Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Sapphire Window Cleaning on February 14, 2011, 04:13:06 pm
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Do any of you guys draw up business plans for the year ahead, then stick to it?
for the first time I produced an indepth business plan, and WILL stick to it like glue.
Matt
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Hi Matt, these are my thoughts for this year( don't know if it's classed as businss plan)
When the weather was bad, snow :(
had a lot of thinking time, basically i want to make my round more compact and also finish my website,
which i want to push indoor window cleaning which is only to be done on phone call when weather is to bad to work outdoors.
For me that is the real problem in this job, have a good day then earn next to nothing on the next day.
I'm sorry but i find it real difficult beliveing posts on guys saying they work in all weather :P
last few years just been cruising along.
Got plans to speed my working life up: trying fan jets, getting aqua-adaptor.
Also CLX 22 or 27 foot pole (not sure which, don't know if can remove; replace quickly sections on 27 ft)
Get 100mtr 6mm micro-bore hose to convert freedom trolley to using as van mount as much as poss.
what were your plans Matt?
I must admit i am not intrested in employing people and putting teams of guys on the road.
For me i want to earn maxium cash for the least amount of stress as possible.
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lol my boss makes us working woteva the weather. - 10 C to snow storm. He just sits in the office with his feet up counting his money
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I am planning on having 5,000 flyers dropped every other week throughout the whole year.
I would like to employ some guys and have a couple of vans on the roads by the end of the year.
Its one thing planning it but another to keep to the plan.
Matt
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For me i want to earn maxium cash for the least amount of stress as possible.
Lee got my business plan right there!!
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Good luck on that Matt, i'm sure it will happen for you.
I remember reading when you moved from iswich(i think) to was it coulchester or is it chelmsford (sorry)
you built a round up pretty swift ;)
was that just leafletting or followed up by knocking?
Lee
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Lee got my business plan right there!!
H2ose ;D ;D
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Here is a good link for alot of stuff that a new or small business would need to consider. There's a section in there on business plans. Here's the link:
http://www.bytestart.co.uk/
Cheers,
Caleb
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I am in September, I am going to work very hard so that I have staff working for me by then.
Matt
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i started a 5 year business plan 2 years ago and im getting there slowly but surely. ;) ;D ;D
lee i dont have that much time off due to weather.the odd day here and there.i use saturdays as a catch up day quite a bit during the winter months.
WFP has improved my earning power and im a lot safer than climbing ladders all day.
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Hiya Matt,
i did a full biz plan for year 1 - sales, costs, average price, etc.. also what effects the biz, weather, competition etc..
then did a forcast, well i didn't hit the ideal as laid out BUT beat our expectations.
from april we will sit down and do another forcast using past figures. WCP is good to show how your biz is doing
Darran
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Allways use a business plan, you have to in business....without it you have no direction where you want to go. I wouldnt listern to some on here because they only want business for the life style they lead and want to make money to cover the bills and other things....But if you want to have a successful business then i would always doo a business plan
Matt
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keep clean
I'm a bit lazy so i don't actually have a business plan at the moment.But i have studied every aspect as i notice you are doing.The best people tend to be those who've done it a few times. Like groundhog day every time a saphire or an ian l restarts they are just that little bit better than the time before.Yet it's human nature to think what we do can't be improved on.
A few key points for me are.
This job has only three aspects,Marketing, oprerations, and admin
what i do should be as easy a possible for the customer- frictionless
The quality of doing business with me should be easy to discern (hint your other post)
My business should compel customer referrals
I have to be cheaper than everyone else
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what are you saying?????????
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lee i dont have that much time off due to weather.the odd day here and there.i use saturdays as a catch up day quite a bit during the winter months.
I believe you Dazmond, i try to limit time off due to rain, and i am now doing more saturdays.
I hate losing money to the weather, i do work in light rain (drizzle) that's about it though.
W/c i worked for when i first started had been doing the job for 30 odd yrs, his take on it if the rain was hitting the panes go home or wait till it stopped!
I think i agree on that one. ;)
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Dazmond - ??? i thought you had only caught up from the pre christmas freeze last week
Matt - i know you are looking to get to 800 custy's - other than leaflets what else do you plan ?
before starting a leaflet campaign just look at the following ...
current custy size, how long did it take to get them ( ie... 3 yrs ) last leaflet drop yielded x number of custy's per 1,000
number of customer drop outs per year.
you need to post any biz info on here but be realistic on what you can achieve, if it's any help i can put up
some % of what has worked for us
or drop me an email
Darran
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Smudger I worked my leaflet drop forecast on a return of 0.5% return
Once the leaflets go out I will be door knocking the roads the leaflets have been dropped 2-3 days after the drop.
I think the return on flyers this time of the year and upto May will have a return of 1%, as most people look for window cleaners during Spring, I haven't taken into account I will get gutter cleans and conservatory roof cleans as well.
I am going to drop 5,000 flyers every other week.
I am predicting I will lose no more than 10% of my customers by the end of this year.
As well as leaflet dropping and door knocking, I am advertising in the local paper and local parish magazines, writing letters to property management companies, nursing homes, schools, local council and business networking breakfasts and luncheons.
Matt
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Good on you Matt....
I have started a business plan and will get all typed up soon, just had 5,000 flyers delivered to me so I now have to get out there and get on with it....
Hope your plan all comes together Matt I need someone like you... A real go getter..
Cheers Darren
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Matt - but what was the return last time - predicting a 1% is fine but you already have the answer in
previous drops.
