Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: richywilts on July 13, 2010, 07:20:44 pm
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as the title says just had enough of it all, finding it harder work than i thought doing a million a one things a day, never get a day off really i fink id prefer a mon-fri job, looking in too doing health and safety work etc doing my nebosh diploma if anyone has any experience in this sort of work.
i know after another two years i could have the business set up just how i want it but im getting fed up of problems after problems.
so il keep u all posted to sale of my work etc if situation changes
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what jackin it that aint the wilts i no !!!!!!
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Work hard, play hard Richy
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Not to be condescending , but what are you finding hard , what are the problems , and what scale is your company at ?
Rich
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i know gav but its just 1 fing after another im prob just on a bad comedown from stes weding at weekend but i am getting fed up, people not paying etc just gets on me man boobs the more customers u have the harder it is to keep track of fings.
u still on for the school next week boyo :-\
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hey richy do what i do!skive off for a few days and do absolutely nothing apart from scoff your face,watch a few dvds and catch up on that book you ve been meaning to read!!does wonders for your motivation!!
can i ask what the problems are richy?i think running a window cleaning business is one of the lowest stress businesses to be in compared to alot of others.
and how long have you been window cleaning??
dazmond
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Not to be condescending , but what are you finding hard , what are the problems , and what scale is your company at ?
Rich
im up to about 45grand turnover and recently last two months taken two lads on to do the work they roughly get 50quid a day, iv gave them a van that they take out but theyre not really taking enough money each day id really need 250 off them a day.
so im debating whether too just go it alone but i dont actually like the window cleaning side.
im just not making enough money from it at the moment so got some descisions to make.
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Richy,
Windows can be very distressing and can sometimes lead to drink :P
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i know gav but its just 1 fing after another im prob just on a bad comedown from stes weding at weekend but i am getting fed up, people not paying etc just gets on me man boobs the more customers u have the harder it is to keep track of fings.
u still on for the school next week boyo :-\
what day still no van where is it the liverpool one
or sale ?????????????
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Richy,
Windows can be very distressing and can sometimes lead to drink :P
jus ask dee n me both bin recovered
recently by AA that leads to drink lol ;D ;D ;D
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the more custys you get the bigger the debt they owe you usually!
what do you do?i collect and use SAE.if they dont pay after 2-3 cleans then they dont cleaned again until they do.i occasionally have to write a debt off but its not a lot of money as most of my work is domestic.
these days im usually owed at least £300-£400 at anyone time but i know ill get it in eventually.with cheques landing on my mat,getting payed when i clean and collecting ive usually got a good cash flow
regards
dazmond
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years ago i had a much bigger round and had different guys working for me and in the end it became too much hassle.most were crap and by the time id payed them i wasnt making much more money!ive had about 80 lads over the years and felt like jacking it a few times.
my round is smaller but no hassle with no employees!!bliss for me!!
then again if you dont like window cleaning then your gonna have lots of problems and headaches unless you do the work yourself!!!
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Richy,
Windows can be very distressing and can sometimes lead to drink :P
jus ask dee n me both bin recovered
recently by AA that leads to drink lol ;D ;D ;D
u know me gav i dont drink unless its a wedding or a family party or sumfin or stag do
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lol which one we on n wot day ????
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years ago i had a much bigger round and had different guys working for me and in the end it became too much hassle.most were crap and by the time id payed them i wasnt making much more money!ive had about 80 lads over the years and felt like jacking it a few times.
my round is smaller but no hassle with no employees!!bliss for me!!
then again if you dont like window cleaning then your gonna have lots of problems and headaches unless you do the work yourself!!!
its not so much the actual window cleaning daz its more the stoppin and starting getting in and out the van all day on a hot warm day ya cant beat it being out there cleaning, i think il giv meself another year to get things running smoothly and looks to save on costs etc
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lol which one we on n wot day ????
its the one in my area mate so il get me mum to knock up sum dinner for us haha think we said tuesday didnt we
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Richy
Get out whilst you can :o :o :o
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Not to be condescending , but what are you finding hard , what are the problems , and what scale is your company at ?
Rich
im up to about 45grand turnover and recently last two months taken two lads on to do the work they roughly get 50quid a day, iv gave them a van that they take out but theyre not really taking enough money each day id really need 250 off them a day.
so im debating whether too just go it alone but i dont actually like the window cleaning side.
im just not making enough money from it at the moment so got some descisions to make.
fifty pound a day isnt much,you want good workers you need to pay more
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yeah tuesdays fine early start though m8 lol
il bell u in the week m8
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Not to be condescending , but what are you finding hard , what are the problems , and what scale is your company at ?
