Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Simon Moat on April 29, 2011, 07:19:49 pm
-
How many cc's have you seen go to the wall this last year?
One really well established guy near me, been trading nearly thirty years, has recently thrown his lot in saying he can no longer make a living.
Have you guys seen a decline in established business', also, how many new businesses have sprung up on your doorstep?
Any thoughts?
-
I am as busy as ever, me and 1 fulltime operative, working more or less all the time, i have had to expand into the next town to keep busy tho, there is work out there if your willing to put in the effort to go and get it
Mark
-
Which town Mark, Huddersfield.
John
-
Have you guys seen a decline in established business', also, how many new businesses have sprung up on your doorstep?
Each area across the country is effected differently, and away from forums (where some extreme bigging up goes on) when I speak to or contact others within a sensible area near to here all are saying the same....it's quiet.
It must be quiet in areas some distance from here too if I look at the advertising going on from those people.
I have noticed a few newbies around this area too which isn't helping with some of the daft prices that I'm up against.
-
hi
it is hard out there, but no more than any other recession
but im a big believer in creating your own market and demand.
theres work out there, just some think put ad in paper, village mag,
put 5000 leaflets out ect, and work will come.
daren
-
I decided sometime ago that quiet times could be round the corner so I diversified into contract cleaning. I did not go after the big enterprises because I could not pay staff enough and turn a profit so I targeted small shops /offices, indendent estate agents and small factories and offered them what I thought they wanted, an hour or two one or two times a week. I have several of these and I am hoping to add more. It's all year round and has led to a lot of EOT work and carpet cleaning. So far this year carpet cleaning has done very well but normally it's even all year round with seasonal peaks, now it's up and down, Jan best ever, feb very quiet, March/April above average but only a couple booked in May. One of them is a department store so will earn well but it's not the norm.
-
Mark....does your full time op work with you as a helper or does he go out on his own.cheers.
-
Been steady myself here and have not seen a drop in work.
As one of the above posts said it seems to be dif areas that are a bit quieter than usual.
-
Which town Mark, Huddersfield.
John
Yes John
Mark
-
I live in Surrey and only this morning i had a flier stuffed through my letter box.. it read:
3 Bedroom house normally £118
half price with this flier £59
Downstairs normally £74
Half price with this flier £37
The list went on... have never heard of this firm though so its bound to be a fly by night
These are desperate times... unfortunately most people in this country will call guys like this just because they are cheap not because they are any good... the only good thing is they never last and eventually people realise that cutting corners never really works!
-
How do you know they are fly by night ???
how do you know they are not any good, just because you have never heard of them ???
You are correct in 1 thing though.................
These are desperate times, and maybe a cleaner would rather work at half price than not work at all....
The company who's leaflet and work ethics you are so happily slating off on here, might actually be on here himself...........
You never know who is watching.......................................
-
Russ, whereabouts are you in Surrey ?
-
Steve
Think Russ lives in Saint George's Hill however not a bad time to delver most at home today and no rubbish clearance for a few days. ;) Please don’t say it your leaflet :o ;D
-
How do you know they are fly by night ???
how do you know they are not any good, just because you have never heard of them ???
You are correct in 1 thing though.................
These are desperate times, and maybe a cleaner would rather work at half price than not work at all....
Sorry didn't mean to sound like I was slagging off this guys work, to be fair I have never seen his work and yes he may be one of the good guys.
However, In the last 2 weeks I have had at least 3 fliers posted through my door from other firms again I have never heard of and can't trace using Google.
I live near Aldershot so I'm afraid I'm a long way from St Georges Hill!!
My point was this, if something looks too good to be true like silly prices on fliers... Is it? Or are we in such a desperate mess that we would be prepared to work for such little reward just to either be popular with the punters or just to be turning over any amount of cash regardless of amount?
The company who's leaflet and work ethics you are so happily slating off on here, might actually be on here himself...........
You never know who is watching.......................................
-
My point was this, if something looks too good to be true like silly prices on fliers... Is it? Or are we in such a desperate mess that we would be prepared to work for such little reward just to either be popular with the punters or just to be turning over any amount of cash regardless of amount?
I think a lot of people are in desperate times and surely working for less is better than not working at all. All retail businesses have sales and incentives to get the public buying so its not that different in our trade.
-
Better some profit than none.
John
-
Well can someone please tell me where the profit is in working on a 3 bedroom house for £60.00? i assume overheads exist even if you have bought all your equipment..? there is still insurance, advertising, transport and materials which need to be paid for?
??? ??? ??? ??? ???
