[Ian101]

Been going proper about 6 months now however last 6 weeks has been the steepest learning curve so far !

Things I have learnt and will be implementing for next year include


Taking my 2 week holiday in Dec or Jan instead of peak working time

Putting a tenner a day to 1 side into a "winter not able to work fund"

I have about 40 8week customers and will be adjusting their timings so by end of year they will be cleaned in November so no worries about December (plan will only work if Jan not crap as well  :)

Insulating the van with ply lining and foil bubble wrap so any warmth in their stays in there longer plus will help O.F.R. runnung costs

Dry lining garage / insulating and getting a rad or 2 fitted as flipping cold in their and seem to spend a lot of time in there these days messing with static and fixing / adjusting things on system.

Now got a full round so doing a "BFG" and culling PIA customers / jobs in December ready for Jan

Pricing new work higher and dropping / selling the lower priced stuff

Cant think of anything else but as always happy to tke advice from the forum 

[john stracey]

all sounds good to me

[CLEANCARE WC]

REALLY GOOD PLAN BUT STATISTICALLY WEATHER IS WORSE IN JAN THAN DECEMBER. 

[gavin pedley]

Good plans, my plans for next year are to get my round full as I am still not there yet. I will also be saving a winter fund, this has been my first winter and an interesting one! I also plan for my forum to be better than CIU.

[Alex Allen]

Been going proper about 6 months now however last 6 weeks has been the steepest learning curve so far !

Things I have learnt and will be implementing for next year include


Taking my 2 week holiday in Dec or Jan instead of peak working time

Putting a tenner a day to 1 side into a "winter not able to work fund"

I have about 40 8week customers and will be adjusting their timings so by end of year they will be cleaned in November so no worries about December (plan will only work if Jan not crap as well  :)

Insulating the van with ply lining and foil bubble wrap so any warmth in their stays in there longer plus will help O.F.R. runnung costs

Dry lining garage / insulating and getting a rad or 2 fitted as flipping cold in their and seem to spend a lot of time in there these days messing with static and fixing / adjusting things on system.

Now got a full round so doing a "BFG" and culling PIA customers / jobs in December ready for Jan

Pricing new work higher and dropping / selling the lower priced stuff

Cant think of anything else but as always happy to tke advice from the forum 

yeah loads, lol
by what you posted here you havnt got a plan

[Ian101]

Been going proper about 6 months now however last 6 weeks has been the steepest learning curve so far !

Things I have learnt and will be implementing for next year include


Taking my 2 week holiday in Dec or Jan instead of peak working time

Putting a tenner a day to 1 side into a "winter not able to work fund"

I have about 40 8week customers and will be adjusting their timings so by end of year they will be cleaned in November so no worries about December (plan will only work if Jan not crap as well  :)

Insulating the van with ply lining and foil bubble wrap so any warmth in their stays in there longer plus will help O.F.R. runnung costs

Dry lining garage / insulating and getting a rad or 2 fitted as flipping cold in their and seem to spend a lot of time in there these days messing with static and fixing / adjusting things on system.

Now got a full round so doing a "BFG" and culling PIA customers / jobs in December ready for Jan

Pricing new work higher and dropping / selling the lower priced stuff

Cant think of anything else but as always happy to tke advice from the forum 

yeah loads, lol
by what you posted here you havnt got a plan

looks like a plan to me .............. confused by your comment  please enlighten us

[clearlyclean]

I think the winter fund plan is good,I plan to expand one of my rounds in the new year, is that a plan?

[Ian101]

sounds like one ... looks like one so yup defo a plan i think

[dazmond]

Been going proper about 6 months now however last 6 weeks has been the steepest learning curve so far !

Things I have learnt and will be implementing for next year include


Taking my 2 week holiday in Dec or Jan instead of peak working time

Putting a tenner a day to 1 side into a "winter not able to work fund"

I have about 40 8week customers and will be adjusting their timings so by end of year they will be cleaned in November so no worries about December (plan will only work if Jan not crap as well  :)

Insulating the van with ply lining and foil bubble wrap so any warmth in their stays in there longer plus will help O.F.R. runnung costs

Dry lining garage / insulating and getting a rad or 2 fitted as flipping cold in their and seem to spend a lot of time in there these days messing with static and fixing / adjusting things on system.

Now got a full round so doing a "BFG" and culling PIA customers / jobs in December ready for Jan

Pricing new work higher and dropping / selling the lower priced stuff

Cant think of anything else but as always happy to tke advice from the forum 

if i were you i wouldnt bother trying to take your hols in dec or trying to clean 8 weekly customers in november etc as things vary over the year.the best time to take a holiday is august i find as a lot of my custies are away and i find it easier to catch up when i get back as weather still ok in september normally.

the emergency fund is a must in this business so that is a good idea and work in the rain sometimes!

obviously taking a winter holiday as well as a summer one is a possibility once your starting to make half decent money!!

[bobplum]

Been going proper about 6 months now however last 6 weeks has been the steepest learning curve so far !

Things I have learnt and will be implementing for next year include


Taking my 2 week holiday in Dec or Jan instead of peak working time

Putting a tenner a day to 1 side into a "winter not able to work fund"

I have about 40 8week customers and will be adjusting their timings so by end of year they will be cleaned in November so no worries about December (plan will only work if Jan not crap as well  :)

Insulating the van with ply lining and foil bubble wrap so any warmth in their stays in there longer plus will help O.F.R. runnung costs

Dry lining garage / insulating and getting a rad or 2 fitted as flipping cold in their and seem to spend a lot of time in there these days messing with static and fixing / adjusting things on system.