Rich
im up to about 45grand turnover and recently last two months taken two lads on to do the work they roughly get 50quid a day, iv gave them a van that they take out but theyre not really taking enough money each day id really need 250 off them a day.
so im debating whether too just go it alone but i dont actually like the window cleaning side.
im just not making enough money from it at the moment so got some descisions to make.
fifty pound a day isnt much,you want good workers you need to pay more
stan i cant fault there standards of work its not quite my standard but they do an excellent job i just cant afford to pay more, there both my friends n are both just happy to have regular work 6 days a week.
i just dont think any of us seem to work quick enough wfp dont know if were too particular
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yeah tuesdays fine early start though m8 lol
il bell u in the week m8
you start early il see ya there at dinnertime haha
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Dont think employees will bring in £250 per day unless you give them some incentive , target bonuses etc.
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early bird catches the worm richy,
Im out at 5.30am tomorrow.
Dean
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Decide on what business model is best for you and then pursue it.
Your choices(broadly)
1. Trad , Drive a range rover with four ladder monkeys while you direct.
2. Small vans wfp sole operator
3.Bigger van wfp.Two operators while you collect and expand the round
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richy im very rarely getting in and out the van all day as a lot of my round is very compact.over 2 weeks of it is house after house after house.park up and get on with it!some days are here and there and little clusters of work and the odd stand alone bigger job.
we all get fed up with it and no way will 2 guys do your work as good or as fast as you especially for 50quid a day!!
if i were you i would just do it all yourself and stay a one man band and keep the best paying work and constantly take on better paying work when the oppotunities arises.less hassle,simplier,less overheads,ok a bit less money but money is defo not everything if you constantly working and not enjoying it
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Dont think employees will bring in £250 per day unless you give them some incentive , target bonuses etc.
with my prices gazza its not that hard to hit that a day average price is 18quid in 1 area so thats only 13-14 house average size 3-4bed a day between 2 off them or do u think thats too much too ask??
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ive seen a few of the small vans with 3 laddermonkeys in the back with 4 sets of ladders on the roof lately near me!!
ill stick to sole trader/small van WFP AND TRAD!!!!!! ;) ;D ;D ;D
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richy im very rarely getting in and out the van all day as a lot of my round is very compact.over 2 weeks of it is house after house after house.park up and get on with it!some days are here and there and little clusters of work and the odd stand alone bigger job.
we all get fed up with it and no way will 2 guys do your work as good or as fast as you especially for 50quid a day!!
if i were you i would just do it all yourself and stay a one man band and keep the best paying work and constantly take on better paying work when the oppotunities arises.less hassle,simplier,less overheads,ok a bit less money but money is defo not everything if you constantly working and not enjoying it
daz ya knocked it on the head mate thats whats going thru my mind but thats not really why i started up in this game but its defo sumfin to consider
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YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO 13-14 HOUSES A DAY YOURSELF RICHY!without having to pay your mates!!
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richy - a good advice, never ever hire a good friend!
friends an business are not a good combination, especially if you are the boss.
if you are coworkers its ok, but not else.
its good to have a distance with your workers.
bonus is a good motivation for people!
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2 blokes 14 houses a day is a breeze, they should easily do that,should be in the 20s....
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Not to be condescending , but what are you finding hard , what are the problems , and what scale is your company at ?
Rich
im up to about 45grand turnover and recently last two months taken two lads on to do the work they roughly get 50quid a day, iv gave them a van that they take out but theyre not really taking enough money each day id really need 250 off them a day.
so im debating whether too just go it alone but i dont actually like the window cleaning side.
im just not making enough money from it at the moment so got some descisions to make.
fifty pound a day isnt much,you want good workers you need to pay more
stan i cant fault there standards of work its not quite my standard but they do an excellent job i just cant afford to pay more, there both my friends n are both just happy to have regular work 6 days a week.
i just dont think any of us seem to work quick enough wfp dont know if were too particular
Richy your turnover is £45K and you have 2 guys and yourself?
Why not just have the one guy and yourself?
Matt
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I would jack it in - you could probably earn £12000 at the local supermarket. ::)
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Or seek asylum in West London - you could do worse.
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i know gav but its just 1 fing after another im prob just on a bad comedown from stes weding at weekend but i am getting fed up, people not paying etc just gets on me man boobs the more customers u have the harder it is to keep track of fings.
u still on for the school next week boyo :-\
what day still no van where is it the liverpool one
or sale ?????????????
Liverpool one? Can I come as well? Ill have a hot water system soon so ill be brilliant for this?
