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Tyler Williams

  • Posts: 24
Loss of joy?
« on: August 03, 2020, 09:21:24 pm »
I've been wondow cleaning 1 year with my dad. Went solo April 2019.

Worked my arse off for the last year and a bit to get my round to £1500 a month but I have £650 of monthly expenses. I work 3 days a week from 8.30 to 4 usually.

Haven't taken a day off since I started for my dad in 2018.

Recently the last 3 or 4 months ive just lost all joy with my business, I wouldnt say motivationg because I get up an go to work but I definetly don't enjoy it.

Fed up of dealing with chappy customers, late payers, customers who skip cleans, lack of money/new business.

Anybody else feel like this? I'm considering packing in as I just can't get in the groove. I feel more like an employee than a business owner.

Can anyone give me any pointers?

Rant over 😂

Richard iSparkle

  • Posts: 2490
Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #1 on: August 03, 2020, 09:44:42 pm »
its very hard to know what to say from the info you have given us there.

firstly, it is hard starting your own business so well done on getting up and going and growing a round of £1500 a month.

working for less than £110 a day is not enough. no wonder you are feeling cheesed off.

i wonder why you are earning only this much? it is probably a mix of a lot of things, but basically i guess you are not charging enough for your work, you are probably working too hard for not enough money.

your monthly expenses seem too high to me too TBH. i wonder why they are so high.

give me a call if you want me to give you 20 min and give you some pointers.

you'll find my number on the website below

R
iSparkle Window Cleaning

www.isparklewindowcleaning.uk

Jonny 87

  • Posts: 3484
Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #2 on: August 03, 2020, 09:50:45 pm »
To be honest..............

The business isn’t that profitable at the moment so no wonder your fed up. I’d tackle that problem first. Your turning over on average £125 a day.

Are you traditional?

If your wfp and turning over that amount then your going to be really struggling. Turning over £15 per hour sounds good on paper, but take away your costs, holiday pay, sick pay, bad weather days, it’s just not enough. You’d be just as well
working in a supermarket. Perhaps even better off.

I’m Guessing your not wfp, that would be my first change. Save up for a basic system, make
Your working day easier, find the joy again by having new work Toys to ply with, and then build the business by increasing prices and taking on new work.

Canvass, clean, cull.

Canvass for new better prices work, clean it, then get rid of the messers.

It takes a while To build a good profitable round, and now it certainly isn’t easy. It can be done though.

Vision Technician / Visual Engineer /  Vision Enhancement Operative /...........................................................OnlyUseMeWFP AkA Jonny the Windy Wesher

Tyler Williams

  • Posts: 24
Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #3 on: August 03, 2020, 09:53:19 pm »
its very hard to know what to say from the info you have given us there.

firstly, it is hard starting your own business so well done on getting up and going and growing a round of £1500 a month.

working for less than £110 a day is not enough. no wonder you are feeling cheesed off.

i wonder why you are earning only this much? it is probably a mix of a lot of things, but basically i guess you are not charging enough for your work, you are probably working too hard for not enough money.

your monthly expenses seem too high to me too TBH. i wonder why they are so high.

give me a call if you want me to give you 20 min and give you some pointers.

you'll find my number on the website below

R

Thanks i really appreciate that.

I do 3 days at roughly 150 but usually have a few cancel on the day so I end up with less.

Monthly expenses are high due to debt 🙄😂 got in some debt a few years ago with the business and paying for it still now.

I usually charge £1 a window plus a few quid at the end for extra.

Its probably one of those things I'll grow out of eventually, I appreciate your help i may give you a bell at some time 👍🏻

Tyler Williams

  • Posts: 24
Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #4 on: August 03, 2020, 09:55:28 pm »
To be honest..............

The business isn’t that profitable at the moment so no wonder your fed up. I’d tackle that problem first. Your turning over on average £125 a day.

Are you traditional?

If your wfp and turning over that amount then your going to be really struggling. Turning over £15 per hour sounds good on paper, but take away your costs, holiday pay, sick pay, bad weather days, it’s just not enough. You’d be just as well
working in a supermarket. Perhaps even better off.

I’m Guessing your not wfp, that would be my first change. Save up for a basic system, make
Your working day easier, find the joy again by having new work Toys to ply with, and then build the business by increasing prices and taking on new work.

