50 lines
2.6 KiB
Markdown
50 lines
2.6 KiB
Markdown
Garage-Sale Playbook – First-Principles Edition
|
||
(Applies anywhere, tuned for Lewisville, Texas)
|
||
|
||
1. Objective
|
||
Maximize net profit (sale receipts – all costs – opportunity cost) while staying within legal and social constraints.
|
||
|
||
2. Universal Constraints
|
||
A. Legal: city ordinances, permit limits, property-line rules, signage rules.
|
||
B. Social: neighbor tolerance, safety, customer trust.
|
||
C. Physical: driveway size, daylight hours, weather.
|
||
|
||
3. Core Levers (first principles)
|
||
· Traffic Volume (# of qualified buyers who see your goods)
|
||
· Conversion Rate (% of viewers who purchase)
|
||
· Average Transaction Value ($ per buyer)
|
||
· Operational Cost (time, money, risk)
|
||
|
||
4. Mapping Lewisville Rules to Levers
|
||
Rule → Lever Effect
|
||
- Free two-per-year permit → caps Traffic Volume (max 2 events)
|
||
- Must be on private property → constrains Traffic Volume (no street spill-over)
|
||
- Online permit by Friday 10 a.m. → adds Operational Cost (deadline risk)
|
||
- Signage only on your lawn → caps Traffic Volume; mitigate with digital ads
|
||
|
||
5. Optimal Tactics (derived from levers)
|
||
Traffic:
|
||
• Schedule on high-footfall weekends (weather app + local events calendar).
|
||
• Post to zero-cost digital channels (FB Marketplace, Nextdoor) the moment permit is approved.
|
||
Conversion:
|
||
• Price anchoring: big bold “$1 table” draws eyeballs → higher walk-up rate.
|
||
• Power strip on site → buyers test electronics instantly → removes friction.
|
||
Transaction Size:
|
||
• Bundle pricing (“3 books for $5”) pushes unit economics up without extra traffic.
|
||
Operational Cost:
|
||
• Use existing tables/chairs, borrow folding racks → cash layout near zero.
|
||
• End-of-day donation run to Goodwill → converts unsold inventory into tax deduction instead of storage cost.
|
||
|
||
6. Day-of Execution Checklist (minimum viable)
|
||
07:30 Permit printed & taped to front window (legal compliance).
|
||
08:00 Two signs max on lawn facing both traffic flows (traffic).
|
||
08:15 Cash apron on + $100 in small bills (operational).
|
||
08:30 QR code taped to table linking to digital price list (conversion).
|
||
14:00 “Half-price last hour” call-out (transaction size).
|
||
14:30 Signs in, lawn swept, leftovers in car for donation (social constraint satisfied).
|
||
|
||
7. Post-Mortem Template
|
||
Net profit = Gross – (permit $0 + ad spend $0 + time 8 h × self-wage $15) – unsold write-off $0 (donated).
|
||
If profit ≥ target, replicate. If not, adjust Traffic (better ad copy), Conversion (pricing), or Transaction Size (more bundles).
|
||
|
||
Document once, reuse forever. |