Happy Thursday!
Before I dive in, I get this question all the time: “How do I actually make money with all these AI tools?” Thats why I built Playmakers: my AI agency program where I teach you how to charge local businesses $500-$5,000 a month to set up and manage AI for them. You get three live calls a week, plug-and-play automation templates you can deploy for clients on day one, a 5 Day First Client Challenge, and my personal lead lists with businesses in your area ready to connect.120+ people are already in the community building agencies right now. Go to playmakersai.com and check it out.
Okay, let’s get into it!
Every semi on the highway is pulling a trailer, and plenty of truckers rent theirs instead of buying one. For six years, Eli was the guy renting them out. I sat down with him a few weeks ago and he explained to me exactly how he makes so much money doing this.
The Business
Started with one trailer and a $4,000 insurance policy
Grew to 300 trailers and $250,000 a month in revenue
Cleared $40,000 to $50,000 a month in profit
Ran it from his phone in Colombia with two virtual employees
Recently sold it for seven figures
Never bought a single trailer
If this interests you, watch or listen to the full walk-through on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and by the end, you will have everything you need to start your own trailer leasing business!
Not into trucking? Eli said the same playbook works with smaller 15 to 20 foot utility trailers and mobile storage containers.
How It Works
A lot of trailer rental companies won't work with new trucking companies, and drivers with bad credit often can't get approved. So you lease trailers from a big company at a low monthly rate, then sublease them by the week to the truckers who got turned away.
How Eli found it: In 2019 he was dispatching loads for truckers. His uncle, a driver with bad credit, asked if Eli could get him a trailer. Eli figured it out, then realized he could do the same thing for a lot more people.
The Numbers
Per trailer:
Lease cost: $350 a month for a 53-foot trailer
Rental price: $180 a week, about $750 a month
Renter deposit: $750
The growth:
Startup cost: about $4,000, all insurance
First two months: about 10 trailers, $7,500 a month recurring
End of year one: about 100 trailers, $75,000 a month in revenue, $10,000 to $15,000 in profit
At scale: 300 trailers, $250,000 a month in revenue, $40,000 to $50,000 in profit
How the cash flow worked: His supplier billed him net 30 with no deposit. Eli collected a deposit and billed renters weekly from day one, so every trailer was paying for itself before his first bill came due.
The Playbook
Step 1: Find a Supplier
Call trailer leasing companies near you. Eli mentions Penske, Ryder, and Premier Leasing, plus smaller local companies. Ask for:
Net 30 terms
No deposit
No extra charges for mileage or repairs
GPS on every trailer
His credit score was around 650, and his supplier just asked for a screenshot of it.
Step 2: Get Contracts & Insurance in Place
Write contracts that protect you and the trailer
Get a policy on your trailers (Eli paid about $4,000 a year to start)
Require every renter to carry their own policy with you listed as additional insured
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Step 3: Land One Renter Before Forming Anything
Eli rented to his uncle first, proved it made money, and only then set up the LLC and bank account.
Step 4: Price at Double Your Cost or More
Eli's rule of thumb splits the rent into thirds:
One third covers the lease
One third covers taxes, insurance, and payroll
One third is profit
Bill weekly. Eli said truckers barely noticed $180 a week, and weekly billing kept money coming in.
Step 5: Post on Facebook Marketplace
Keep the listing simple:
Photos of the outside, the inside, and the tires
Size, year, make, and location
A line saying you work with new companies, since the big rental companies won't
Post in multiple areas and boost the posts. Eli rented about two trailers a week this way.
Step 6: Run Facebook Ads
Eli moved to a business page and ran still-image Facebook ads nationwide. Truckers will drive across several states for a good deal, so he had renters coming from Florida and Chicago to pick up in New Jersey.
His Facebook ad numbers near the end:
Ad spend: about $5,000 a month
New clients: about 25 a month, not counting referrals
Value per client: at least $2,250 (a three-month minimum at about $750 a month)
Return: roughly 10x
Once you have 10-20 trailers on the road, most of your day goes to follow-ups. New leads from Facebook need a call back, renters need contracts and payment reminders, and pickups have to get scheduled. This is where HighLevel comes in to make your life easier.
HighLevel puts all of that in one dashboard with your CRM, booking calendar, automated follow-ups, and text and email campaigns, so new leads get a reply even when you’re busy. My readers get 30 days free at gohighlevel.com/tkopod.
Step 7: Set a Minimum Term
Renters had to stay at least three months or lose their $750 deposit. Most stayed much longer, because switching trailers is a hassle. Because of that, Eli kept his price at $180 a week for a long time and figured he could raise it later.
Mistakes to Avoid:
Skipping GPS. 10 to 15 of his 300 trailers never came back, at $15,000 to $25,000 each. His supplier would have installed GPS for him, but he never asked.
Relying on Stripe. Stripe froze his funds early on. He switched to PaySimple and never had the problem again, even billing $250,000 a month.
Assuming 2019 prices. Diesel costs more now, and rates vary a lot by region. Call suppliers and check local prices before you commit.
Outsource Where You Can
Eli hired two bilingual virtual assistants on Upwork, one in Venezuela and one in Brazil. One of them ran the Facebook ads and handled every lead from first call to trailer pickup. That's how he ran a $250,000-a-month business from his phone in Colombia.
What you need to start:
About $4,000 for insurance
A supplier willing to give you net 30 terms
A Facebook account
Ten trailers at $180 a week is $7,500 a month in recurring revenue. Eli hit that in his first two months.
If bringing in thousands with trailer leasing interests you, listen to the full walk-through on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and by the end, you will have everything you need to start your own trailer leasing business.
Lastly, I'm always looking for cool, unique businesses to share on my podcasts. If you have one and are comfortable sharing your journey, drop your info here!
Have a great week!
Chris
P.S. I share deep dives on business ideas and complete playbooks three times a week on YouTube and every podcast platform.
