r/sweatystartup

I run a small business, and my contact form keeps getting filled in by the same guy. Same name, a different Gmail every time, posing as a buyer with a budget and a timeframe, then: "we ran a backend analysis of your website, your SEO steps are incomplete, send us your number for a quick call". Ten times now.

It got me wondering how other owners deal with this stuff. Small or big, any field:

1. What's your first reaction when one lands, and why?

2. What gets it deleted in the first line?

3. Has one ever made you stop and actually consider it? What was different about that one?

Now's the time to let it all out, don't hold back 😄

Hey everyone,

I've been the solo cleaner at a high-volume, 24-hour emergency animal hospital for almost 7 years (4x10 shifts). My job involves serious heavy-duty cleaning
-scrubbing floors, deep disinfecting after sick animals, handling tough messes, and constant physical labor without supervision. I'm burned out on doing this for someone else and want to start my own solo residential cleaning business in Middle Tennessee.

Before taking the leap, I'd love feedback from experienced cleaners on a few questions:

Pricing & Quoting: How do you accurately quote residential homes at first? Do you price by square foot, hourly rate, or a flat fee per job?

Client Acquisition: How did you land your first recurring clients? Are local Facebook groups, Nextdoor, or word-of-mouth still the best routes for Middle TN/suburban areas?

Leveraging My Background: Would highlighting 7 years of hospital-grade sanitation/vet clinic cleaning appeal to residential clients?

Legalities & Insurance: What liability insurance limits do you recommend starting with, and what basic equipment/chemicals are absolute must-haves vs. optional?

appreciate any insight, harsh truths, or advice you can throw my way!

Main thing I can think of is Facebook and door to door knocking.

Trouble is, local Facebook groups don’t really allow business promo

i keep bouncing bw these two categories n can't land on one, home improvement franchises have bigger tickets per job but the work is project based so u r constantly looking for the next customer, home service franchises tend to be lower revenue per job but there's more potential for repeat customers n referrals, my capital is around $90k n i want to be operational withing 90 days of signing