-
And you have more chance to pay for it by earning £60 than if you are sat on your ar*e at home doing nothing.
-
Hector.
Or what ever your name is?
So you are telling us you actually would go and clean a 3 bed hse for £59
Paul
-
Hector.
Or what ever your name is?
So you are telling us you actually would go and clean a 3 bed hse for £59
Paul
I never said that did I ???
-
What I am saying is that in this economic climate, how can anyone call cleaners who are prepared to do the job cheap "fly by night"
But in answer to your question.....
If the rent was due and I was £60 short for the month then yes as a 1 off I would do it for £60, would you not??? or would your principals let you get turfed out of your home ???
All I was doing was being devils advocate and saying that not all cheap cleaners are fly by night.
Neither you nor I know the overheads of any other cleaner do we ?
So although £60 might be absurdly cheap to you and I, it may be a good price for another cleaner. After all If he does 3 of those in a day then £180 is not bad for a days work is it ???
-
Wouldn't do it myself for that but
as hector said even 2 of those a
day is £120 or £600 a week.
Better than most paid jobs.
jOHN
-
Hi Guys
The big danger of quoting low prices is whether you have really costed it.
Even if you were made redundant and bought your equipment with that money, you should still build in the cost of replacing it as you won't be made redundant again.
Too many see takings as wages/profit.
Do the maths properly and you will probably survive, fiddle it and you won't.
Cheers
Doug
-
You have hit the nail on the head Doug... I have to be careful what i say here because i don't want to offend anyone.. but... I have spoken to someone today who spoke to the company in question and turns out the machinery they are using is what car valeters use. (blue vacs with twin motors)
Don't get me wrong, I do admire people who get off their backsides and try and make a go of things but when established carpet cleaning companies who have invested time, money and lots of hard work building a local client base are getting undercut by people who clearly haven't the same approach... im not sure what to think to be honest.
Its the "O'Reilly's versus the "Stubs" scenario ::)
I had a thriving valeting business back in the 90's and I literately lost long term customers to "mobile car washers" who were buying all their equipment from B&Q and operating out the back of a beaten up old estate car!
Customers are by nature always looking for a bargain and loyalty and quality doesn't come in to it!
-
Doug has made a great post.
Its all true what he said and you still have to put some thing back into the pot for a new set up in a few years time.
-
Hi Guys
The big danger of quoting low prices is whether you have really costed it.
Even if you were made redundant and bought your equipment with that money, you should still build in the cost of replacing it as you won't be made redundant again.
Too many see takings as wages/profit.
Do the maths properly and you will probably survive, fiddle it and you won't.
Cheers
Doug
Fully agree with you Doug,
but I bet your overheads are a lot higher than mine,
and I bet my overheads are a lot higher than Joe Bloggs with his Numatic CTD.
What it all boils down to is profit
that is not a dirty word.
So a guy can clean a house for £60 and if as John has said he can do 2 a day
that is £600 per week.
1/2 back into his business, it is still £300 a week in his pocket which is more than your average 9-5 day job.
£300 a week to cover expenses insurance and new kit fund is plenty for some.
Not saying that this is what I do as it is not.
Once again just being devils advocate.
-
But here's the point 2 full house cleans a day?
What if for 3 days running he only gets 1 room cleans once a day he's now only earning 20 a day. (assuming he charges 20 a room)
In short he only does ok when he's busy when he's slow he gets into debt.
-
True,
but not as much debt as he would be in if he had high prices and was sat at home because people would not pay the prices.
-
But here's the point 2 full house cleans a day?
What if for 3 days running he only gets 1 room cleans once a day he's now only earning 20 a day. (assuming he charges 20 a room)
In short he only does ok when he's busy when he's slow he gets into debt.
when he's busy, he should be putting money away and not spending for the sake of spending.
when he's quiet, he should be marketing his socks off. :)
It's called cashflow management and I appreciate in a start up or first couple of years situation it is hard to get your cashflow right.
-
Not worth getting your knickers in a twist over,
I have mentioned before a CC I know who is one of the busiest CC I know, he is very good and could teach a lot on here a thing or two.
His prices are low by comparison but as mentioned because he does a good job in his own time, he makes a very very good living and his customers of course are very loyal and referals flood in. He does not advertise at all I suppose you could say he now has critical mass and when you reach this you are made.
If the guy is happy getting £60 for all that work then so be it, if any good he'll keep busy if not the customer will not pay such a low sum in the future as she/he will deem it the reason for the poor service as consequence another CC will pick up the work at a higher rate. ;)