PART TWO: PRACTICAL STUFF
If you are going to sell large products like washers, dryers and treadmills, you want to get a truck or a trailer. When me and my wife first started this, we had a Subaru Forester and a trailer where we would load up all kinds of crazy weight lifting machines.
We got a lot of looks on the highway! Just giving this example to widen your perspective. Anything is possible!
If you don’t have a truck already, a good place to look is… you guessed it! Facebook or Offerup.
When you look for a truck, the same rules apply. Good deals will be gone before you know it. If you think you found a good truck, call the person and make an appointment. Check the truck thoroughly for any leaks, etc.
You don’t need to get something fancy, but something that does the job. This truck will pay itself off before you even know it.
If you are selling washers, dryers, fridges, treadmills, and other large items, you will have to load and unload them from your truck or trailer.
In the beginning this might seem like an impossible task, but that’s why we are here.
We’ll teach you the best ways to load something!
- Finding truck/trailer
If you are going to sell large products like washers, dryers and treadmills, you want to get a truck or a trailer. When me and my wife first started this, we had a Subaru Forester and a trailer where we would load up all kinds of crazy weight lifting machines.
We got a lot of looks on the highway! Just giving this example to widen your perspective. Anything is possible!
If you don’t have a truck already, a good place to look is… you guessed it! Facebook or Offerup.
When you look for a truck, the same rules apply. Good deals will be gone before you know it. If you think you found a good truck, call the person and make an appointment. Check the truck thoroughly for any leaks, etc.
You don’t need to get something fancy, but something that does the job. This truck will pay itself off before you even know it.
- Loading, unloading, transportation - Dolly
If you are selling washers, dryers, fridges, treadmills, and other large items, you will have to load and unload them from your truck or trailer.
In the beginning this might seem like an impossible task, but that’s why we are here.
We’ll teach you the best ways to load something!
First you’ll need a good dolly. A sturdy appliance dolly is the best. For washers, dryers, fridges and sometimes even treadmills, you’ll use your dolly.
When you pick up a washer and dryer, you are going to use your dolly to manoeuvre it outside of the house or apartment. Once you get to your truck, you can lift the downside of the machine on your truck and push it on.
*You can also use ramps, but I have never done it. I was always fine just using a dolly.
When the machines are on your truck, never forget to strap them! Safety is very important and lack of this could lead to horrible accidents so please always take the right precautions and strap your products.
With washers and dryers, I strap it around the machines one time.
With a fridge, I strap it around and also above.
To unload a washer and dryer, I strap them around my dolly (I have a dolly that slides) and I let it down slowly and controlled.
Same goes for a fridge, although it’s a little heavier most of the time.
To unload a treadmill, you just slide it all the way until the end and can then tilt it. Be careful not to slam the motor on the ground!
*pro tip: Find a spot on the street that is lower, like a side…. And park your truck there. This will make your truck come higher and it will make it easier to load the machine on.
Same goes for unloading.
When you pick up a washer and dryer, you are going to use your dolly to manoeuvre it outside of the house or apartment. Once you get to your truck, you can lift the downside of the machine on your truck and push it on.
*You can also use ramps, but I have never done it. I was always fine just using a dolly.
When the machines are on your truck, never forget to strap them! Safety is very important and lack of this could lead to horrible accidents so please always take the right precautions and strap your products.
With washers and dryers, I strap it around the machines one time.
With a fridge, I strap it around and also above.
To unload a washer and dryer, I strap them around my dolly (I have a dolly that slides) and I let it down slowly and controlled.
Same goes for a fridge, although it’s a little heavier most of the time.
To unload a treadmill, you just slide it all the way until the end and can then tilt it. Be careful not to slam the motor on the ground!
*pro tip: Find a spot on the street that is lower, like a side…. And park your truck there. This will make your truck come higher and it will make it easier to load the machine on.
Same goes for unloading.
- Stairs
When you have customers who live in an apartment, there is a good chance you are going to have to deal with stairs.
Like we mentioned earlier, we charge $10 per floor, which in my opinion is pretty reasonable if you look at the effort that it takes.
It’s up to you if you want to deliver to clients who live on the second or third floor.
It does take some lifting and depending on what your product is, it might mess it up. (however, we never had this happened)
When you decide to include delivery to people who live on the second & third floor, be sure to always ask them beforehand so you can let them know that you charge X amount per floor.
When you arrive at their place, strap the product around the dolly and work your way up.
In some apartment complexes it can be a little tricky to turn because the space is so tiny, but just manoeuvre the machine little by little and you’ll get there.
- Getting a storage unit
If you are planning on selling washers and dryers, fridges and other larger items, it might be necessary to rent a storage unit.
If you have a big garage and you can use it to store machines, great!
But if not, a storage unit is a great way to store your stuff.
Most of the storage facilities will give some sort of promotion like the first month free or something like that.
The prices vary, depending on the size of your unit & location.
To find a good storage unit, just call around and see if they have a unit available at what price.
We always rented a 10x20 storage space and paid around $90- $120.
- Location - Where will you drive? What's your area?
Be prepared to drive a lot but still limit the amount that you drive and be calculated about it.
Sounds confusing? Let me explain.
It is important that you set some sort of location map of your area of how far you are willing to drive for what particular deals.
Let’s say you find an average deal, like a washer and dryer you know you can make a quick $150, you might want to only drive around 20 miles for that deal.
If you find a great deal, like a free LG front loader set that you can make $600 off, you might want to drive 40 miles for that.
Just reflect about it and always make sure it will be worth your time. Don’t chase shiny objects. You don’t want to sit in the car for 3 hours, just to make $50.
