Finding customers on the South Side

You do not need money to find customers. You need effort, and you need to be where they are.

The clinic meets in Hyde Park, and that is a good place to start — but your customers are all over the South Side: Kenwood, Woodlawn, South Shore, Bronzeville, Washington Park, Grand Crossing, Chatham, Englewood, Bridgeport, the South Loop. Decide how far you will drive for a job, and work everything inside that circle.

Start with people who already know you

Your first customers are people who already trust you: your building, your ward, your kids' school, your family's friends. Your plan asked you to name three of them. Call them this week. Do not wait until you feel ready.

Nextdoor

People across the South Side use the Nextdoor app constantly, and it works by neighborhood.

• Do not post an ad yourself. It looks like spam and neighbors ignore it.
• Instead, ask a satisfied customer or a ward member to post a recommendation for you. Something like: "If anyone needs help with snow removal, my neighbor Daniel is fantastic and reliable. You can text him at [number]."
• One neighbor's recommendation is worth twenty ads.

Facebook groups

Join the local groups and watch for people asking for help. Post your services on the days the group allows it.

• "Hyde Park Chicago Community" — and the same kind of group for your own neighborhood (search the name plus "community")
• "Maroon Market" — University of Chicago students looking for moving help, cleaning, and furniture assembly

The lobby

For cleaners, handymen, and dog walkers: the high-rises on Lake Shore Drive, 53rd Street, in the South Loop, and along the lakefront hold hundreds of customers behind one door.

Dress clean. Ask the doorman or concierge politely if you can leave a small stack of flyers for residents. Be friendly to the staff — they decide whether you get in.

The leave-behind

After every finished job, leave three business cards or flyers with the happy customer. Say: "If you give these to neighbors and they hire me, I'll take $10 off your next service." The customer who just watched you work is your best salesperson.

The university calendar

The University of Chicago runs on quarters. Students move in and out in September, January, March, and June. If you clean, move, or assemble furniture, those are your busiest months. Plan for them.

Reviews and referrals

Once you have done a few jobs, the fastest way to grow is other people saying you are good.

• Ask every customer for a review. There is a script for it in Scripts: what to say. Send it the day after the job.
• If you have a Google Business Profile, send them the review link. One tap, five stars.
• Put the best sentence a customer has said about you on your flyer and your website.

What to bring to your pod

Where do your customers actually live or work? Which neighborhoods? Bungalows or high-rises? Students or families? Your mentor can help you pick the two or three places on this list that fit your business — not all of them.

This week

• I decided how far I will drive for a job.
• I called the three people my plan names.
• I asked one satisfied customer or member to recommend me on Nextdoor.
• I joined one local Facebook group and looked for people asking for help.
• I left cards or flyers with a customer after a job.