ALPHAS1TE

03/03/2025

WE ARE SO BACK

One of my favorite quotes of all time is Theodore Roosevelt's Man in the Arena paragraph from his Citizenship in Republic speech. I'm not going to the post it here for the sake of brevity. You probably already know it, and if you don't, you should.

But I do my best to live by it. It's framed on my office wall as a constant reminder to step into the arena and come out of the gate swinging.

Something I've said over the years, however, is that you can't expect to be "in the arena" and not get your teeth kicked in from time to time.

In 2023 I launched a marketing agency. I did everything I knew to do to promote a startup and worked nonstop to stand it up as fast as possible.

And the crazy thing is, it was working. In less than three months, I had paid off my startup costs and was moving towards real profitability.

But then came the blindsiding. I caught my ex-wife cheating on me and ended our marriage immediately. And by the time the disruption of the divorce settled down, I had confirmed deployment orders from the Army to leave the country for a year. It was too much to manage, and I had to shut the company down.

Things ended pretty disastrously. I had to cancel contracts, and pay refunds out of my own pocket in order to make things right. It was embarrassing, to be honest.

Coming home, I didn't think I had it in me to relaunch. After doing all that work just to watch it all burn to the ground, it was difficult to conjure up the drive and motivation to even think of doing it again.

But that's not how I wanted this story to end.

That's the thing. No one really cares what you went through. It doesn't matter how hard or traumatic it was. If you don't pick yourself up off the canvas, spit the blood out of your mouth, and get back in the fight, telling your sob story is meaningless. They're just checking their watch and waiting for their chance to change the subject.

The only thing that matters... is what you do next.

In order for it to be a comeback story, you need to actually have a comeback.

And that's what we're doing. I've had the privilege to get Charles Lee Collins on board and finally build a business with him after all these years of talking about it. We've got some incredible things in the pipeline and the next few months are going to be transformative.

ALPHAS1TE is back.

We're still following the business model I originally launched as a marketing agency for blue-collar pros in the trades and home services who are looking to grow and scale their business. If you want to dominate, we can get you there.

But we're also pivoting to more than that - we're building a library of free and paid educational resources for businesses of all levels, so even if our agency services aren't for you, we can still help you grow.

If you're already doing your own marketing and want guidance to scale or get past a roadblock, we offer consulting services drawn from Lee's 25+ years in the industry.

And beyond that, we offer a totally free beginner's marketing encyclopedia as a resource for anyone.

So instead of being purely a lead generator, we want to be a true partner in your success, wherever you stand. Running a business is hard. Believe me, I know. So let's make it a little easier.

Check out our website and services to see if we're a good fit for you, or know someone who is.

It's time to write the other (and way better) half of this comeback story.

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08/22/2023

Today's Lesson:

You do not have to do everything in your business.

In fact, if you try, you'll never break through the clouds to become a true business owner, and instead be stuck in the never-ending purgatory of self-employment.

Instead of having a job, you own a job.

Some self-employed folk take a weird pride in doing it all themselves, like it's a badge of honor.

"I do all the sales and marketing."

"I do all the bookkeeping."

"Hire somebody? Nah, I do all the jobs myself."

Meanwhile, their marketing sucks, they're always hunting work, the IRS is trying to track them down because they filed their taxes incorrectly, and they're working nonstop 80hr weeks to keep the lights on.

If that's what you want to do, knock yourself out. But I don't think that's the reason most of us got into business for ourselves.

You'll probably have to do it all in the beginning, but don't do it all for a minute longer than you have to. Start building systems and making hires to shore up your areas of weakness as quickly as possible.

Automate. Delegate. Outsource. Become obsessed with force multipliers. Build replicable systems. And then focus only on what you alone can do.

Then you'll truly own a business... instead of owning a job.

08/18/2023

Today's Lesson:

Learn to iterate quickly.

As an entrepreneur, you're going to try a lot of things that won't work. And that's okay. It's part of the process. You're not gonna hit a homer every time you swing the bat.

But if you spend a lot of time bouncing back from each unsuccessful attempt, overthinking your next step, and worst of all, becoming too emotionally invested in each of those iterations, you're going to lose. Sorry. It's just the truth.

So yes, try a lot of stuff and take a lot of risks. Don't bet the farm or make a move that could prove fatal if it fails, of course. And just know that by the numbers, most of what you do won't pan out.

The good news is, it doesn't have to. You just have to make enough base hits to keep the game going, and once in a glorious while, you'll send one over the fence.

But in order for that to happen, you've got to step up to the plate and swing for it, as many times as you can.

