[8weekly]

I disagree Matt. My worker turns over more than me in a day. I've got my second one lined up. Both will get paid slightly less than 1/3 of what they turn over.

Good luck to you 8 weekly you seem to be very fortunate in getting good employees that work well for you and are able to be motivated enough to get there arse out of bed and work for a living,I don't think it has much to do with you personally I think a lot of it is luck IMO. I could give a bloke 25 jobs a week and he could go and earn a thousand pound but I honestly haven't found anyone I trust enough to do it for me.

However, I reckon the reason you can't find a decent worker is nothing to do with lick and totally down to you. 

[NWH]

Don't get me wrong I'm not having a go at you I'm just saying you've been fortunate in who you've got,how long have you employed there might come a time when you'll know exectly what I'm on about it can be a nightmare. Who knocks your door for a job to a degree is luck regardless of the pay your offering them,you might come on here in a year and agree with me.

[Rich Wilts]

I disagree Matt. My worker turns over more than me in a day. I've got my second one lined up. Both will get paid slightly less than 1/3 of what they turn over.

Yea but you're an ol' crock

[8weekly]

I disagree Matt. My worker turns over more than me in a day. I've got my second one lined up. Both will get paid slightly less than 1/3 of what they turn over.

Yea but you're an ol' crock

True. In my mind I will be seriously wound down day to day window cleaning  in  3 months.

[Marc Whitbread]

I went flat rate registered almost a year ago its a bugger but we still save money compared to being full rate you pay 12% of turnover you can't claim costs back unless assets over 2k so vans systems etc is fine but nearly all of our clients are domestic so we have either swallowed or put them up a few quid out of about600 customers at the time we lost about3 customers

[Walter Mitty]

I would expect any employee to turn over a min of 50 k per year even with holidays.

That figure surprises me because I've never even got into the £40k turnover level.  I could if I put myself out more though.  Oh sure, I've had weeks where I've done more that £1k, but sustaining it week in week out is the tricky bit.
I do believe you though, unlike some, because if I carried out intensive canvassing, priced it all higher than current work, and gradually dropped the poorest paying work from the bottom end, I would get there in a year or two.
I'm guessing that an employee would need decent financial incentives to do this.

[slap bash]

Many think a vat reg is an achievement like some sort of milestone of success. It`s not its a level of increased admin and state control of you business. I would always avoid at all costs. The only milestones is your business have become large enough for the state to be interested in it.
The truth of the matter is you will never make more money out of what you are allowed to claim.  It`s a system for the tax man with no advantages for the owner. Just much admin and more state interference. It like a new partner that takes but never adds a penny.
I have heard of so many on herer announce the big day. I know i`s a load of crap as   you to find out and will be difficult to turn around.
These are the facts of big is not always better. 

[8weekly]

Lost one today. It was underpriced at £20 (very early job - 4 bed detached with conservatory) & I was putting it up to £24.

[NWH]

You lost it coz you put vat on did you

[8weekly]

You lost it coz you put vat on did you

I added the VAT. I wasn't there but she said "£24 is too much".  So it was because it went up. It's underpriced at £20. Even at £24 it's underpriced

[ChumBucket]

Many think a vat reg is an achievement like some sort of milestone of success. It`s not its a level of increased admin and state control of you business. I would always avoid at all costs. The only milestones is your business have become large enough for the state to be interested in it.
The truth of the matter is you will never make more money out of what you are allowed to claim.  It`s a system for the tax man with no advantages for the owner. Just much admin and more state interference. It like a new partner that takes but never adds a penny.
I have heard of so many on herer announce the big day. I know i`s a load of crap as   you to find out and will be difficult to turn around.
These are the facts of big is not always better.

Couldn't agree more.
I find it quite amusing when they "announce the big day" It beggars belief the intellect of some of these "big boys" LMAO

[8weekly]

Many think a vat reg is an achievement like some sort of milestone of success. It`s not its a level of increased admin and state control of you business. I would always avoid at all costs. The only milestones is your business have become large enough for the state to be interested in it.
The truth of the matter is you will never make more money out of what you are allowed to claim.  It`s a system for the tax man with no advantages for the owner. Just much admin and more state interference. It like a new partner that takes but never adds a penny.
I have heard of so many on herer announce the big day. I know i`s a load of crap as   you to find out and will be difficult to turn around.
These are the facts of big is not always better.

Couldn't agree more.
I find it quite amusing when they "announce the big day" It beggars belief the intellect of some of these "big boys" LMAO

The thing is that if you want to grow the business into something that is worth something - and to me that means to provide an income without having to clean windows myself and therefore an income into my "retirement" - you have no choice but to go past the threshold and deal with the consequences of that. It isn't a badge of honour, it's just a fact of growing your business.

There are quite a few on here that will be interested in how many customers I lose as a result. Some, like you and other naysayers will no doubt be happy at my losses and say "I told you so", but I actually never believed I would lose many. I think those afraid of passing the VAT on will find my experience useful.