Canvass, clean, cull.

Canvass for new better prices work, clean it, then get rid of the messers.

It takes a while To build a good profitable round, and now it certainly isn’t easy. It can be done though.

I'm wfp, its mainly the fact I work 3 days a week due to other commitments on the other days.

I turn over on average 150 a day but im definitely in a rutt. Can't work more than 3 days but can't afford to sack the bad work off 🙄

Shrek

  • Posts: 3931
Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #5 on: August 03, 2020, 10:01:53 pm »
You work around 8 hours x 3 days a week , so average month is around 96 hours.
After expenses your taking home £8.85 an hour.
A store assistant in Aldi is earning £10.41 an hour .....

https://www.aldirecruitment.co.uk/stores/our-store-roles/store-assistant/

My advice , jack the whole thing in and get to your nearest Aldi .

Smudger

  • Posts: 13303
Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #6 on: August 03, 2020, 10:02:21 pm »
What are ou er commitments?

Darran
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

www.oddbodscleaning.co.uk

SB Cleaning

  • Posts: 4239
Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #7 on: August 03, 2020, 10:09:09 pm »
You obviously dont enjoy the job by the sounds of it and if your feeling like that after only 1 year i would Jack it in.

Stoots

  • Posts: 6089
Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #8 on: August 03, 2020, 10:10:43 pm »
One thing I've learnt is that money doesn't equal happiness.

Doesn't matter if you are earning 1500 a month or 5000 a month it doesn't make the job any more joyful.

I'm 5 years in and I'd say after about 3 years, once I became "full" the joy went. No more challenge, just relentless cleaning windows everyday. Yes I earn decent money but that doesnt make me leap out of bed on a morning chomping at the bit to clean windows.

I still get stressed with non payers, slow payers, skipping cleans. A round is never plain sailing, it's never 100% complete, there's always one. When you think you have cracked it another messer comes along.


Tbh I would say you have a screw loose if you can say you love the job and want to clean windows everyday till you retire. It's good that you find it tedious and want more from life.

Richard iSparkle

  • Posts: 2490
Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #9 on: August 03, 2020, 10:30:20 pm »

Doesn't matter if you are earning 1500 a month or 5000 a month it doesn't make the job any more joyful.


i have to disagree with this..., whilst money doesn't make you happy, not having enough money and worrying about money makes you unhappy.

if you're earning £5000 a month you have something you can work with to make your job better and your life better.

at £1500 you're on a tricky wicket getting out of it

iSparkle Window Cleaning

www.isparklewindowcleaning.uk

Richard iSparkle

  • Posts: 2490
Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #10 on: August 03, 2020, 10:32:59 pm »


I'm wfp, its mainly the fact I work 3 days a week due to other commitments on the other days.

I turn over on average 150 a day but im definitely in a rutt. Can't work more than 3 days but can't afford to sack the bad work off 🙄

turning over £150 on WFP isn't really good enough.

with a few basic changes and some application in the right places you can hit £300 a day easily. many on here do a lot more than that, including myself



iSparkle Window Cleaning

www.isparklewindowcleaning.uk

AuRavelling79

  • Posts: 23995
Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #11 on: August 03, 2020, 10:51:27 pm »
Hi Tyler,  I have had a nose at your posts on the forum and if you don't mind me saying, this is what I have gleaned from them.

1. You bought a seriously underpriced round with untrained customers that get a job done for peanuts. When they don't want you you let them skip. When you put prices up a £1 they moan and cancel.

2. You are seriously undercharging. If you are young, fit are wfp and "only" making £150 a day you need to do something about it.

3. If you are young and fit and only working 3 days a week then you may have a skewed work ethic unless your "other commitments" are as a carer. If you are "volunteering" I would suggest you have your priorities wrong as you would be wise to work 5 days a week (but take holiday and rewards for all your hard work) and work down your debts more quickly.

4. You now have a golden opportunity. If you worked just one of those other days and canvassed and only took on good paying work and trained them that if you turn up you expect to do the job, you won't generally phone them beforehand then you could build up a day of £200 plus. This means you can take your crappiest work and tell them the prices are doubling (you mentioned charging £5 or £6 a house in one post) and you will lose about half of them - so what? Those that remain will be the same daily value and you'll do it in half the time and so make room for more.

