Brian had always imagined his life would kick off after university. At 24, freshly qualified with a Level 3 in plumbing, he felt like the world was at his feet. He wasn’t just any plumber—he was determined to be his own boss. No more taking orders, no more working for someone else. So, the first thing he did after graduation was set up his own plumbing business. The name? *Brian’s Plumbing Services*. Simple and to the point, just like Brian.

To get the ball rolling, he knew he needed a website. He paid a local web design company in Manchester to build him one—a sleek, professional one-page site showcasing his services. It looked sharp, and Brian felt confident. Surely, the customers would come flooding in.

So, he waited. 

And waited some more.

Weeks passed, then months, and not a single call. Brian’s dream of a busy plumbing business began to feel like a distant fantasy. As the excitement faded, reality set in: no customers meant no income. Desperate to stay afloat, Brian found himself applying for part-time jobs. To his dismay, even with his qualification, no plumbing companies were hiring. It seemed like every new plumber in Manchester either had connections in the industry or was already working for a friend.

Running out of options, Brian landed a job at the local Asda, stocking shelves at night. It was a far cry from his vision of success. Every shift, as he stacked tins of beans and cereal boxes, he asked himself how it had all gone so wrong. He had the skills, the qualifications—so why wasn’t he getting any business?

During one of his night shifts, while scrolling through his phone on a break, Brian stumbled upon a website that would change everything: *3local.com*. The bold message on the homepage caught his eye: *“No risk, all reward. Get three months of free customers and see proof it pays for itself 50 times over before signing up. Starting from just £10 per month.”*

It seemed almost too good to be true, but Brian had nothing left to lose. He clicked on the form, which was surprisingly simple. All they needed was his website URL, industry (plumbing, of course), business name (*Brian’s Plumbing Services*), and his home address as his central location. That was it—four pieces of information. He filled it in, submitted his details, and was told he wouldn’t pay anything for the first three months. He set a reminder in his phone to cancel the service in 10 weeks if nothing happened, then went back to stocking shelves, half-forgetting about it.

Days turned into weeks. Brian continued his shifts at Asda, still chasing customers with flyers, networking at local events, and begging friends for referrals. But no matter what he tried, the phone remained silent. He started wondering if maybe plumbing just wasn’t meant for him.

Then, one evening, four weeks after signing up with *3local.com*, something changed.

Brian’s phone buzzed. He glanced at it, expecting another message from a mate. But no—it was a call from an unknown number.

“Hi, is this Brian’s Plumbing Services?” asked a voice on the other end.

Brian’s heart skipped a beat. “Yes, it is. How can I help?”

The woman on the phone explained that her downstairs toilet was overflowing, and she needed someone urgently. Without hesitating, Brian agreed to come out right away. He looked over at his colleague at Asda and said, “I’ve got a job. I’m out of here.”

Without even thinking about it, he quit on the spot. It might’ve been reckless, but Brian didn’t care. He couldn’t spend another minute stocking shelves. He was a plumber, and he finally had a customer.

Brian arrived at the client’s house, fixed the issue, and charged £175 for the job. It was his first proper plumbing gig, and the sense of accomplishment was overwhelming. But as he sat in his van afterward, one question gnawed at him—how had they found him?

He typed “plumbing services Middleton” into Google, and there, at the very top of the page, was *Brian’s Plumbing Services*. His heart raced. How on earth had his website managed to rank number one? He clicked the link, and sure enough, it took him straight to his homepage.

The following days were a blur. More calls started coming in. One from Oldham, another from Ashton-under-Lyne, and another from Droylsden. Brian found himself constantly on the road, taking on job after job. He barely had time to catch his breath. For the first time since leaving university, Brian’s dream was becoming a reality. But amidst the excitement, a question nagged at him: *How was this all happening?*

One evening, after another busy day, Brian sat down and did some digging. When he logged into *3local.com*, the pieces started to come together. The service had built SEO-optimised pages for every town and suburb within his chosen area, allowing his business to rank at the top of Google searches. Middleton wasn’t a one-off—his business was ranking number one in all the surrounding areas, from Stockport to Rochdale.

It felt almost like magic, but the results were undeniable. Brian was booked solid for the next two weeks, and his phone was still ringing. There was just one problem—he was beginning to struggle with the workload.

With all the success he’d seen so far, Brian didn’t hesitate when it came time to upgrade his *3local.com* plan. The £120 annual fee seemed like a small price to pay for the flood of customers he’d received. Not only that, but Brian expanded his coverage to a 600-square-mile radius. He figured if he could handle the work, why not cover a bigger area? The more jobs, the better.

Sure enough, the work continued pouring in. Now he wasn’t just doing jobs in Manchester, but also in places like Bury, Altrincham, and even further afield. Brian’s Plumbing Services had gone from an unknown one-man operation to a thriving local business in less than two months.

One evening, as Brian sat down with his parents over dinner, he proudly showed them the results on his laptop. The map on *3local.com* displayed the vast area he was now covering, and next to it, the statistics showed just how much business was coming in. His dad, who’d always been sceptical about “those online gimmicks,” was left speechless.

“You’re telling me all this came from filling out that tiny form?”

“Yeah,” Brian grinned. “Four pieces of information, and it’s transformed everything.”

Brian had found the golden ticket to local business success. He realised it wasn’t just about being good at his trade—it was about visibility, being found by the right people at the right time. And all it had cost him was £120 a year.

Now, as Brian looks at his fully booked calendar and the steady flow of new customers, he knows one thing for sure: *3local.com* had unlocked the doors to his future. All it took was a simple form, a small investment, and now, his plumbing business was booming—no more stocking shelves at Asda.