[Sean Dyer]

there was a post here the other day about those who have taken there business to the next level. Without this becoming an earnings post what sort of turnover level did you find necessatated getting an independant van out cleaning and what did you find was a realistic daily target for 2 guys? ...

[richard jagger]

I am sorry if this answer does not conform to your question. But my need for a van did not come from my turnover it will be paid for by turnover.The need to carry more water and making the rite impression on my customers.I use a backpak and its too small to do the volume of houses i do.

[suds window service]

there was a post here the other day about those who have taken there business to the next level. Without this becoming an earnings post what sort of turnover level did you find necessatated getting an independant van out cleaning and what did you find was a realistic daily target for 2 guys? ...

don't mention turnover lol but for two vans about 800 customers say at an average of £8 may be a starting point.
 this would be a natural progression from the one van that had a two man operation.

[Clive McDonald]

Build on firm foundations. Max out capacity.You need to be on 6long days before you get van two, and to start only one man in it.IE, two vans one man in each.

When work builds up take on another van

[Sean Dyer]

slumpbuster, thats what im currently doing i am working with a lad who is part time (will be full when the work is there) iam to work out flat out and then at the point where i am at full capacity i will employ someone to take my place, so i suppose i have answered my own question in some ways as 2 i will know how much i do each week with 2 of us, but will someone work the same as me? i doubt it. thats why i wondered from the guys who have done it what sort of figures they expect from 2 guys in a van

@ suds - at £8 a house *200 a week thats for 2 guys or one??
seems on the low side for 2?

[suds window service]

Build on firm foundations. Max out capacity.You need to be on 6long days before you get van two, and to start only one man in it.IE, two vans one man in each.

When work builds up take on another van

dont know about that!   as you know i have done it a tad early but has given me more time to chase bigger and better jobs.
 so do it when the time feels right in the business to do it

[Clive McDonald]

your proabably right.I had a helper and we went flat out for three weeks and then we ran out of work, and i wondered what i'd done.

[suds window service]

your proabably right.I had a helper and we went flat out for three weeks and then we ran out of work, and i wondered what i'd done.

yep thats why iam sat here lol,been out to price a contract this morning 3 sets of offices. then did couple of last remaining jobs. NOWT on tomorrow then off to spain for 10 days wednesday.
goner go to the library and get a business book ....bet you could recommend one slumpbuster?

[darren clarke]

2 blokes should be able to do 30 between them on 1 van, so you would need 150 a week/ 600 month to employ

say you get £8 per house that is  £4800  say you pay 300 a week in wages  (1200 a month) 

[Clive McDonald]

Business books yes.i'm an expert.
ten day MBA..... makes you look at and analyse everything

100 brand disasters...... great reading how the big boys got it wrong

jims mowing...... available on here as a dwonload very relevant to us- he built and sold several rounds before it dawned on him that he could become a millionare.

don't f@@@ with the logo, very good read gets you to think about your business and what you are offering.

coffee republic from the kitchen table....... brilliant story, although they are skint now!

Biogs of bannantuyne, felix dennis, branson

My wife always feels sorry for the poor person who has to sit next to me on the plane.I can go on for hours

[Richard 01903]

jims mowing download where???

[Clive McDonald]

window washers put it up as a down load after Ian said it had served as an inspiration, who i believe also has a downoad from a talk he gave to windex about his franchise system.

[david watts]

had an intresting time lately; from a pricing point of view.
if im right at mo there is no way you can grow a buisiness 85 windows priced
i didnt get a simler job so i must lower my expectations.
it looks like most tell you a high price then go in low oldest trick in the book

[Sean Dyer]

i have thought about that ewan , my pricing needs to go up a touch so that staff can earn wht i earn in less time , i sometimes work long hour s ie 8 - 9 but obvioulsy employees will be more like 7-8 so i need to price higher to reflect that and have been doing

good suggestions keep it coming, would be good if some of the guys with multiple vans out shared some of there experience of building that first few vans and how they did it ?

[darren clarke]

i worked it out once that for me to employ someone, in a van on there own it would cost me £3.22 a house, this included wages, fuel, water and insurance

[Sapphire Window Cleaning]

slumpbuster, thats what im currently doing i am working with a lad who is part time (will be full when the work is there) iam to work out flat out and then at the point where i am at full capacity i will employ someone to take my place, so i suppose i have answered my own question in some ways as 2 i will know how much i do each week with 2 of us, but will someone work the same as me? i doubt it. thats why i wondered from the guys who have done it what sort of figures they expect from 2 guys in a van

@ suds - at £8 a house *200 a week thats for 2 guys or one??
seems on the low side for 2?

Sean how much do you need to turn over each week then?
200 houses at £8 each thats £1600 per week, pay out £700 in wages leaves you a nice little some off £900!
BTW you will get more work out of staff if you have 2 vans with one guy in each, rather than 2 guys in one van.

Matt

[Sean Dyer]

sapphire

i have a few problems in those simple sums

i disagree , you are not taking into account overheads , vat, equipment, holidays, etc

also 2 vans is 2 extra lots of fuel etc so one man one van is actually in my mind not as economical also more health and safety (lone working etc) and tracking problems

but going off your example i would work it out as this ...

1600 per week , for how many weeks? 2 guys is 8 weeks holidays so i have to work them or someone else whilst still paying, or not as much work gets done, also days where van is down other probs ie weather also no one is working xmas etc

so lets base it on 48 weeks earnings @ 1600

= 1600 *48 = 76800

over vat threshold so lets say we pay at flat rate , and this is on residential so we are taking the hit

thats £8448 gone

now wages
2 guys you say £700 between 2 thats £33600 not including ni contributions which will be £2954.00

so we have 76800-8448-33600-2954 = 31798

equipment 2500?
 fuel 3600
insurances both van and business 1750
 accounting for limted company and vat 700
stationary , clothing , van repairs , ?? down too 23248.00

tax is gonna be 20 % + depending if limited or not

you would be making 18000 -20 000 profit, maybe 3 vans would be okay but its alot of work to find.....
i reckon i can have a decent living off one van and i work part time, but my daily figures i would need are higher than those in the eg there yet i dont think they are unobtainable i beat them every day easy thats trad

and my work is not as good as it could / will be

i thought most on here had £10 minimums making it easy to see the possibilities of two guys doing about 40 houses

someone said earlier 30 houses for 2 guys, thats crazy at least 40 surely??

o well dont want to start an earnings debate etc, this is all turnover and is relative but i cant see the hassle is worth it unless the returns are bigger than that on one van

[Sean Dyer]

i dont follow ewan

2 part time cleaners?

[Sean Dyer]

thats fair enough but im thinking about when its time to hand over to 2 staff what they can/will accomplish but in the meantime i will work solid till at bursting point then hand over how much i expect 2men to do in one van and then build again till im at a profit level im happy with , the idea behind my thread though was really to see what i should be expecting one van with 2 guys to turnover , most have surprisingly low expectations it seems maybe mine are too high.

[Window Washers]

thats fair enough but im thinking about when its time to hand over to 2 staff what they can/will accomplish but in the meantime i will work solid till at bursting point then hand over how much i expect 2men to do in one van and then build again till im at a profit level im happy with , the idea behind my thread though was really to see what i should be expecting one van with 2 guys to turnover , most have surprisingly low expectations it seems maybe mine are too high.

Sean little tip, what you think and what happens are far from the same on the most part,

Staff can be a totally nightmare!


Ian