[Clive McDonald]

I am interested, and i think whatever strategy you used it has to be not far off brilliant to have achieved what you have.
However, my wife already thinks i'm gay, so an msn chat would entail an inquest for me.

I have just started with a helper.I am a bit uptight and get stressed when we travel between jobs. Doing the work myself was tiring, with him we do half as much again and after paying him i earn more.

My little 900kg scudo is at the weight limit, and i'm thinking if i had a 1200kg scudo (or bigger van) i could have two helpers and knock nearby at jobs and attend more to admin- while earning slightly less than i do now.

I can't keep my van and just get another because there will be too many vans on my drive. I don't mind buying a new van, it's the loss on the old one that is stopping me.

[Handyman Window Cleaning Services]

But how can people grow rounds and progress, if staff are taking new customers for themselves.

Must be a way around this, but probably not.

tell them its theft, and its a sackable offence with out a warning

[Moderator David@stives]

If you dont think you can trust them dont employ them.

I have no trouble with my staff in that way

[Steve CM]

i find it hard to trust 100% at first ...it takes a little while but then they will always be with one of the others until i reach the point of giving them 100% trust!!

[davids3511]

If you dont think you can trust them dont employ them.

I have no trouble with my staff in that way

How can you tell they are trustworthy when you don't know them though? I am about at that stage where I could do with help but it concerns me that I may be ripped off.

[Steve CM]

If you dont think you can trust them dont employ them.

I have no trouble with my staff in that way

How can you tell they are trustworthy when you don't know them though? I am about at that stage where I could do with help but it concerns me that I may be ripped off.

take them out with you for a few months and build up a rapour

[peter holley]

ok...so you may lose  a tenner here or a tenner there to them doing a bit on their own...and they get all the proceeds of a first clean IF they pick it up... : I can live with that if they are earning me a good few ££££ a day....

I tell my worker he can keep the money from any first cleans he does....its an insentive for him and a help for me not spending too much time on first cleans...

like was said earlier... as long as im reaching my targets (that i could never reach on my own)  im happy 

[Moderator David@stives]

Its the same in your every day life you get to read people. I always think if they look dodgy they usually are.

Not everyone is out to rip you off, I believe most people are honest.

You will soon get to know if you have a bad one, you will find them out somewhere quite quickly

[Ian Lancaster]

Be totally upfront with them.  I do things differently, but the 'foreigners' problem is the same.

I provide my chaps with as much work as they want.  I tell them (and it's in the agreement) that ALL the work belongs to me and they have to pay me my cut.  Then I tell them that I'm not an ogre, and provided they complete all the work I give them, if someone asks for a 'one off' soffit clean or similar, then they don't have to declare it to me. 

Any and all repeat work they pick up is mine.

It keeps them sweet and allows the occasional bit of 'back pocket' money.

What they tell the tax man is their business :