5. Don't be afraid to drop crap work. I have fallen into the trap at age 60 of having too much work. I freed up as in passed on in the last year or sold cheap about £700 per month because new, better trained (by me) enquiries are better value. Don't drop it all at once but take the worst £200 and tell'um their prices are going up fully expecting to lose them. Those that go then replace with better work.   

Work hard but smarter. Good luck!
It's a game of three halves!

Bin Juice

  • Posts: 117
Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #12 on: August 03, 2020, 11:19:34 pm »
i work 3 days a week ,and havent taken a day off since 2018  .
are you from the emerald island by any chance

NWH

  • Posts: 16952
Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #13 on: August 03, 2020, 11:40:13 pm »
Not being funny but you haven’t built a business yet no wonder it’s not enjoyable,as said you are earning less than minimum wage.
You have to gamble a bit and by this I mean if you pick up a £40 job drop 4 £10 jobs in order to free up more time to go and get another £40 job,this game is all about dropping and picking up till you get to where you want to be with it,it shouldn’t take long till you can out earn what the majority in 5 days in the 3 you do.
If you keep rubbish work and keep servicing it eventually it’ll take longer to progress.

Smudger

  • Posts: 13303
Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #14 on: August 04, 2020, 12:02:33 am »
Hi Tyler,  I have had a nose at your posts on the forum and if you don't mind me saying, this is what I have gleaned from them.

1. You bought a seriously underpriced round with untrained customers that get a job done for peanuts. When they don't want you you let them skip. When you put prices up a £1 they moan and cancel.

2. You are seriously undercharging. If you are young, fit are wfp and "only" making £150 a day you need to do something about it.

3. If you are young and fit and only working 3 days a week then you may have a skewed work ethic unless your "other commitments" are as a carer. If you are "volunteering" I would suggest you have your priorities wrong as you would be wise to work 5 days a week (but take holiday and rewards for all your hard work) and work down your debts more quickly.

4. You now have a golden opportunity. If you worked just one of those other days and canvassed and only took on good paying work and trained them that if you turn up you expect to do the job, you won't generally phone them beforehand then you could build up a day of £200 plus. This means you can take your crappiest work and tell them the prices are doubling (you mentioned charging £5 or £6 a house in one post) and you will lose about half of them - so what? Those that remain will be the same daily value and you'll do it in half the time and so make room for more.

5. Don't be afraid to drop crap work. I have fallen into the trap at age 60 of having too much work. I freed up as in passed on in the last year or sold cheap about £700 per month because new, better trained (by me) enquiries are better value. Don't drop it all at once but take the worst £200 and tell'um their prices are going up fully expecting to lose them. Those that go then replace with better work.   

Work hard but smarter. Good luck!

As always a top quality post that should be read, remembered and acted upon

Darran
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

www.oddbodscleaning.co.uk

Shrek

  • Posts: 3931
Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #15 on: August 04, 2020, 06:48:05 am »
You would earn nearly an extra £150 a month by going to get a job at Aldi for the exact same number of hours.
That’s nearly £2000 a year better off at Aldi

Dave Willis

Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #16 on: August 04, 2020, 06:56:58 am »
Aldi pay £150 a day? I doubt it. More like £80 a day.

Shrek

  • Posts: 3931
Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #17 on: August 04, 2020, 06:59:47 am »
Royal Mail job £11.62 an hour. That’s £265 a month better off. £3186 a year better off.

https://jobs.royalmailgroup.com/job/Hoddesdon-Postperson-with-Driving-Hoddesdon-Delivery-Office-%28EN11-8ER%29-EN11-8ER/612840301/

Lots of options out there which would make you a better living than you are getting now

Dave Willis

Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #18 on: August 04, 2020, 07:04:08 am »
But I thought he worked three days a week?
Room for improvement but nice lifestyle. He’d be working at least an extra week every month at Aldi.

Shrek

  • Posts: 3931
Re: Loss of joy?
« Reply #19 on: August 04, 2020, 07:06:42 am »
Aldi pay £150 a day? I doubt it. More like £80 a day.

He’s not taking home £150 a day is he. I nearly bought a cafe for the Mrs a few years ago advertised as 50k turnover , when I met the owner and went over the figures, she was taking home around 11k a year after expenses. I knocked that idea on the head.