[Stoots]

Sooo...

If you were looking to expand and employ, would you make sure you have a cream full round first, you know any awkward jobs, poor access etc removed and maybe do a few price increases and get it all as good as it could possibly be.

Or would you take on slightly poorer work, you know awkward parking, terraced etc in view that the employee/s can do these.

Just wondering if I should keep refining my work then take someone on, keep refining etc or when you are employing is it better just to take on everything (as long as it's profitable and they pay)

Do you need to be less picky/ less strict on dumping etc when you have a bigger business. I would imagine if you are too picky it would take a lot longer to grow

[Marc Stock]

Personally for me i always envisaged the employee doing the quickest most profitable work. If your going to employ someone you want the work to be as profitable and well placed as possible in order to make any decent profit from that round after wages.

[Og]

Personally for me i always envisaged the employee doing the quickest most profitable work. If your going to employ someone you want the work to be as profitable and well placed as possible in order to make any decent profit from that round after wages.

This.

[Stoots]

But what if you you have work that is still profitable but if you were a sole trader you would cull them, I'm thinking mainly poor access, stuff like backpack jobs etc. Ones that would annoy you to do yourself but more of a ballache than a profit problem.
After all employees just do what they are told right?

After all it can take years to refine a round, if I were to refine as I went it would take much much longer to grow, surely the bottom line is the profit margin.

Mind you I suppose if you only want a small business it doesn't matter so much.

[Johnny B]

If I were an employer, I wouldn't expect any employee of mine to do what I wouldn't be prepared to do myself.

John

[High-Tower]

You are going to have a hard time keeping an employee with your current attitude. You cannot expect an employee to just do any old poop you don’t like doing. I wonder if this is why some guys claim it’s so difficult to find reliable staff if that is what they are expecting. Managing staff is a skill on its own, it’s not just making sure they turn up on time and ordering them about. You need to create a positive working enviroment. sending them out to do all the poop jobs with crappy cheap gear while you do the cream with your xtreme poles or whatever is a sure fire way of being told to shove your job up your arse. After all I bet a lot of us started on our own after working for dickhead managers.

[Slacky]

[Stoots]

Jesus lol

I think you are taking my question to the extreme.

I'm not going to force my employees to walk through dog poope, carry backpacks 500 yards and up 3 flights of steps.

What I'm talking about is should I refine the work to be the most profitable, easy access stress free possible or should I concentrate more on growth and not being as picky.

For example I don't like doing terraced houses where a backpack is needed, it's hardly slave labour but if I was staying solo I'd cull it eventually.

Surely there had to be a point when growing in determining how picky you will be with new work Vs growth.

I am prepared to do these jobs btw, I might not like them but I'll do them as it's a job. Not all jobs are enjoyable, how many minimum wage jobs do people go Singing and dancing to everyday, you work because you have bills to pay not for the enjoyment factor. Of course it needs to be enjoyable as possible but it's work at the end of the day.

[Stoots]

Looks easier being the boss 😃

In all seriousness, all I want is to give the lads there worksheets and they go out and do them. I dont want to be giving orders, putting trackers on them or give them any type of stress at all.

Come in, pick up your worksheets, go out and clean it and come back.

[dazmond]

if you want better jobs you need to concentrate your efforts into affluent areas adam.the other work you have can be kept on as well if your struggling to find enough work for the both of you.

its not easy.ive spend years and years window cleaning in affluent areas and its only the last 10 years or so  ive started to get the cream jobs and larger houses.

[Johnny B]

Jesus lol

I think you are taking my question to the extreme.

I'm not going to force my employees to walk through dog poope, carry backpacks 500 yards and up 3 flights of steps.

What I'm talking about is should I refine the work to be the most profitable, easy access stress free possible or should I concentrate more on growth and not being as picky.

For example I don't like doing terraced houses where a backpack is needed, it's hardly slave labour but if I was staying solo I'd cull it eventually.

Surely there had to be a point when growing in determining how picky you will be with new work Vs growth.

I am prepared to do these jobs btw, I might not like them but I'll do them as it's a job. Not all jobs are enjoyable, how many minimum wage jobs do people go Singing and dancing to everyday, you work because you have bills to pay not for the enjoyment factor. Of course it needs to be enjoyable as possible but it's work at the end of the day.

