If only there was a way to get customers cheaply and easily. (There is, but it costs you.)

There are three ways to pay for customers in a small business. You can pay with money. That's paid advertising. I've tried Facebook. I can easily spend £200 to £300 to get about 12 leads. You have to really know your numbers. Know how much a customer is worth to you over their lifetime before you can say whether it's working. It really does matter. You can lose a lot of money very, very quickly. Meta's great at taking the cash off you. You can pay with time. Networking events. You have to carve out time to go to the same event regularly. They take time to establish yourself as a friendly face. And then there's following up on people. Or you can pay with thinking. How much thinking you have to do. I pay with thinking. Usually, I'm trying to think about how I can make the customer's experience better. How I can make them feel special. I always do my PMMFS. Please make me feel special. If you can get your customers to feel special, they'll use word of mouth. That's always useful. They tell other people to come along and experience it. I do my best thinking on my own. Sometimes it's a walk up to the local shop. Sometimes it's the corner of the pub, a pint, and a notebook. Not talking to anybody. I can't think and talk to others at the same time. I always have pens. Always. If the notebook's missing, I'll split a beer mat and write on the back of that. Sometimes the cost is two. Sometimes it's all three. Producing content costs thinking and time. Blogs, social media posts. It takes time to type and edit and take pictures. It's what I'm doing here. Every business is different. Every owner is different. Some will spend more money. Some will spend the time. Some will do the thinking. You might have an inkling which one you are. You might not. Here are a few small things you could try in your business. Each one costs you something. A bit of money, a bit of time, a bit of thinking. Claim your Google profile and update it. Do you want a pickled egg with that? Charge extra for before 9 or after 5. Send past customers a three-line email. Imagine a film star walks into your shop, and ask what you'd do for them that you don't do for everyone else. Make your own special day. Run a competition, and make the prize your top offer. Don't give away laptops if you're selling wedding services. One of them might suit your business. They might not. That's what Find the Block is for. One session, one to one, on Zoom, under an hour. We work out which of the three you'd rather pay with, and the one small thing that fits your business. It might be one of these. It might be something else we come up with. You leave with one thing to do the next morning. £60 for the first five places. The waiting list costs nothing. It closes at 6pm on Sunday 15 November, and places go out at midday on Monday 16 November.

https://first.magnitude.biz/find-the-block Magnitude, for people who would rather know what it costs.

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## Questions small business owners ask

**How can a small business get more customers cheaply?**

There's no free route, but there are three ways to pay for customers: money, time or thinking. Money is paid advertising. Time is networking events and following up with people. Thinking is working out how to make your customers' experience better. Which one suits you depends on you and your business.

**How much do Facebook ads cost for a small business in the UK?**

It varies a lot. Published UK guides put the cost of a Facebook lead anywhere from about £5 to £40 or more. In my experience, £200 to £300 got me about 12 leads. That's leads, not customers. Know how much a customer is worth to you over their lifetime before you spend, or you can lose a lot of money very quickly.

**How can I get customers without paying for advertising?**

Pay with time or thinking instead. With time, go to the same networking event regularly, so people get to know you as a friendly face, then follow up. With thinking, work out how to make your customers feel special. If they do, they'll tell other people to come along and experience it. That word of mouth is always useful.

**What are some small ways to get more customers for my business?**

Claim and update your Google profile. Offer an upsell, like "do you want a pickled egg with that?". Charge extra for before 9 or after 5. Send past customers a three-line email. Make your own special day with a deal. Run a competition where the prize is your top offer. Don't give away laptops if you're selling wedding services.

**What is Find the Block?**

Find the Block is one session, one to one, on Zoom, under an hour. We work out which of the three you'd rather pay with, and the one small thing that fits your business. You leave with one thing to do the next morning. It's £60 for the first five places, and the waiting list costs nothing. It closes at 6pm on Sunday 15 November 2026.