# Building a business from scratch



## Driftweed (Nov 7, 2012)

I've been listening guys, I really have. And it got me to thinking about branching out. As part of my main company (apartment painting), one of the services I offer that sets me apart is we do bathtub refinishing. This could easily translate well in the residential market.

So the thought has been brewing this last month or two about starting a separate business entity devoted exclusively to bathtub refinishing. I am still in the early stages of mapping this all out and drawing up a business plan first and foremost.

I already have all of the equipment, and backing from the coating manufacturer. So that obstacle is already out of the way.

First I need ideas on a good name that can easily be branded. I want to keep the name short (2 words maybe?)

Next up would be marketing ideas. I would like ideas on developing a website, flyers, etc.. and would like to toss around ideas.

I have just come to the conclusion that I need help with this stuff. That's the first stage of recovery isn't it? :laughing:

Names I have been tossing around:

NuBath
Bathtubs and More
Budget Bath
World Class Refinishing

Any other ideas on a name?


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## CarpenterSFO (Dec 12, 2012)

NuBath.com is taken, and Nu-Bath seems to be a product in that industry.

I think it's the right direction, though:

Renu-bath
Renew-a-Bath
Renu-a-Bath
Renew-a-Tub

Midwest Tub Renewal
Midwest Bath Renewal
Tubs Alive!

Restore-A-Tub
Tub Saviors
Tub Rescue
Bath Rescue

International Amalgamated Tub Restoration Solutions, LLC

Bath Solutions
Tub Solutions

Tub Pros

Rub a Dub Tub


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## maxwage (Nov 25, 2012)

Tub Hub.


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## sunkist (Apr 27, 2012)

So my guy does tubs and tile, Laminate counter tops, "Tub-n-tile Refinishing" by Driftweed.


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## Driftweed (Nov 7, 2012)

I could steal a page from ohiohomedoctor....:jester:

Dr. Bathtub! the right fix for your bathroom....

I also do fiberglass repair, if that helps any


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## Roofcheck (Dec 27, 2011)

Get with manufacturers reps. We had a chip in a tub needing repaired for a closing. Quickest $300 I spent not that house.


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## sunkist (Apr 27, 2012)

Driftweed said:


> I could steal a page from ohiohomedoctor....:jester:
> 
> Dr. Bathtub! the right fix for your bathroom....
> 
> I also do fiberglass repair, if that helps any


Bringing your tub back to life :whistling the doctors in the house :clap:


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## rwa (May 6, 2009)

Rub a Dub Dub

Slogan; "We'll renew your tub"


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## Driftweed (Nov 7, 2012)

Sometimes it helps to just write ideas. That's pretty much what I am doin here in this thread. Just tossing things out and seeing what sticks:jester:

Bathtub king (bringing your throneroom back to life!)

hmm maybe 

Mr. Bathtub
Budget Bathrooms (nah too low quality sounding...)


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## FrankSmith (Feb 21, 2013)

Bathtub Refinishers of Evansville 

You will have more people see your name that don't know you can refinish a tub than know that you can. Use your name to let them know what you do and what is available to them.


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

I've been in the trades for 10 years and don't anything about the fact that a tub can be refinished, much less how it is done. How do you plan to market this service? That would be a big issue to address.


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## Driftweed (Nov 7, 2012)

Marketing? I have a few ideas. I'll toss some ideas in the morning. But feel free to post some


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## Golden view (Feb 16, 2012)

Evansville Bathtub Refinishing


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## Metro M & L (Jun 3, 2009)

We have miracle method here. 

Tub Doctor?

Direct mail to management companies and seo.


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

Roofcheck said:


> Get with manufacturers reps. We had a chip in a tub needing repaired for a closing. Quickest $300 I spent not that house.


I remember years ago we had the same situation on a vinyl window. Hammers and window frames don't mesh well.  I think it was 200 bucks or so. Didn't blink an eye about paying it. You just need to market to the right clientele.

Heck, I wasn't even the right clientele, but I sure was happy they could do it.


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## sunkist (Apr 27, 2012)

Driftweed said:


> Marketing? I have a few ideas. I'll toss some ideas in the morning. But feel free to post some


You could start by keeping this thread alive, you already got 215 views :thumbup:


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## Driftweed (Nov 7, 2012)

Golden view said:


> Evansville Bathtub Refinishing


I don't like putting a specific city name in your company name because it restricts you to that particular geographic region. What would happen if I wanted to expand to Louisville, KY or Indianapolis? Both a very real possibility.

