Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: daysdeepclean on April 23, 2009, 11:09:42 am
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I've just enquired about an Aircraft Fitting job as I'm not filling in enough days with the carpet cleaning. My plan is to work 7 til 4 (12 O'clock finish on Fridays) then carry out my carpet cleaning "Duties" on completion, but I am worried whether the customer really wants someone around at tea time ???
I'd be willing to work weekends too and I'd still strive to make the business work. I can't look a gift horse in the mouth at £600 p/w from the helicopter job as it's regular money!!!
Honest and brutal opinions welcome.....
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how long you been carpet cleaning colin?
derek
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Colin
Its your life and you know your circumstances better then anyone on here.
You have a wife and family to support so you got to do whats best for them and you.
I know you like the carpet cleaning but at the end of the day needs must take precedence.
If you happy doing the mechanicing thing then go for it.
I have done a few jobs around teatime but that was to suit the client (just come home) - I prefer starting in the morning.
Weekends are a goer - people at home.
You do whats best for you.
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Started in June Derek, I'm not being impatient or anything like that and I know it'll take a while until I become busy. Things are on the up but the smell of aviation fuel is calling (Maybe I need a Betty Ford Clinic) My priority is to run a successful business as I love being my own boss.
We aren't as hard up as most people Joe and I think I'm probably just yearning for the best of both worlds when it comes to work!
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you started same time as me colin.
i think you know what i was gonna say but looks like you know the ins and outs, pro's and cons.
600 now or 1000+ in 3 or 4 years time.
this sounds like a decision from within.
all i can say really is, no job is safe. especially in aviation.
your cc is in your hands.
you will succeed but it takes time.
i'm a strong believer that if you don't give a new business 100% of your time and commitment then it will fail.
but thats me and i'm sure theres guys out there that have done both and gone on to be successful.
remember, your coming home from a full days work to load up and do carpet cleaning, your not there to answer the phone, and more importantly, "ive earned money this week, i can't be harrissed to ring that women, its not like i need the job this week"
if you do decide to go for both, be prepaired to not see much family life, or any life for that matter.
anyway, thats my 2 bits worth.
good luck mate.
derek
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Id say take the job. Its going to provide relative security amid the recession which IMO is going to get a lot worst.
Under normal conditions Id say it takes 2-4 years before you stop investing in equipment and heavy advertising to make £600 pw PLUS sick, holiday pay and and pension.
Regarding work very few will want you after 4pm and after a few days youll hate working all day and then going out to clean carpet. Rather fill your saturday with quality commercial work. You could make another £600 with the right work and your costs will be a lot less.
However your family and social life will suffer. Only you can decide.
Mark
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Hi colin
Always liked the way you posted on here an come across mate.
It does take a long time to build a business up and think it takes even longer now as i had the fortune of a good source of clients from the y pages back in the good old days :)
Trouble is now with all the web sites etc its become more competitive to get work and all the money you have to spend in avertising to get work for not a big return.
I honestly would not think a lot of people will want there carpets cleaned at that time in the afternoon spec when it gets to the autum winter months with less light on the furnishings and colder nights..
Maybe weekend work is an option.
Do you really want to start working at the weekends when you also have a nice wife and familly to spend time with ???Y
I wouldnt want to work all hours and sacrifice quallity time at home mate.
That 600 pounds a week is not bad collin and to earn that doing carpet cleaning would be a lot more by the time you have your costs ie advertising,vehicles,machines etc.
Good luck with whatever you do mate anyway.
clinton
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There's a lot of points there I haven't even considered. Whenever family is mentioned I think that the kids are only young once, and I've met many truck drivers, forces people etc etc who have worked worked worked, and regret not spending more precious and valuable time with the family.
And Derek, you really have your head screwed on mate and I appreciate what you have said...
Thanks fella's, excellent advice and support as always!!!
I won't do anything that puts my business within a whisker of danger!
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Like Clinton I've taken you to be a likeable and honest guy Colin and you deserve honest opinions in response.
I've run other businesses alongside carpet cleaning and found it beneficial as the c/c side is not consistant throughout the year.
By working part time you can return to c/c at any time and you only need only need 3 or 4 jobs a week to give you an extra £10 k
That will put you ahead of many on here.
