Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Jamie Pearson on November 05, 2012, 10:03:41 pm
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Like it says. What was your previous employments and more importantly had you ever paid someone to clean your carpets?
As some will know I was born into the industry and haven't escaped. (Yet!)
This time of year often picks up for us with people looking for start up training. It's always interesting to find out what they are currently doing and their
Regions experiences of carpet cleaning either as a customer or DIY.
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I was a business manager for a few different main dealerships - selling/arranging finance & insurance products, making sure we were compliant with the FSA, and selling cars when we were short. Did that for 2 years, left to be a trainee stockbroker, moved to spain, came back and went back to being a business manager for another 2 years!
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I was a business manager for a few different main dealerships - selling/arranging finance & insurance products, making sure we were compliant with the FSA, and selling cars when we were short. Did that for 2 years, left to be a trainee stockbroker, moved to spain, came back and went back to being a business manager for another 2 years!
Ever had your carpets cleaned?
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I was a Chef for 14 years, 7 of them as a Head Chef. Had never paid anyone to clean my carpets and only experience was with the type of machine you hire from the supermarket or DIY store ::)
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From when i was 20yo to 30yo i was an accountant..I was not very good at it!! It was the worst 14 years of my life..
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A lorry driver for 10 + years...Then mobile car valeting & now a carpet cleaner
Had carpets cleaned just a few times...More now ;D
Richard
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No, the closest I came was a rug doctor from B&Q.
I'd never even seen a portable or truckmount in the flesh til I went to pay a deposit on one I bought off eBay!
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Trainee accountant, owned a chain of shops for 14 years, sub-postmaster, mortgage adviser, self-employed sales man, carpet cleaner. Yes had my carpet cleaned before I became a c.c.
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From when i was 20yo to 30yo i was an accountant..I was not very good at it!! It was the worst 14 years of my life..
;D
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I was a chef for 8 years and I used a DIY machine once that was a interesting experience the results were very basic.
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From when i was 20yo to 30yo i was an accountant..I was not very good at it!! It was the worst 14 years of my life..
Ho Ho!
Actually you must have been very good...
the best accountants always make the figures fit the answer the client wants to give :o
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When I was about 18-20 yrs old ,my mum had a very expensive wool carpet ,one day when me and my dad come home their was a guy hand cleaning this carpet, ( working as a roofer with Marley in these days , ,it took him two days ,?... But it costs a fortune ,can't remember what ,
Any way in the winter you would get payed off , normal ,started window cleaning ,soon making aWeeks wages in one day window cleaning, say no more, now make weeks window cleaning , one day carpet cleaning, !,,, went to a old costumer on Monday , guy charges less for cleaning her windows no then I did 15 yrs. ago, swings in circles I suppose
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Armed forces from school, then went In print trade and hated that, trained to plaster and did that til poop hit the fan 2005. Then started oven cleaning and now cc with hard surface to follow
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Apprentice mechanical engineer 1959- drawing office in same co.
Plant engineer in bra factory- Remember Gossard Wonderbra??
Factory manager petticoat factory, then ditto overall factory, threw the company car keys at the boss, sold the house and anything else of value and started a residential home in 1980. Got ripped off by a carpet cleaner bought first machine from Rod Cope. Sold the home ran a riding school for 3 years until the mid 90s recession then started carpet cleaning for money since 1993.
Now supposed to work 2-3 days a week but usually 4.
Probably finish next summer.
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Left school at 14/15 and went into plumbing .......... started carpet cleaning at 21 and now, at least the water I have to deal with is warm, cleaner and has no big lumps in it :-X
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Midland bank- hated the job.
Commodity brokers- good job and good money until the co. went bust.
Post office- good laugh and a good bunch of people but didnt like the night work
five years working with my brother on his pig farm! - strangely enough i really enjoyed that!
carpet cleaning for seventeen years- the way my back is now i reckon i will be lucky if i can manage
another five.
so need to think about what to do from 55 to 70!
andrew
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started a regular round washing cars at 13 got one of the first 10 kew jet washes as on of my regular customer who was the MD of a large tool importers and he gave me a demo model as the rep was over from Denmark, he though i'd like it, they were on tomorrows world the same week. I got loads of new customers that weekend so I bought one, I got very good terms, I think they wree about £500 back then, also a bit bought a numatic cdt575 at 14 and started doing interiors had a large wheeled barrow that i made in school for my woodwork course work. I walked about 5 miles a weekend and made around £60-70 at the time paper boys got £2 a week or less, so i was knacker working for anyone else, did a stint in the Royal Navy which was interesting, but theres a lot of freedom with this job which sometime i think i forget. also its like colouring-in in reverse which is always relaxing.
