[daysdeepclean]

I've just enquired about an Aircraft Fitting job as I'm not filling in enough days with the carpet cleaning. My plan is to work 7 til 4 (12 O'clock finish on Fridays) then carry out my carpet cleaning "Duties" on completion, but I am worried whether the customer really wants someone around at tea time

I'd be willing to work weekends too and I'd still strive to make the business work. I can't look a gift horse in the mouth at £600 p/w from the helicopter job as it's regular money!!!

Honest and brutal opinions welcome.....

[derek west]

how long you been carpet cleaning colin?
derek

[Joe H]

Colin
Its your life and you know your circumstances better then anyone on here.
You have a wife and family to support so you got to do whats best for them and you.
I know you like the carpet cleaning but at the end of the day needs must take precedence.
If you happy doing the mechanicing thing then go for it.

I have done a few jobs around teatime but that was to suit the client (just come home) - I prefer starting in the morning.
Weekends are a goer - people at home.

You do whats best for you.

[daysdeepclean]

Started in June Derek, I'm not being impatient or anything like that and I know it'll take a while until I become busy. Things are on the up but the smell of aviation fuel is calling (Maybe I need a Betty Ford Clinic) My priority is to run a successful business as I love being my own boss.

We aren't as hard up as most people Joe and I think I'm probably just yearning for the best of both worlds when it comes to work!

[derek west]

you started same time as me colin.

i think you know what i was gonna say but looks like you know the ins and outs, pro's and cons.

600 now or 1000+ in 3 or 4 years time.

this sounds like a decision from within.

all i can say really is, no job is safe. especially in aviation.

your cc is in your hands.

you will succeed but it takes time.

i'm a strong believer that if you don't give a new business 100% of your time and commitment then it will fail.
but thats me and i'm sure theres guys out there that have done both and gone on to be successful.
remember, your coming home from a full days work to load up and do carpet cleaning, your not there to answer the phone, and more importantly, "ive earned money this week, i can't be harrissed to ring that women, its not like i need the job this week"

if you do decide to go for both, be prepaired to not see much family life, or any life for that matter.

anyway, thats my 2 bits worth.
good luck mate.
derek

[mark_roberts]

Id say take the job.  Its going to provide relative security amid the recession which IMO is going to get a lot worst.

Under normal conditions Id say it takes 2-4 years before you stop investing in equipment and heavy advertising to make £600 pw PLUS sick, holiday pay and and pension.

Regarding work very few will want you after 4pm and after a few days youll hate working all day and then going out to clean carpet. Rather fill your saturday with quality commercial work.  You could make another £600 with the right work and your costs will be a lot less.

However your family and social life will suffer.  Only you can decide.

Mark

[clinton]

Hi colin

Always liked the way you posted on here an come across mate.

It does take a long time to build a business up and think it takes even longer now as i had the fortune of a good source of clients from the y pages back in the good old days

Trouble is now with all the web sites etc its become more competitive to get work and all the money you have to spend  in avertising to get work for not a big return.

I honestly would not think a lot of people will want there carpets cleaned at that time in the afternoon spec when it gets to the autum winter months with less light on the furnishings and colder nights..

Maybe weekend work is an option.

Do you really want to start working at the weekends when you also have a nice wife and familly to spend time with ???Y

I wouldnt want to work all hours and sacrifice quallity time at home mate.

That 600 pounds a week is not bad collin and to earn that doing carpet cleaning would be a lot more by the time you have your costs ie advertising,vehicles,machines etc.

Good luck with whatever you do mate anyway.

clinton

[daysdeepclean]

There's a lot of points there I haven't even considered. Whenever family is mentioned I think that the kids are only young once, and I've met many truck drivers, forces people etc etc who have worked worked worked, and regret not spending more precious and valuable time with the family.

And Derek, you really have your head screwed on mate and I appreciate what you have said...

Thanks fella's, excellent advice and support as always!!!

I won't do anything that puts my business within a whisker of danger!

[robert meldrum]

Like Clinton I've taken you to be a likeable and honest guy Colin and you deserve honest opinions in response.

I've run other businesses alongside carpet cleaning and found it beneficial as the c/c side is not consistant throughout the year.

By working part time you can return to c/c at any time and you only need only need 3 or 4 jobs a week to give you an extra £10 k

That will put you ahead of many on here.

Good luck whatever you do in the current economic climate I'd opt for the £30 k salary and keep doing a handfull of jobs part time you can still have the weekends free

[richy27]

having an extra income myself colin has kept me a float in my early times i basically do enough hours in my other job to cancel out my adv bills.

[Ricky M]

colin long story short inherited a family biz 2 years ago and I have only just stopped having to pay out for new stuff to make the biz modern and up to date but I got a big data base but the clients paid at cheap prices , far too cheap to really live right so I made the desision that I can make something from this small biz so I still worked P/T till last autum and I mean 7 days a week every week except for 5 days off in last summer then chucked in the job that I made silly money at but it would never be mine .