After re-reading the thread I personally like Dr. Bathtub the best. Marketing wise, it gives me the most catchphrases. So, let's run with that.

Now that we have established a name, onto a marketing strategy.

Our local paper has a special post it note they attach to the sunday paper on the front page for advertising. That's one thing to look into. Also, a website is a given. I have tried out footbridge media for my main companies page, but after 6 months they haven't done well with SEO, so maybe on this front I will try to build a page from scratch myself, a daunting task within itself. Another form of advertising is door hangers.

Fortunately, I already have pictures for a portfolio and marketing. I am also in the works of creating a time lapse video for information purposes as well.

Target audience: Homes over 15 years old, or over 75k in the Evansville, IN region. (Evansville, Newburgh, Mt. Vernon, Henderson Kentucky)

Marketing budget: first 3 months startup = $500. After that, reassess and increase as deemed necessary.

Current max capacity: 2 bathtubs/day 6 days/week $400-800 per tub

Actual Number Alert!!! Mods edit if deemed necessary!!
Employee payscale:

Bathtub: 100
Bathtub+ surround: 200
Fiberglass tub/surround: 150
Repairs: $25/hr

Overhead: (per job) Based on bathtub only 
Machine "repairs": $30
Sundries: $25
Materials: $60
Labor: $100
Advertising: $50

Total: $265

Job sale price:$375

Now that we have an idea what a job sells for, and its particular breakdown, Let's start finding a target audience!

What are some good resources to create mailing lists?

I am off to do a firehouse today, will check back in when I get home.


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## Easy Gibson (Dec 3, 2010)

Seems like the best thing would be to talk to every plumber and GC in your area. I love meeting specialty guys. I sell as much work for other people as I do for myself.

For your pitch you need to explain how you can deliver classic quality and style but with modern plumbing technology and for a better price.

"New fiberglass tubs will never match the appeal of classic cast iron!" 
Add a new mixer and new tiles, save on removal of old tub and purchase and installation of new tub.
Honestly sounds like a no brainer.
You can make an avocado or pink tub into a white tub, right?


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## heavy_d (Dec 4, 2012)

I like Renew-a-tub or bath that Carpentersfo suggested.


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## Easy Gibson (Dec 3, 2010)

Oh also, 5 to 10 letters, at least one double letter.

Apple
Google
Facebook
Driftweed


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## sunkist (Apr 27, 2012)

Round these parts a tub refinnish costs $300.00, Its been forever since i had the tile refinnish, Most of the time the customer for this work was a landord, Rental turns and such.
So apartment, property mangement co's, god forgive real estate agents, are some places to target,
Make sure these folks know shower stalls and floors, and a backsplash can be done.


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## Jeff G (Apr 5, 2010)

In my limited experience with this, I have seen more failing of the finish within a few months (some within a matter of days and weeks) than ones that were of good quality. I am guessing it may have more to do with prep work than product? 

What kind of warranty could you give?

Lastly, what I've seen mostly is a product that is applied to both tubs and ceramic tiles. Is this similar to what you're proposing?


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## FrankSmith (Feb 21, 2013)

Gosh I thought you had been listening Drift. $25 an hour is not an acceptable hourly rate for a business. Its barely acceptable as an employee unless it is guaranteed 40 hours a week year around with benefits. 

Why are you scared to charge like a professional. My experience is that guys who undercharge always feel pushed and end up in weird situations because they hurry. The weird situations make it hard to sell more work. Having a hard time selling work makes people think they need to sell work for even cheaper. This eventually leads to a very frantic person working for free. 

Until you double what you charge for hourly work and make sure you are worth it, it won't matter what the name is.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

Nu-spa, renu-spa for a name - you want to to seem more glamorous than a tub, and evoke a good feeling from potential clients. You might want to pick graphics along with the name....

Bath refinishing for what you do, unless you want to keep it narrow for now.


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## sunkist (Apr 27, 2012)

Plumbers and tile contractors for repairs ?,


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## Driftweed (Nov 7, 2012)

FrankSmith said:


> Gosh I thought you had been listening Drift. $25 an hour is not an acceptable hourly rate for a business.