Remember, there are plenty of opportunities out there, and if a deal comes up, but it seems too far for the amount of money you are going to make, just let it go.
A new deal will pop up that will be better.
It’s up to you to determine how far you are willing to drive for what, but we strongly recommend you set some limits. It will help you stay focused on great deals and make you more money.
- Task
Make a map of your area and how far you are going to drive.
Have a section for good deals and great deals.
- Rules and boundaries - Time management
Rules and boundaries are important to stay focused and to prioritize.
“If you fail to plan you plan to fail “ is a great saying that holds a lot of truth in my opinion.
Depending on what lifestyle you are living, if you are single or married, have children, pets, etc your environment will demand certain responsibilities from you.
If you are a father of 3 young kids, have 2 dogs and a wife, you cannot be on the road from morning to night.
You have to make time for them.
This business model can be quite time consuming and that’s why it’s super important to set rules and boundaries and stick to them.
It is important to take the time to plan your week, and prioritize.
Set your rules, like your operating hours, your off days, etc and then make your rules non-negotiable, meaning you have to stick with them!
Depending on your lifestyle, you can set your own rules that resonate with your lifestyle.
If you are a single person, your rules might just be : “I work until I get tired.”
That’s fine. But still make the rules and abide by them.
Me and my wife made our agreement together, and we made it in a form of contract, which we both signed. Our rules included:
- Our business operating hours
- No picking up items after 5.30 PM unless it’s on the way home
- No selling after 7PM
- Saturday & Sunday limited operating hours
- Task
Make your own agreement. If you have a partner, include them and make the agreement together. Set up the different rules and boundaries that you are going to live by in order to be disciplined and focused!
- Collecting data
Collecting data will give you great insights. If you keep track of what you are selling, for how much, … you will soon see patterns.
You can then start to focus more on a product that works well for you.
Collecting data can go really far. You can keep track of so many things, including:
- Miles you drive
- Sales you make per week
- Conversation per week
- Money made per week
- Gas spent per week
- Amount of products bought
- Amount of customers that has a problem
- Amount of product bought with a problem
- Amount of good deals
- Amount of great deals
- … The list can go on and on
We encourage you to collect data relevant to your situation, but also do not go overboard and spend countless hours on this.
The goal of collecting data is to get you in the habit of being aware of problems, so that you can find solutions for this that will lead you to make more money.
- Daily - Weekly - Monthly reports
Making daily, weekly and monthly reports of what you sold, what products you bought, etc surely helps to keep a clear vision on your business.
Click on the example below to start your own data sheet so you can keep track of your business.
Example daily-weekly-montly reports
I fill out the sheet every day in the evening, after I come back home.
- Money management
We talked about money management briefly in the budgeting section, but we want to go a little deeper into it, because in your journey in becoming more financially independent, money management is a crucial factor.
When you will follow and stick with our program, money is going to start to flow in.
And it’s important to become aware of where all that money is going.
Did you know that wealthy people spend less money than poor people?
This is because they have gained money management skills, which allows them to only become more wealthy.
We want you to become wealthy, and spread your knowledge of money management skills to others, so that we can keep growing the circle of wealthy people that are here to serve and do good.
So apart from putting away 10% of the profits that you will be making, try to save as much as possible. Don’t spend money on things that you don’t really need.
Make it a priority to save as much money as you can.
This doesn’t mean that you cannot enjoy life anymore. Maybe you can go out once a week, but don’t go overboard with this. Try to live a bit modestly. Set rules and boundaries for yourself as far as eating out, entertainment, etc.
My wife and I have date nights once every week, where we go out to eat.
For the rest of the week, we eat at home. When she grocery shops, she has a weekly budget.
We are willing to sacrifice some luxuries today, so that we can enjoy our lives tomorrow.
It’s funny (and sad at the time) to see that the poorest people spend money like crazy, eat out every day, and are just totally unaware of what comes in and out. They really live paycheck by paycheck, backed with debt from several credit cards.
It’s possible to get out of this vicious circle, but it involves you creating new, constructive money management skills.
Set clear rules and boundaries for yourself, and abide by them.
Know it’s only temporary.
“Getting your first 100K is a b*tich, but you gotta do it”, Charlie Munger said, and it holds a lot of truth.
He also said “I don’t care what you have to do - if it means walking everywhere and not eating anything that wasn’t purchased with a coupon, find a way to get your hands on $100,000. After that, you can ease off the gas a little bit.”
We truly want you to become wealthy.
And we want to create entrepreneurs along the way, people that can make their own money, and don’t have to count on their boss.
We know that this business model that we have taught you here is just the gateway to a whole world of vast opportunities to make money, and we truly hope that you will find your way and create a legacy for you, your family and the people around you.
Remember, if you stick with this business model only for one year (say you make $5,000 per month), you make $60,000. That’s more than some people trade their time for money in a corporate setting.
When you build up that cash pile, you can start to invest that money, and let it work for you. Some people like to invest in more traditional stocks and bonds, with a lower return. But they like to play it safe.
Others like to invest in more volatile assets like crypto, which are more risky but they can have a higher return.
Find out what resonates best with you, and remember, always make a plan!
This sentence “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” should be branded in your mind.
If you have any entrepreneurial ideas, it’s best to have saved some money, as starting a business from the ground up costs a lot of sweat equity, time and money.
We truly encourage you to use our business model as a quick money generating system, and use that money to build another business that comes forth from your own interest and creativity.
Always feel free to contact me and my wife, and we will be happy to guide you in any way we can!
Make facebook page/ group for flipping
Make a flipping google drive for:
- Screenshot of messages
- Pictures of post / pricing
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