenty-two points of your website, explained one by one, plus everything that happens after the bride writes: the reply, the call, the price and the contract.
Got a question that isn't here? Call and we'll answer it, whether you buy or not.