WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. once again simplicity is profit.

PARAMOUNT

Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2007
Messages
34
business is good, im mean simply put im having fun and making money. all people are price shopers except the trumps of society. make it simple, give great service and have cheap prices ( ie.. 99.00 for all carpet in home and if needed couch/loveseat 50.00=150.00)

follow iicrc guidelines... vac. prespray rake hwe and collect money and go to next cust.

simplicity is profit and profit makes it more simple to simply have fun!!
 
Joined
Feb 8, 2007
Messages
1,660
Location
89120
Name
Jesse
Then your doing better than many, but that's bad advise for a good lot of people. Enjoy your job, and have fun working :D


I do like cleaning but I like not cleaning more.
 

Royal Man

Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Messages
4,989
Location
Lincoln NE
Name
Dave Yoakum
$99 for whole house?

How do you clean over 10 houses in a day to keep up your grand a day average?


You would have to do a house every hour and 1/2 including driving time.
 

patch

Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2008
Messages
17
Dude, you are either doing a really cheap job for people or you just don't know what you're worth. Get out of the dumps of the price war and set yourself apart.

I charge .65 psf and get it everytime. No questions asked after they see the quality of my work. Oh, and dump the rake too. If you have been to an IICRC class lately then you know there is a much better tool for agitation available. Rakes don't do CRAP.
 

nickreal

Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2007
Messages
141
Paramount,

Do you have kids? Are you married? Do you have health insurance? What is your average monthly profit? Do you have a plan for retiring some day? When your carpet machine needs replacement will you have the funding to replace it?
 

Mikey P

Administrator
Joined
Oct 6, 2006
Messages
112,626
Location
The High Chapperal
Ive talked to him and his wife.


Para is a real guy who is actually a paramedic who suck rugs on the side.


I just wish he had more to say.
 

John C

Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2007
Messages
8
This is probably going to get me in a whole lot of trouble here, but Paramedics who work for local municipalities (IE fire department) are usually on 24 hrs off 48 and can work other jobs while collecting a full time pay checks, and all of the other vital benefits as well as health insurance.

In addition to health benefits they have IRAs paid for immediately after 20 yrs of service. Let's say one retires after the age of 45 and lives until 90, that's 40 years of retirement. In our state, that's like hitting a million lottery twice.

Anybody in that situation can afford to do a lot of things others cannot with regard to carpet cleaning pricing. Municipalities and government jobs that are subsidized by the taxpayer are not the real world for most people who are in business for themselves and have to live with the consequences of not charging enough vs forced tax hikes or a pool of tax reserves to pay for budget shortfalls where tax paying citizens don't have a choice.

I know this may be controversial to some, but there is a lot of truth in what I've said.
 

ScottM

Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2007
Messages
95
Location
Sarasota, FL
Name
Scott Moody
John,

I agree. Those 'doing' carpet cleaning that are full-time paramedics, EMT, firemen, etc., do have an unfair advantage against those of us who depend on a full-time income for our business.

It's almost like we are subsidizing our competition.

No don't get me wrong, I have relatives in those fields. But, they don't try to do any business on a 'full-time' basis.
 

Jimmy L

Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
15,167
Location
Ne
Name
Jimmy L
Patch, one year in business and running a 800A......Dude.
 

Greenie

Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
6,820
Mikey can say all he wants about Bosley being real, but as soon as I read he pre-vacs on his $99 jobs, I just laughed and knew we've just been had.

I knew lots of Firemen, Cops etc.. who cleaned on the side, and because they weren't of the $10/hr mentality, they charged a respectable rate in the first place, they may have "days" off , but they were giving up those days with family and were damn sure gonna get paid for said "off time" cleaning work.
 

patch

Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2008
Messages
17
Yeah I know I have a dinosaur but it runs and cleans great. I need to upgrade though and as soon as I get myself up and running I will be making the leap to a different unit. I know I can get better heat (getting about 190 now) and better gas usage out of the newer machines. Thinking of getting a steam Way but I haven't decided yet. Still researching. I would love to have a large 5.8 blower on board with 2.5" vac line.(not a 6.8 unless I got a Vortex or something similar)
 

John Buxton

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
710
I agree with John C. I've got a fireman that has a Heavens Best Franchise here and he's half price.

I pay taxes to support his job, he takes $ from my family, and before he first started had me come to the firehouse and give an estimate for cleaning it so he could find out what I and a few others charge.

