Practical Steps on How to Grow Your Small Business
Hi, my name is Dmitriy Tupikov, and in this blog, I want to share my secret sauce and my success story in our SEO strategy. The approach and the steps that gave my company an edge and a boost into the market for free. But first, let me give you the backstory on how to make your business grow.
From Carpentry to Success: My Journey in Building a Thriving Business
As I already mentioned above, the year was 2009, right after the 2008 housing market crash. Work was scarce, and opportunities were rare. By this time, I had developed great skills as a carpenter, pretty capable of doing any trade work necessary to repair or build a home. From digging the soil, tying rebar, setting forms, and pouring concrete for foundations, to plumbing, electrical, framing, insulation, drywall, roofing, and finish carpentry work. I had learned this craft by working with some of the best craftsmen since I was 14 years old. With 5 years of carpenter experience, in which the last two years I worked as a foreman and supervisor, I was pretty confident I could do this work on my own.
After my work in the field as a carpenter, I spent two years working as a termite inspector in Sacramento. I had obtained my Home Inspection certification. This job gave me great skills at developing scopes, identifying areas in need of repair, pricing, contract management, negotiation, and sales skills. Most importantly, working with people and being solution-oriented. So I knew how to sell, how to type up a proposal and contract, how to price work out, and I knew how to do the work. I had a truck, and I had the tools. I got my contractor license, and I was ready to launch my business. But there was one problem. A big problem. Where do I find customers?
Being an inspector for 2 years, I had met many realtors and made a handful of meaningful relationships. I called them and told them that I am now a general contractor in Sacramento with a license and insurance. Many of them would call me to obtain quotes and perform repairs on their real estate deals. This was enough work for me to stay afloat and earn about $3,000 to $5,000 a month. But this wasn’t enough for me to thrive and grow as a business.
Building a Business in the Wake of the 2008 Housing Crash
So I started talking to Digital Marketing People about developing a website and trying to drive business through the internet. Now, it might be hard for you to believe, but in 2009, the majority of people did not use the internet to find contractors. There were no Google reviews or Yelp reviews. The Digital Marketing industry was just starting off. After sitting down with a few specialists, I realized that there were thousands of general contractors in the Sacramento area, and many of them had already developed websites. Creating a new website for Good Life Construction Inc. wouldn’t make much of a difference. Many of the established companies were in the top 10 positions, spending thousands of dollars for SEO and Google Ads. Therefore, competing with them for keywords with a minimal budget would be useless and impossible. I felt stuck and desperate to get ahead in business growth.
There had to be a way. There has got to be something I can do, I used to think. I know I can do the best work. I know I am honest and have integrity. I know that after hiring me, clients were always blown away by my quality of work, communication, and customer service. I knew this… but the local community didn’t. With the exception of the few realtors and clients I have already worked for.
Practical Tips for Growing Your Small Business
Countless hours on the internet looking at competitors' and leading companies' websites, I started seeing a pattern. All the contractors in the region were mostly offering the same 5 to 10 services: Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel, Flooring, Painting, Windows, Doors, Roofing, Siding, and Decks. If you are a general contractor and a home improvement company, these are your services and these are your keywords for SEO on your website. So you and thousands of other companies in the Sacramento CA area are competing for these same keywords. And suddenly, that was my lightbulb moment. I have to be different; I have to be unique, I thought.
At this time, I was still mostly working with my realtor friends and clients, and the work I was performing for them was niche. Realtors don’t need their clients' homes to be remodeled fully; they need small repairs. Repairs identified on the inspection reports so they can get their FHA or VA loans funded. So I started paying attention to the specific requests from my existing clients. They would call me and ask me to fix things like Dry Rot Repair, Termite Damage Repair, Leaking Roof Repair, Damaged Siding Repair, Water Damage Repair, Leaking Window Repair, Brick Repair, Stucco Repair, and much more. So I started writing these down and searching google and the internet for these services in the Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom areas where I live.
To my surprise, I learned that no one, and I mean no one, was specifically building their website and targeting their keywords towards these specific services. Because they weren’t popular or they weren’t the most prospective for huge jobs with big $$$ signs. So I asked my Digital Marketing specialist at the time to create a website built around these services: Dry Rot Damage Repair, Water Damage Repair, Leaking Stucco Repair, Termite Damage Repair, and so on.
The result? Well, after a few months, I started getting about 80-100 calls a month for estimates in these specific areas of repair. Why? Well, because this was the number of consumers on a monthly basis that were searching google and the web for these services in the area. And because no one else was targeting these services or keywords, guess whose website was coming up at the top? That’s right. Today is 2024, and many years have passed since that time. My company, Good Life Construction, has evolved into many other services, and our strategy and approach for SEO changed and evolved over the years. But I wanted to share the secret that got us started with a boost in how to grow your business fast.
The Story Behind Growing My Construction Company
Why am I sharing the secret? you might ask. What if others will copy you and you won’t be the only one with these keywords any longer? The reason for me sharing this information is because that’s who I am and that’s who we are at the foundation here at Good Life Construction Inc. It is in our DNA. It’s just like a fisherman that finds a great fishing spot and wants to keep it a secret because he wants to catch all the fish for himself. Or a fisherman that finds a great fishing spot and tries to identify what are the circumstances that attract the fish to this one area specifically. Then try to educate amateur fishermen on the principles of finding good fishing holes and spots.
Same thing here, what made us successful as a company isn’t secret successful business strategies that we kept secret. It has been us sharing and blessing everyone around us with what we know and have. As a matter of fact, my top 10 competitors in the area are friends and past employees who I willingly and openly told my SEO secrets to. We are constantly adding, changing, and evolving our approach and strategy looking to improve on a monthly basis.
If you are wanting to get into the industry and need to compete with some established companies and don’t know where to start, my recommendation is to try to find a niche and become the best service provider for the niche alone. Work to build your reputation, and then watch your reputation go to work for you.