[Marigold]

Hi guys.
I'm in a quandry.  I've been running my cleaning agency for two years and it's been...ok.  The problem I have found is that when you say the word 'agency' people tend to think 'not serious', so I'm considering beginning again by taking on staff as employees (tax, ins. the lot) and possibly having a bit more control. The cleaners I take on dictate to me the hours they work and who they want to work for.  This means I either have jobs piling up with no one to do them or when I take cleaners onto the register, cleaners phoning me as soon as they're taken on looking for work.  In this part of the world (Bedfordshire) there seem to be as many cleaning companies as there are cleaners and the work available is spread very thinly.  This year has been very difficult, a bit like a roller coaster, feast or famine and I'm beginning to feel very fed up.  I am very close to kissing the whole thing goodbye and doing something else.  I don't really want to because I love my little business.  It took me a long time to get off the ground because I started completely from scratch (like you probably) and compared to some of you I'm sure 'little' is the operative word but I guess that's not important. What do you think?  Business is difficult to get these days and I think I'm making it harder for myself.  By being an agency I have to charge more to make a living.  I do do some of the work myself but it's still limited.
Any advice guys.  I really need some good advice in my stocking this year.
Luv Marigold

[*Chris Browne]

Hi

My advise is to go with your gut instinct, i think reading between the lines you would probably like to break away completely from the agency business and thats what i would do, I couldn't work with staff dictating the hours and jobs they do, its not what you set up in business to do i am sure, so go for it

Chris

[DREAM CLEAN]

Hi,

You sound really down in the dumps with it all, maybe time to jack it all in.
I have felt the same as you added pressures in my personal life did not help but woke up one morning turned the phone off and had a long hard think put some ideas down on paper and time scales had a beer went to bed that night then set to work on it the next morning.
Business is good,busy and never a dull moment now......#

Hope this helps a bit.

Nick

[glenda hollis]

Is it not the case with cleaning agencies, inparticularly the ones where the staff are self employed, that the clients often ask the cleaners to work for them directlty? Also, do you know how much the cleaning companies who supply staff and equipment are charging in comparison to yourself?

[Paul Kettless]

Hi

My advise is to go with your gut instinct, i think reading between the lines you would probably like to break away completely from the agency business and thats what i would do, I couldn't work with staff dictating the hours and jobs they do, its not what you set up in business to do i am sure, so go for it

Chris

Could not agree more with Chris's comments.......you will gain far more control of your company.

All the very best for the future, whatever you decide.

Regards
Paul

[Marigold]

Thanks so much for your comments.  The other cleaning companies in my area vary a great deal.  Some who are cleaning alone charge £6.00 - £6.50 per hour whereas the more established companies charge up to £10.50 per hour.  I was charging £9.50 per hour but have recently lowered my rates to £8.50.  I'm guessing that it's about the average.
I did a job recently for a landlord who rents out to students.  He wanted us to clean two houses, six bedrooms each that were in the most disgusting state I've ever seen.  I won't mention what was on the floors and walls.  You've probably seen it all before anyway.  It took three staff two days to do each one...and still he complained.  I charged £400 per house with a little extra for rubbish removal, not just household but near enough everything in the house.  They had done the classic of all students.  A runner!  He was already angry about this so I guess he was just not going to be pleased about anything.  I did a lot of the work myself so I knew what the cleaners were up against. He was expecting a Changing Rooms result.  Well it certainly wasn't going to end up like that.  The words silk purse and sows ear come to mind. People in the area still have the idea that cleaners are little old ladies with dusters who don't mind earning shirt buttons.  My team expect a bit more than that.  So what do you do.  Do you think I charged too much?  I just can't see the point of taking on a job and earning very little money and until peoples attitudes change that's exactly what is going to happen.  I've recently had enquiries from three prospective clients two of whom have had cleaning sessions and still no sign of their paperwork.  You're right I am fed up.  I treat people fairly and honestly and to be blunt others aren't the same.  It looks like a G and T tonight and some serious soul searching.  I saw the post of the guy who said he was going to start a cleaning business.  I nearly said don't bother but I won't. 
Thanks so much for the comments guys.  I hope you have a great Christmas and a brilliant 2008.
Luv Marigold.

[dustymiller]

when i started my business i was charging about 7 quid an hour thats probably because my last job being a cleaner i got paid 7 quid an hour. so for about the first year i quickly became a very large cleaning company moving up to about the £8 per hour mark. i had no idea what i was doing really. i never advertised i got all my work by walking in off the street or door knocking and i worked damn hard. i ended up with about twenty staff, cash, on the books, and free lance, i had jobs nicked off me by my staff arranging deals with managers and clients but i always got the job done so when the dictators didnt turn up i did. the other thing was my staff were always trying to sue me for no contract or unfair dismissal or other stuff so to cut a long story short i went into liquidation mainly because i never charged enough. so i to did this, one  day i sat down and had a long think and a damn stiff drink, the next day my girlfriend started another ltd company with all my old contracts, we got rid of the low payers, and now a year later we have a thriving business that works on a minimum of a 100% profit, all our staff are on the books and they do as they are told. every one has a contract which i created and is based on the acas contract. i have had no contracts nicked off me and no one has tried to sue me or even threatened. when i look for new work i have a minimum charge of £25 and contract work is based on a minimum of  £15 per hour thats for domestic, or any general commercial cleaning. if it is on a building site i charge £120 per day per head or £25 per hour per head, pole reach window cleaning is all based on £40 per hour and high pressure power cleaning hot or cold is £160 per day, we do not advertise we get all of our work by word of mouth. every year i see 5 or 6 cleaning companies start up but in the last 8 years i have only seen two remain for the long haul. most of them cant cope with the stress of what we as managers have to put up with. try not to charge less than 12.50 or its not worth it those people charging £6 per hour well you could find out their names and let social security know they are obviously not paying tax and more than likely have second income which is probably based on a state hand out. me i report any so called cleaners with no insurance, that do not pay tax or have second incomes based on hand outs. good luck
dusty

[glenda hollis]

  they are obviously not paying tax and more than likely have second income which is probably based on a state hand out

You can't beat a forum for fact-based input.

[BDCS]

Hello, when I started I was doing it cheap,  as a second income, being on a shift with 4 days off , being bored and wanting some spending money. I now still work 2 days employed and the rest for myself - I started out cheap but soon realised that was'nt the way to go so I upped the prices. I now work on the idea that I need to be getting about 75% of the work priced and loosing the rest probably being too dear. The work you get is at a price thats motivating and when I take on a mate it will sustain the costs involved

[Marigold]

Thanks for your stories, guys.  So much information and it's good to know that other people have had the same problems ... and won!  It's certainly made me think.
Best wishes
Marigold.