The business in one offer
Who it serves
One established local contractor with available capacity, a defined service area and someone who follows up promptly.
What to sell first
A capped pilot of qualified inbound enquiries for one service. Define location, job type, exclusivity, duplicate handling, contact permission and rejection criteria.
The commercial asset is a trusted acquisition and qualification process. Validate buyer economics before purchasing traffic; a lead is not a booked or profitable job.
What could it cost to start?
This is an original example budget for the limited pilot described above. It is not a researched market average or a complete quote for every location.
| Item to price | Example allowance |
|---|---|
| Landing page and domain | $150.00 |
| Forms and tracking tests | $100.00 |
| Acquisition test allowance | $300.00 |
| Contract and setup allowance | $250.00 |
| Example total | $800.00 |
What this assumes—and excludes
Existing basic skills, computer or transport where needed, and a suitable place to work. Excludes owner pay, living costs, major premises or vehicle purchases, and any local requirements not covered by the allowances. Replace every allowance with a quote before committing.
Collect actual supplier, insurance and local-authority information. Add a reserve for delays and unexpected costs; the example total is not a funding recommendation.
How the unit economics work
At an assumed $50.00 per accepted enquiry and $25.00 in direct costs, contribution is $25.00 before monthly fixed costs, owner pay and taxes. With 0.4 all-in working hours per unit, that is $62.50 per delivery hour before those deductions. These inputs illustrate the arithmetic; they do not establish a market price or expected earnings.
The example also allows $150.00 in monthly fixed costs. Include unpaid acquisition and administrative time when deciding whether the offer is worthwhile.
Try your own numbers
These are editable planning assumptions, not prices we have verified. Calculations stay in your browser.
Operating result = (price − direct cost) × units − monthly fixed costs. Before owner pay, taxes, financing and startup recovery. At these inputs, delivery requires 4 hours per month, plus any work not included in your per-unit estimate. Sales volume is a scenario, not a forecast.
How to find the first customers
Test a small offer before scaling traffic. Record the source of each enquiry, whether it fits the offer, and whether the buyer pays.
- Interview three contractors about jobs they accept and reject.
- Build a transparent service-request page that explains who receives the enquiry.
- Run one capped, consent-based acquisition experiment and reconcile every accepted and rejected lead.
What to validate before spending more
- Secure a buyer agreement before spending.
- Verify form consent, routing and deletion handling.
- Measure cost per accepted lead and buyer follow-up, not raw form fills.
The operational catch
Do not pretend to be the contractor or create a fake local storefront. Consumer consent, advertising, privacy and calling rules depend on the channel and location.
A practical way to fund the first step
Sell a clearly scoped landing-page or enquiry-management service first, then use net cash for a small acquisition test.
Separate cash already available from money still to earn. Count only proceeds after direct expenses, and do not spend customer funds needed to fulfill their existing orders.
Questions before you start
Can a lead generation site get a Google Business Profile?
Google lists lead-generation agents and companies as ineligible. Build truthful web content and permitted acquisition channels instead of a fabricated business location.
Source-backed checks
These references support the specific checks below. They do not endorse this business idea or substantiate the example prices, costs or demand.
Google lists lead-generation agents and companies as ineligible for Business Profiles. Google Business Profile: Business eligibility and ownership guidelines.
The FTC’s MediaAlpha action addresses misleading lead collection and downstream marketing. Federal Trade Commission: Lead generation: lessons from the MediaAlpha settlement.
- Business eligibility and ownership guidelinesGoogle Business Profile · Reference checked September 8, 2026
- Lead generation: lessons from the MediaAlpha settlementFederal Trade Commission · 2025-08 · Reference checked September 8, 2026
Turn this into your own plan.
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