I’m a reader, but I stumbled upon John Hoda’s My Favorite Detective Stories podcast upon it’s inception nearly two years ago. I make it a habit to regularly catch up on episodes every month or so.
Much to my surprise, Mr. Hoda contacted me back in November after Pinow ran an article I wrote about operating as a solo private investigator. You can check that article out here, if you are so inclined.
As a result, I recorded a session with John Hoda for his podcast in December and it will air in March.
During our discussion, I discovered that Mr. Hoda has authored a book that walks new, aspiring, and even seasoned private investigators through best steps to launch, market, and boost their private investigation business.
All I can say is, where was this book when I was piecing together my own research in creating New Hope Investigations?
Five days after recording our session, Mr. Hoda’s book arrived on my doorstep as a gift. What a classy guy.
After finishing his book, I HAD to write a review.
If you are considering starting up your own private investigation business, if you’ve just recently opened a PI business, or if you are operating a struggling PI business, this book is for you. I don’t necessarily fall into any of these categories, and I still found the book to be most helpful and inspiring.
Mr. Hoda’s book is divided into three sections. In the first, he compiles all the necessary steps to launch a private investigation business.
When I launched my own business back in 2016, I pieced together a personalized plan based on research I conducted. I learned what to do and how to do it by connecting with seasoned private investigators, reading multiple books, attending a few conferences, and finding a mentor. I also Googled the crap out of everything related to private investigators and starting a business.
During the time of my own business launch, John Hoda’s book had not yet hit the shelves. Oh, how I wish it would have been a resource for me a few years ago! It could very nearly have been my one-stop shop and saved me much time and effort in locating bits and pieces of solid advice in a million different places.
However, even though I’ve been in business for four years, I have still found Mr. Hoda’s book to be incredibly helpful. While the first section of his book covers launching a new business, sections two and three address marketing and boosting that business. No matter how long you have been in business, who can’t afford to market better and achieve more success?
So these are my top 10 takeaways from John Hoda’s book:
Begin your business with the end in mind. What is your exit strategy?
If your business is floundering, the answer might not be to close up shop, but to instead just pivot your plan.
After researching and planning the ins and outs of the business side of your PI venture (accounting, invoicing, marketing, taxes, etc), if you aren’t still all in and excited to plow forward, you should probably rethink your decision to start a PI business.
Learn new skill sets that align with the services you already provide.
Keep track of EVERYTHING. It can’t be measured if it’s not recorded.
Upsell when it’s logical.
Create marketing around your target audience that appeals to their needs and identifies and solves their problems.
Don’t try to be everything to everyone.
Most private investigation companies peak at the level of the owner’s core set of competencies.
Work on marketing five hours every week to keep your pipeline full.
I can’t be more clear. If you are considering opening up your own private investigation business, do NOT move forward until you have read John Hoda’s How to Rocket Your Private Investigation Business - The Complete Series.
If you are currently running a private investigation business, no matter how long you have been in business, read this book! I promise you will find some valuable takeaways that will improve your business on many levels.
You can find Mr. Hoda’s book on Amazon for $29.95 or $19.95 for the Kindle version. If you’re only interested in one or two of his three-book series, you can also opt to buy one book at a time for $14.95 or $9.95 for the Kindle versions.
Do it. You won’t be sorry.