Asswipe. Sorry for the cuss word.
 

PARAMOUNT

Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2007
Messages
34
simply put I'm no fan of unions ( I've worked for local teamsters 703 many years ago and local 1 seiu and they were the most worst times of my life) I'm not employed by some city, county, or state. I'm employed by a for profit private ambulance company that transports very sick or injured individuals from hospital to hospital. within one year i will no longer be doing this line of work. i already factored all my costs (ins. taxes, workers comp. equipment advertisement health ins.) and with all this factored in my cost to customers will go up maybe 10-15%. my business will succeed at these prices and i will be happy. after divorce, foreclosure, bk, and child custody issues( i have custody of my boys) I'm STILL KICKING A$$ AND TAKING NO NAMES

most of you when starting your business you simply had your wife working full time to pay the bills while you did what ever to get customers to make some money, my wife is my so called current job that pays my bills so i can go out and start something i always wanted.

bye the way most of you guys are awesome I'm mean i learned so much from you guys that i owe some of you money. so thanks and for now you can have this info for free

cheap prices and great customer service will get you all you want and more!

SIMPLICITY IS HERE TO STAY
 

Scott Hayward

Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2006
Messages
128
Like Mikey said...you started the same thread several months ago! Tell us something new and exciting like...

How do you advertise besides "word of mouth"?

Scott
 

Greenie

Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
6,820
"most of you when starting your business you simply had your wife working full time to pay the bills while you did what ever to get customers to make some money"

Another blind statement, but what ever.... If you can make it on $99 a job you'll do fine at $149 a job, give it a try. Be a terrible shame to swap one job for another.
 
G

Guest

Guest
He's not in this bushiness full time :twisted: $ 150 is a lot of money who makes $8 a hour at his real job! Get in this business full time and we can respect you :lol:
 

John C

Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2007
Messages
8
If you don't have the perks of those working for a city or local municipality then you certainly have a tougher nut to crack. I don't know how long it takes you to do all of that work, but it would take me about 3 1/2 to 4 hrs to do it right and that's without moving any furniture. At under $40 per hour, that is not enough to pay for the bad back you'll have in a few years, and that's no joke. Even if you net out 50%, believe me it is not worth it. Also as the years go by, you'd be surprised at how much less you can do compared to when you were young. It takes a toll on the body, try to compensate yourself accordingly.
 

Rex Tyus

Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
3,720
bye the way most of you guys are awesome I'm mean i learned so much from you guys that i owe some of you money. so thanks and for now you can have this info for free

You can send the check to

Rug Rex
PO box 832
Marianna FL 32447

Btw let me invite you to become a supporting member. We would love to have you in the High performance room. Any one that can clean a whole house to IICRC standards for $99 10 times per day must have a SERIOUSLY pimped out set up. We would LOVE to see pictures or atleast a description.
 

nickreal

Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2007
Messages
141
PARAMOUNT said:
i already factored all my costs (ins. taxes, workers comp. equipment advertisement health ins.) and with all this factored in my cost to customers will go up maybe 10-15%. my business will succeed at these prices and i will be happy.

cheap prices and great customer service will get you all you want and more!

I wouldn't burn any bridges when you quit your job and don't quit until you have at least 3 months income sacked away. Ins., workers comp, equipment, ads, health ins, if all this only raises your prices 10 to 15 percent I'd be surprised.

Good Luck
 

B&BGaryC

Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2007
Messages
4,667
Name
B&BGaryC
patch said:
Rakes don't do CRAP.

Do too! I can see the difference. They don't do nearly as much as other tools, but for a freebie in the high traffic areas it helps a lot. Especially on stairs.
 

B&BGaryC

Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2007
Messages
4,667
Name
B&BGaryC
Rex Tyus said:
You can send the gross (144 count) of inflatable sheep to:

Rug Rex
PO box 832
Marianna FL 32447

Rex... Don't you know those things is 'spensive!?! I'm sure the boys will pitch in and pull together for ya... A man needs his sheep.
 

B&BGaryC

Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2007
Messages
4,667
Name
B&BGaryC
I'm pushing real hard to get "PITA, but "supportive" member" put above my avitar.
 

B&BGaryC

Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2007
Messages
4,667
Name
B&BGaryC
Well when you put it that way if just sounds pathetic. :roll:
 

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