08/15/2023

PRO TIP - THE FORTUNE IS IN THE FOLLOW UP, PT 1

If you’ve been in business for long, you’ve probably seen the sales statistic that says that the majority of sales are closed between the 5th and 12th call. Specifically, 7th-9th is the sweet spot.

It’s probably more accurate to say contact rather than call, because this could also include emails, DMs, text messages, conversations at networking events, and so on. But the spirit of the stat is true.

If you’re an entrepreneur, you’re in sales whether you like it or not. Until you grow your company to the point to hire a sales team, it’s you, bro. And in my experience, most business owners don’t follow up on leads nearly enough.

I think we’re conditioned to believe that if it’s not a “yes” on the first or second contact, we’re being rude and annoying them, and should stop. This requires a mindset shift.

For one, until they specifically tell you in no uncertain terms and a good deal of profanity to leave them the **** alone, assume they still want to talk to you. And secondly, think of followup as a helpful reminder rather than a poke.

You know your service helps people. Carry that attitude into your sales efforts. You’re not “selling” them. You’re providing them with a helpful service.

I’m incredibly busy. And if you’re reading this, I’m certain you are too. How many times have you been genuinely interested in an offer, but straight-up forgot about it because it got lost in the shuffle of running a business? And then the sales rep followed up with you, reminded you of it, and you thanked him for it, and signed the deal?

I know I have. Sometimes it’s taken more than one friendly reminder, and the persistence of that rep paid off and got me hooked up with a product or service that was absolutely awesome.

So look at it in those terms. Your prospects are busy, just like you. They have a million things going on during any given day. Unless they really need it and are ready to go right now, your service is probably not at the top of their list, even if they’re interested.

It may take a few reminders. So remind them. Keep following up until you get that emphatic “no.” You might be surprised by what happens.

08/05/2023

Today's Lesson:

More often than not, failure isn't caused by outward circumstances.

It's a breakdown of will.

Sometimes, sure, you really don't have anything left in the tank and there's no way out.

And there are other times that it's best to stop wasting time, effort, and resources on a situation that it's clear will never pan out.

But there are some things worth fighting for. And you've got more fight left in you than you think you do.

Anyone who’s ever been in the military or served as a first responder gets this. There are missions you've been on or training you've done that on paper, looked completely impossible.

And when you were in the middle of it - that multi-day mission with no support, that 20mi ruck march with 120lbs of gear, or saving that medical patient who by all rights shouldn't have made it - you were still wondering how you were going to do it.

But you did it.

And you realized that when quitting wasn't an option, you rose to the challenge and made it happen, and that deep within you, there was a wellspring of strength you didn't know you had.

So often, our will breaks long before we're actually finished. The Navy SEALS say that when you think you're done, you're really only about 40% done, and I think that's pretty accurate.

An honest failure, one where you gave your all, is nothing to be ashamed of. But don't you dare quit. You're a lot stronger than you think.

08/03/2023

Today’s Lesson:

Consistency is more important than intensity.

You’re going to accomplish greater things if you chip away at it a little day in and day out, rather than go hard, burn out, and quit.

That said… consistency *with* intensity can be awe-inspiring.

Consistency is the axe that fells a tree one little swing at a time. Intensity swings as hard and fast as it can and doesn’t stop until that tree drops.

Consistency combined with intensity can cut down a forest.

Give it hell. Every day. And things will happen. There’s no way they can’t.

08/01/2023

PRO TIP - RAISE YOUR PRICES

Low-ticket clients suck. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in or what you do, the nickel-and-dime crowd is just absolutely no fun to work with.

They’re the ones who complain about everything. They look over your shoulder while you work and tell you how to do your job. They bitch about wasted material. They’ll criticize your work and try to pay you less than your invoice, even after you gave them an accurate estimate. They contact you nonstop with nitpicking questions.

This is because to them, what they’re paying you is a real chunk of change. If they’re low-income or on a fixed income, they don’t have much to spare, and that anxiety shows.

I don’t blame them for being nervous. I grew up poor, so I get it. It was rare that my family could afford to hire anyone for anything, we were DIYers out of necessity. So I can sympathize. But that doesn’t mean I want them as clients, and I’m guessing you don’t either.

The best way to avoid this is to simply price yourself out of their reach. Something I preach to all of my clients is the virtue of positioning yourself as a premium brand.

Positioning yourself as a high-end brand - which can be done through your quality of service, website, social media, visuals, copy, and of course pricing - raises you into the rarified air of luxury home services.

Individual jobs pay more, so you don’t have to book as many of them. With more breathing room, you have a better quality of life and don’t have to turn and burn jobs as fast. Your clients are more laid back, understanding, and easy to work with, provided you position yourself as a pro and do the high quality work to back it up.

