Tape · Coverage
Desk · curated · not For You
The locker room
X is intake. This section is the opposite of the algorithm: war stories, employees, customers, how you grow. Analog: TBPN’s desk as a desk, not as homepage chrome. The paper is the product.
Seven beats
Sitting next to
Tape
Nick Hancock @mattressguy_ customers
A customer came to me after sleeping on an Amazon mattress. For months straight, her back had been hurting and she couldn't get the quality sleep she needed. She knew she wanted to upgrade to a King, but she also didn't want to spend thousands of dollars to do it. We talked through what she was sleeping on, what wasn't working, and what she actually needed. Got her taken care of with a King mattress for UNDER $1,000.
Nick Hancock @mattressguy_ customers
A customer reached out to me after being quoted $11,399 for what they wanted. We went through the mattress guy questioning and were able to put together an option that fit their needs for $4,439 TOTAL. They also got two pillows which wasn’t included in their first deal Their quote: $11,399 My price: $4,439 Money saved: $6,960
Nick Hancock @mattressguy_ customers
People ask how I compete with giant furniture stores, Mattress Firm, Ashley Furniture and every online mattress company imaginable Simple They sell whatever mattresses they want I sell whatever mattress you need They listen to respond I hear to resolve I know what’s inside the mattress I know which components matter I know where companies cut corners I know when you’re overpaying I know when you’re underbuying And I’m perfectly comfortable telling you not to buy from me That’s led to truly helping a lot of people!
John Wilson @WilsonCompanies capital allocation
Only move into another trade or market when you can answer a few important questions: > Can we predictably generate enough leads to support the existing operation? > Do we know our CAC and acceptable acquisition cost by channel? > Is our current market actually saturated, or have we stopped finding ways to grow within it? > Do we have the people and systems to handle more demand without the owner becoming the bottleneck? > Can our marketing operation support another set of campaigns, budgets and performance targets?
John Wilson @WilsonCompanies growth
We hit $3.5M and assumed we’d outgrown our market. So we: - Opened a satellite location. It flopped. - Added plumbing. Lost $300K in year one. - Spent $200K on billboards. Was the market the problem? Nope. Our marketing engine was. Expansion multiplies whatever you haven’t fixed.
Watch with the account
Watch Jack Carr — everybody quits day one
On the very first day of ownership, all the technicians quit.
Watch Owned & Operated — sales system that doubled average ticket
Close rates, average ticket, and the system behind both.
Owned & Operated — the home-services desk
Watch Scott Duncan — the 7-year collapse of an SBA acquisition
Brutal ups and downs — and personal depression — during his ownership of a doomed tool & die business.
Today's rundown
Clip voices (treat-as: clip)
Directory pointers — still not a feed.
- @SullyBusiness · Bryant · RE Twitter
- @chandlerreed · Chandler Reed · RE Twitter
- @downtosmallbiz · Down To (Small) Business · Twitter
- @gregisenberg · Greg Isenberg · Twitter
- @JohnJBlatchford · John Blatchford · RE Twitter
- @mattressguy_ · Nick Hancock · Twitter
- @peterfroede · Peter Fröde · RE Twitter