We have a little boy 4 an a bit an a little girly wirly 5 months old and I dont want to be that man they only see now and again so thats why I grafted my nackers off at first for so long , now I can start reap the benefits that comes from being your own boss .
like now come home early to go for picknik cause I can  

                  YES IT CAN BE DONE ONLY IF YOU REALLY WANT  THAT BAD .

There is a lot more to this
  

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

Colin, life is about balance although you can sometimes tip the scales one way or the other for a little while before you will have to re-balance otherwise you'll fall off.

To jack it in would make you think it had all been a waste of time but to work flat out at 2 jobs would surely mean family, health or both might suffer-and to simply earn more money? There's no point being the richest man in the graveyard.

To answer your specific question you will find people who will be happy or even welcome you in at 4.00pm. People who work part time; single people who don't want to take time off work; customers who can't find a cleaner who will come at a time convenient for the client. Whether there's enough or them or whether you can convert your existing clients to think so; who knows?

I balance my life by making the decision to not work weekends. I lose some work but there again my body couldn't take working that hard.

Only you can make the decision and I think Derek is right to say you cannot serve two masters simultaneously. But could you get the business to tick over thereby generating "pocket money"? Rather than looking for new clients simply service those you already have. At a stroke you should lose most of your advertising budget and only have direct overheads ie only costs that are incurred if you are actually cleaning carpets and generating money.

Why not try a little bit of informal market research and ask some of your clients whether they would still use you if you were only available evenings and weekends. Costs nothing to ask.

Whatever you decide be at peace with your decision.

[JS2]

Colin

You said you've enquired about the job.  At the very least you can see how things go if you take the application process further, before finally deciding ?

Regards

Pete (JS2)

[Mike Halliday]

take this job and you can kiss good bye to your carpet cleaning business, slowly over time the carpet cleaning will start to take a back seat, you'll have a steady income and you'll start to relax into it.

you may think you can do a days work then come home, shower & go out carpet cleaning but its not that easy.

is it £600 take home Pay?

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

Have to agree with Derek and Mike, Colin.

I think you can forget about doing any upholstery after 4pm, but thats just my opinion.

Only you can judge whether or not you can build your business up to the level required - £600 per week should be achievable with the right marketing and it shouldn't take all week to earn it.

I couldn't imagine working all day and then going out carpet cleaning - I have been a tradesman all my working life and I do my most productive work before lunch, after that I start to get tired and slow down.

I did 4 bedrooms, stairs and landings this morning and a large rug this afternoon and then thought it's early I could fit in another job if I had one - but to be honest I was pretty knackered by then as it's been hot today.

I wish you all the best whatever you decide but personally, after being self-employed for 17 years, I could never work for anyone again - I like being my own boss, even when times are tough because at least I am in control of my own destiny.

Steve

[M.Acorn]

I have been going nearly 5 years now,i still have 2 or 3 clients who i do dom cleaning for,i can basically survive on what i get from them,and i mean just survive,just enough to cover my outgoing,i don`t have any debts though (only the in rev ,and they can wait) Carpets have just started picking up now,but i still have 1 or 2 days off each week.That suits me though, i have a lot of hobbies etc,my roc takes up a lot of my time,as does growing my own veg !
When i was working as a chef,i didn`t have the luxury of days off etc,and worked stupidly late,never saw my wife,no social life (not that that has changed much !).

It`s a hard decision,i know i would do everything possible to avoid going back to the grind of working for someone else,might even get off my aris and deliver the 9500 flyers i have left from the 10 thou i had printed a couple of years ago  ..


It would be a very hard call for me,i am earning a stupid amount of money for not very many hours work,if i went back to being a chef max wage would prob be around £12 to £15 p/hr,i usually earn between £60 and £80 p/hr.It would hurt

Tough call only you can decide what your going to do mate

[Aquakleen Restoration Services]

Hi Colin,

Maybe diversification is needed here and not looking elsewhere for employment. Try adding other cleaning services such as pressure washing, oven cleaning and even car valeting?? Try concentrating on your current customer database as well as looking for new custom

John

[Mike Osbourne]

If you can't build it full time how can you build it part time?

It's not the cleaning it's cleaning and marketing.

If you take some of your 30k and invest that instead of your time then maybe.

I would look long and hard at my marketing. Time won't change anything, you've got to change something to fill those gaps in your day.

If you like fitting and doing the odd CC job then it's perfect, if it's seen as a temporary fix then in 3 years you will be doing the same thing or given up CC altogether.

Whatever you do though treat it as the right decision whatever happens.

[daysdeepclean]

It would be foolish, I think, to go full time and expect my business to grow, I have had word back  regarding the Aircraft Job and have been told that they will put me on their data base upon receipt of my CV....

Instead of farting around tring to sell myself to them, I'm gonna go and deliver leaflets tomorrow and meet local businesses.... The thoughts of having a boss is the most off putting thing and I think I might have (Admittedly) grown a chip on my shoulder with being my own boss....(Already!)

I knew I would get the answer on CIU and I can't thank you enough.... Thank you all!

Colin....

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

Although I don't know your personal circumstances Colin, I think you have made the right decision and a year on from now you'll look back and wonder why you even contemplated it - best of luck.

Steve