That has not yet managed to provide a "comfortable" lifestyle for them? How long have you been at it? Honestly, what do you think is holding you back? Is it money? Is it lack of effort (I have been guilty of that one) or man power? Are you just not getting a response to your advertising or not advertising? What is it? Don't be afaid to share. Trust me... I am a BDCCer too... There is no shame in struggling. The shame is in giving up. Grab a beer & tell us about your problems... Maybe we can help.
Who here has a business
- Thread starter Jeremy
- Start date
jerry ACC
Member
Ok, I'll bite first.
I bought my used truckmount a year ago with money I made flipping a house. All or most of my stuff was paid for in cash. I cleaned carpet in the 80's for a few years and have been wanting to start up since then but I worked for Coca Cola for the last 20 years. Things were getting shitty at work so I quit, with no money in the bank. I figured a simple add in the YP would bring me enough business to begin with (big mistake, I'm lucky to get 1 call a month).
I have tried to do everything right, uniforms, 5 IICRC courses this year already, fliers, nice clean equip, everything logo'd. I get about 3 calls a week and at .32 psf not everyone wants to book. This leads to my next problem, no income for my business needs. I can't seem to keep my Boxer 421 running right, and everything is going into it for repair. I have destroyed my credit in the last 2 years and cannot get a loan for squat. I need a 175 or OP machine among other stuff and just can't swing it.
I'm 2 1/2 months behind on the mortgage and things are looking rough. I just don't want to have to go to work for someone else again.
On top of this I have been struggling the last 3 years with Bi-Polar Disorder. I'm not ready to give up yet.
I bought my used truckmount a year ago with money I made flipping a house. All or most of my stuff was paid for in cash. I cleaned carpet in the 80's for a few years and have been wanting to start up since then but I worked for Coca Cola for the last 20 years. Things were getting shitty at work so I quit, with no money in the bank. I figured a simple add in the YP would bring me enough business to begin with (big mistake, I'm lucky to get 1 call a month).
I have tried to do everything right, uniforms, 5 IICRC courses this year already, fliers, nice clean equip, everything logo'd. I get about 3 calls a week and at .32 psf not everyone wants to book. This leads to my next problem, no income for my business needs. I can't seem to keep my Boxer 421 running right, and everything is going into it for repair. I have destroyed my credit in the last 2 years and cannot get a loan for squat. I need a 175 or OP machine among other stuff and just can't swing it.
I'm 2 1/2 months behind on the mortgage and things are looking rough. I just don't want to have to go to work for someone else again.
On top of this I have been struggling the last 3 years with Bi-Polar Disorder. I'm not ready to give up yet.
if you live in a town, go around handing out business cards or whatever stuff you got to advertise. thats how i got alot of my business. as for your price i would lover it, make it affordable to more people. maybe you wont make hand over fist on the first few but if you can keep your volume up you can increase your profit. cash flow is essential. maybe even do some demo's for your locals. offer protector? its an easy way to make few extra bucks. well hope i helped. i'm not a pro but i keep things going.
Bruce Humphrey
Member
The things I hate to do in my business are the things that are going to make me the money , hate it or not it's got to be done.
bob vawter
Grassy Knoller
The MONEY is in the ghetto.......now you can either believe me and market there or continue on the same road to nowhere that you're on.....
TimP
Member
- Joined
- May 19, 2007
- Messages
- 4,055
Right now I'm at the point of being comfortable. But I've had a hard time starting out especially buying new equipment. If I had started out with a used machine....one that would hopefully be reliable unlike the 421 above I'd be doing fairly good right now. Anyways I started out pretty low in price....I didn't know how low I was till I talked with other cleaners in my area.
I ran a 10% discount special for a year, and I was cleaning at .18 to .20 cents a sq ft and only charging for the exact area cleaned. So I was pretty cheap. Anyways I still managed to do a good bit of business but I still probably lost 16 grand last year can't remember the total on the taxes. And that's not in addition to income I had from doing other work which was about 15 grand in work.
