[j.v. price ltd]

How do you know when you have made it to the end of the tunnel?
 When your busy most days? When you earn X amount per week? When you employ staff? or just when you are in a position to dump some of your crap customers? Or is it when you have no need to canvas/advertise or take on any more?

What a fantastic question.

I think the answer will be different for each person, I know with me that everytime i reach one of my business goals, i set another one and have started setting the goals higher and higher.
If you work for someone else they will set you targets, when you work for yourself i think you have to set the targets yourself.

My current goal is to double the size of my business in the next 12 months

Good luck with everyone else and there targets

Charlie

[seandyer2003]

How do you know when you have made it to the end of the tunnel?
 When your busy most days? When you earn X amount per week? When you employ staff? or just when you are in a position to dump some of your crap customers? Or is it when you have no need to canvas/advertise or take on any more?

What a fantastic question.

I think the answer will be different for each person, I know with me that everytime i reach one of my business goals, i set another one and have started setting the goals higher and higher.
If you work for someone else they will set you targets, when you work for yourself i think you have to set the targets yourself.

My current goal is to double the size of my business in the next 12 months

Good luck with everyone else and there targets

Charlie

I wanna double my turnover again, but that aint alot, for you that must be millions  however you must have sales people, and staff to do it etc so i suppose it is relative , still i know which id rather be 

[Steve CM]

i don't have an end goal. just a 10 year plan. so far so good but i'm sure the goal posts may move along the way

[seandyer2003]

When you lads have ten years plans, are they all money - turnover based or are they "i want to be doing nothing but earning x amount etc, or have x amount of commercial contracts etc....what do you plan your goals to ?? Mine are they i want to be living comfy on 3 1/2 days a week, which i can, from there i am going to spend other 1 1/2 days hammering commercial properties to get contracts and slowly but surely ween off the domestic to a higher % of commercial, but i am happy not to take staff on, maybe in 20 years when i am getting on (41 ) But just wondered what you goals are specifically when you say "ten year plan" if you dont mind spilling the beans

[Steve CM]

its all about profit!

[j.v. price ltd]

It is relative for sure.

Some days i think it would be great to be just me and one of my Bronto's out earning a pretty penny every day, no staff issuse it would be great but for all the bad I LOVE IT.


My Dad lost all interest in a business that he had started and run for 30 years from his dinning room, with my mum doing the books. He started with nothing and grew the business to a turnover 600k and it stayed there for 6 years, guess this was the time when he decided he had made it.


Since I bought the company three years ago i have had the goal to have one of the biggest window cleaning companies in the uk oh yer and also want to drive past my old school teacher in a Lambo shouting I'm gonna be a nobody window cleaner like my dad hey ha ha

LIVE THE DREAM

Charlie

[matt]

my goals have been reached and its been fairly easy, did i set them too low ? ? ? ? i know my outgoings are fairly small ( ive been lucky in that aspect ), should i be doing more to have more money saved in the bank ? ? ? ? ? ? after my holiday i dont know ? ? ? ? ? what would i do with the extra money, save it ? ? ? ? ? spend it on enjoying life ? ? ? ?  i have a sneaky feeling it would be the latter option

on the drive from gatwick today i thought on the idea of doing a little more and having more holidays a year, but to do more work i would have to  sacrifice family time and work in it

[seandyer2003]

i suppose that is the main reason we do it eh, although many psychologists disagree i have been reading alot recently on motivation and many who have done research into it feel money is a poor motivator and rather the desires to be great, or to have sense of accomplishment are better, i think ITS ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS BABY, SHOW ME THE MONEY

[seandyer2003]

its good to set achievable goals, if you never reached them - how long would you strive for, usually i try have a main goal, and little stepping stone ones there, ie right now im trying to double turnover, how? 1000 leaflets a week, 200 letters, a few hours canvassing, and aiming to bring in £50 a week, eventually i will hit my main goal, but every week i also feel a sense of achievement in hitting the latter goals too,

I think time off is good though i am hoping to take a week off every 3 months and go away on 1- 2 of them abroad, and the other couple of weeks spend one with in laws in norwich ( a couple of days anyway) and the other with my family in ireland, so i will be getting away 4 weeks a yr, yippee, and i am working 4 days so im of 3 days a week, so dont need to stay here when im off work  a week

[Clive McDonald]

At the minute i'm working on 'the perfect' set of books, laying out my expenses on three excell pages. This is my second year and I'm starting to get a feel for this as a business.

I copy a lot of the ideas on here, not so much with charlie (he's too big), but I certainly look at what steve cm, ian l,dave stives, and some of the other ambitious people are up too.

Most successful people are passionate about what they do, and many of us share this with people like Charlie. The contradiction is that if you admitted you were passionate about window cleaning you would be laughed at.That's one of the reasons this forum gives us common cause.

[seandyer2003]

My missus laughs at me for talking about it all the time lol, until i remind her how the food was paid for, and her new handbags lol, then she seems to almost be interested at least for a bit

But i agree, you have to find something to make you enthusiastic or else you wont get out there and find the work, and more important - DO IT, my trouble is the latter, i am great at finding ways out of work trouble is i dont earn then, so i am doing better now but have to keep on top, but i really enjoy marketing my business online, leaflets, door to door, etc, and i think its a great product - i have sold a few things in previous jobs but none are as easy a sell as window cleaning, nor do they bring as good a return ie if you sell a mobile you might get a one off commision, but we get a continous income for years, at a high rate of pay per hour equal to that of many professionals who have been uni for years!! Cant beat that, and that keeps me going

[Moderator David@stives]

Be careful what you wish for, if you dont watch it you could end up sat in a office in your home all day answering calls, counting money and having 3 hour lunches.

I wouldnt wish that on anyone

[Steve CM]

Be careful what you wish for, if you dont watch it you could end up sat in a office in your home all day answering calls, counting money and having 3 hour lunches.

I wouldnt wish that on anyone

you only get 3 hours for lunch?

[j.v. price ltd]

I must be doing something wrong i'm lucky if i get a lunch!!!!!!

[Steve CM]

I must be doing something wrong i'm lucky if i get a lunch!!!!!!

whys that to busy counting your cash? 

[j.v. price ltd]

ha ha 

Hows it all going in MK?

[Wayne Thomas]

After 10 years I still haven't made it. Customers die, move or cancel. Prices need to keep up with inflation. Always need to find new customers to replace lost ones. Even with a full round, still need to replace poor prices with better ones so the answer is no not yet and probably never will until it's time to sell up or retire.

[Steve CM]

all good! you? got a steady stream of com coming in and still pushing on the houses. can't complain

[j.v. price ltd]

all good! you? got a steady stream of com coming in and still pushing on the houses. can't complain

Got any good guys i can have ha ha, just got the two shopping centres so will have some work for you when I have the contracts up and running

[Steve CM]

just give us a bell if you ever wanna talk. i think i may need some advice/hire of a lift on a big glass canopy i have to clean once a year. something you could do on a day rate/hire?