Everyone always asks me how I’m able to bring in $25-50k every Christmas season while working a full time job. This is pretty much how. I don’t have to deal with the time sucking repetitive processes for the dozens and dozens of leads I get. I used to spend my evenings doing all the follow up. 1. Lead Capture: • A potential client visits your website and fills out a contact form requesting a quote for Christmas light installation. 2. Automation Trigger: • The form submission triggers an automated email thanking the lead for their interest and letting them know someone will reach out with a quote soon. • The system assigns the task of creating the quote to your team. 3. Task Assignment: • Once the task is assigned, the estimator receives a notification to create the quote and uploads it into the system. 4. Quote Sent: • Once the quote is completed, an automated email and SMS are sent to the lead with the quote attached. The lead is also sent a link to book an installation date. 5. Follow-up Sequence: • If the lead doesn’t respond within 2 days, a follow-up SMS and email are automatically sent, reminding them about the quote and offering to answer any questions. • After 7 days of no response, a final email is sent, offering a limited-time discount to encourage action. 6. Conversion: • Once the lead books a service, the automation triggers a workflow to schedule the installation, notify the crew, and send a confirmation email with the booking details. • Post-installation, an email is automatically sent requesting a review or testimonial. Here’s an example of how a realtor or any other service business could apply this to their workflow: 1. Lead Capture: • A potential buyer submits an inquiry on your real estate website regarding a home listing they’re interested in. 2. Automation Trigger: • The form submission triggers an automated email thanking the lead for their interest in the property, providing a link to the property details, and setting an expectation that you will contact them soon.

I started my Christmas light side hustle about three seasons ago. In the first season, we were all over the place, with no systems or processes in place. I was only able to make about $3k because I wasn’t charging enough, didn’t have a reliable supplier, and didn’t have any project management software. I was trying to keep track of everything myself without any software to help. By the second year, we made some progress and ended up doing about $10k. I implemented a quoting system and became more organized with follow-ups and got an actual supplier, but I knew further growth required more robust systems, especially since I was still working a full-time job and trying to do everything after work. Last year, I finally scaled to about $25k in a month by hiring employees and streamlining my processes. This allowed me to efficiently manage the business, focus on growth, and deliver better service to my clients. If you have questions about how to apply systems to your business let me know!