I didn't stop advertising for the whole time, and I've had tons of referrals through another family business that relates to carpet cleaning. You can't ever give up and you need to get out there and talk with people and put a face to your business.
It's pretty unbelievable how much money has to come in to make a profit. I think this year will be the first year I break even (at least I hope), but I had a good summer. I think about 1/4th of the cash that comes in to the business gets paid to me. It's one reason why I am planning a price increase. Next year will be better since my wife will be able to work year round pretty much. I've been supporting her through school and she will be done in December. Right now she is working so things are fine financially. And luckily I have some cash set back for September which is usually awful. I may have a large commercial job go down next month which may about cover overhead. But I'm not making a ton of cash I'm more or less to the point where I can pay the bills and that's about it.
I ran a 10% discount special for a year, and I was cleaning at .18 to .20 cents a sq ft and only charging for the exact area cleaned. So I was pretty cheap. Anyways I still managed to do a good bit of business but I still probably lost 16 grand last year can't remember the total on the taxes. And that's not in addition to income I had from doing other work which was about 15 grand in work.
I didn't stop advertising for the whole time, and I've had tons of referrals through another family business that relates to carpet cleaning. You can't ever give up and you need to get out there and talk with people and put a face to your business.
It's pretty unbelievable how much money has to come in to make a profit. I think this year will be the first year I break even (at least I hope), but I had a good summer. I think about 1/4th of the cash that comes in to the business gets paid to me. It's one reason why I am planning a price increase. Next year will be better since my wife will be able to work year round pretty much. I've been supporting her through school and she will be done in December. Right now she is working so things are fine financially. And luckily I have some cash set back for September which is usually awful. I may have a large commercial job go down next month which may about cover overhead. But I'm not making a ton of cash I'm more or less to the point where I can pay the bills and that's about it.
Mike Draper
Member
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2008
- Messages
- 4,402
Hey whisker, hold in there. My first year in bus was just the same as you are saying. ( 3 calls from my yp ad all year)I finally turned things around by never sitting around ( not saying you are ). I got up every morning and put togethor a plan for who I was going to talk to, ie. business, apartments, schools you name it. I made letters and flyers and cards and everything in between, I live in a valley of 110,000 population. I can honestly tell you I hit every single apartment complex in the whole valley with a nice letter I personally delivered. I never took no for an answer and most importantly, I always talked with the owners or main managment. If the owners were not there I found out who they were and called and called unitl I got ahold of them. I personally got ahold of or talked with over 175 business in town to try and get there business ( still have them in the computer). I did alot of shitty jobs for cheap just to bring money in. Can't tell you how many times we had abosolutley no food in the fridge or cabinets. ( had to even go to the church one week for food) But things finally started to change, if you are motivated and always looking for work you will find it. Offer to do some aprtments for free, talk with realestate agents and clean their houses for free. Go to the owners of property management companies and clean their houses for free. Carpet store owners, clean thier houses for free and offer them 10 percent back on referalls, just keep being more creative than the next guy and it will come in.
It's been 2.5 years since we started and we bring in good money almost every day now, put almost 750 hours on my machine in the last 8.5 months. almost always busy to and there is always food in the fridge. JUST DON"T GIVE UP!! P.S. You may want to alter you yp ad to.
It's been 2.5 years since we started and we bring in good money almost every day now, put almost 750 hours on my machine in the last 8.5 months. almost always busy to and there is always food in the fridge. JUST DON"T GIVE UP!! P.S. You may want to alter you yp ad to.
SRI Cleaning
Member
Whisker, Go out and talk to property managers. Walk into every apartment complex you drive by. And be consistent and persistent. We have hammered complexes 5 or 6 times before they gave us work. It is low dollar work but the volume was what it took to get our bussiness rolling. Continue to do good work and after a while you will be able to drop the "shitty" places and just keep the ones who treat you right or who make you money.
Work that in with your residential customers and you'll be alright. And the more residential customers you make happy, the more customers you will get. Worst comes to worst, get a part time job, alot of people started that way. But dont give it up.
