[slap bash]

Take someone on and work with him so as to doing your round faster and then you can train him up your own way before letting him loose to work on his own. This way you can see his values and work ethic.  If you put down good work practice  habits the chances are they will stay with him. Only do get him contracted so he does buzz off with your round and dont get him collecting cash. preprint all his invoices so as not know much on pricing. 

[Matt.]

Some good reading there guys and it really is about personal preference.

Am 38, been cleaning windows since I was late teens , and self employed since I was 21. I employed from the start but was to young and maybe just lived for the day not knowing  what the future held and life went by.
Now I see running the business completely different than I did say upto 3 years ago, I still struggle for staff and work every hour available but I price up jobs very much higher than I did in the past.
I don't want to be doing this when I get to say late 40's into 50's, If am still in the business I will be looking to only work on the tools part time, am not really the best when it comes to the office side so I couldn't see myself doing this either,
I don't love my job and don't hate it either, working long hours has always been part if my life since I started, I just get on with it, maybe addicted to it,

Let no one hold you back, and I would say get out there and find someone you think is trustworthy  casual work is a great way of testing the water, from day one explain to the person that he is only here to see if we can expand as a business, if after a set period things aren't how you would of liked them to be then it's the end if the trial.
Don't be afraid of getting rid of staff as soon as you no there not the right person for the job...... Your quick enough to give them a start if they don't take the opportunity  and impress then it's bus stop time.

I am on the look out for a few young lads 16/17 year olds, looking to get them started and I will train them both up myself, if they stick it out I will offer them both permanent jobs and if they finish 2 years they will get there d/l paid for them to learn to drive.
I done this for a lad who ended up working 10 years for me, best lad I ever had but fell foul to the crap people put up there nose last year and I pulled the plug on his job immediately.

[Smudger]

Samson : cheeky barsteward   

Nothing better than a nap in the afternoo........  Zzzzzz.... 

You can take them on as self employed - make sure they invoice you each week for the hours done

Darran

[Dave Willis]

thats what ive been doing for the last 5 years roy!and as a result im earning close to 20k more a year than 5 years ago.your posts over the years have helped inspire me to build a better,more profitable round without working silly long hours.

Dazmond, you need to change the signature at the bottom of every post then - work smarter yes but not harder 

[dazmond]

i put it there to motivate me dave years ago!its staying!

[colin bird]

Stay as you are and give new potential customers my phone number.  If it's a viable job, once I price it and get the job, on the third clean I'll give one clean's worth of money to you - just for passing a phone number on.
Not a joke. Our work areas do overlap.

Hi mate,I have recently started a mate up  and giving him  surplus  jobs,