Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Roy Cauldery on June 27, 2012, 10:36:56 pm
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When everyone's flush, it's keeping up with the Jones'es
When money is tight,it's all about 'doing up' rather than replacing
Surely that means we sit beteen two stools and therefore should be recession proof?
We are still taking on new customers at a nice steady rate and although they are all trying to economise, still like their home to look nice.
I think we as an industry will weather the storm better than most, what do you guys reckon?
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i started in the recession of 1993.loads of family and friends said it wouldnt work.now im making a damn good living!im also still picking up work albeit at a slower rate than a few years ago.
i dont take anything for granted though and try and provide the best possible service on a consistent basis.
regards
dazmond
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mmmmmmm i would say no........but a couple of things we have going for us is
A good cash flow
B low overheads
C A vast market
D Low start up costs
so mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....maybe yes
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IMO as rescession-proof as any business could hope to be apart from bailiffs.
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IMO as rescession-proof as any business could hope to be apart from bailiffs.
Pish, sorry but it is. Food manufacture provider's, undertakers, health industries and energy manufacture and provider's all come way way way way way way before us mob.
Are you on drugs Matt?
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i started in the recession of 1993.loads of family and friends said it wouldnt work.now im making a damn good living!im also still picking up work albeit at a slower rate than a few years ago.
i dont take anything for granted though and try and provide the best possible service on a consistent basis.
regards
dazmond
normally daz posts do my nut in (joke ) but this post is spot on ;D
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IMO as rescession-proof as any business could hope to be apart from bailiffs.
Pish, sorry but it is. Food manufacture provider's, undertakers, health industries and energy manufacture and provider's all come way way way way way way before us mob.
Are you on drugs Matt?
No, which might be my problem!
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We are aiming to take a relatively small amount of money from a large number of customers - much safer than the building trade I was in before.
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IMO as rescession-proof as any business could hope to be apart from bailiffs.
Pish, sorry but it is. Food manufacture provider's, undertakers, health industries and energy manufacture and provider's all come way way way way way way before us mob.
Are you on drugs Matt?
No, which might be my problem!
;D The drugs industry is fairly recession proof.
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IMO as rescession-proof as any business could hope to be apart from bailiffs.
Pish, sorry but it is. Food manufacture provider's, undertakers, health industries and energy manufacture and provider's all come way way way way way way before us mob.
Are you on drugs Matt?
No, which might be my problem!
;D The drugs industry is fairly recession proof.
True but for most "owners" no longevity in that industry.
They also work on the franchise / patch system
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We are aiming to take a relatively small amount of money from a large number of customers - much safer than the building trade I was in before.
Thats it in a nutshell. Although there are other threats like always loads of new window cleaners in a recession. I think over time thats going to be the bigger problem. But we are a lot safer than most.
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IMO as rescession-proof as any business could hope to be apart from bailiffs.
Pish, sorry but it is. Food manufacture provider's, undertakers, health industries and energy manufacture and provider's all come way way way way way way before us mob.
Are you on drugs Matt?
Talking of undertakers, one of my customers is a manager at a big London Hospital. One of the big problems they have is relatives not claiming the bodies of dead patients because they can't afford the funeral.
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Easy to sort Vin tell em to dump and replace with 2
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Talking of undertakers, one of my customers is a manager at a big London Hospital. One of the big problems they have is relatives not claiming the bodies of dead patients because they can't afford the funeral.
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So what do the end up doing with the bodies Vince? :o
Medical research, paupers grave or cremate?
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For well established resi work yes. But for commercial work less so.
There is a glut of new windies around so there is sometimes less new work and a downward pressure on prices.
But we are nit likely to get laid off entirely unlike many other poor so and so's
Still getting new work though. :)
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Recession proof = a must have or do service. That`s not us. Car insurance the law says we must have, utilities ,food, petrol, gas,politics,water, food these are recession proof council tax, train costs and income tax.They even go up at these time " we all in its together I disagree"some are out of it.
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I am 11 months into building my run up from scratch in Ireland, which is in an awful pickle economically. People tell me how lucky I am to have work. I agree with them, but what they don't realize is how much determination and hard graft it has taken to get to where I have, and how much I still need in order to get to where I need to be.
In my humble opinion no business, however well established or prestigious, is recesion proof. We need to be very grateful for what we have, while we have it, because it could all change suddenly.
John
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Talking of undertakers, one of my customers is a manager at a big London Hospital. One of the big problems they have is relatives not claiming the bodies of dead patients because they can't afford the funeral.
So what do the end up doing with the bodies Vince? :o
Medical research, paupers grave or cremate?
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They sit them in the House of Lords because no-one would notice the difference.
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No it's not recession proof. However, if you keep a wide spread of work types, it's better than most businesses. Customers have been lost and more will be lost. This tends to be fairly gradual usually so new customers can be had as you lose the old ones.
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Talking of undertakers, one of my customers is a manager at a big London Hospital. One of the big problems they have is relatives not claiming the bodies of dead patients because they can't afford the funeral.
So what do the end up doing with the bodies Vince? :o
Medical research, paupers grave or cremate?
[/quote]
Thats what I said, as its a teaching hospital can't they just give them to the students. Apparantly not because there was no consent given. They have to be given a respectful funeral at public expense. A few years ago it was rare but its becoming all too common these days. The things you learn about talking to your customers. She was at home one day when I wasn't expecting her to be and she said she had a few funerals to go to. I picked up on the "a few" bit and asked what she meant.
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I am 11 months into building my run up from scratch in Ireland, which is in an awful pickle economically. People tell me how lucky I am to have work. I agree with them, but what they don't realize is how much determination and hard graft it has taken to get to where I have, and how much I still need in order to get to where I need to be.
In my humble opinion no business, however well established or prestigious, is recesion proof. We need to be very grateful for what we have, while we have it, because it could all change suddenly.
John
Well done Johnny B they mean well but "luck" doesn't really come into it as you say it's hard graft that gets you there. If you can clean windows and make a living on the West Coast of Ireland you can do it anywhere!! England is a piece of cake compared. I cleaned windows in Donegal for years and it's a hard slog earned £6 whole of first week but they make the most loyal customers I have ever met once you are "accepted" :)
G.
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No business is recession or anything proof, all can go to the wall.
But IMO you need to offer more than one service, have a variety of customers and in as many places as possible, do not offer more than 28 day terms, and for every commercial job you get, get the same again in cash work.