Category: Business

How to Start a Septic Tank Business

Have you decided to begin a septic tank business? While it’s dirty work – literally – it can also be a seriously profitable one. Whether you’re installing the septic tanks, performing maintenance, or both, there are many opportunities to make money.

The reason for this is simple: a large number of households rely on a septic system to deal with their wastewater. According to statistics, more than 20% of homes in the US are in this situation. This means you won’t struggle for business.

At least, that’s assuming you know what you’re doing. It can be all too easy to invest money into this type of business, fail to gain customers, and bow out with only a large hole in your finances for your troubles.

If you want to know how to begin a septic tank business the right ways, here’s a quick guide to help:

Understand the industry

There’s no point launching yourself into the septic tank industry if you don’t possess the necessary expertise. Yes, it’s true that pumping and maintaining septic tanks isn’t exactly the same challenge as decoding the Bayeux Tapestry. However, expert knowledge is something that will not only help to avoid any possible issues, but it’ll also impress customers.

It’s not only knowledge about septic tank mechanics you need to know, either. You also have to gain a full understanding of the competition. Take the time to assess the septic tank businesses that are already in operation in your target area. What are they doing right? What are they doing wrong? The more of the latter you find, the more reasons you’ll have to begin your own venture.

Do your research

Along with the competition, there are many aspects that require research before you launch your business. One of the main points is learning what equipment is necessary, and how much everything will cost in total. For instance, you will need to purchase a pump truck, and this isn’t a cheap expense – whether bought new or old.

It’s also highly recommended to reach out to your target market. See what type of services they expect from a specialist in the septic tank sector. Understand what their requirements are and how you can help them out.

Gaining regular trade

Did you know homeowners are instructed to have their septic tanks inspected by a professional each year? The problem is that most ignore the advice and only phone up once their tank is flooded and emergency assistance is needed.

Well, you can change their viewpoint. Once you inspect or clean a client’s tank, let them know just how essential it is for annual maintenance. This will keep their septic tanks from developing a major issue, and it will give you a stable revenue stream.

There are also ways you can squeeze extra money out of a customer. For instance, you could sell them on the advantages of liquid level sensors. Ultrasonic liquid level sensors, as an example, can ensure their wastewater is measured accurately and help prevent it from reaching a dangerous level.

Have an online presence

In this day and age, an online presence for your business is effectively mandatory. This is where your potential customers are, searching for septic tank services and trying to find a reputable local provider.

To build your presence, a website should be your foundation. You can then add a Google My Business profile and social media accounts to the mix.

3 Reasons to Move Your Small Business to Office 365

Tech solutions play a big role in the everyday running of your business. But, finding the right tech solutions for your business can be frustrating, with so many options to choose from and several requirements that you need to meet. When it comes to essentials like word processing, PowerPoint creation, and spreadsheets, your mind might have immediately jumped to Microsoft – after all, it’s one of the best-known names on the market. Office 365 provides a host of solutions that can be very useful to any business; we’ve put together some of the best reasons to move your small business to this solution.

Pay for What You Use

Moving to Office 365 can be very cost-effective. There are three different business plans to choose from which include Business Essentials, Business Premium, and Office 365 Business. If you have a set team and want them to have a certain level of functionality, you can pay the fixed yearly cost for the plan that is the most suitable. On the other hand, your team size might be subject to change. If you tend to bring temporary extra staff in for bigger projects, for example, you can pay for additional services or plans to ensure that your needs are met. Once the project is over and you’re back with your regular team, you can cancel these subscriptions so you don’t have to pay for them for any longer than you need them.

Access Your Work from Anywhere

Cloud storage has become standard in the way that we work today and depending on the nature of your work, you and your team might need to access it from a range of different places. You might have staff members working from the office, from home, at a conference, or even from a different country. It’s essential to be able to easily share work between teams wherever they are located, and Office 365 enables you to easily share Word documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. Each user gets 1TB of cloud storage and Microsoft Teams allows you and your employees to join meetings using any device. Online Computers can help you implement Office 365 and migrate to the cloud.

Improve Productivity

Productivity isn’t always about doing more; sometimes it is a result of doing things differently. And, Office 365 comes with a wide range of tools to help you be more productive and streamline your workflows, such as to-do lists, meeting schedules, and calendars. Microsoft MyAnalytics is a handy tool that you can use to find out exactly what you need to do in order to ensure that you and your employees are working at maximum efficiency. These productivity analytics provide you with valuable insights into collaboration and communication trends, allowing you to see exactly how much time you and your team are spending on meetings and email rather than getting things done. For additional productivity, Microsoft Flow allows you to automate tasks, such as notifying team members when something is updated in SharePoint.

Along with the basic functions, Office 365 for business is an excellent addition to your company, with a range of tools, features, and functions to automate basic tasks, improve communication, and boost productivity.