25/hr is what I pay the employee. Customer pays me 75.

Just checking in on ideas (dinner @ inlaws)

Yeah, it's kind of a toss up between Dr bath or a renu or nu style name.

This company will be under the parent company of rental rehab. So all of rental rehabs tubs will be sent to the new company.

On a bright note, I bid my first residential paint job today and got it.


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## Metro M & L (Jun 3, 2009)

Bet you make more on bath tubs than you do painting.


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## FrankSmith (Feb 21, 2013)

hdavis said:


> Nu-spa, renu-spa for a name - you want to to seem more glamorous than a tub, and evoke a good feeling from potential clients. You might want to pick graphics along with the name....
> 
> Bath refinishing for what you do, unless you want to keep it narrow for now.


 I have a guy who has done some tubs for me. He charge $450 and can do 2 tubs a day. He also does repairs and more extensive bathroom refinishes (sink, tile and so on). He is always busy.


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

I thought "bath rescue" was the best.

And charge $486.14, trust me...


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## Driftweed (Nov 7, 2012)

alright, got a cluster of a week ahead of me so won't be posting much. 6 apartments, 1 whole house interior, 2 bathtubs, and my first high end residential repaint ever...all to be completed by next weekend. Sheesh, make money while you can they say, ha....

Onward to marketing. First I do believe I will need a website, so I can get s.e.o cranking up in the background. Now, I have tried the footbridge route but am open to other suggestions. I see alot of people on here have just done it on their own which has peaked my curiosity. What is needed to create a website from scratch?

I am going to need you guys to guide me through this as I know absolutely zip about building a site. Suggestions?


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## sunkist (Apr 27, 2012)

Driftweed said:


> 25/hr is what I pay the employee. Customer pays me 75.
> 
> Just checking in on ideas (dinner @ inlaws)
> 
> ...


Great news on the paint job :thumbsup: Did you throw in a tub refinnish :laughing:


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## SectorSecurity (Nov 26, 2013)

First thing secure yourself a domain name then get yourself some hosting.

Do you plan to build it yourself or pay someone to do it?

If you pay someone make sure you purchase the domain name and hosting so you can remain in control of it.

I see bath reglazing being hard to sell as most people would loom and go well HD sells a new tub for 300 or less forgetting about the labor.


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## Driftweed (Nov 7, 2012)

sunkist said:


> Great news on the paint job :thumbsup: Did you throw in a tub refinnish :laughing:


$225k house and the guy decided to paint a few rooms. Then decided brushwork sucks and its time to bring in the pro's. So once I rescue him, I am sure he will want us to finish the house. Bathtub refinishing will be brought up during the job as small talk about other things we do. Kind of like a soft sell.



SectorSecurity said:


> First thing secure yourself a domain name then get yourself some hosting.
> 
> Do you plan to build it yourself or pay someone to do it?
> 
> ...


How hard is it to do it all myself? Will it take up a lot of my spare time? I am willing to invest a few hours after work each day on it, but if it's extremely involved I may pass it off to footbridge.

I sell bathtubs with this main argument: Sure you BUY a new tub for $300, but you have to factor in demo, disposal, plumbing possibly not lining up, new drywall, painting, etc... Compare that to being able to bring the tub back to new in the same day, without all that demo and hassle an it's a no brainer. $750 for a tub and surround glaze compared done in 1 day versus 3 day MINIMUM to swap a tub and surround and at least $3k well you get the idea. I make sure to bring this up during the sales visit, and encourage them to call bath fitter, re-bath, etc... for quotes. I already know those companies will be my price with an extra zero.:thumbup:

I warranty residential work for 10 years, commercial 3 years.


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## SectorSecurity (Nov 26, 2013)

How involved creating a site can be is up to you.

You could spend a few hours each week and come up with something decent but if you want to be the next Facebook then you may want to outsource.


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## joebisson (Feb 25, 2015)

Very good!


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## joebisson (Feb 25, 2015)

Agreed. My website guy and seo guy lets me focus on my business...


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## Driftweed (Nov 7, 2012)

Yeah, I'm really at a toss up on it. I like footbridge, but am kind of passively interested in doing it myself.


