Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Grafters Cleaning Services on January 10, 2008, 10:32:13 pm
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at last we have enough work for my son and i to split up, so this week we got another van on the road and will be splitting the round in 2 but also continue to canvass to expand further,
so my question is how many others on here have more than 1 van working,
i know of 1 local guy who has 3 on the road each with a 2 man crew
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i will like to get anther van up some day it just takes a bit of time
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i will like to get anther van up some day it just takes a bit of time
my son has been working for me for just over 1 year (he's 18)
it was then that we decided what we wanted to do so it's taken just over a year to get to that position.
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Jay what van did you get?
Steve
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Good on you Jay and the best of luck to you and your Son ;)
I personally am not to sure about expanding now, I did when i first started, I used to take all 3 of my daughters & the Boss out with me when they wanted extra money, the Boss still comes out and all 3 girls still shown an interest in taking over the business when I eventually retire, So do I build it up for them or let them fight amongst them selfs?
I don't know what it was? but when all the girls were out with me, we used to pull in plenty of new customers, so I think I'll leave the expanding to them.
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Jay what van did you get?
Steve
i steve, i got a dispatch a my boys got a ford escort (owing to his age insurance)
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Good on you Jay and the best of luck to you and your Son ;)
I personally am not to sure about expanding now, I did when i first started, I used to take all 3 of my daughters & the Boss out with me when they wanted extra money, the Boss still comes out and all 3 girls still shown an interest in taking over the business when I eventually retire, So do I build it up for them or let them fight amongst them selfs?
I don't know what it was? but when all the girls were out with me, we used to pull in plenty of new customers, so I think I'll leave the expanding to them.
hi jeff, i don't have that problem as my oldest daughter is training in beauty/hair and no interest in the w/c bizz, however in years to come i can see her coming to dad to finance her own bizz (gonna cost me a fortune)
as for my youngest girl, to young to decide on a career at the moment
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Hi Jay
Word of warning on expansion. Bust my guts to get the work in for one of my employees. Sacked him because of poor standards. Loads of work now and we are working 6 days a week to catch up.
I would think long and hard about running extra vans - lots of admin, high risk and low margins.
Most customers I talk to have been captains of industry and ended up with strokes and triple heart bypasses. They all say keep it small and simple. Refine the work and keep it in the family.
Chris
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Christies
You cannot put a negative post in like that.
We are looking at our 4th vehicle in March and yes some days it is a right pain in the ........
If you keep it simple and small you are never going to create something that will become a company, that may pay you into old age, that has a value to the market and that someone might want to buy from you on retirement.
You could throw a 1000 problems at me today - would I want to go back to being a one man operation -- NO WAY!
Because I can get much more work done because I have more people to do the work, I lose profit to wages and running costs but there is more coming in week in, week out. Employing is about spreading your time and trying to hold onto the qualities that you started your business with.
We have just put an ad in the local paper (average wage £6 - 7.00 per hour - in area) paying £7-9.00 per hour. The phone has not stopped ringing for 3 days.
If I can improve someones life by offering better than average wages and they can earn me a few quid then thats what its about.
Rob ;D
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Midas, good man, nice to see you balance this.
Now all I have to do is get from my shoes to your shoes.
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Midas, good man, nice to see you balance this.
Now all I have to do is get from my shoes to your shoes.
BUT
on the ohter hand, Christies is also right
it just might suit people to stay a 1 man band and be happy
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Each to their own, i say :) Four vans, 3 busy 1 getting there, for me its about the long term value of the business.
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Each to their own, i say :) Four vans, 3 busy 1 getting there, for me its about the long term value of the business.
indeed, each to their own ;)
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Family and a life for me ;)
Maybe ok for you youngsters, but I'm easing into retirement....
well in another 20 years ;D
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7 vans
Dan
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Hi, I am of the opinion of Midas.
Started my round over 3 years ago after leaving council(h&S) and now have 2 vans (4 workers and wife who runs cleaning side).
I would encourage all to build and grow rather than stay small if you want an easier later life.
Yes you do get headaches,Staff taking the pi**,down days but it is all worth it.
Just taken our company Ltd and looking to grow.
Also starting another business shortly (drain care) due to the other businesses going so well.