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Served my time as a mechanic worked at Nissan UK before getting rsi in my shoulder had our carpets cleaned by someone called Snowclean and they were wet for days did a little research bought and Extracta Exel 12 years ago,never looked back since.At times I would love a paid job then I realise how much freedom this job gives me been able to see the kids school plays,sports days and assemblies etc etc
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prior to carpet cleaning, I sold carpets, was a night club manager, had an auto spares business, worked on a poultry farm when I left school.
At weekend for 15 years was a member of the motorcycle madmen stunt team.
Never had carpets cleaned.
Andrew
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went to school, didn't own a carpet so couldn't have one cleaned. Did a zoology degree part time about two years ago, it provides me with the knowledge I need when I encounter wild animals when cleaning carpets.
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Worked in / managed / owned / brought / sold professional photographic labs for 30 years, all went pear shaped in 2010 , started to look at franchise's and decided to run a small carpet cleaning company ( non franchise ) enjoying the freedom and the fact that I have NO STAFF for the first time in years , :D
I had never had my carpets cleaned before I started the business , but I had hired a machine many years ago .
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Cleaned carpets man and boy!
Apart from the pre school paper rounds, milk delivery lad and egg sorting jobs that I did as a nipper, ooh and golf ball sales job on a Sunday morning, I got straight into carpet cleaning instead of going to Uni after doing A levels. Love it, especially having found a passion for the marketing element.
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Paper Hanger,decorator, hated it!
But funnily enough, lately I have been doing some paper hanging for family and a few friends and have really enjoyed it (not painting though).
My niece had someone in recently to paper her dining room, he charged her £160 a day >:( took 4 days and its crap, I was really annoyed she didn't ask me (she did not want to bother her uncle) and will now have to strip it off and do it again properly.
Apparantly this guy is booked ahead until Spring 2013 and only does it at day rate ( I bet he does) I must just pick up the tools again ;D
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currently a car valeter with an established round of clients, also a vintage dj/dance teacher/entertainer at weekends, but trying to scale down the valeting for more and more cc ing! sick of working outdoors in all weather to be honest!!!!
just in process of trying to get more cc work and finding it a bit of a struggle!!!!
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In three days time I shall have been a carpet cleaner for 1 day longer than the 14 years I was a bank manager.
I bought my cc business off one of my bank customers. :o
Rog
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I worked for over twenty years for a firm of private investigators, debt recovery agents and process servers this was a family business that i joined straight from school the work could be interesting but most of the time was very boring the novelty wore off very quickly, it could also be very stressful knocking on some toerags door in the middle of the night to serve court papers, or carrying out surveillance on a paedophile for the councils child protection, or following some ones spouse who is cheating.
Carpet cleaning is much much better, i enjoy life now have more time for the family and better money :)
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i hired a private investigator once, he was rubbish, just stood around all day looking at my hedge, my fault though, turned out he was a privet investigator. ;D
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Before cc i worked in a cable manufacturing plant(Telecoms,House wiring,High voltage),before that pet food producing plant,bars and clubs,trained as a painter & decorator.Yes,i've had my carpets cleaned,regularly,don't know how these guys got away it,not one even had a hoover :o
Desi
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OK I will be the first.
Porn star but cannot go into all the ins and outs. :o ;D ;D ;D
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left school to become a assistant train driver for british rail made redundant then went to british coal.worked 14 years as a coal face worker had a year off on strike in 84 then left to join a company selling pumped concrete to the coal industry, made redundant after 3 years back to british coal for years made redundant again , spent 2 years working travelling to australia and thailand.worked in hotel cleaning in australia came back and worked as contract cleaning manager for asda cleaning superstore .got oppertunity to be asda produce manager selling friut and veg .then got asked to manage a area with ocs office cleaning did some carpet cleaning with buffer and pads. left to move to spain fpr 10 years gardening and serviceing golf buggies then look after camp sites back to uk now and looking to start carpet cleaning in the new year when we have a house and are not living with mates.
