How Long before you were really busy and making serious $?

Sounds like your working quite a bit Mill. You think you're ready to take the plunge and run the biz full time?

I was ready last Jan., but I was handed a job in management on a temporary basis and promised that if I succeeded, that I would keep the new position. That new position paid over 3x my annual salary, so I put the business on hold and worked my butt off for 4 months. I was able to exceed all their needs, but they gave the credit and the job to someone else in the end. I couldn't have been more motivated to become a full-time cleaner after that, but I had already lost out on some key months and the fall wasn't far away.

My present plan is getting all my ducks lined up so that I can drop that miserable job and go full-time in the Spring. I have already tripled my commercial contracts for 2014 and have been working with a veteran cleaner in the area to help provide some support....always better as a team!

That gives you plenty of time to plan and hit the ground running. I can just imagine what you can accomplish if you gave the biz all of your time and energy

Sky's the limit in this area...limited cleaners to compete with and they are not well liked in the first place, so the wrecking ball is coming.

still working on it

damn carpet daddy, 50 jobs/ week is pretty good and thats a slow week? @ only 200 each thats half a mil per year. how many vans to handle that many jobs?

were going up to 2 vans next year, not because the first one is booked completely but because we turn down too many jobs when 1 van is too busy, or have to turn down jobs that need it done this week or last minute etc.

ACpower1 wrote:damn carpet daddy,    50 jobs/ week is pretty good and thats a slow week?      @ only 200 each thats half a mil per year.       how many vans to handle that many jobs?

were going up to 2 vans next year,    not because the first one is booked completely but because we turn down too many jobs when 1 van is too busy,    or have to turn down jobs that need it done this week or last minute etc.

That's a good dicision AC. Having to potential to handle ore work is motivation that will sling shot ya to some good growth. That was my approach last year and it has paid off well. Good luck.

Three to four vans. I'm the fourth. We are closing in on a half mil - hoping to do it next year. We really should be able to handle the work all day with no more than three vans. BUT, all three of my guys are single dads and two of them are have to take their kids to school so they can't usually get to their first job until between 9 and 10 (half the day is gone   ). Irritates me a lot but they have been with me for almost five and six years, they are extremely honest, and extremely dedicated.

Sounds like you are definitely growing in a good way. When you grow too fast the added overhead can really hurt you. Good luck.

carpetdaddy wrote:

OneBlueSummer wrote:How long did it take you to be doing 15+ jobs a week?
Four months.

4 months !!   

Ok .. I have heard you say that you design your ads, did/are you just having them put in peoples doors?

You started in the supposed worst time ever to start a business and were able to fill the schedule that fast!? How many ads and what other avenues have/are you using to generate these stats?

Mo wrote:I can just imagine what you can accomplish if you gave the biz all of your time and energy

milspec6 wrote:

My present plan is getting all my ducks lined up so that I can drop that miserable job and go full-time in the Spring.  I have already tripled my commercial contracts for 2014 and have been working with a veteran cleaner in the area to help provide some support....always better as a team!

milspec6 wrote:Sky's the limit in this area...limited cleaners to compete with and they are not well liked in the first place, so the wrecking ball is coming.