In my experience (yes did employ in the past) I waited until I was brimming with work before I took anyone on. My run continued to grow by walkups and recommendations, so I was in the fortunate position of not needing to look for the work for the employee. It was already there and continually expanding.

We worked together and I always tried to treat him the way I would have liked to be treated had our roles been reversed.

John

[Marc Stock]

I like to see it as more like a partnership with employees.

Without the employees you havent got a company.

[Stoots]

Nevermind, seems we are going off on a different tangent to my question.

I'll work it out myself

[Johnny B]

Nevermind, seems we are going off on a different tangent to my question.

I'll work it out myself

What do you think you should do?

John

[G Griffin]

Sooo...

If you were looking to expand and employ, would you make sure you have a cream full round first, you know any awkward jobs, poor access etc removed and maybe do a few price increases and get it all as good as it could possibly be.

Or would you take on slightly poorer work, you know awkward parking, terraced etc in view that the employee/s can do these.

Just wondering if I should keep refining my work then take someone on, keep refining etc or when you are employing is it better just to take on everything (as long as it's profitable and they pay)

Do you need to be less picky/ less strict on dumping etc when you have a bigger business. I would imagine if you are too picky it would take a lot longer to grow

I think I get you.
I think I would employ when I had enough work not employ and keep on any sort of work. If you have some awkward work maybe price it accordingly.  Don't run before you can walk.
Saying that I wouldn't employ and I have no quality work!

[Simon Trapani]

I agree but don't get too fussy as you could be waiting a very long time for the perfect round.

As said by others, look after your employee and he will hopefully look after you. Mix up the jobs so you don't get all the cream and him the poop. It's no good for morale and you need to keep some contact with the customer for various reasons. But don't let the customer dictate either.

[Tom-01]

I like to see it as more like a partnership with employees.

Without the employees you havent got a company.

Big mistake in my opinion.

They certainly don't view it as a partnership as they don't have to go and quote. They don't have to deal with complaints. They don't have to replace work. They don't need to make sure all equipment is fine and consumables are bought. They don't have to pay anything towards the vehicles etc etc the list goes on.

Employees do a job for the day then go home, that's it.

Treat them fairly that's obvious and pay them on time that's as far as it goes.

Without the company they wouldn't have a job.

[Stoots]

I like to see it as more like a partnership with employees.

Without the employees you havent got a company.

Big mistake in my opinion.

They certainly don't view it as a partnership as they don't have to go and quote. They don't have to deal with complaints. They don't have to replace work. They don't need to make sure all equipment is fine and consumables are bought. They don't have to pay anything towards the vehicles etc etc the list goes on.

Employees do a job for the day then go home, that's it.

Treat them fairly that's obvious and pay them on time that's as far as it goes.

Without the company they wouldn't have a job.

Exactly.

When ever I've been an employee I was told the job description and what's expected at interview.

Here's the job, go do it and I will pay you xxx amount.

If you don't do it you will end up being dismissed.

Whenever I've worked for bosses who tried to be mates they just ended up getting taken advantage of.

If your out in the van with employees everyday, leading from the front and getting all matey I don't think it's a good idea.

They need to have a certain sense of fear in them, there's a job to be done and done properly.

Of course it goes without saying they demand your full respect and to be treated as well as possible, but let's not get it twisted...I'm the boss 

[Rayleigh Window Cleaning Services]

With my guys I make sure all of us go to the same job at least 3 or 4 times in the year so customers get used to seeing  us all.
This way a job is not his job but our work.

[Don Kee]

Get the work you need in, and get rid of the ‘dross’ as you’re going.

To be fair, you’ll have a slightly different outlook on what you define as ‘dross’ whilst your expanding . Backpack jobs, slightly awkward jobs are still jobs. People that you struggle to get paid from, underpriced jobs turn into dross.

In the end, you need the work to employ. So getting rid of work (unless its really crap) makes no sense, surely the ‘refining’ part only happens once you have enough work?

(Also, do your price increases anyway; got nothing to do with whether your works ‘cream’ or not, if you think they need it then just do it)