You have to love the ingenuity
You have to love the ingenuity

When I came home after work last Wednesday night I discovered a note taped to my front door.  I’ve scanned it in and posted it to the right.  Basically this guy is putting up notices that they’re going to be coming by the following day to repaint the numbers on the curb.  I LOVE this idea!

  • It’s easy. Just fill out the flyer and hang it outside – they take care of everything else.
  • No risk. If they are going to paint your address and then come around asking for payment, you can always refuse if you think they did a bad job.
  • It’s cheap. His flyer was printed up on half a sheet of paper, so it probably cost him no more than $0.10 for two flyers – plus the half-inch of masking tape.  The advertising costs are bare-bones.  The materials amount to a few stencils and some spray paint.
  • It’s quick. I’m guessing with a proper stencil and some paint, you could whip out a curb address number in about a minute or so.
  • It’s a cash business. I didn’t see anything there about their tax ID number.
  • Slick advertising. They appeal to your sense of safety and security (helping the police, fire department, et cetera find you quickly) and your sense of community (suggesting it is more effective when the whole neighborhood joins in).

But, why stop there?  I bet you could make even MORE money if you took this entire enterprise further:

  • Volume is key. Having as many houses on a single street is probably optimal.  So, putting a little extra polish on these flyers could probably help a lot.  Invest in better paper and use a paper cutter rather than scissors.  Anything to help score a few more houses per street.
  • Price is key. I have to wonder how many people are paying for this service.  What’s the optimal price point?  I’m guessing for $10.00 you might be able to capture a lot more homes on a given street than the $20.00 they’re suggesting.
  • Look important. I’m always getting official looking junk mail – sometimes I even open it.  I’d say use bond paper, a decent home printer or your local printer, print something up that implies you are affiliated with the city or county.  Have an address, phone number, and website ready.
  • Location, location, location. If I were running such a business I would do a little homework.  I would find a well kept neighborhood with a Home Owner’s Association – some area that probably has a vested interest in maintaining the upkeep around their homes.
  • Look really important. If I were doing this, my letterhead would say I was with the “Home Owner’s Association Maintenance Co-Operative of Contra Costa County.”  I’d send out letters a week ahead saying that a person’s street has been scheduled for yearly curbside maintenance, that the HOAMCOCCC was going to through the following week to paint the numbers on an entire street a uniform color and returning the following day to collect payment.

Why in the world did I go to law school?  What a colossal waste of time!  I could probably more per hour stenciling sidewalks than I do as an attorney.  I’m half tempted to give it a shot anyhow.  :)

Anyhow, this just goes to show no matter how bad things are, someone has thought of a way to make money.

Hey everyone!  More workers compensation calculators!
Hey everyone! More workers' compensation calculators!

I’m working on several more workers compensation calculators.  I’m really excited about one of them in particular.  ((Photo courtesy of Wal mink))

I’ve been working to develop calculators and search engines that are easier to use, easier to understand, and make them available to everyone for less than my competitors.  One benefit to doing it all myself is that I can innovate faster than anyone else.  For instance, my wildly popular Ogilvie calculator was available to beta testers just days after the Ogilvie case came out.

But, this new calculator is something entirely new.  Tantalized?  Titilated?  Tremulous?

Stay tuned!

love
Permanent disability calculators only a workers' compensation nerd could love

And, really, what’s not to love about free permanent disability calculators? ((Photo courtesy of aWee)) ((That’s a picture of an accounting sheet!))

A few days ago I disparaged the MicroSoft and their new search engine, Bing.com.  Today I tried a search for “permanent disability calculator” on their site.  Guess who’s at the top? ((Hint: the website’s name rhymes with “PDRater“))

Search engine optimization, like fortune,  is a fickle creature. ((This post has been brought to you by O Fortuna and the Rubaiyat.)) ((Look at me, waxing all philosophical!))

We can

It turns out that this website is actually in the top 5% of all blogs in the WORLD.  Where did I get this incredible statistic?  The Internets, of course. ((Photo courtesy of Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com))

While there are some 133,000,000 blogs in the world, all but 7,400,000 of them have been abandoned.  ((Apparently not updating a blog in four months is considered abandoning it.))  Since I add a blog post on average at least once a week, I’m quite safely in the top 7.4 million blogs.  That doesn’t even count the number of updates to the permanent impairment and permanent disability calculators.

Top 5%!  I wish I had prepared a speech.

Work Comp Rockstar
Work Comp Rock Star!

A few months ago I had a client recognize my name from this website.  I believe her words were, “Hey!  You’re Mr. PDRater!”

Yesterday another workers’ compensation attorney recognized my name from this website.

That’s right, I’m now a work comp rock star!  Woo hoo! ((Photo courtesy of Joe Pemberton))

FYI, this morning I’m the Sacramento WCAB.  Stop me and say hello!