[NWH]

I agree to a point 8 weekly but it's a bit of a joke when you talk to some windys out there,just because someone's doing the job for the government of collecting there VAT for them means nothing to what they are actually earning at the end of the month. If your charging VAT the chances are your employing at least 1 person you have all the extra paperwork of being VAT expenses for employees etc,if someone is paying VAT does it mean there earning more than someone that is not no it doesn't. I reckon to be worth doing it you really need to see yourself being right up and over the threshold for it to be worth doing,some I speak to seem to think it's given them bragging rights or a certificate of achievement being VAT registered lol,in reality it's a pain in the arse.

[matthewprice]

There was an old guy that had a lot of work not to far from me .he had a couple of lads working for him .he was vat registered. Over a couple of years he lost a lot of his residential customers .it would worry me that I was leaving the door open to competition, who could easily be a fith cheaper

[NWH]

Most domestic would choose the bloke not VAT registered

[CleanClear]

Many think a vat reg is an achievement like some sort of milestone of success. It`s not its a level of increased admin and state control of you business. I would always avoid at all costs. The only milestones is your business have become large enough for the state to be interested in it.
The truth of the matter is you will never make more money out of what you are allowed to claim.  It`s a system for the tax man with no advantages for the owner. Just much admin and more state interference. It like a new partner that takes but never adds a penny.
I have heard of so many on herer announce the big day. I know i`s a load of crap as   you to find out and will be difficult to turn around.
These are the facts of big is not always better.

Couldn't agree more.
I find it quite amusing when they "announce the big day" It beggars belief the intellect of some of these "big boys" LMAO

I actually don't think he'll lose many at all. In my experience once they have you and are happy with your service they'll keep you.
 I'm not sure why you two would knock or decry "the big boys", or anyone trying to be big or achieve something. I could think of nothing worse than having to deal with VAT, more admin etc.., but of course i just work on my own. I guess the guys who are Ltd. , employ and are VAT registered don't like it either but they can take a week off and the business still rolls along making them a wage. Where mine (and possibly yours) just has an unpaid week off. Horses for courses and all that. Not everyone can put the brakes on when they've personally achieved enough like me (and probably you) , some people wanna keep on going.
 And to be honest i like them to keep on going, as they do ,they incur more business costs along the way providing a niche for me to be far more cost effective for some than using a larger company (and its associated overheads).
 So while some are foreward thinking using "go Cardless" etc... I'm utilising the "leave the money under a pot" method.
And while they're filling out VAT forms, i'm filling out a Working Tax Credit one !!   
  But ultimatley once you go bigger there's no getting away from it.

[dazmond]

so your basically saying you work cash in hand and claim benefits?

you shouldnt be claiming working tax credits if your window cleaning mate.

[Dave Willis]

Do you pay all your tax requirements Dazmond?

[ChumBucket]

Many think a vat reg is an achievement like some sort of milestone of success. It`s not its a level of increased admin and state control of you business. I would always avoid at all costs. The only milestones is your business have become large enough for the state to be interested in it.
The truth of the matter is you will never make more money out of what you are allowed to claim.  It`s a system for the tax man with no advantages for the owner. Just much admin and more state interference. It like a new partner that takes but never adds a penny.
I have heard of so many on herer announce the big day. I know i`s a load of crap as   you to find out and will be difficult to turn around.
These are the facts of big is not always better.

Couldn't agree more.
I find it quite amusing when they "announce the big day" It beggars belief the intellect of some of these "big boys" LMAO

I actually don't think he'll lose many at all. In my experience once they have you and are happy with your service they'll keep you.
 I'm not sure why you two would knock or decry "the big boys", or anyone trying to be big or achieve something. I could think of nothing worse than having to deal with VAT, more admin etc.., but of course i just work on my own. I guess the guys who are Ltd. , employ and are VAT registered don't like it either but they can take a week off and the business still rolls along making them a wage. Where mine (and possibly yours) just has an unpaid week off. Horses for courses and all that. Not everyone can put the brakes on when they've personally achieved enough like me (and probably you) , some people wanna keep on going.
 And to be honest i like them to keep on going, as they do ,they incur more business costs along the way providing a niche for me to be far more cost effective for some than using a larger company (and its associated overheads).
 So while some are foreward thinking using "go Cardless" etc... I'm utilising the "leave the money under a pot" method.
And while they're filling out VAT forms, i'm filling out a Working Tax Credit one !!   
  But ultimatley once you go bigger there's no getting away from it.

I also have paid time off, I use the equivalent VAT% I've not handed over to the Government to fund it.

Don't assume comments are aimed at the OP either, I remember a newbie on here some time ago, he'd just started and drew a list up of his aims, going vat reg' was one of them! He didn't have a clue regarding the implications of this but no doubt had swallowed some of the bovine manure he had read on here from some of these "big boys"

[CleanClear]

so your basically saying you work cash in hand and claim benefits?

you shouldnt be claiming working tax credits if your window cleaning mate.

There's a smiley there Daz, its a tongue in cheek comment. I don't qualify for WTC, i earn too much through my business bank account alone. My Mrs. also works and my kids have grown up and left so i've no dependants to cater for. But of course you wouldn't know my personal circumstances to tell me what i should or should not be doing.

And as for working cash in hand !! Well, between me and you i always feel a bit guilty over that. I generally look around and make sure no ones watching me before i stuff the notes in my money bag.    I just hope i never get investigated or photographed doing it