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years ago i had a much bigger round and had different guys working for me and in the end it became too much hassle.most were crap and by the time id payed them i wasnt making much more money!ive had about 80 lads over the years and felt like jacking it a few times.
my round is smaller but no hassle with no employees!!bliss for me!!
then again if you dont like window cleaning then your gonna have lots of problems and headaches unless you do the work yourself!!!
its not so much the actual window cleaning daz its more the stoppin and starting getting in and out the van all day on a hot warm day ya cant beat it being out there cleaning, i think il giv meself another year to get things running smoothly and looks to save on costs etc
Sounds like you could do with some business advice mate, I know all about lean manufacturing an other business methods that may help out if you need any advice? Plus my wife is a business development manager!
Gav has my number mate
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Dont think employees will bring in £250 per day unless you give them some incentive , target bonuses etc.
with my prices gazza its not that hard to hit that a day average price is 18quid in 1 area so thats only 13-14 house average size 3-4bed a day between 2 off them or do u think thats too much too ask??
One man should be in his 20's if the work is compact, even if it isn't he wouldn't be far off, well I wouldn't anyway. I have good compact work where I can easily do 30 + a day no problem. I know the round like the back of my hand an even when I was on the ladders I still did 20+ a day
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No point doing all the extra work of employing if it's not really paying for itself. Increase prices to realistic ones if too low and pay or offer a decent wage and bonus. £50 a day to an employee isn't much at all truthfully for workers to graft for you to make a profit from them. Sounds like you all need incentives, raise the gain. :)
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If you posting on here about jacking...... you are ready to jack. otherwise you would not sit down and tell a load of strangers.
but i think you are just in a bad place today ;)
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Do you do any of the work yourself?
Are the lads working 5 days?
If you expect them to turn over £250 per day and have an annual turnover of £45k then something is going amiss.
I don't think you can live off 2 men without working yourself.
Even if they take £200 per day for 5 days that should cover the £45k THEN you add to that your own potential of say £150 per day.
Your weekly turnover should be at least £1500
£500 direct wages and another ££500 costs if they are on the books should leave you with £500 or so for your wages.
That said that would mean a turnover of £72k over 48 weeks.
Throw some more facts at us so that we can see where the problem is.
How many days do each of the lads work?
How many days do you work?
What work potentially do you have on your books per year?
Are the lads on PAYE or cash in pocket?
How much do you need to earn to survive(after tax)? How long have you been trading?
How many vehicles?
Who works with who?
I have had lads work with me and worked alone, it can be difficult to achieve the needed turnover and stay sane at the same time.
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Maybe the problem is really basic, such as the work is underpriced or not good quality?
Scattered small domestic houses over a large geographical area is not a quality round, for example, and you will spend more time driving and setting up than getting on with cleaning.
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Richy if your guys take home 50 quid a day your turnover needs to be 52 grand a year just to pay them then you still need expences like all the rest ,insurance ,van, diesel and so on.Mate the best thing is to start making a fews sums.Stop been a boss and get out there and do some hands on work,Fire one worker Take charge of your business.Get the facts of your business on your finger tips know what you need to take each day.If not you will sink into debt and overdraft.It takes skill to make a business work, Maybe a job is the better chose if its to much for you.Sorry to be so hard on you but thats what it will take.
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biggest firm in my town sets a 250+ per day target for each 2man team, if that amount isnt brought in ,its deducted from their wages. having said that they turn over workers big time and all sorts of strokes are pulled to rip off the boss !
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Richy,
Windows can be very distressing and can sometimes lead to drink :P
jus ask dee n me both bin recovered
recently by AA that leads to drink lol ;D ;D ;D
u know me gav i dont drink unless its a wedding or a family party or sumfin or stag do
Richy i reckon while you are at 45k t/o you would be better off getting a van and getting out and working as a team - you can see what they are upto and help out cleaning bottoms, and easy stuff and canvassing when you can to comapct the work
45000 a year is similar to where we are at and me full time and a part time lad knock it out easy you should be laughing with 3 of you - full time that is only just over £300 a day / each man is only 100 a day each - should be fine!
give it a go - you will miss windows if you leave it mate as the money is great and once you start employing it gets better so dont give up it sounds like you have built a decent business there- keep it at
But i would honestly get a 3 seater van and all 3 get out cleaning till you outgrow that van and start again they should be upto speed by then to take over
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im gona try giving this a go so that im working n earning a proper wage too i thought id be able to afford it goin out canvassing etc but maybe in a few more months
monday: ME and matty a
tuesday: ME and matty a
wed: ME and matty j
thursday: ME and matty j
fri: matty a and matty j
sat: ME and matty j
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you shud do lad thats the spirit wiltys ;D ;D
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im feeling more positive today gav haha fink i was on a bad comedown from the weekend from stes wedding!! all comments were appreciated tho thanks everyone onwards and upwards ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Good on you Richy.
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gud lad lol ;D ;D