Author Topic: Should I change my cell phone to local area code for my small side hustle biz?  (Read 3370 times)

tag

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Quick question for y’all...

I’m starting a tiny side business and about to throw together a quick 3 page, static website.

My cell phone area code is 206 but I live in 704. Should I change my phone number so people know they are dealing with a local when seeing my contact info?

To complicate things further, we are moving to 208 in 6 months. So if I change now, I’d have to change again because that will be our long term home.

Bottom line question is would an out of state area code ever stop you from doing business with someone? In case it matters, I work in people’s homes as a Personal Organizer/Minimizer.

maizefolk

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Can you just set up a forwarding number? For example a local area code google voice number which rings through to your cell phone.

tag

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Well that would be an easy solve. Thanks for the idea - will research.

Goldielocks

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If you don't change the zip code, definitely co-locate your in-state office address immediately adjacent to where the phone number is displayed.   I think people understand that area codes are a bit more flexible these days than they used to be.

cchrissyy

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a google voice number that forwards to your cell is the way to go

or, you can get a toll free number.  a decade ago, I used Accessline for that, through costco, under $10/m and it was great bc it would ring to the office landline during the day but to my cell in the evening, which was what I needed at the time, and I never had ot giv eout the actual cell number or local office number, just told everybody the toll free line, put that on the website and business cards, etc

the one thing you super never ever want to do is give out your personal number. especially not on you website.  somewhere along the way somebody did learn my actual cell number, maybe a vendor or maybe from legal docs, I don't know, but the point is I still have the same personal cell and even though that business was closed, my number was obviously sold to some marketing list because I get cold calls from people trying to sell things to my old business needs, even now.

SC93

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I see a few things here. First of all, since you will be moving in 6 months, get a Google number with the new area code now and just forward it to the future area code number. It used to be different but now here is how Google Voice works. Once you get a number, in order to get another number on that same phone it will cost you to change it. What you can do is get a Google number on your phone now if you wish and use it for 6 months. Then when you move, get a number on a family member's phone. Then all you have to do is add your phone to the family member's Google number. But, it would be wiser to get the future area code and number now.

On the other hand.... it's doubtful anyone will see your number or site anyway, if you plan to just throw up a website so it really doesn't matter that much. Unless you know what you are doing with SEO & websites. And if you know what you are doing then you know it would be best to get your future area code and not change that number on your site.

tag

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I see a few things here. First of all, since you will be moving in 6 months, get a Google number with the new area code now and just forward it to the future area code number. It used to be different but now here is how Google Voice works. Once you get a number, in order to get another number on that same phone it will cost you to change it. What you can do is get a Google number on your phone now if you wish and use it for 6 months. Then when you move, get a number on a family member's phone. Then all you have to do is add your phone to the family member's Google number. But, it would be wiser to get the future area code and number now.

On the other hand.... it's doubtful anyone will see your number or site anyway, if you plan to just throw up a website so it really doesn't matter that much. Unless you know what you are doing with SEO & websites. And if you know what you are doing then you know it would be best to get your future area code and not change that number on your site.

I read it a few times but am not quite following. What about Google voice number now to mask my out of state number...and in 6 months when I move, just change my actual phone number entirely to include local area code? I’ll change my phone number anyway when we move bc I want to have a local phone number as this is our very last move.

Fishindude

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In this day and age a non local area code isn't real unusual.   I don't think you will gain much by changing it.

SC93

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Just get a new number for the city you will end up in.

But as I said above, a website without SEO is worthless so if you are just going to 'throw' a website up, you could use your neighbor's number if you want because no one will ever see it anyway.

What type of side hustle are you going to be doing? For example, for someone doing house cleaning, they better come out with some fire power or a lot of money because that business has some heavy hitters that spend some serious cash on SEO. But, if you are going to teach people how to wash their hair.... that would be a simple business to get at the top of the 1st page since you will have no competition. It really depends what your business is.

tag

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Just get a new number for the city you will end up in.

But as I said above, a website without SEO is worthless so if you are just going to 'throw' a website up, you could use your neighbor's number if you want because no one will ever see it anyway.

