Craigslist Ad / Your Opinions Please

**Scrappah** · 04-05-2015, 07:53 AM

If i could throw out a bit of my experience ..... for whatever it might be worth.

I sell skilled carpentry labor. By 2007 the handwriting was on the wall. It was more than obvious that the building industry was about to collapse so i diversified into wood cutting, caretaking, property maintenance, and building repairs. That got me through the worst of it but i started running into problems because i was doing too many things at once and not really doing justice to any of them.

It's difficult to serve two (or more ) masters.

It gets confusing for your customers too because they people tend to put you in a box. Either you are a skilled, highly paid, tradesman or a lesser skilled, lower valued, maintenance worker. It shouldn't matter what other people think but sometimes it does when it limits your earnings potential.

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Awhile back, a friend suggested that i start advertising. I explained to him that it's like fishing .... if you cast your net wide you catch all kinds of fish. There are some kinds of fish that one would want and others that you really wouldn't want in your net.

You probably have some experience with customer service and know the kind that work best for you. Craigslist is pretty broad. Is there a way to tune it in a little so that it's focused just on the kind of fish you're looking to catch ?

**Geiser093** · 04-05-2015, 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by Scrappah

If i could throw out a bit of my experience ..... for whatever it might be worth.

I sell skilled carpentry labor. By 2007 the handwriting was on the wall. It was more than obvious that the building industry was about to collapse so i diversified into wood cutting, caretaking, property maintenance, and building repairs. That got me through the worst of it but i started running into problems because i was doing too many things at once and not really doing justice to any of them.

It's difficult to serve two (or more ) masters.

It gets confusing for your customers too because they people tend to put you in a box. Either you are a skilled, highly paid, tradesman or a lesser skilled, lower valued, maintenance worker. It shouldn't matter what other people think but sometimes it does when it limits your earnings potential.

-----------------

Awhile back, a friend suggested that i start advertising. I explained to him that it's like fishing .... if you cast your net wide you catch all kinds of fish. There are some kinds of fish that one would want and others that you really wouldn't want in your net.

You probably have some experience with customer service and know the kind that work best for you. Craigslist is pretty broad. Is there a way to tune it in a little so that it's focused just on the kind of fish you're looking to catch ?

I am no longer in construction. I am making a move toward selling online. I am on eBay and Amazon. Planning on getting on Etsy soon. I plan to source my products from wholesalers, as well as auctions and estate sales. I am moving forward with developing my own site or sites and trying to get some stuff together before I hire help.

Those two ads were for technically challenged buddies who want to throw an ad up. I was just helping them out. I agree I would never open business and end up as a septic service with a tow behind snack trailer. LOL. Do one thing and be good at it, or add complimentary service. I have sold off all my tools and equipment. I kept the basics. I still have more tools than most sane individuals but that is my thing. I will always scrap but I am done with construction and remodeling. I want a scaleable business that is automateable. Online sales seems to be a good opportunity for my needs and situation.