Ronnie, hope you get through this ok mate.
As for paying staff, my guys get £65 a day basic AFTER tax, they also get a bonus each week if all booked work is complete. Depending on the workload that bonus can be anything from £30 to £100 each.
Overtime is paid at shared %age, that is, say we take on a £100 job that will get done after their 36hrs then I will split the money after costs, 50% - so say it costs £10 in fuel to go do this job, thats £90 split 50/50 = £45 each.
Once they have done their full week they have made me enough to warrant a bonus in some form or other. At the end of the day, if they are paid well, they will have no need or desire to start up on their own and will put the little bit extra into the work that they do. Both guys have been with us for quite a few years and I have no intention of ever letting them go, ok, so I'm not making £150 a day off each man but what use would that be if they never turned up for work, instead, I don't work them hard, I get a good reliable service from then and as a result I get a smaller return but a much more reliable return and a better working environment.