Watch me start & sell a service in 10 hours
Education
Introduction
The digital age has made starting and selling services easier than ever before. Recently, I found myself in a debate with my friend Jake about whether it was possible to set up and sell a service within just 10 hours. Jake didn’t believe it was feasible, so I bet him that I could do just that. The stakes? If I won, I’d gain all the bragging rights. If I lost, I would have to buy him a first-class ticket to anywhere he liked.
Getting Started
To keep myself accountable, I set a timer and created a checklist of essential tasks required to launch my service successfully. The first step was to define the service I wanted to offer. I settled on providing cold email outreach services for businesses—something I was quite familiar with and had previously achieved results in.
The next step was creating a business name. Utilizing AI tools like ChatGPT, I brainstormed several options and eventually decided on "Precision Outreach." I then designed a simple logo using Canva and secured the domain at GoDaddy, establishing my business's infrastructure.
Crafting the Offer
Having defined my business, it was time to craft an appealing offer. In the service industry, the offer is a crucial factor in converting prospects into clients. I focused on understanding the pain points experienced by my target audience—marketing agencies, in this case. By leveraging tools like ChatGPT, I identified common struggles faced by these agencies and designed an offer that addressed their needs.
I established a unique selling proposition (USP) for my service to make it stand out and included an aggressive guarantee to mitigate risk for potential clients. After conceptualizing my offer, I calculated my pricing based on the deliverables I would provide and settled on a competitive rate.
Developing the Infrastructure
With the business infrastructure and offer settled, it was time to shift focus to lead generation—a crucial step in selling services. I created a campaign using instantly.ai, a platform that allowed me to send out bulk emails efficiently. By creating multiple email accounts to prevent domain burn-out and setting specific filters to target marketing agency founders, I prepared myself for an effective outreach campaign.
Email copywriting was the next priority. Crafting compelling email copy was essential to capture the recipient's attention. I drafted a sequence of emails highlighting the pain points and desired outcomes for my clients, preparing follow-up sequences to engage prospects further.
Launching the Campaign
With everything in place, I launched my cold email campaign, excited to see how many leads I could generate. Over the course of a week, I sent approximately 20,000 emails, receiving about a 2.4% response rate. Ultimately, I had 38 positive replies, indicating interest in my services. Although I didn't follow through with sales calls as I only aimed to prove my point to Jake, the results demonstrated the potential for success in a short timeframe.
In under 10 hours of dedicated work, I was able to set up a viable business and initiate a substantial outreach campaign. This experience illuminated how simple it can be to launch a service using modern tools and methodologies.
Whether you're looking to start a side hustle or a full-fledged business, following similar steps can yield impressive results.
Keywords
- Cold Email Outreach
- Precision Outreach
- Lead Generation
- Marketing Agencies
- Client Engagement
- Email Campaigns
- Unique Selling Proposition
- Risk Reversal
- Business Infrastructure
FAQ
1. Can you really start a service in just 10 hours?
Yes, with efficient planning, using modern tools, and focusing on essential tasks, it's possible to set up and sell a service within that timeframe.
2. What service did you choose to sell?
I chose to offer cold email outreach services for marketing agencies.
3. How did you generate leads for your service?
I used a bulk email platform called instantly.ai to send targeted emails to potential clients.
4. What was the response rate of your email campaign?
I achieved a response rate of approximately 2.4%, resulting in 38 positive replies.
5. Did you close any deals from the leads generated?
While I received interest and booked calls, I didn't follow through to close any deals as the objective was to prove my capability to Jake.