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## Mordekyle (May 20, 2014)

Restroom Rx


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## Tomstogs (Dec 3, 2014)

*RE: building a business from scratch*

I would hit the listing agents hard. They are the ones giving home sellers advice on "updates" that should be done before listing. Offer the agent a kick back for referrals. Getting them on board will take a lot of networking and schmoozing though. 
As a business owner and leader always remember the acronym HUBU. Stands for highest use best use. "Is what I am doing the highest, best use of my time, energy, resources?" Leave the website to the pros. Darrenslaughter(dot)com is a great resource for this and they specialize in building websites for contractors. Or whoever you feel comfy building it. Just be careful with the HUBU though...it can get you feeling pretty guilty about binge watching the Walking Dead instead of typing up some proposals.


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## KAP (Feb 19, 2011)

Bathtub Medic "we put new life into your existing tub" or "we renew your existing tub" or "we give your old tub new life"


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## EXO (Apr 13, 2014)

if you haven't decided yet...

Bath Doctor >>> Doctor Bath IMO

Doctor Bath sounds like you are doctor with the name Bath. Bath doctor sounds much more natural as a contractor name. There's a reason why it is a lot more popular name.


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## SamM (Dec 13, 2009)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> Worked for me. Libby is a ridiculous name btw...


My wife's grandmother was nicknamed Libby. Shortened form of Elizabeth.


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## Sabagley (Dec 31, 2012)

Sabagley said:


> My daughters name is Libby....


Oops, I guess I got caught up in the heat of the moment. I don't have a daughter named Libby. Or a daughter for that matter.


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## dprimc (Mar 13, 2009)

Putting together a good website and focusing on SEO will be huge. Make sure you have a blog and write good content.

An while many people may not have heard of your service, many people will still be Googling "Fixing a chipped bathtub" or "Restoring and old tub."

If your site can get decent rankings you can put content in blog articles to focus on what people will be searching for. They may not know about tub refinishing, but there is a demographic that will search and you want them to find you.

You may want to look into Google search data to see what kind of numbers the service keywords are getting and what searches are most popular.


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## Driftweed (Nov 7, 2012)

Here's the kicker though...In the early months of having a separate website for this separate company, should I maintain a separate phone number? I believe it would be odd to have the same number for both companies.

I am currently setting up Rental Rehab to run on 100% subcontractors so I can focus on this new business venture. If all goes well with the subcontractor route over the next few months, I may make the plunge.

And since it takes a few months to rank anyway, I figure why not get the website rolling while I am doing that, ya know?

Another plus: There are currently 3 bathtub refinishers in my area including me. I met one of the other ones yesterday and we had quite the nice chat. He is the biggest of us 3 and EVERYONE knows him, but he has no web presence at all. We talked shop, and he seemed like a nice fellow. Even offered some positive advice about breaking into the residential side. He says the market is getting red hot, I can tell because I am starting to pickup his slack because customers say he is booked out 3 months and they just don't want to wait. 

We even compared services offered and pricing and we seem to be within a very close range of each other.

I am starting to believe that by establishing a web presence will be worth it. It would be a huge advantage on my end.


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## kwunch (Apr 27, 2014)

Are there a lot of older houses in your area? Making sure you can, and mention that you can, recondition older farmhouse sinks and claw foot tubs, things of that nature, might be a huge seller. Hell, you might even be able to buddy up with a plumber and do installs on those things. I see them on craigslist every now and again and wonder what it would take to make it shine like new (girlfriend watches HGTV often, and sees them popping up on remodeling shows more and more frequently).

In my area there are a few "preservation districts," and people bend over backwards and fork over cash over like they'll never miss it when people can give them the feeling of "this is new, but it fits in well with my 125 year old home."

With that said, if you have preservation districts or anything like that around you then you should look around for stores specializing in historically accurate house parts. We have a few. If they sell old sinks and tubs you may be able to leave behind a stack of business cards or pamphlets in their store.


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## libbycop (Dec 5, 2011)

Driftweed said:


> Here's the kicker though...In the early months of having a separate website for this separate company, should I maintain a separate phone number? I believe it would be odd to have the same number for both companies.
> 
> I am currently setting up Rental Rehab to run on 100% subcontractors so I can focus on this new business venture. If all goes well with the subcontractor route over the next few months, I may make the plunge.
> 
> ...