Good luck whatever you do in the current economic climate I'd opt for the £30 k salary and keep doing a handfull of jobs part time you can still have the weekends free
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having an extra income myself colin has kept me a float in my early times i basically do enough hours in my other job to cancel out my adv bills.
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colin long story short inherited a family biz 2 years ago and I have only just stopped having to pay out for new stuff to make the biz modern and up to date but I got a big data base but the clients paid at cheap prices , far too cheap to really live right so I made the desision that I can make something from this small biz so I still worked P/T till last autum and I mean 7 days a week every week except for 5 days off in last summer then chucked in the job that I made silly money at but it would never be mine .
We have a little boy 4 an a bit an a little girly wirly 5 months old and I dont want to be that man they only see now and again so thats why I grafted my nackers off at first for so long , now I can start reap the benefits that comes from being your own boss .
like now come home early to go for picknik cause I can
YES IT CAN BE DONE ONLY IF YOU REALLY WANT THAT BAD .
There is a lot more to this
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Colin, life is about balance although you can sometimes tip the scales one way or the other for a little while before you will have to re-balance otherwise you'll fall off.
To jack it in would make you think it had all been a waste of time but to work flat out at 2 jobs would surely mean family, health or both might suffer-and to simply earn more money? There's no point being the richest man in the graveyard.
To answer your specific question you will find people who will be happy or even welcome you in at 4.00pm. People who work part time; single people who don't want to take time off work; customers who can't find a cleaner who will come at a time convenient for the client. Whether there's enough or them or whether you can convert your existing clients to think so; who knows?
I balance my life by making the decision to not work weekends. I lose some work but there again my body couldn't take working that hard.
Only you can make the decision and I think Derek is right to say you cannot serve two masters simultaneously. But could you get the business to tick over thereby generating "pocket money"? Rather than looking for new clients simply service those you already have. At a stroke you should lose most of your advertising budget and only have direct overheads ie only costs that are incurred if you are actually cleaning carpets and generating money.
Why not try a little bit of informal market research and ask some of your clients whether they would still use you if you were only available evenings and weekends. Costs nothing to ask.
Whatever you decide be at peace with your decision.
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Colin
You said you've enquired about the job. At the very least you can see how things go if you take the application process further, before finally deciding ?
Regards
Pete (JS2)
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take this job and you can kiss good bye to your carpet cleaning business, slowly over time the carpet cleaning will start to take a back seat, you'll have a steady income and you'll start to relax into it.
you may think you can do a days work then come home, shower & go out carpet cleaning but its not that easy.
is it £600 take home Pay?
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Have to agree with Derek and Mike, Colin.
I think you can forget about doing any upholstery after 4pm, but thats just my opinion.
Only you can judge whether or not you can build your business up to the level required - £600 per week should be achievable with the right marketing and it shouldn't take all week to earn it.
I couldn't imagine working all day and then going out carpet cleaning - I have been a tradesman all my working life and I do my most productive work before lunch, after that I start to get tired and slow down.
I did 4 bedrooms, stairs and landings this morning and a large rug this afternoon and then thought it's early I could fit in another job if I had one - but to be honest I was pretty knackered by then as it's been hot today.
I wish you all the best whatever you decide but personally, after being self-employed for 17 years, I could never work for anyone again - I like being my own boss, even when times are tough because at least I am in control of my own destiny.
Steve
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I have been going nearly 5 years now,i still have 2 or 3 clients who i do dom cleaning for,i can basically survive on what i get from them,and i mean just survive,just enough to cover my outgoing,i don`t have any debts though (only the in rev ,and they can wait) Carpets have just started picking up now,but i still have 1 or 2 days off each week.That suits me though, i have a lot of hobbies etc,my roc takes up a lot of my time,as does growing my own veg !
When i was working as a chef,i didn`t have the luxury of days off etc,and worked stupidly late,never saw my wife,no social life (not that that has changed much !).
It`s a hard decision,i know i would do everything possible to avoid going back to the grind of working for someone else,might even get off my aris and deliver the 9500 flyers i have left from the 10 thou i had printed a couple of years ago :(..
