I will be back on the canvassing trail myself soon. It would be easier with lighter evenings as I have reservations about knocking on doors in the dark (I'm OK with it but homeowners may not be). I have been leafletting but results happen slowly with that method and I need to start re-building my cash flow sooner rather than later.
Over the years I've had an unwritten rule that no more than 15% of my work will come from any one source and I have had a number of sources of subcontracting. Well, last summer, the 15%er pulled the plug after 5 years. Normally not an issue as replaceable but it was quickly followed by a 5%er and a 3%er. More recently some smaller sources have stopped too. Because of these sources, I never bothered filling my domestic round in recent years. I used to have a full domestic round but when I switched to WFP some years ago, it became something like a 60-65% full round due to faster cleaning speeds. Apart from a couple of smaller subcontract jobs and a bit of commercial of my own, that's what I'm left with - a 60-65% full domestic round. Although subcontract work can be OK, it did leave me in other people's pockets to some degree but, it didn't put any value onto my own business either.
I dislike the micro-management that can come with residential rounds but it looks like I will have to swallow and get on with it.
I reckon another 100 residential customers will be about right and I may have to take on some unattractive work to kickstart it.