u/M45T3RY

Running an HVAC company for the last 7 years and I swear the marketing/SEO world is full of guys who either have no clue what they're doing or are flat out con artists. Every week I get cold calls and DMs from agencies promising "guaranteed page 1 rankings" and "we'll flood your phone with calls."

Last year I bit the bullet with one of these so-called experts. Signed a 6 month contract at $3,500/month so a little over $21k by the end. They promised qualified leads, GMB optimization, content, the whole pitch. End result? 38 form fills (most were tire kickers or wrong service area), maybe 12 actual phone calls, and I closed 4 jobs. Total revenue from those jobs was around $9,200. So I'm down roughly $12k and they had the nerve to send me a "performance recap" calling it a successful campaign because "brand visibility was up." Brand visibility doesn't pay my techs.

What kills me is I cant tell whos legit and whos not anymore. They all use the same buzzwords, same case studies (probably fake), same dashboards full of vanity metrics that mean nothing for actual booked jobs. I've talked to other HVAC and plumbing guys at trade shows and almost every one has a similar horror story.

Im seriously thinking about just learning this stuff myself. There's a digital marketing program at my local community college and a bunch of online courses. At least if I lose money its on my own learning curve and not lining some agency's pockets. Maybe hire one helper part time to handle the grunt work once I know what to actually ask for.

Anyone here run an HVAC, plumbing, or other home services biz and gone the DIY marketing route? Worth it or am I underestimating how much work it is? Also if you've actually found a legit agency that delivers I'd love to hear how you vetted them.

Been in the moving business in Columbus, Ohio for about 8 years. Lately it feels like there are twice as many movers competing for the same volume of jobs. Prices are getting squeezed, customers are getting more quote-sensitive, and the lead quality from third-party sources seems to have dropped. Wondering if this is a local thing or if others across the country are feeling it too. Also curious — are any operators here focusing more on commercial/office moves as a way to get away from the hyper-competitive residential market?

Launched a moving company in Seattle 3 months ago. Just me and two guys right now, doing mostly local residential. I've been relying entirely on word of mouth and a Google Business profile but it's slow going. Someone suggested buying moving leads but I'm not sure if that's practical when we're this small — worried about getting more volume than we can handle, or worse, paying for leads we can't convert because we don't have reviews yet. What did other small operators do in the early days to get jobs rolling in consistently?

Bought a used car out of state (Phoenix) and need to get it back to me in Brooklyn. It's a 2019 BMW 3 Series not a collector car or anything, but I'd rather not have it show up with door dings. Open transport is about $900 and enclosed is around $1,450 for similar timeframes. Is enclosed actually meaningfully safer or is it mostly for peace of mind? Also curious how reliable the delivery window estimates actually are, reviews seem mixed on this.

Officially taking the leap and leaving LA after 8 years. Got a job offer in Chicago and moving in about 10 weeks. I've started getting quotes and the range is enormous anywhere from $2,800 to $7,500 for roughly the same inventory. Some companies are asking for a large deposit upfront which makes me nervous. Anyone done a long distance move out of California recently? What should I be watching out for? I've heard horror stories about brokers vs direct carriers and I'd love to go in more informed.

We're sitting at 47 employees and about to cross the 50 mark which I know has ACA implications. Our broker mentioned that moving into "large group" classification changes how our premiums are calculated; community rating vs experience rating. We're based in Chicago. Wondering if anyone has gone through this transition and noticed a meaningful cost difference. Did your benefits package change significantly? We want to start planning now rather than scrambling when we hit the threshold.

Been running a moving company in South Florida (Miami-Dade area) for 4 years. Last year I started testing paid lead sources alongside our SEO and referral base. Wanted to share what I found in case it helps others in the industry. Organic leads still convert way better for us, about 30% vs 12% on bought leads. BUT the volume from paid sources helped us cover overhead during the off-peak months. The quality really varies by provider. Has anyone else done a proper comparison? Curious what others are seeing in different markets.

My boots are getting pretty dry and stiff to the point where some spots feel rock hard and papery and not very sure what to use on them at this point. I want to bring them back to life before they start cracking. There are so many different oils and conditioners out there and i keep seeing completely opposite opinions on them.

what actually works for bringing my boots back without ruining it?

Trying to understand pest control in Vancouver and how common pest problems usually show up in homes or apartments. I am not looking for company suggestions or treatment advice. I just want to know what early signs indicate a pest issue that needs a professional inspection.

What are the common warning signs people in Vancouver notice before contacting a licensed pest control professional?

Hey everyone, I’ve been seeing a lot of AI outfit generator tools lately and was curious if anyone here has actually used them.

Do they generate realistic looks or is it still kind of hit-or-miss? Also wondering if they’re useful for things like styling ideas or just more of a novelty.

Would be interested to hear what tools you’ve tried and how well they worked.

I've been wanting to do a custom on my all white Air Force Ones for some time, nothing crazy, just some neon accents on the toe box and maybe the heel tab. saw it on a custom page on instagram and it looked insane but instagram is instagram so who knows if it actually held up.

My main concern is cracking. i've had paint jobs on my shoes before and after like 6 weeks of regular wear, the paint just starts to look like spider web at the flex points. It looked terrible. is that just a cheap paint problem or does that happen with good neon paint too?

I'm not sure whether neon reads well on leather in daylight or only under UV. like i want it to actually pop when i'm walking around, not just at a club.

Anyone here actually done neon on leather and stuck with it long term? what did you use and where did you buy from?

I've been wanting to do a custom on my all white Air Force Ones for ages. nothing crazy, just some neon accents on the toe box and maybe the heel tab. I saw it on social media and it looked insane but who knows if it actually held up.

My main concern is cracking. i've had paint jobs on my shoes before bought them precustomized and after like 6 weeks of regular wear, the paint just starts to look like spider web at the flex points. It looked terrible. is that just a cheap paint problem or does that happen with good neon paint too?

I'm not sure if neon reads well on leather in daylight or only under UV. like i want it to actually pop when i'm walking around, not just at a club.

Anyone here actually done neon on leather and stuck with it long term? what did you use and where did you buy from?

Okay I'm at my wit's end. My upstairs toilet has been completely clogged since Wednesday and I've already tried two rounds of Drano and a manual snake - nothing worked. I think there might be something deep in the drain.

I've been searching around online but honestly I never know which local services are legit vs just look good on paper. Has anyone used a Santa Cruz plumber recently for toilet unclogging specifically and would actually recommend them?

Looking for someone who:

• Shows up same day or next day
• Doesn't charge a ridiculous call-out fee just to show up
• Actually fixes the root cause instead of slapping a band-aid on it

Would really appreciate any personal recs from locals. DM or comment below - I'll report back with who I end up going with!