Having staff gives you more time to fine tune your business,canvass or start up other businesses while still getting an income.
I have the best job in the world and would not swop. Keep em happy and they will give you the earth.
Good Luck
Robbie
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I'm with Chris on this one..... I have done my time of managing people, and worrying about their performance/attendance/conduct, work with my bruv now, so much simpler.
Earned well out of m/ment though, so reasonably secure anyway.
Have no interest in expansion apart from beefing up our round for us, not anybody else. Don't want the hassle.
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Hi Jay
Word of warning on expansion. Bust my guts to get the work in for one of my employees. Sacked him because of poor standards. Loads of work now and we are working 6 days a week to catch up.
I would think long and hard about running extra vans - lots of admin, high risk and low margins.
Most customers I talk to have been captains of industry and ended up with strokes and triple heart bypasses. They all say keep it small and simple. Refine the work and keep it in the family.
Chris
Spoken by a worker not a thinker I guess
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Hi Jay
Word of warning on expansion. Bust my guts to get the work in for one of my employees. Sacked him because of poor standards. Loads of work now and we are working 6 days a week to catch up.
I would think long and hard about running extra vans - lots of admin, high risk and low margins.
Most customers I talk to have been captains of industry and ended up with strokes and triple heart bypasses. They all say keep it small and simple. Refine the work and keep it in the family.
Chris
Spoken by a worker not a thinker I guess
why is it that when some1 says they have no desire to employ they get knocked on this site
we all have different ambitions
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Hi Jay
Word of warning on expansion. Bust my guts to get the work in for one of my employees. Sacked him because of poor standards. Loads of work now and we are working 6 days a week to catch up.
I would think long and hard about running extra vans - lots of admin, high risk and low margins.
Most customers I talk to have been captains of industry and ended up with strokes and triple heart bypasses. They all say keep it small and simple. Refine the work and keep it in the family.
Chris
Spoken by a worker not a thinker I guess
why is it that when some1 says they have no desire to employ they get knocked on this site
we all have different ambitions
we do thats right but when the outlook is warning not employ they get knocked only fair to have it both ways is it not?
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I agree that employing is not everyones cup of tea and that we all have our own goals and things that we want to achieve - and it is quite conceivable that a one man operation could manage to do about £3000 - £5000.00 per month and would have a good life from this and put enough away for a comfortable retirement plan.
I am where I am because I need to constantly improve and it was not enough for me to be a sole operator - my way is not necessarily the right way but it is the right way for me.
Find what you want and solidify your business so that you can reap the reward you deserve - from the efforts you put in.
I will have at least 10 vans on the road in the next four years - from this side of the business alone.
We are opening up in a brand new sector where I see potential earnings in excess of £100.00 per hour for a nominal amount of work - compared to the manhours required to earn this through window cleaning there will be no comparison.
I could not do this without my window cleaning business but I also have done very little work since the 22nd November last year. This has allowed me to get back on top of both sides of the business and bring this third angle to fruition.
I love my window cleaning and will be eternally grateful for the start it has given me but it is not the future for us as a business because it is just too consuming on man hours, wages and running costs.
There are bigger margins to be earnt in other sectors.
Rob ;D
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I have a lad that works with me 2 days a week, my son runs the 2nd van on those 2 days so we basically work with staff 2 days a week, with each other 1 day and every other week I'm on my own for a day with the following week off for a day.
we find it works well because you're not stuck with the same person every day and you get at least one day off a week or a day to work on your own. it suits the 2 staff as well as they are working 15hrs a week so only registered as part time, it saves on holiday pay also (as 5 weeks @15hrs - we give them an extra week each year).
after el insurance,wages etc each member of staff makes £70 a day for the business with a further £65 wages (they would normally do £150 - £180 a day each).
we could push them harder (a lot harder actually) but they are very good staff, never late, never any excuses from them (have had to send them home in the past for not being well enough to work), friendly, superb with customers too.
My son and I gave them both a small bonus last year (September), a hundred and fifty quid each,( bearing mind they only do 15hrs a week) since then they have both worked saturdays when we have needed them (4 times).
I know some wouldn't treat staff the same, others maybe pay more but overall I think we are pretty good to them and they repay that as best as we could ask.