[Dave_Lee]

I dread this time of year. Usually ends up okay, but the uncertainty, is there every year. At this time last year I was booked almost to mid Jan, this year, as yet, one £50 job on 4th Jan -thats it! No doubt down to my almost non existant marketing last year, which I will have to make up for this year (res No1.) For me Jan & Feb is usually 99% repeat jobs, so I will have to get those newsletters out fast. I know some claim to be booked up for months after Christmas - before Chistmas, but what about the rest of you - how do you do this time of year.
Dave.

[Big_Fish]

Keep on pushing the marketing at the right market even when things are really good. Every week, no matter what, keep it up. The rest takes care of itself.
Start pushing work into January during November and December. Think about the "quiet times" before they have a chance to happen.

Nicky

[martin19842]

hi there,

we thought decemeber would be quiet, november was hectic, and we banked for december, december turned out hectic, right through till xmas eve.  So we are expecting a slow week, then full steam ahead from the 10th, but things happen so fast that before you can relax work stacks back.

so make hey whilst the mornings are cold, and then more when the suns shining

regards

martin

[Ken Wainwright]

As many of you know, I'm fortunate enough (old enough ) to not need any direct marketing. I just wait for the phone to ring There are things that I've done though that helps to even out the work flow.

No matter how much marketing/advertising you carry out for the New Year, you are aiming at a vastly reduced marketplace, so it's less cost effective.  After Christmas, New Year, the sales, holiday deposits etc. much of the residential market is "Spent Out", plus there is a tendency to wait 'till Spring when the mucky weather is gone. OK, reduced prices may be a lure in this climate, but I don't discount.

Over the years, I've tried with a great deal of success to manipulate my commercial clients to the January/February time. The returns are high but there can be cash flow hiccups. Fortunately that's not a problem for me. This releases more time in late November and December for the residential market when demand is exceptionally high. If there's a delay in Jan/Feb due to bad weather (rare) there's still reasonable capacity to re-schedule.

At all times during my 25 years in our industry, I've felt that to be working flat out all day every day is not good. This work cycle that I've developed works for me. Even during the quieter winter months, I earn enough from residential work to put meat on the table and when the cheques from the larger commercial jobs arrive, it goes straight into the building society to pay the Tax Man, Capital Purchases, Holidays etc.

As a (not particularly good) businessman, I've worked out that to give me the lifestyle I am comfortable with, I need to turnover £XX,000. It doesn't matter when during the year I achieve that figure. If I could earn it all in six months, I'd have six months holiday. If you adopt this approach for yourselves, you will be able to regard the slower times and holidays as just rewards for your efforts during the year, and not a time of poor/negligable returns.

Safe and happy holidays
Ken

[Dave_Lee]

All as usual good comments. I broke all my records for November and December, worked far too hard really, 14 hour days for much of december, flat out with no time for eat breaks even - not a problem ten years ago or even five but I am 59 this year and even though I am fitter than most half my age, I have noticed things dont feel any easier. When the virus struck 5 days before Christmas, when my immune system was in retreat, it floored me. Had to have a day off then work extra hard to catch up, even though feeling lousy (never working as hard as that again, res No2.) I like too be busy, and even when I may one quiet day in the middle of a hectic time - on that day I feel at a loss - like I should be busier. Thats why I dread Jan/Feb if Im working below capacity, I feel like Im doing nothing - I know full well this is the time to take advantage and work on the marketing, and in so doing avoid the quiet times (res No3.) but if youre a doer, youre a doer and I find these times so frustrating.
It will be interesting to see just how Jan pans out, seeing as I have to date just that one £50 job booked in. I will update on this at the end of Jan.
Dave.

[martin19842]

hello Ken,

there are two ways to look at this, on one side of this i fully agree with you, you know exactly what you need and how to do it, and therefore you have your stall all set out. 

we are in a slightly differnent situation in the fact that we are in expansion, and I know what we need to do to operate and to cover the expansion.

