[Neil Williams]

Buisy: Where all or nearly all your available working hours are being worked.
Not buisy: Where half or les than half your available working hours are being worked.

As our business covers various activities we are extremely buisy ie we are fully booked for the next 3 weeks. If it was carpet cleaning only then I would say it is quiet, nearly all incoming work is from previous customers, family members of or referals from.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

To me busy is a figure I intend to reach at the end of the week, if I reach it and go over it I am busy.

This weeks figure was £12.52

Shaun

[Mark Roberts]

dam you for beating me by a pound 

Cant believe I didnt bump into you at ccdo Shaun.

[Neil Grainger]

Justin

If you've got 3 Vans out and about could you not just do it yourself pick and chose the work clean 5 hours a day max and Charge £100 an hour. Thats £2000 a week without the worry of staff and all the other things that go with having a large operation. £100 an hour is very possible where we are. With you having 3 vans on the go surely this is possible.

I'm just not convinced that having multi vans on the road and still cleaning can be done  properly without killing yourself, if your doing that then you should just be at the top of the tree running the shop.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Pete pointed you out to me at the CCDO and I was going over to see you (with my begging bowl) and I got intercepted by John Gotts trying to sell me a TM on the way! lifted his pockets though

Shaun

PS I was the one with the stray Liverpudlian following me around!

[maxcarpets]

Hi Neil,

The trouble is no one will ever do as much as you do so if I step back my turn over will drop by half, I do the same as two others ( I have T/M ) Plus I am not the type of person to not get involved. For instance, today (Sat) I have 3 EOTs if I pay someone to do it they want time and a half, why would I do that when I can do it myself?

Cheers

Justin

[Neil Grainger]

Hi Justin

I now what you are saying and its one reason why I have never got any help in, to fussy for my own good.

Do you earn more money yourself by having 3 Vans out, or much more to warrant it. Overheads must be a nightmare.

Would it not be better working with another local CC who has his own gear but you manage the quotes and payments. Then you dont have the worry about staff and their performance.

I work for a lady that runs a local cleaning company and she has no staff, no overheads with cleaning products and like but has become the biggest local cleaning company in the area. Everything she does is outsourced to Self employed People, it works really well for her. They do a bad Job and she finds someone else.

If you are like me you set up your business to have more time for your family and to do the things you like doing.

[maxcarpets]

I am thinking of reducing back down to me plus one, for that very reason the third person doesnt really earn that much, three's a crowd! you either have to have you or you plus one then after that I think it only works on 5 operators, then I think you could step back, but you would need to, to keep the work coming in!

Cheers


Justin

[Dave_Lee]

Most of the guys on this board are one man operations and I think that the original question of busy was directed more at the solo operator in the business of Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning. Some have explained that their businesses involve other activities, however most of us are talking Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning after all thats what this board is for, isnt it?
Dave.

[carpet guy]

Consider why you are in business...........

Is it ; - To give yourself a job ?

Is it ; - To build a saleable commodity ?

If your answer the latter, then you really want to " work your socks off " and reinvest the profits you make in your future, which will give you focus and incentive.

If it's the former, you will not have the motivation to work as long and hard, as you are only working for today.

This is not a flippant comment, it's one of the basisc.

rob

need to go and see a job

[Dave_Lee]

Another consideration is to accumulate money to invest elswhere. I know several CCs who, as they amass enough for the deposit, invest in buy to let property. They build up their portforlio of properties as their Carpet Cleaning activities provide the capital. I know of one very recently, who in a short space of time built a very successful high priced Carpet Cleaning business. This business brought in so much money that the guy is now a property millionaire, and developer. His new business, built up on the funds from his Carpet Cleaning, has now taken over, and he is doing so well, that he recently totally abandoned his cleaning business. He delivered his van and TM back to his supplier and just told them to get what they could for it, together with his data base.
Dave.

[carpet guy]

Now..............that's what I'm talking about !!!!

[Neil Williams]

however most of us are talking Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning after all thats what this board is for, isnt it?

So are you saying I'm not entitled to an opinion because we are not 100% carpet & upholstery cleaning?
With most of the comments saying they are quiet, I'm glad we've got other avenues of income.

[Paul Kettless]

however most of us are talking Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning after all thats what this board is for, isnt it?

So are you saying I'm not entitled to an opinion because we are not 100% carpet & upholstery cleaning?
With most of the comments saying they are quiet, I'm glad we've got other avenues of income.

I'll second that - monies coming in from carpets at the moment are not nearly enough to live on, but as an additional income help my business tick over a nice profit.

[Dave_Lee]

If I upset anyone I appologise, however I also do a lot of carpet fitting, but I just didnt see the point in mentioning that I was busy in that area, when the topic was whether we were busy in carpet cleaning, thats all.
Dave.

[COLIN BRIGHT]

i'm busy
who needs to work more than 3 days a week anyway?

[Shaun_Ashmore]

You do after eating those out of date chocs I gave you!

Shaun

[*paul_moss]

Phone has gone quiet again, what a strange year this is turning into

[Joe H]

Paul
Used your quick leather cleaning technique today you demonstrated at CCDO - including using the large "sponge" from Solitions UK.

Job went well - I felt I had to slow down to justify the charge to customer!

White leather corner suite looked good to me and the customer (a police lady) was well pleased.

Also got delivery today of a small compresor, air brush on its way, so moving into the restoration proper this time.

[*paul_moss]

Nice one Joe, hope it earns you some good money