What type of side hustle are you going to be doing? For example, for someone doing house cleaning, they better come out with some fire power or a lot of money because that business has some heavy hitters that spend some serious cash on SEO. But, if you are going to teach people how to wash their hair.... that would be a simple business to get at the top of the 1st page since you will have no competition. It really depends what your business is.

SC93, I don't want to come off as contradictory...I always read your posts because I know you built a business from the ground up and seem to really love guiding other beginner entrepreneurs. But I want to share what has been working for me since it is the opposite of what you might typically coach others into doing. Doesn't mean it would work for everyone - maybe I'm on a lucky streak. Who knows!

I ended up getting a google number and I'll change my phone number when we move this summer.

I started a professional organizing business. Specializing in organizing, retirement downsizing and minimizing. I help people organize their physical spaces, their schedules and their lives in a way that reflects their deepest desires and highest priorities.

I am shocked to be able to say this but I already have more business than I can handle. I was prepared to never actually get a client. I'm going to delay creating a website because I don't have a need for one right now. I am creating a business fb page and basically skipping SEO altogether because I actually don't want to advertise. I'm only using it as a way to communicate with clients (messenger). And my real goal is not for strangers to find me off of google searches. Since I don't need the money (already FIRE), this has to always be fun and feel good to me. So my goal is to work almost entirely from word of mouth.

SC93

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Sometimes things work for a person when it doesn't work for any others but.... how is my post contradictory?

tag

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It's not. I said I don't want my reply to come off that way. You just seemed really firm in some of your beliefs and/or advice..."a website without SEO is worthless"....but, it always depends!

SC93

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No, it doesn't depend..... unless you lead them personally to your website. Without SEO no one on earth can find your website. That is a fact. This day and age it is more so than ever. Google uses that information to lead people to the most relevant information on the web. A website without SEO wouldn't rank anywhere within the first few hundred or maybe thousand pages and maybe more, depending. So according to Google, not me, a website without SEO is worthless.... unless you lead people there. You can lead them there through Facebook or Instagram or what ever but no one will ever google what ever you do in what ever city you are in and find your site without SEO. And if you are going to lead them there through Facebook or any other social media site then why not just converse with them through that site instead of leading them to another site on the internet?

That's not being mean..... that is how it works. I didn't make the rules. :)

CareCPA

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No, it doesn't depend..... unless you lead them personally to your website. Without SEO no one on earth can find your website. That is a fact. This day and age it is more so than ever. Google uses that information to lead people to the most relevant information on the web. A website without SEO wouldn't rank anywhere within the first few hundred or maybe thousand pages and maybe more, depending. So according to Google, not me, a website without SEO is worthless.... unless you lead people there. You can lead them there through Facebook or Instagram or what ever but no one will ever google what ever you do in what ever city you are in and find your site without SEO. And if you are going to lead them there through Facebook or any other social media site then why not just converse with them through that site instead of leading them to another site on the internet?

That's not being mean..... that is how it works. I didn't make the rules. :)
I think you're well aware that Google ads for a local service business are very powerful. Negate the need for full-blown SEO as well.

SC93

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Here is what I know...... in my cleaning, lawn care and appliance business I've taken every website to the 1st page. For actual search terms, not stupid ones people never use. Got 3 calls (98% of calls = buyers) from my website today (and almost every day). I'm betting my 1 hours worth of SEO work against all those ads any day because I've made lots of money from it. That's how I sold 2 lawn care businesses for so much money within a few months of starting each one.

My buddy paid a ton of money for one of those 'professional' companies to run google ads for him. I'm not sure if he has ever got a call to this day for them. Just to prove my point to him I secretly made him a website and within 30 days he was getting calls from it. He asked me where they could be coming from so I told him.... then I took the website down. He then said he would pay me instead of the 'professional' ad running company high tech people. I said nope..... you didn't trust me to begin with so I won't do it now. He gets his business word of mouth nowadays. Which is good but while he now makes $50k a year he could have been making $500k.

Y'all believe what you want and spend all the money that you want, it doesn't matter to me. I do my own thing. Doing my own thing is how I got to where I am today. Not only did I expect it but I'm sure before the month is over 3 more people will tell me different also. I'd sure like to see their bank accounts to back up with they say. I don't know.... but as for me, I never click those ads when I search for something.... do you?