[Duhallow cleaners]

Does anybody on the forum operate a carpet cleaning business in a largely rural area, with a few towns with population of say, 2000 each? How much business do you do? Is it viable? Is profit eaten up with increased travelling costs?

[STEVE PARKIN]

I opperate from a small town with lots of small villages an hamlets surrounding, can sometimes travel a fair distance for one small job but yoy have to make sure  traveling costs are included in the price. always ask what area they are before quoting over the phone and then you can add traveling costs into price, one advantage i do have is less competition but it can be slow going building up business

[Duhallow cleaners]

And what do you do to drum up business, or more importantly, what have you found to be the most sucessful methods in the past?

[Fintan_Coll]

You do not give your location  on your profile which is a pity but I suspect you could be from Cork. I operate in a very rural area, not a problem.

[Mark Stanley]

We were thinking of moving to Norfolk.

At present I don't have to travel more than five miles for most jobs.

Guess that would change a great deal, if we moved.

Still its one thing talking about it and then doing it.

Mark.

[Dennis]

I'm from the east coast of Norfolk and have been up and running successfully for 16 years. It's a fairly rural area, the biggest downside is after 1 mile to the east the nearest customer is in Holland. 

[Mark Stanley]

Where is that ferry, maybe the Dutch can use our help?

[House Buddies]

I am based in Barton Turf 10 miles from norwich, I used to live in Watton a small town, I still travel an hour to work in my old patch but worth it if you can do a decent days work

[Kinver_Clean]

I live in rural Worcestershire and do most business over the border in the Black Country IE Stourbridge and beyond to Wolves and Birmingham. My nearest customer is 75 yds but all the rest are a minimum of 5 miles and up to 20 miles.
As long as I can slot jobs together in areas it is OK. The furthest I have been is north of Melton Mowbray a round trip of 260 miles to remove a stain the size of a 50p. Charged day rate for that one.

It does have its compensations I have veiws of 23 miles from my siiting room and only the one neighbour.

Trevor

[Duhallow cleaners]

Full marks to Fintan_coll....I am indeed in Cork, in Southern Ireland!

[Fintan_Coll]

Well, how did I guess that    One of the advantages of rural customers  which I have found to be true is that once you acquire them they tend to remain loyal to you, also they stay at the same location for years ,even generations. On the other hand customers in larger towns and cities tend to price shop more, possibly because they have a bigger choice and there always seems to be a bigger movement both into and out of towns.

[Duhallow cleaners]

Fintan,

Could you email your contact details to me please on dmob@vodafone.ie - I'd like to have a chat with you sometime about business!