[seandyer2003]

I`m not trying to start another pointless thread about i earn more than you but it`s makes no difference in how quick you can do a 3 bed semi etc,this job is all about quality work and how much of it you have.The answer to your question is you should be doing far more even with a seriously dodgy week,i`m being honest if i was doing what your quoting i can honestly say i wouldn`t be working for myself,what would be the point.

amen, although minimum wage is 240 etc, thats for no collecting, no overheads etc... 400 when you minus evrything doesnt leave you much better off for all the xtra work!

what extra work hes only doing 6 hours not 8 and idot think his overheads can be anywhere near £160 a week

he's prices are more than mine, and he's wfp, and id done that day rate by 11.30 am today- trad, not bragging but maybe some people just need to move a bit quicker ... Dont take offense though chap, it was you who said is it worth it? i dont think it is unless you are earning well, but if you are happy and living on 400 then why stop just because someone earns more! keep doing it... but if you are saying it because you want more money then my advice is "get moving", you are obviously dawdling too much if your prices are good and you are wfp, only other factor is your round is not very compact at all, or your chats are killing your hourly rate...

[seandyer2003]

£20!! i spend that on food! what about car tax, public liabilty, insurances, fuel, water rates .....

Theres more than 20, before you account for tax!!

[mark dew]

Looking through the figures you have provided, you are pretty much matching me on time per job but you have better prices.
However, i have earnt your 5.30pm figure by 1pm.
I figured your technique must be suspect but your times working with a trolley are similar to mine.   

What is your water usage per semi?
Cos i think you can reduce your times by getting a 250 litre tank + reel of hose. Connect trolley to your tank. Turn up your flowrate, rinse on the glass and knock 1/4 of that time off.
Oh and get a 12v submersible pump and carry 1 barrel for when you need it.

I can't understand if you start at 9.30 why you aren't home by 2?
Do you take long breaks between jobs?
With your prices, times and the hours you work, you should (and will sooner or later) be hitting your weekly figure on tuesday.   

[seandyer2003]

£20!! i spend that on food! what about car tax, public liabilty, insurances, fuel, water rates .....

Theres more than 20, before you account for tax!!

youpay for food and car tax whatever you are doing,public liabilty £1.20 a week,fuel dont work more than 4 miles from home park up and dont move car till i go home,compact round,water rates not on a metre so pay them whatever

well thats pretty good then, mine are alot higher, but i make alot too, so wings and roundabouts eh, i prob have to work harder though

[peter holley]

£13.30 an hour is it worth going self employed,take off expenses he`ll be lucky if he can afford to live.What happens if the van-car goes wrong or another bill crops up,this is what some on here don`t take into account when pricing initially.

you think like me... i cant believe what iv read on this thread ???i cant put my true figures on this forum for obviuose reasons.....but cumon ...

[Paul Coleman]

look through my diary the other day and worked out my ave earnings £399.50p a week.

wondered where i'm going wrong.
i can't start till 9.30am as of mr mum duties but i think i work pretty hard, i chat to the odd custy, but at the end of the day custy's are usually to busy to talk and so am i.

I'm wfp for 2 yrs been on my own 3yrs + 2yrs for someone else, built all my work from scratch and keep refineing.

I am now charging £15 for semis , and £15-£20 for detached trying to dump front only's.

any advice
it takes me 5 weeks to get round.
thanks lee

For a 6 hours day at those prices, I can't understand why you aren't taking a minimum of £150 a day for your turnover - and that's a conservative figure.  I don't want that to sound critical or arrogant but if I take under £100 in a day (and it does happen), it means that I've not been applying myself.  I've done a few half days recently (I've had a heavy cold, under the weather etc.) and taken around that.
However, it's not about what someone earns - it's about how you feel about it (IMO of course).

[seandyer2003]

i think the answer you want then lee, is if you are happy with your wage and hours, then its all good, however if you want more money, then you do have the potential to almost double your average there mate...

good luck

[AuRavelling79]

Two points stand out - you use a trolley and Shiner's point about applying yourself.

For me when I went to a trolley and got settled in I was about 15% quicker than off ladders. When I went to a car with microbore that upped to 25%. With a van I now earn 60% more than off ladders - over a year - and I'm less tired.

When I apply myself - on domestic - out at 9 am on the dot - work briskly (not mental) take a packed lunch - finish at 4.30, I will hit twice what I did off ladders.

If I start at 9.45, work steadily, home for an hour lunch, finish at 4.15 then I do about 50% more than I did off ladders.

That hour and a half lost and not being organised for the day costs me £50.

But I like the odd lazy day too and toddle home with a bit over three figures under my belt at 2pm and I do some chores or out for a cycle ride or visit my mum or collect my daughter from school or out on the motorbike.

So yeh, it's worth it!

[Paul Coleman]

Two points stand out - you use a trolley and Shiner's point about applying yourself.

For me when I went to a trolley and got settled in I was about 15% quicker than off ladders. When I went to a car with microbore that upped to 25%. With a van I now earn 60% more than off ladders - over a year - and I'm less tired.

When I apply myself - on domestic - out at 9 am on the dot - work briskly (not mental) take a packed lunch - finish at 4.30, I will hit twice what I did off ladders.

