|
|
Home  Just Starting Out? Supporting Yourself and Getting Off the Ground
|
Features: |
|
Knowledge Base - Are you interested in starting a wireless ISP but don't know where to start? Do you need help writing your business plan and could use some samples?
|
|
|
Supporting Yourself and Getting Off the Ground |
|
|
|
|
Written by Start a WISP Site Admin
|
|
Thursday, 10 February 2005 |
"4 months in 15 customers and 0$. Does anyone work a full time job? I
can go back to carpenter work that will cover my bills for a while. I
might need to do this for 6 months or until I reach the 40 customer
mark.
Anyone care to post what else the had/have to do?
Anyone know how to get started as a dish network or directv installer? I always thought of doing this too!"
JohnGalt:
You do what you have to to survive...
The Dish Network gig would
dove-tail nicely into what you are doing with the WISP thing. It would
allow you to be flexible time-wise to take care of problems from either
side.
I am curious why you have so little penetration in your WISP market. What do you think the story is there?
wifi freak (original submitter):
lack of marketing capital. Most sales thus far have been through word
of mouth. I am going to have an article in the town newspaper though
The area isnt a huge city or anything, but there is surely money here.
Once I get some decent income, I can start to get everything in order.
I have the opertunity of an investor, but that will be my last resort.
countrysky:
I feel your pain! I'm 8 months in, 42 customers. I don't make $$ on a
new account for the first 3 to 5 months due to equipment and install
costs. I enjoy the biz, but as I knew going in, this ain't a
get-rich-'n-comfy-fast business. Hang in there and good luck!
korym:
Well, FWIW, I'm not a WISP anymore but when I was one, I worked a
full-time job, a part-time job and tried to see my family when I could
while supporting the small pool of subs I had.
It may be difficult in the beginning but it's all worth it in the end.
In
addition to the newspaper article you might want to try
to hook up with a local radio station and see if they could do free
advertising in exchange for service to their studio or something. Also,
doing public speaking engagements is helpful too; something like why
the area needs broadband access. I found that volunteer work was a good
way of spreading the news too.
My favorite motto: "All in due time."
nwn:
2-1/2 months and 13 customers. Guess I am not doing to badly. Working a
full-time job and WISPing the rest of the time. Need a marketing plan
and a lot less hills and trees. Guess the marketing plan will have to
do. Don't get many takers on take down the trees.
I
have tried some postcards, but with people saying the average response
is 1 to 5%, my 0 from 100 is expected. Will probably try the yard sign
route, too, but everything takes $$.
Oh, well, the business plan calls for 12 to 18 months to even begin to break even, so patience is the word for me.
prag:
I work a full-time day job.
The Wireless gig is part time, but
I sometimes find myself putting in 8 or more hours a day into the
wireless stuff, including some weekends.
And no - the wireless gig isn't paying the bills...yet. right now it's just a "bonus" check every month.
polk5:
I have been doing Direct Tv for years. It helps pay the bills. Between
that and the kiosk it helps. I own a alarm Co but do not have much time
to install new clients anymore. Ill let you in on my cheapest most
productive advertisment I have ever done. Domino's Pizza. I give them
the flyers for the top of the pizza box and they get them out there for
free. Its a good community thing that they do. Just talk to the
manager. You want to put a special deal on the flyer cause it makes
Dominos customers think they are special. This makes Dominos even more
willing to do it. I have sold hundreads of satellite customers with
this adv. Another thing in a small town would be setting up a kiosk at
the grocery store. Everyone needs grocerys. I would think people would
stop and try your service. I have never tried this though.
wifi freak:
Do you guys who work tell your customers if that it is an after work
setup if they ask? I am only worried about the business customers, but
I could always be there by 4 pm. I guess I have to look at it as if I
where to call SBC or Comcast I might have to wait a day or maybe even
two!
No feedback on the Dish network installer. I would still like to know how you would go about this, is there a certification?
polk5:
I would not do a install for Best Buy or any of them. I sell my own
systems. I install my own systems and they become my clients for life.
Some buy internet from me if I can hit them, alarm systems , and soon
Voip solutions. You just have to look at the whole picture. Try
contacting perfect10 here for direct tv.
https://www.perfect-10.tv/homepage/homepage.aspx
or if you have a DSI distributors in your area they also do Direct Tv
deals. Dish Network pays more but there is alot more papper work and BS
that goes with it. If you have the time and Patience then Dish Network
is more money per client. I know I have said this many times but
satellite TV just seems to be a natural addition to any Wisp offerings.
Besides, Its really easy money. Man, work the Pizza place for
advertisment.
wifi freak:
Thanks a lot everyone, Its nice to know that I am not the only one who
has had a hard start. I know it will get better in time. It doesnt help
that Michigan is tied with Alaska for "jobless" states
superdog1:
My day starts out by getting all 3 kids off to school and to the bus stops(Wife doesn't drive
), then I get a shower and head in to my first job, the insurance
agency that we own and run. On my desk are 3 telephones, the agency
phone, Wavecrazy line AND the line for our apartments that we own. I
normally sit at my desk and answer these(I have a secretary that also
helps
). I take care of all the sales calls for all three and I do support
for Wavecrazy too. I tends to get a little hectic once and awhile, as
whenever there is a problem related to the radios that can not be fixed
remotely, I must hop in our service vehicle and deal with it(This
doesn't happen often, as Raylink gear never breaks ). Don't get me wrong, it is pretty cool that I can just get up and walk away from my desk, BUT,
when I am on the road, the phones do not stop and the work just piles
up on my desk. There are 2 agents counting me in the office, so some of
the work is handled by her for the insurance customers. I do this all
day until 5PM, then it's time to go home(Yea right!). I still deal with
support all night, although I can now forward a lot of the calls to my
buddy Dustin who is off from school after 4PM  .
I still have to repair any issues that may arise when I am home though,
so I usually take the truck home. In the mean time, the kids now have
to go to dance class, soccer practice and cheerleading and be picked
up. What I really like is when I have to pick up 3 kids at 3 different
times and a customer is flipping out because a squirrel chewed through
the CAT5 up on the roof and it just HAS to be fixed immediately
and they want ME to get rid of the squirrel!. Now if You want to have a
great time, just take Your 3 kids to a customers house(ages 7,11,12)
and tell them not to bother You while You are stringing CAT5 and
chasing a squirrel and then stop and leave every half hour because the
next one has to be picked up. Throw a couple of support calls in there
for stupid things like, "I just installed an upgrade to the SIM's and
now the internet doesn't work?", and You night is complete!. Get to bed
around midnite after spending "quality" time with the Dumplin'(wife), and then get up at 6AM and start all over again!!
Original thread location
|
|
|