For a multimillionaire, a $50k kitchen remodel is small potatoes. As long as you communicate well and deliver top-tier results, he’ll probably leave you alone to get the job done, and then write you a glowing 5-star review at the end.

But all of it starts with raising your prices. As long as you have the brand image and quality of work to back it up, you might be shocked at how you actually book more jobs, and better jobs. Yes, you’ll lose a few bargain shoppers. But did you really want those anyway?

08/01/2023

Today’s Lesson:

Everyone’s heard the old saw “You can have it fast, cheap, or quality. Pick two.”

When it comes to any business service, it really is true. We’ve all been there. What I never hear anyone talk about is… which two would you pick?

For my part, I’d choose speed and quality.

Fast means you can get the resource to accomplish the thing and take effective action more quickly. Quick, decisive action means speed to market or speed of service delivered. Or if it’s internal, you can solve that problem faster and move on to something else. That’s a winner.

Quality means the job gets done right the first time. Quality means that something’s not going to fail five minutes down the road, or that it’s going to break the first time you really push it. Backtracking to make fixes or buying something twice are both wildly inefficient. Not a fan.

And if I had to narrow it down to one, it’d be quality. I want it done right, I’ll pay, and I’m willing to wait.

What about you?

07/31/2023

Today's Lesson:

In a competitive market full of people who can do work on a comparable level to you, the devil really is in the details.

How do you stand out from the sea of people who do the same thing you do?

The variables you can always control are how you curate the customer experience, and how you present your offer.

The contractor who shows up on time, clean cut and well dressed, is highly communicative, doesn't smell like w**d, and goes out of their way to make a job as stress-free as possible is going to get a lot more referrals and can charge more than the guy who doesn't do those things, but may do the same quality work.

And the one with a robust marketing presence including a clean, professional, search engine optimized website, active social media, paid ad campaigns, educational videos and blog posts, and a sharp logo and business cards is going to go a lot farther than "some guy I know who does X".

It doesn't matter how saturated your market is. I guarantee most of your competitors aren't doing all of those things consistently. The bar is low.

07/30/2023

Today's Lesson:

Don't do in the dark what you wouldn't want brought into the light.

If how you're doing business and conducting your personal life was put on the front page of your local newspaper for everyone you know to see, could you stand beside your actions with pride, or would it ruin your reputation?

If it's the latter, do better.

07/29/2023

Today's Lesson:

Saying you built your brand, your lead flow, or your social media audience all organically without paid ads is not the flex you think it is.

All you're telling me is you didn't utilize all the tools at your disposal to grow your business, and you're miles behind where you could have been if you'd leveraged a complete marketing strategy.

That's like proudly saying you built a deck with only a hand saw, a hammer, hand drill, and other hand tools, and didn't use any power tools, even though you had them.

Skilled, sure. But I don't think anyone would call it smart. Put your pride aside and use your whole toolbox. Get aggressive, and play to win.

07/28/2023

Today’s Lesson:

Low-hanging marketing fruit, Part II - How to get more Google reviews.

This is an easy one. Ask for them.

Every business owner, especially in the home services industry, yearns for more 5-star Google reviews. As they should.

Reviews are powerful social proof that can set you apart from your competition, and are a major decision factor on whether or not someone will contact you.

Frequent positive reviews will also supercharge your local SEO by boosting your Google My Business profile to higher and higher rankings.

But most contractors and home service providers are leaving reviews, and by extension, money, on the table simply because they don’t have a good system in place to ask for them.

A surprising number of businesses don’t ask for reviews at all, and instead just hope people will leave them one. This is dumb. Go on offense. But casually asking for a review usually isn’t enough either. So here’s the play.

You need to plant the idea of leaving a review as soon as you win the job. Make sure to bring it up at that point - “If this job exceeds your expectations, can I count on you for a five-star review?”

Ask again when the job is complete. Send them an exit questionnaire with a link to your review page at the end. And then send a final thank-you email with the link as well.

And don’t just ask, explain. Say something like “I’m so glad you love your new kitchen. If you think we did a great job and want to help us succeed, 5-star Google reviews go a LONG way towards helping us stand out and grow our business. Here’s the link to do that. Thanks!”

If you really want to go all in, offer them something of value in exchange. If you’re a high-ticket remodeler, roofer, etc. who probably won’t work with them again for a long time, it can be something like a gift card or a physical thank-you gift.

If you’re in a recurring service business like landscaping, pest control, auto detailing, or pressure washing, it can be a deep discount or a freebie on their next service.

Not every customer will give you a review, but most will. Put these practices in place, and start racking ‘em up.