I would think if your going to go for it-then do the website-No doubt if done properly you will get many calls

A couple of jobs will pay for the site

The thing is- be prepared for the additional workload-sounds like you got alot going on- can you handle it

Thats the bigger question and a good problem to have!

Good Luck!


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## Driftweed (Nov 7, 2012)

Right now I simply cannot take more work, but yet can't seem to say no. Hey if people are willing to pay...

The paint side should calm down here in another few weeks. I've already got one sub doing some kickass work at my highest volume customer, and thought I had a second signed up and ready to go but he suddenly fell off the face of the earth. Sad thing is I took on a heavy workload for him and now he's backing out. Starting to make me really nervous...

And while I am scheduling all of this I have a backlog of 10 bathtubs to do when I find the time (something I won't be subbing out quite yet). I am almost afraid to start a website because I just don't want the calls ha


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## Driftweed (Nov 7, 2012)

Update:

I have finally drawn up a through business plan for Bath Doctor. Took me all week calling around and developing a marketing budget to finalize the details. I have my target clientelle, marketing budget, equipment, etc.. all in place. I am hoping for a July Launch date:thumbup:

Did you know that for $375/month yelp has a killer advertising program? They will even send out a professional crew to shoot a 90 second commercial for your company. I will marketing on various facebook for sale groups, craigslist, angies list, and yelp, as well as my own footbridge site. Sine there is virtually no online competition in my area I plan on doing 100% online marketing to see how that works out.

Business cards are first in line though and I plan on having those made next week.


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## Agility (Nov 29, 2013)

Yeah Yelp has a great pitch. I just signed up for a three month trial, which doesn't include the video crew, to see how it does in my area. I already get calls from my free listing, though, so I expect I'll want to sign on for a year and get the little video shoot thing.


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## Driftweed (Nov 7, 2012)

August first is launch date, All I need now is a logo for branding. Any suggestions? I am actually getting a bit excited for this. I know not to expect much the first six months, but I just have a gut feeling it may very well wind up being a success.

Last night I had a eureeka idea for a very aggressively priced "bathroom refresh" service. But first let's refinish tubs first.


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## SamM (Dec 13, 2009)

Driftweed said:


> August first is launch date, All I need now is a logo for branding. Any suggestions? I am actually getting a bit excited for this. I know not to expect much the first six months, but I just have a gut feeling it may very well wind up being a success.
> 
> Last night I had a eureeka idea for a very aggressively priced "bathroom refresh" service. But first let's refinish tubs first.


I used fivver.com for my logo. Grand total was like 15 bucks and I was quite happy with the results


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## heavy_d (Dec 4, 2012)

Fiverr is hit and miss. I had a couple of the top rated logo guys on there do ones for me and they were crap.


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## SamM (Dec 13, 2009)

heavy_d said:


> Fiverr is hit and miss. I had a couple of the top rated logo guys on there do ones for me and they were crap.


Probably because most of them are using a couple templates and making some modifications. I wanted something that was recognizable and relatively simple. Found exactly what I wanted. 

Not everyone wants the same thing though. Where did you end up getting yours heavy_d?


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## heavy_d (Dec 4, 2012)

I made it myself. Sure its a far cry from what a professional could do... and maybe in a year or two I will shell out some bucks to redo my look.


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## Contractor Joe (Sep 28, 2011)

Driftweed said:


> I don't like putting a specific city name in your company name because it restricts you to that particular geographic region. What would happen if I wanted to expand to Louisville, KY or Indianapolis? Both a very real possibility.
> 
> After re-reading the thread I personally like Dr. Bathtub the best. Marketing wise, it gives me the most catchphrases. So, let's run with that.
> 
> ...


Are you trying to create a digital mailing list or generate leads for that mailing list?

Mailchimp is a reliable and free-provider for this.


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## Driftweed (Nov 7, 2012)

Right now the focus is just getting leads.


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## AGullion (Apr 19, 2015)

New Look Tubs . remember , that market will do well with older homes with cast iron tubs as a rule , so loom at the geography.


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## AGullion (Apr 19, 2015)

Look at the geography


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## Driftweed (Nov 7, 2012)

I like this one. Simple.


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