From weekend side hustle to full-time: what would you start with?
Hey everyone We’re in NJ and exploring starting a weekend home service business that could eventually replace full-time income. My husband comes from road service and gas station inventory work—very hands-on, problem-solving, and customer-facing. The plan is to start on weekends, replace overtime first, and grow from there. For those who’ve done it: - What service did you start with on weekends? - What would you do differently if you were starting again? - Any service you wish you hadn’t tried? Would love to hear real stories and lessons learned.What's one mistake you made in your first year of business that new owners should avoid?
Hi everyone! 👋 I'm a newer business owner and one thing I've learned is that there is always something new to discover. I'd love to hear from those of you who have been in business for a while. If you could go back to your first year in business, what is one mistake you would avoid or one piece of advice you wish someone had given you? Whether it's pricing, customer communication, marketing, hiring, scheduling, or operations, I think your experiences could help many of us who are still building our businesses. Looking forward to learning from everyone. Thanks in advance for sharing your wisdom!What does your Q3 and Q4 Planning Look Like?
Here we are, second half of the year! I think we all started the year with the best intentions. Maybe you're on track, maybe you've let yourself get busy and not work ON the business. I'm curious, what things are you going to focus on in the second half of the year to stay on track or get back on track? For me we've been on a little bit of a whirlwind. I've had a lot of turnover so I'm trying to get a few more really good technicians to expand our capacity. Amazingly enough we've done more revenue with less people. I'm also trying to optimize our phone call intake process/ people. My secondary goal is to optimize our project management system through click up. We've started using the program for admin tasks and some on the job stuff but I'd really like to get that dialed in so next year we can focus on optimizing systems, not creating whole new ones. What are you working on to move the needle for the back half of the year?
When do you turn down profitable plumbing work to protect your team and reputation?
In the early days of Sitko Plumbing and Drain Services in San Diego, I said yes to almost every call — evenings, weekends, 1+ hour drives, you name it. Sewer emergencies don’t wait, and I wanted the revenue. But I quickly learned that constantly overcommitting burned out my techs, led to rushed jobs, and hurt our quality. Last year we had a stretch where we were slammed with back-to-back mainline replacements. We pushed through, but the team was exhausted and one preventable callback slipped through. That hurt more than turning down a few jobs would have. Now we’re much more intentional: we protect core hours for our core customers, build in buffer time, and politely refer overflow to trusted partners when needed. It’s meant steadier growth, happier techs (just gave one a well-deserved raise and promotion), and better reviews overall. Question for the group: How do you decide when to say “no” or refer out work — even if it’s profitable — especially in a trade like plumbing where emergencies are constant? Curious how others balance growth vs. sustainability. Would love to hear what’s working for you!What's Had the Biggest Impact on Your Growth as an Entrepreneur?
Everyone's journey looks different. Looking back, what has had the biggest impact on your growth as a business owner? A mentor? Trial and error? Books or podcasts? Networking? Coaching? Something else? I'd love to hear what has influenced your journey the most and why.Bypassing the Crowd: Why I Chose a Hyper-Niche Skilled Trade Over a "Standard" Home Service
Hey everyone, When most people decide to jump into the home service or skilled trade space, the default move is to look at the big, high-volume industries like landscaping, pressure washing, residential cleaning, or HVAC. Those are fantastic businesses, but when I was mapping out my launch for Sharp Artisan Knife and Tool Sharpening up here in the North Georgia mountains, I decided to go in the exact opposite direction. Instead of going wide, I went deep into a hyper-niche skilled trade. Instead of investing fifty thousand plus in a tricked-out mobile service truck and chasing volume all day, I built a fixed garage studio centered around precision, slow-speed, water-cooled machinery. By staying small, specialized, and low-overhead, it completely changed the math on how I run things. First, it means high margins and low friction. I do not have a fleet of trucks burning gas or a massive crew to manage. It is just me, my machinery, and elite execution. Second, it allows me to target the overlooked business to business premium market. By positioning myself as an artisan trade rather than a cheap mobile grinder, I can walk directly into luxury cabin rental networks and high-end fine dining restaurants. They do not want a basic utility service, they want their expensive culinary assets protected and perfectly maintained. Third, it gives me true specialization. Because I focus purely on the edge, I can jump from high-end chef knives to custom woodworker chisels and specialized agricultural tools for local orchards without resetting a massive operational footprint. It got me thinking about how we define scale in the service world. A lot of the pressure out there is to grow a massive team, buy ten trucks, and hit seven figures. But there is a massive, highly profitable world in staying a specialized micro-business with elite margins. For those of you who have been in the game a while, did you start wide and narrow your focus down over time, or did anyone else launch straight into a hyper-specific niche from day one? Let us swap notes!