It would be a very hard call for me,i am earning a stupid amount of money for not very many hours work,if i went back to being a chef max wage would prob be around £12 to £15 p/hr,i usually earn between £60 and £80 p/hr.It would hurt
Tough call only you can decide what your going to do mate
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Hi Colin,
Maybe diversification is needed here and not looking elsewhere for employment. Try adding other cleaning services such as pressure washing, oven cleaning and even car valeting?? Try concentrating on your current customer database as well as looking for new custom
John
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If you can't build it full time how can you build it part time?
It's not the cleaning it's cleaning and marketing.
If you take some of your 30k and invest that instead of your time then maybe.
I would look long and hard at my marketing. Time won't change anything, you've got to change something to fill those gaps in your day.
If you like fitting and doing the odd CC job then it's perfect, if it's seen as a temporary fix then in 3 years you will be doing the same thing or given up CC altogether.
Whatever you do though treat it as the right decision whatever happens.
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It would be foolish, I think, to go full time and expect my business to grow, I have had word back regarding the Aircraft Job and have been told that they will put me on their data base upon receipt of my CV....
Instead of farting around tring to sell myself to them, I'm gonna go and deliver leaflets tomorrow and meet local businesses.... The thoughts of having a boss is the most off putting thing and I think I might have (Admittedly) grown a chip on my shoulder with being my own boss....(Already!) ;D
I knew I would get the answer on CIU and I can't thank you enough.... Thank you all!
Colin....
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Although I don't know your personal circumstances Colin, I think you have made the right decision and a year on from now you'll look back and wonder why you even contemplated it - best of luck.
Steve
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Focussed your mind. Now go and deliver what you decided (and I dont just mean the leaflets)
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I think I became unemployable years ago. :( :) :) :)
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Good luck.
When our kids were 5 we started a residential home from scratch. I carried on full time work for 6 months and the happiest day was when I rowed with the boss and slung the company car keys on his desk then get my wife to come and pick me up - but thats another story. We were on duty 7 days a week from 0730 to 2100. Who were these two little strangers in the house? We lived over the business and were frequently called at night as well. After 4 yrs we had our first holiday and got a really reliable senior carer in so we then had time off. But we missed a lot of the kids growing up. It paid off financially in the end but money is not everything. Whatever you do you must have one day where you do not work or even think about it.
I suspect you have made your mind up already, all you want is a glimmer of encouragement--
Trevor
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Hi,
People know me as being quite blunt and Mike Halliday hates me, but I like to say what I think. So here goes,,, Your not going to find any pearls in s**t no matter how hard you work on it, see the aircraft job as an oyster shell and channel your attention on opening it.
Work hard to obtain the Aircraft job, it will give you security, time off and holidays.
I like Carpet and Upholstery cleaning because it earns me good raw cash for little investment and running cost but I have always seen it as being a s**t earner if it were to go to accounts. I have always wanted a small bolt on business that deals in mostly cash and Carpet and Upholstery cleaning certainly has ticked all the boxes.
In short work hard at it and enjoy all the benefits employment as to offer and use carpet cleaning to top up your wallet as and when needed.
Besides 30k is a very good wage to be on, our fitting guys are on 22K and work a 45hr week.
Matt
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What a load of old twaddle.
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i'm sure most business savvy cc's who've been going 3 or 4 years could easily hit 30k profit a year. with a lot less hours.
derek
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Mike ::)
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i have another job i work evenings 3 nights a week on a farm 7 pm till 1 am bit of a drag but cancels out my advertising bill dont think i could work a job other than cc during the days cause you just would not be able to run your bus in the right fashion. plus who wants to have there carpets cleaned on an evening,
Its ok having another job but your either in business or not working for someone else has to fit around your own business.
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Richard
How do you get on the next day if your working till 1 am mate?
Most people dont want you there late afternoon to clean..
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The main thing is WHY you want to do CC.
You will find a way to get what you want if you know what it is.
If there were no CC making a profit of 50k+ then you could argue get a job but most people do it for reasons beyond good money.
Another point is, if you think 'All I need is enough to get by'... then that's what you will get less a few K which means you end up poor.
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Matt, when have I said I hate you :-* :-*
like in this case I rarely agree with you but everyone has the right to an opinion. to tell a guy to be happy with £600 and forget about looking for pearls in the world of carpet cleaning is IMO bad advice
if he takes this job he will work 40hrs to earn £600, if he spent a full 40hrs either carpet cleaning or in activities to produce work he will easily earn over £600 a week
but its having the motivation to walk out of the house at 8am and not come back in until 5pm, that's the hard bit
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Bet sall will spend all the proffit ;D
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i work 3 evenings a week clinton cause newbie most weeks my book is not full and to be honest most days its one job sometimes two.