I'm not trying to put you down, but you are looking for big numbers so you can do uni.
we currently have several different advertising campaigns on the go, but none of these touch door knocking
with leaflet drops falling to last place - even behind being stopped in the street
for every 10 door i knock the average is as follows :
4 no anwsers
2 no thankyou
1 do myself
1 got a w/c
2 yes please could you quote me a price ( ratio is 1.5 regular clean the other 0.5 got to think it over )
now all the 'outs' get a leaflet + had 2k dropped - so far 1 enquiry
sometimes the easy route 'leaflet drops' is a good way to burn money when face to face 'free' door knocking
can be better - a lot of people respond better to face to face than just 'another' leaflet.
also the gutter work is a one hit wonder - not regular income like a window clean.
Darran
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The last time I dropped in that area I was acheiving 1% return and some smaller areas were returning 2%
Essex on the other hand was between 0.005% and 1%
given the fact we paid for 10,000 flyers to be dropped and were certain they were not messed up the over all average.
Matt
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If you type barclays business plan in google it brings up a good template. personally if your already running I wouldn't bother...Just aim and the goals/aims section of a plan and work out how you will get their.
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keep clean
I'm a bit lazy so i don't actually have a business plan at the moment.But i have studied every aspect as i notice you are doing.The best people tend to be those who've done it a few times. Like groundhog day every time a saphire or an ian l restarts they are just that little bit better than the time before.Yet it's human nature to think what we do can't be improved on.
A few key points for me are.
This job has only three aspects,Marketing, oprerations, and admin
what i do should be as easy a possible for the customer- frictionless
The quality of doing business with me should be easy to discern (hint your other post)
My business should compel customer referrals
I have to be cheaper than everyone else
That's the only bit I would disagree with, Slumpy - you would have to be nearly giving it away!!
I think you should aim to be the cheapest at your level of service i.e. make sure your service is excellent, then charge accordingly, it will still be much better value for money than Joe Bloggs with his broken wooden ladder and collection of dirty rags doing it for 5p a window ;D
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I have to be cheaper than everyone else
You twit.
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keep clean
I'm a bit lazy so i don't actually have a business plan at the moment.But i have studied every aspect as i notice you are doing.The best people tend to be those who've done it a few times. Like groundhog day every time a saphire or an ian l restarts they are just that little bit better than the time before.Yet it's human nature to think what we do can't be improved on.
A few key points for me are.
This job has only three aspects,Marketing, oprerations, and admin
what i do should be as easy a possible for the customer- frictionless
The quality of doing business with me should be easy to discern (hint your other post)
My business should compel customer referrals
I have to be cheaper than everyone else
That's the only bit I would disagree with, Slumpy - you would have to be nearly giving it away!!
I think you should aim to be the cheapest at your level of service i.e. make sure your service is excellent, then charge accordingly, it will still be much better value for money than Joe Bloggs with his broken wooden ladder and collection of dirty rags doing it for 5p a window ;D
Good spot Ian. I slipped this in as a joke.It just goes to show very few take any notice of what you actually say.
If you don't mind me pointing out the flaw in Matt's plan.It's that you can't deliver leaflets, knock, write letters, and service five, six, seven, and then eight hundred customers at the same time.
He needs a business plan that accounts for actually doing the work that this expansion creates.
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Good point that slumpbuster
I am at the point where my round takes most of my time to do , It doesnt pay to employ full time as i lose too much money, but i struggle for time to pick up a substantial amount of work, and doing new cleans is all extra work on top of a busy schedule
My way round is it is to have someone canvassing and help one day a week with my work to free up time now for the new work
Thankfully the lad helping me clean and canvass wants to get upto working full time so i am going to take him on gradually till full
But its a difficult thing to manage the expansion if its being forced and you already busy, if you don't want to get behind
I know some just keep building till 4 weeks work takes 7 then employ but i wouldnt want to do that
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keep clean
I'm a bit lazy so i don't actually have a business plan at the moment.But i have studied every aspect as i notice you are doing.The best people tend to be those who've done it a few times. Like groundhog day every time a saphire or an ian l restarts they are just that little bit better than the time before.Yet it's human nature to think what we do can't be improved on.
A few key points for me are.
This job has only three aspects,Marketing, oprerations, and admin
what i do should be as easy a possible for the customer- frictionless
The quality of doing business with me should be easy to discern (hint your other post)
My business should compel customer referrals
I have to be cheaper than everyone else
That's the only bit I would disagree with, Slumpy - you would have to be nearly giving it away!!
I think you should aim to be the cheapest at your level of service i.e. make sure your service is excellent, then charge accordingly, it will still be much better value for money than Joe Bloggs with his broken wooden ladder and collection of dirty rags doing it for 5p a window ;D
Good spot Ian. I slipped this in as a joke.It just goes to show very few take any notice of what you actually say.
If you don't mind me pointing out the flaw in Matt's plan.It's that you can't deliver leaflets, knock, write letters, and service five, six, seven, and then eight hundred customers at the same time.
He needs a business plan that accounts for actually doing the work that this expansion creates.
Slump, writing letters only requires a template, I can quote and door knock in the evenings, I would be able to cope with upto 350-400 residential customers myself, then once I get more than 400 customers then take someone on part time until the round builds enough to take him on fulltime.
say I have 500 customers, that would be enough to take him on fulltime, as 500 customers will bring in approx £4,500 each month - pay the guy £1,600 a month will leave £2,900 I pay myself £1,600 per month, that leaves £1,300 for running costs and flyers printed and delivered.
500 customers would only be 25 customers per day, 2 guys can do that easily.
I can currently clean 15-20 per day so 25 would be a walk in the park for 2 guys, this would free my time up to door knock and quote.
Matt
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Slump I have 2 guys that I trust to deliver my flyers at £20 per thousand, so I won't be delivering them myself.