Now got a full round so doing a "BFG" and culling PIA customers / jobs in December ready for Jan

Pricing new work higher and dropping / selling the lower priced stuff

Cant think of anything else but as always happy to tke advice from the forum 

have you thought of selling cars

[Matthew Bateman]

Well, ............this is pretty much what I reckon; well, along these lines anyway.

There's NO WAY! you'll ever be able to plan at what this time next year you'll be cleaning any customers house. You can't plan from one week to the next in this job let alone from one year to the next.

'The best laid plans of mice and men.......'

[dazmond]

Well, ............this is pretty much what I reckon; well, along these lines anyway.

There's NO WAY! you'll ever be able to plan at what this time next year you'll be cleaning any customers house. You can't plan from one week to the next in this job let alone from one year to the next.

'The best laid plans of mice and men.......'

ditto!!matt!!

ive rejigged and reprinted a few invoices every day since friday afternoon!! :

[Sean Dyer]

over the next 2 years im changing my work so that my turnover for the year is done between 1 march and xmas, anything else is a bonus, im sick of winter , if i can finish on 24 decemeber till 1 march i will, i cant see why its not a goer, we get the odd storm through summer but im sure its not so much it cant be kept up/ caught up....

might try have a second business/ work for winter!! maybe im just getting too p'd off with this weather but its 2 years on the trot now and im sick of it!! lost about 1k so far with no sign of getting any real serious money earned anytime soon!! slush funds etc are ok but its still anoying that your working to fund winter, theres only so much you can earn and its not fun blowing it all sat around not working on bills

[Leeroy]

over the next 2 years im changing my work so that my turnover for the year is done between 1 march and xmas, anything else is a bonus, im sick of winter , if i can finish on 24 decemeber till 1 march i will, i cant see why its not a goer, we get the odd storm through summer but im sure its not so much it cant be kept up/ caught up....

might try have a second business/ work for winter!! maybe im just getting too p'd off with this weather but its 2 years on the trot now and im sick of it!! lost about 1k so far with no sign of getting any real serious money earned anytime soon!! slush funds etc are ok but its still anoying that your working to fund winter, theres only so much you can earn and its not fun blowing it all sat around not working on bills

You cant be serious...

I can understand 2-3 weeks or more but to take of 2-3 months thats not business

[Dave Anderson]

Sean...I can see where you're coming from...am in a bit of a pickle too....

Luckily I have planned my 4 weeks holiday and will be back and ready for work 24th Jan....December has been very poor indeed as was Jan - Feb...

I too am thinking about doing something else ...I too consider the year to be shortened...for me the working year is 20th(ish) Feb to December 1st...anything more is a bonus....

Dave.

[bobby p]

how did u find your lad Ian?      im defo going to take on a lad in spring. of course ive heard of the grief that comes when employing but the other option is to slog on until my body goes twang !

  (a bit worried about how can i find a lad with "savvy" , with me being trad only )

[Clive McDonald]

It's a sort of plan, a bit muddle headed.What's required is a strategy.

You can't plan for one hundred year events.The Yank tourists pontificating about being stuck at our airports on todays news bulletins - and this has happened twice in a year- and that we should review our procedures and plan better.Would perhaps do better to reflect on how they deal with hurricanes- they run, or wild fires- they burn down whole portions of residential housing with plenty of warning.And then of course there was the time the levee flooded and they were all stuck in that stadium in lousina and the president was making noises but not doing anything.

In other words it's not that easy.Sometimes you have to roll with the punches.

[Ian101]

Been going proper about 6 months now however last 6 weeks has been the steepest learning curve so far !

Things I have learnt and will be implementing for next year include


Taking my 2 week holiday in Dec or Jan instead of peak working time

Putting a tenner a day to 1 side into a "winter not able to work fund"

I have about 40 8week customers and will be adjusting their timings so by end of year they will be cleaned in November so no worries about December (plan will only work if Jan not crap as well  :)

Insulating the van with ply lining and foil bubble wrap so any warmth in their stays in there longer plus will help O.F.R. runnung costs

Dry lining garage / insulating and getting a rad or 2 fitted as flipping cold in their and seem to spend a lot of time in there these days messing with static and fixing / adjusting things on system.

Now got a full round so doing a "BFG" and culling PIA customers / jobs in December ready for Jan

Pricing new work higher and dropping / selling the lower priced stuff

Cant think of anything else but as always happy to tke advice from the forum 

have you thought of selling cars

thats beneath me now Im a window cleaner 

[Ian101]

how did u find your lad Ian?      im defo going to take on a lad in spring. of course ive heard of the grief that comes when employing but the other option is to slog on until my body goes twang !

  (a bit worried about how can i find a lad with "savvy" , with me being trad only )

work experiance from local college ... the welsh government pays him 50 quid a week for 13 weeks then i can either have another 1 for 13 weeks or take this one on (think its a governemnt dodge to keep unemployment figures down ?? )

[Dave Anderson]

At the end of the day....you need a stash of cash put by 12 weeks seems like a reasonable amount...

As for planning time off...got to agree that planning the exact dates is not really possible but for us 4 weeks hols just after Christmas works just fine.

Work on the basis that winter will cause you problems and you can then prepare...I have read loads of people saying that they had various parts of their static systems freeze solid...to be honest this is all preventable.

Sometimes you just have to invest to protect your assets.

Cheers
Dave.