I do mon tue and wed evenings so try to pile most of my cc into weds thu fri and sats. but lately have been working every day been on a good run. on mon tue and wed try to be at my cc jobs at 9 am then get home norm by middle of afternoon bed for 2 hours then off to work. must admit its means to an end and where i work is very flexible. hopefully as my bus grows can cut back on my evening job but if i have quiet period can do more hours. i have been doing it like that since nov and am fine with it. and must admit whilst driving around in my tractor feeding cows i think about my business new ideas etc so to be honest its no dif from me being at home thinking about it plus i get payed. as you can see by my profile history i post at 1 am when i get home from work hee hee.
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Nothing wrong with the work richard as i think you said its youe dads farm so bet its a rewarding experience doing that work..
Plenty of time to think about things too...
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my old man has a farm but dont work there work on a big dairy farm.
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Least its dif to other usual jobs richard ;D
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mm if I had an old man an he had a farm it would doubled up as rug cleaning unit come leather restoration site and I would be marketing like Mad
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EI EI O ;D
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Colin
You have to do what suits you mate, all of us are in different situations.
It took me 2 years I guess, but my mrs has a really good job and we dont have a mortgage.
I did fill in with a part time job but decided that I had to concentrate on the business, so went for it and now got some good contracts and a good custy base.
You will get there, trust me.
Cheers
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Hi Mark,
Just a quickie what part of Ireland you in ?
Dont think there too many of us on here!
Things quiet for you or are you busy?
Bren.
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What's all this about people not wanting carpets and upholstery cleaning in the evening.
Last year, up to Xmas I was dioing at least one evening a week and up to Nov 2 evenings a week.
Used to try and finish though for 2.30 ish in the afternoon or have the morning off and then work right through till 8 ish.
John
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Colin,
I have always found your posts to come across as intelligent and polite. You seem to like the cc industry - or why would you be on here ?
You have a dilemma, good regular ( while it lasts ) well paid employment, turning up when they require you to and taking orders from a boss/supervisor person. Going to the same premises 5 days a week ( or whatever ), possibly for the rest of your life.
On the other hand, you have the chance to build a business for yourself and your family, doing something you obviously enjoy. Work the hours to suit your lifestyle and family commitments, working in the knowledge that you are your own master and making your own decisions ( right or wrong ) . Standing on your own two feet and taking personal responsibility for your future.
Some people are cut out for self employment whereas some are not. It is not easy, as I am sure most on this forum will agree. There are good times and bad times in business, as in life in general. I think if you really want to do something, you have to have, commitment, belief in yourself and a sense of satisfaction in what you are doing every day.
Colin, I believe if you were to poll the members of this forum on why they are cc's, many would say one of the biggest benefits of being in cc is the satisfaction they get from their chosen profession. In my working life, I have been a mechanic, newsagent and carpet cleaner. I have enjoyed them all. But when I stopped enjoying them, I changed course. I have never continued in a job I did not enjoy. For the last 21 years I have been in carpet cleaning and to be honest, it has been my favourite job - the one with the most satisfaction. My only regret, is that I did not start until I was 40.
It does take years to become established, if it was too easy, everyone would be doing it. It does not sound as though you are desperate for the money? If that is the case and you wish to make a go of it in cc, burn your bridges, commit totally and become proactive in your marketing. Also, to pick up on an earlier point someone made, diversify !!
Don't spread yourself too thin on the ground, offer more cleaning services such as powerwashing. Equipment costs are reasonable and returns are good. Or perhaps work in conjunction with other cc's in your area to aim at commercial jobs occasionally.
You have had lots of good advice on this forum, it is up to you to decide what is best for and suited to you.
IF IT'S GOT TO BE, IT'S UP TO ME!!!
Best of luck Colin in whatever is your destiny.
Regards,
Jim
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Slightly different way of looking at this is :-
Employ a technician to do the carpet cleaning during the day, and you go out and do the surveys and pricing up at night time.
This would enable you to take on the Aircraft fitting job and keep developing the business.