Looking at all that I wouldnt employ someone with all that different work history.
when my daughter asks me what should i do when i leave school i tell her i have not decided for myself yet
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Photographic printer in the west end from school, worked at decca records, ended up in typesetting
firm in the East end. went belly up in 89, bought first machine and still doing it.
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Worked as a stage carpenter for 5 years or so till the mrs got sick of me working 70 hr weeks. Luckily my old man offered me work carpet cleaning and I got my evenings back! Still do a day or two freelancing at a couple of theatres when I need a break from the old boy tho ;D
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Bookbinder/Print Finisher at various printers in and around Manchester from 1976 t0 2009.
This recession has well and truly ballsed up the print trade.
Last 3 firms I worked for have all gone bust.
Earning twice the money in half the hours that I got in print working double day shifts.
Lets hope it continues.
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Studied sports science with ideals of a top end sports coaching job...... ended up personal training at a local gym lol
From that worked for a cleaning co and moved into carpet cleaning (inbetween lots of pants jobs, factories/building sites etc)
Never had my carpets cleaned unless part of a tennancy agreement, did however own a george and butchered my own lol...........
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Working backwards:
12 years in this industry
7 years in the Police
16 years in the Army
Fully qualified Heavy Plant mechanic and HGV 1 driver, just don't fancy all the out of normal hours working. This allows daylight working hours Monday to Friday.
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I was a Lawyer
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A Brick Lawyer ;D
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Fixed Nokia Mobiles
Managed a Hotel
Business to Business Account Manager in IT Sales
Carpet Sniffer
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drove a tractor and shovelled poop ps also was a part time porn star
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After learning lots at University (none of which academic ;) ) I carried on doing my holiday job working for a building firm for a couple of years. Then worked as a van driver for 7 months (awful job) before being made redundant at Christmas >:(
Was doing DJ work at night times, actually starting to get some good paid work. Then a mate who worked as the Tech for the previous owners of my business roped me in to a few jobs..... after 2 years I'd been taken on part time, then full time, then bought the business off them.
The only carpet cleaning I'd ever seen before was when I was a kid, my granddad used to "shampoo" his lounge carpet with a vax every year!
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Jim was it with a pink duo :)
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No I get that from the other side of the family
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Like Wayne I was in the print trade, running a press. Relocated to be near family, no print work to be found, so set up my business and haven't looked back!
My parents had a Vax which ended up in the shed, but I learned that if I soaked up a spill on my Mums wool carpet quick enough it all came out, and she'd never know!!
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Left school at 15 served my time as a Painter and Decorator City & Guilds Yorkshire Counsils Till I was 21 Moved over to Bridlington went into engineering for 18 years building milling machines and cnc machines for Bridgeport Machines Then started working for myself full time after doing it for 7years part time now been working for myself 21years Decorating and also added carpet cleaning. Wish I had started carpet cleaning 21 years ago easiest money I have ever earned and I love it.
Yep had my carpets cleaned before I started doing them !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers Tony
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I was born into the industry, always loved it as a kid getting out to at weekends with my old man. :)
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Be careful what you say to your customers. Its what my carpet cleaner said to me what started me in this industry.
He was banging on about how busy he was.
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Seeing that some are mentioning all former trades, I should add that there was a spell between plumbing and carpet cleaning ..... this was taken up by driving jobs, security work on tv/ film and a short stint as an undertaker :-X
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Left school at 15 served my time as a Painter and Decorator City & Guilds Yorkshire Counsils Till I was 21 Moved over to Bridlington went into engineering for 18 years building milling machines and cnc machines for Bridgeport Machines Then started working for myself full time after doing it for 7years part time now been working for myself 21years Decorating and also added carpet cleaning. Wish I had started carpet cleaning 21 years ago easiest money I have ever earned and I love it.
Yep had my carpets cleaned before I started doing them !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers Tony
Hi Tony
I did my City Guilds as well (big big mistake dropping C&G as a proper recognised certificate) rag rolling, marbeling,staining, god I hated it.
I worked for Islington Council and others then went into the film industry working on stages for shooting, easy paint outs but the scenic painters were different class altogether, unfortunately a dying breed as computer graphics have practically made them redundant but some of the work they did was amazing, to me it was proper art work.
I hated painting and had to get out, took up carpet tile laying on a large scale with guys I met in the films then sort of fell into carpet cleaning by mistake when asked to clean a large area of carpet tiles that were new but soiled, went on from there as they asked me to do more.
As I said earlier I still do some paper hanging.