Setting Yourself Apart From The Rest In Your Market with Simone Bruni and Tommy Mello

Timing and attitude open doors — Simone started her demolition business 10 months after Hurricane Katrina with just $250, seeing opportunity where others saw disaster.

Marketing is to any business what location is to retail — yard signs, welded dumpster billboards, and a hot pink Volvo excavator made her stand out and out-book far bigger competitors.

Tell your story and put a spin on it — social media gives you direct access to consumers to share your voice and image.

Treat your bank account like the holy grail: save relentlessly in the good years, because at some point the bottom falls out or the market shifts.

Keep your ego small and your humility big — skipping the boats and expensive hobbies to reinvest is what keeps a business alive when times get hard.

Get a CRM early to capture every email and phone number in an organized format — you never know when you'll need to reach a past customer.

Differentiate by educating the customer — walk them through the entire process (like asbestos removal), sell on passion and authority, and you'll win the job even against three competing quotes.

Bounce big decisions off a trusted circle before you leap — Simone got burned buying heavy equipment on the wrong advice, so get three to five opinions first.