Dave i also think that you are right, we could all work 24 hours a day if we wanted as there is so much work out there.  that is why as we expand i move back from everyday site work more and more, to concentrate on the bigger picture, and take life easier.

I cant deny however that the run upto christmas was manic, and as we expand next xmas needs to be planned better.

regards

martin

[adl]

I am only 4 miles away from Dave and i havnt booked a single domestic in for jan as yet, we are however booked up solid for the next 3 weeks on commercial work with more to schedule in for the end of jan/feb.

regards Dave ADL

[Ian Rochester]

As with everyone, we were busy with carpets all of November and December, start back to work tomorrow (Tues) and have a couple of residential jobs each day for the rest of this week, next week is mainly commercial, as is most of Feb and March.

We also have a WC business so if we are quiet on carpets I go out and tout for business for that as well, but they are generally fully occupied anyway.

This time of the year is the time to get everything back to tip top condition after the Christmas rush, machines, vans and equipment  serviced and setting targets and strategies for the business for 2005.

It is also a time to wind down, I am therefore taking a week off from the 17th and me and my better half are off to Prague for my 40th.  There's no point working your b****cks off if you don't take the time to enjoy life as well.

The hardest part of being self employed is getting the balance right, "Work to Live" as opposed to "Live to Work" and by the sound of it Ken has this balance just about right.

A healthy and prosperous New Year to you all.

Ian

[mark_roberts]

I did £140 today, £70 tomorrow and thats it for residential.  Working next three Saturdays on commercial value around £1400 in total.

Been here before so not too worried.  Just need to give myself a good kick up the rear to get the marketing sorted as like Dave I did very little last year.

What commercial jobs do you guys do during the day?  Do you just work around the staff or close areas off?

thanks
Mark

[Ken Wainwright]

Mark

A school during closedown
A Day Centre for Disabled (4.00pm start because of H&S considerations)
A family training/evaluation residential centre (Daytime, I limit access to areas being worked)
Clinic/surgery (Saturdays only)
All the above Dry Fusion

Next week is mainly residential plus a training day plus 1 office job after 10.00am when just 1 person on premises and can move around to other office as required.

Safe and happy cleaning
Ken

[Doug Holloway]

Hi guys,

Over the past few years I have gradualy built up commercial work which i do at the beginning of the year.

Some of it I can schedule when I want ;

Today I've deep cleaned a kitchen , my one and only one ,which I do four times a year.

In the next couple of days i will sort out some 'old customer letters' but on the domestic side I have advertised away from Xmas and summer , so that the quieter times are covered.

This is also the time of year for experimenting with chemicals , enhancing my web sites (I've got 2 now), catching up on accounts , going on holiday etc

Ian , you will enjoy Prague,  lots to see and cheap.

Cheers,

Doug

[simbo]

just out of interest doug
was the kitchen comercial or domestic, as have been asked to do this for domestic customer large house large kitchen but not a clue what to charge,any help would be great. cheers simb0

[Doug Holloway]

Simbo,

Commercial at £300 for the days work.

I would'nt touch domestic but if you want an idea of prices there are a number of franchises operating.

My only advice would be not to go cheap , it is a horrible job and needs to be worth it!

Cheers,

Doug

[simbo]

cheers doug,
would i need any special types of cleaning products to do deep cleans. my reason for asking is have bought and sold a number of houses over the last few years,and every time kitchens are terrible caked on grease, cookers never been cleaned, tiles cabinets.
It seemes to me that a lot of people either don't have time or just lazy. I agree dirty job but can restore to new with plenty of elbow grease, which i don't have a problem with.
Cookers i am doing to start anyhow so must be a market for this would charge well for it though.

cheers simb0
ps: houses were all new builds max 5 years old, dirty people with money.

[Dave_Lee]

Hi All,
Well, that first £50 job turned into a £500 plus first week, and eventually ended up with my best ever January despite one of my worst ever starts. All down to abit of initiative and a little marketing using a personal variation of Mike Halliday's leaflet (Cheers Mike).
Dave.