If I start at 9.45, work steadily, home for an hour lunch, finish at 4.15 then I do about 50% more than I did off ladders.

That hour and a half lost and not being organised for the day costs me £50.

But I like the odd lazy day too and toddle home with a bit over three figures under my belt at 2pm and I do some chores or out for a cycle ride or visit my mum or collect my daughter from school or out on the motorbike.

So yeh, it's worth it!

My apolgies to Lee.  I missed the bit about being a trolley user.  I found that slower than a van mount.  Even so, it should still be possible to earn rather more than so far.  It can be a help to have a bit of hose attached to the trolley to save on moving it.

[peter holley]

   £400 a week ....good pricing structureit  at £15 a semi....it doesnt add up.....with those prices you should be hitting a £1000 a week easily....

how many hours  a day do you work?

[spark1]

Should be earning more than that with prices like that.
sometimes its quicker doing trad on small houses at £15 a time 20mins each one .sounds like your method may be wrong.I use both wfp and trad, and on some larger houses i use a mix which evers more productive.
(before someone says its not good practice both methods are good)

[scrimit2]

 £400 a week ....good pricing structureit  at £15 a semi....it doesnt add up.....with those prices you should be hitting a £1000 a week easily....

how many hours  a day do you work?

yes thats only 27ish houses a week (on average) at that price

[Dave Turley]

hiya, imo you could be wasting a lot of time messing about getting trolley in & out of car, switching barrels etc.

I reckon if you switched to a van Mount you'd def be on £200 a day 

[alanwilson]

£15 for a semi and you average £400 a week??  Thats about 5 a day.

we get £5/£6 up here for a semi and will do 30 to 40 a day each.

[seandyer2003]

30 to 40 wfp??

Thats about 10 hours work! i do one in about 15 mins, but thats not accounting or any stoppage, or travel between, so 4 x 8 is 32, max! But well done, thats a good wage anyway!

[Tim82]

I was going to ask, have you got george, and then I saw I use internet at the library, so the answer to that question would be no.

This is the reason your av 400pw.Your problem is organising your work. I have just bought a 9" comp from dell a mini 9 for £279 for my son. This with george on it would transform your life. (you will need a printer to print out your work).

Trust me this is your main problem.

george isnt necassary for window cleaning you can organize yourself just with a book

[Sir Squeaky]

I was going to ask, have you got george, and then I saw I use internet at the library, so the answer to that question would be no.

This is the reason your av 400pw.Your problem is organising your work. I have just bought a 9" comp from dell a mini 9 for £279 for my son. This with george on it would transform your life. (you will need a printer to print out your work).

Trust me this is your main problem.

george isnt necassary for window cleaning you can organize yourself just with a book

I thought that.

Buying a computer program will make him work faster and get him more money you know.

[gerard mcmanus]

Nessasary for window cleaning no, but the bear-necessity isn't always best. 100 years ago W/C went out on bikes, so is a car a necessity, no. But it sure makes life allot easier, and there for improves productivity.

You can’t print of invoices or receipt, quickly produce progress report with averages and highlight problem areas like regular non payers easily with a book, but you can with a PC there for improving productivity.

I will add. I don’t use George, but use my own system, and use a diary throughout the day as well as enjoying the potential benefits that a properly used pc can offer a business.

Gerard 

[lee_dewing]

gerard, thanks.

thanks to you all guys; great response.

I am guilty of talking to customers, but i think a few mins is good customer relations, most people don't want to put the world to right with you.

I think trolley system is costing me time; versus van mount but unfortunately due to having r/o system at parents and not a guaranteed parking space outside, then barrels it is.
but will invest in microbore steel reel, did buy 50 metre minibore,plastic reel didn't seem to speed me up (slow me down was more the case).

My work is all built up from scratch, i do have some roads with 4-5 custy's in but do have alot of 1 job in a road. obviously i wouldn't drive to a single job for a fiver!

I am refining all the time.
As to technique with wfp maybe i am to over careful, i must admit my belt and braces attitude is costing me money.
I use to do alot of windows by hand downstairs, to save on water.

also smashing jobs out at 15 mins a time at £15-£20 a go worries me slightly from the custy's aspecy £1 a minute.
I know this isn't true as time lost to weather travel etc. AND THIS IS OBVIOUSLY WHERE I'M GOING WRONG TO.

I don't always agree with the mathmatical equations on here, i.e £15 house 15 mins= 4 houses an hour = £60 an hour x 6 hrs = £360.

I know this is not the exact numbers given on here but come on stay real
we are human and not robots and it isn't a perfect day every day.

Maybe i'm wrong. Obviously i'm getting something wrong.

I'l print all this off and go through everything.
I really appreciate everyones opinions on here.

I am far from perfect, and i am always trying to improve.
I think confidence is a big issue in this job, and probably my over  cautious attitude is costing me.
I must admit i got into this by accident (as have many). Thinking as a businessman dosen't come naturally to me as being p.a.y.e for 16 years.

Thanks again everyone.
take care.
Lee (slow-lee )

[davids3511]

Hi Lee

I have been in a similar situation as you. I have been over cautious in the past, trying to do a perfect job. The way I see it is that you need to strike a balance between a good/acceptable job and earning a good living. Bill Gates never brough out a perfect version of windows but that hasn't stoped him, has it.