Good Luck! Dont give up!
Work that in with your residential customers and you'll be alright. And the more residential customers you make happy, the more customers you will get. Worst comes to worst, get a part time job, alot of people started that way. But dont give it up.
Good Luck! Dont give up!
Mikey P
Administrator
I'm gonna be the token jerk here and ask if your at least as normal looking as Becker and myself?
Becker
Member
When Mikey and I enter a room the woman run.
(Question is what direction)
So where do you sit today Jeremy?
Less than 2 years ago you were gunna fold up and "get a job" to day you offer to dispense advice.
(Question is what direction)
So where do you sit today Jeremy?
Less than 2 years ago you were gunna fold up and "get a job" to day you offer to dispense advice.
Art Kelley
Supportive Member
bob vawter said:
That's actually very good advice for someone who desires to make a lot of quick cash. One of my marketing ideas when I started out was to distribute several thousand fliers "south of Eight Mile," in Northwest Detroit. Some nice, well kept up neighborhoods, 97% Black, An interesting experience for a White boy from a White suburb. Practically every customer paid in cash, and all were delighted to get top notch cleaning they had never seen before. I put that 175 to good use. Eventually I grew tired of the hassles of working in high crime areas and all the customers who cancel appointments at the last minute, or forgot them altogether. Made a lot of much needed cash though.
Farenheit251
Member
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2006
- Messages
- 731
You don't need a rotary or an OP. Don't make the mistake of thinking investing in better cleaning will yield greater profits. Marketing and presentation is much more important. Sure you should strive for the best but do it with extra profit not food money. Few people know the difference between good and excellent cleaning.
With the economy so bad I was curious how many cleaners were trying to take my accts and talked to some I have a strong relationship with. One, a rental home management company typified what I heard. The girl at the front desk said she couldn't remember the last time a carpet cleaner stopped in. If I were targetting them I would be stopping by every month keeping on the other guys heels waiting for a mistake,making sure I was the first one they thought of. Another company with over 600 rentals had a stack of about 70 faxes that had come in that week from people wanting to be vendors. All going in the trash. Lots of lazy people sending out faxes but almost none with the gumption to get dressed up and put themself out there.
With the economy so bad I was curious how many cleaners were trying to take my accts and talked to some I have a strong relationship with. One, a rental home management company typified what I heard. The girl at the front desk said she couldn't remember the last time a carpet cleaner stopped in. If I were targetting them I would be stopping by every month keeping on the other guys heels waiting for a mistake,making sure I was the first one they thought of. Another company with over 600 rentals had a stack of about 70 faxes that had come in that week from people wanting to be vendors. All going in the trash. Lots of lazy people sending out faxes but almost none with the gumption to get dressed up and put themself out there.
Mikey P
Administrator
Hey Whisker
If MB got you some of these viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14241&p=181313&hilit=cleaning+bucks#p181313
would you promise to hand them all out at community events like Chamber mixers, concerts in the parks, 10K's, parades etc?
If MB got you some of these viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14241&p=181313&hilit=cleaning+bucks#p181313
would you promise to hand them all out at community events like Chamber mixers, concerts in the parks, 10K's, parades etc?
TimM
Supportive Member
I am far from were I want my company to be. I am into my second year of business and I still have not done any advertising. For one I cant afford it and I dont want the price shoppers. I have several property management company's that I work with and they keep me busy. I dont limit myself to just carpet cleaning. I do Hauling of junk on the evictions, small handyman jobs such as repairing holes in the wall and small paint jobs.
I am making enough to get by and I raised my prices this year and that has worked great. Almost all of my work has been referrals. Talk to your customers and tell them to spread the word. Show up on time, call them back and under promise and over deliver is what I do.
I am making enough to get by and I raised my prices this year and that has worked great. Almost all of my work has been referrals. Talk to your customers and tell them to spread the word. Show up on time, call them back and under promise and over deliver is what I do.
