Craigslist For Small Businesses, Entrepreneurs and Marketers: Get Your Customers for Free.

Hi, my name is Zhenya, and the fact that you are reading this makes it the best thing that has happened to you in the last couple of months.

Two years ago I decided to move from Russia to New York City to pursue the American dream. Back then I had to save every dollar that I had because my future was unclear. As a foreign citizen, I also didn’t have a work permit so I couldn’t have a work permit so I couldn’t be officially employed. That being said – there was no use for my degree in economics and finance. Passionate about entrepreneurship ( and having a huge ego ), I refused to take odd jobs or work as a waiter.

But I still had to pay my bills every month. I had to borrow money, month after month, until my debt reached over $5K. I needed to come up with an idea to not just make ends meet but to also get out of that miserable lifestyle.

I recalled how I once fixed the broken screen on my Nokia cell phone. I decided to give it a try and started fixing electronics.

By watching YouTube, I learned how to fix iPhones and iPads and was ready to start helping humanity with their gadgets. The only problem was – where do I get customers?

The competition for electronics repair in NYC is rigorous. It isn’t a new niche and old established companies have been advertising in newspapers, magazines and online for years. How could I possibly compete with their marketing budgets? I had to act smart and apply some guerrilla marketing strategies.

I knew Craigslist as a website where you go if you need to find an apartment or a room to rent or if you want to buy something used but…